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child-rearing, the care, the illnesses, the untimely deaths, the enmities, the contentions, being a slave to countless opinions, being responsible for the evils of others, receiving countless griefs with one soul. From all these evils she who has chosen continence is freed, and with freedom from troubles she has a great reward laid up for the life to come. Knowing all these things, therefore, let us endeavor to be content with first marriages. But if we prepare to enter into a second, let it be with the proper manner and decorum, with the laws of God. For this reason he said, “She is free to be married to whom she will;” and he added, “Only in the Lord,” at once giving permission, and fortifying the permission, and granting authority, and to this authority again setting bounds and laws from every side; for example, that the woman might not bring into the house defiled and corrupt men, or those from the stage, or those given to fornication; but with reverence, with self-control, with piety, that all things might be done to the glory of God. 51.224 For since many women often, after their first husbands died, having first committed adultery, thus brought in the latter husbands, and devised other defiled ways, for this reason he added, “Only in the Lord,” so that the second marriage might have none of these things; for thus it will be able to be free from accusations. For it is better than all things to wait for the deceased, and to keep the compacts with him, and to choose continence, and to remain with the children left behind, and to draw to oneself greater favor from God. But if someone should wish to bring in a second husband, let it be with self-control, with reverence, with the proper laws; for this too is permitted, but only fornication and adultery are forbidden. Let us therefore flee this, both those who have wives and those who do not; and let us not disgrace our life, nor live a ridiculous life, nor pollute the body, nor introduce an evil conscience into our mind. For how will you be able to come to church after associating with prostitutes? how will you raise to heaven the hands with which you embraced the prostitute? how will you move your tongue, and call with this mouth with which you kissed the prostitute? with what eyes will you look upon the more respectable of your friends? And why do I say friends? For even if no one is aware of it, you will be compelled before all to blush and be ashamed, and more than all to loathe your own body. For if this were not so, for what reason do you run to the bath after that sin? Is it not because you consider yourself to be more unclean than any filth? What other greater proof of the uncleanness of what has been done do you seek, or what verdict do you expect God to render, when you who have sinned have such an opinion about what has been done? Now that they consider themselves to be unclean, I greatly praise and approve; but that they do not come to the proper manner of purification, for this I accuse and find fault. For if the filth were of the body, you would rightly have cleansed yourself with the purifications of the baths; but having defiled the soul and made it unclean, seek such a purification as will be able to wash away its stain. And what is the bath for such a sin? Hot springs of tears, groans rising up from the bottom of the heart, continual contrition, fervent prayers, almsgiving, and abundant almsgiving, to condemn what has been done, to no longer attempt the same things; thus the nature of sin is washed away, thus the filth of the soul is cleansed; so that if we do not do such things, even if we were to pass through all the springs of the rivers, we will not be able to take away even a small part of this sin.

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παιδοτροφίας, τὴν φροντίδα, τὰς ἀῤῥωστίας, τοὺς θανάτους τοὺς ἀώρους, τὰς ἀπεχθείας, τὰς φιλονεικίας, τὸ γνώμαις μυρίαις δουλεύειν, τὸ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων κακῶν ὑπεύθυνον εἶναι, τὸ μυρίας ἀναδέχεσθαι λύπας μίαν ἔχουσαν ψυχήν. Ἁπάντων δὲ τούτων ἀπαλλάττεται τῶν κακῶν ἡ τὴν ἐγκράτειαν ἑλομένη, καὶ μετὰ τῆς τῶν ἀνιαρῶν ἀπαλλαγῆς κατὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν ζωὴν πολὺν ἔχει κείμενον τὸν μισθόν. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα εἰδότες, σπουδάζωμεν τοῖς προτέροις ἀρκεῖσθαι γάμοις. Ἂν δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ δευτέρους παρασκευαζώμεθα εἰσέρχεσθαι, μετὰ τοῦ προσήκοντος τρόπου καὶ σχήματος, μετὰ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν ᾧ θέλει γαμηθῆναι· καὶ ἐπήγαγε, Μόνον ἐν Κυρίῳ, ὁμοῦ καὶ ἄδειαν διδοὺς, καὶ τειχίζων τὴν ἄδειαν, καὶ ἐξουσίαν παρέχων, καὶ τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ πάλιν ταύτῃ ὅρους καὶ νόμους τιθεὶς πανταχόθεν· οἷον, ἵνα μὴ μιαροὺς καὶ διεφθαρμένους ἄνδρας εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν εἰσαγάγῃ ἡ γυνὴ, ἢ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς σκηνῆς, ἢ τοὺς πορνείας προσέχοντας· ἀλλὰ μετὰ σεμνότητος, μετὰ σωφροσύνης, μετὰ εὐλαβείας, ἵνα πάντα εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ γένηται. 51.224 Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλαὶ πολλάκις γυναῖκες, τῶν πρώτων τελευτησάντων ἀνδρῶν, μοιχευθεῖσαι πρότερον, οὕτω τοὺς ὑστέρους εἰσήγαγον, καὶ τρόπους ἑτέρους μιαροὺς ἐπενόησαν, διὰ τοῦτο ἐπήγαγε, Μόνον ἐν Κυρίῳ· ἵνα μηδὲν τούτων ὁ δεύτερος ἔχῃ γάμος· οὕτω γὰρ δυνήσεται ἐγκλημάτων ἀπηλλάχθαι. Πάντων μὲν γὰρ βέλτιον ἀναμένειν τὸν τετελευτηκότα, καὶ τὰς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον συνθήκας διατηρεῖν, καὶ ἐγκράτειαν αἱρεῖσθαι, καὶ τοῖς καταλειφθεῖσιν ἐπιμένειν παιδίοις, καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πλείονα τὴν εὔνοιαν ἐπισπάσασθαι. Ἂν δ' ἄρα τις βουληθῇ δεύτερον ἐπεισαγαγεῖν νυμφίον, μετὰ σωφροσύνης, μετὰ σεμνότητος, μετὰ τῶν προσηκόντων νόμων· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἐφεῖται, πορνεία δὲ κεκώλυται μόνον καὶ μοιχεία. Ταύτην τοίνυν φεύγωμεν, καὶ οἱ γυναῖκας ἔχοντες, καὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες· καὶ μὴ καταισχύνωμεν ἡμῶν τὸν βίον, μηδὲ καταγέλαστον ζῶμεν ζωὴν, μηδὲ μολύνωμεν τὸ σῶμα, μηδὲ πονηρὸν συνειδὸς εἰς τὴν διάνοιαν εἰσαγάγωμεν. Πῶς γὰρ εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἐλθεῖν δυνήσῃ μετὰ τὴν πρὸς τὰς πόρνας ὁμιλίαν; πῶς τὰς χεῖρας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνατεῖναι, αἷς τὴν πόρνην περιελάμβανες; πῶς κινῆσαι γλῶτταν, καὶ τῷ στόματι καλέσαι τούτῳ, ᾧ τὴν πόρνην ἐφίλησας; ποίοις ὀφθαλμοῖς ὄψει τῶν φίλων τοὺς σεμνοτέρους; Καὶ τί λέγω τοὺς φίλους; Κἂν γὰρ μηδεὶς ὁ συνειδὼς ᾖ, σὺ σαυτὸν ἀναγκασθήσῃ πρὸ πάντων ἐρυθριᾷν καὶ αἰσχύνεσθαι, καὶ πάντων μᾶλλον τὸ ἑαυτοῦ βδελύττεσθαι σῶμα. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐπὶ βαλανεῖον μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τρέχεις ἐκείνην; οὐκ ἐπειδὴ βορβόρου παντὸς ἀκαθαρτότερον ἑαυτὸν εἶναι νομίζεις; Ποίαν ἑτέραν ζητεῖς μείζονα ἀπόδειξιν τῆς τῶν γεγενημένων ἀκαθαρσίας, ἢ τίνα τὸν Θεὸν προσδοκᾷς ψῆφον οἴσειν, ὅταν ὁ πεπλημμεληκὼς σὺ τοιαύτην περὶ τῶν γεγενημένων γνώμην ἔχῃς; Ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἀκαθάρτους ἑαυτοὺς εἶναι νομίζουσι, σφόδρα ἐπαινῶ καὶ ἀποδέχομαι· ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἐπὶ τὸν προσήκοντα τῶν καθαρσίων ἔρχονται τρόπον, ἐγκαλῶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ μέμφομαι. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ σωματικὸς ὁ ῥύπος ἦν, εἰκότως τοῖς τῶν βαλανείων καθαρμοῖς ἑαυτὸν ἀπέσμηχες· τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν καταῤῥυπάνας καὶ ποιήσας ἀκάθαρτον, τοιοῦτον ζήτει καθάρσιον, ὃ τὴν ἐκείνης κηλῖδα ἀποσμῆξαι δυνήσεται. Ποῖον δέ ἐστι τῆς τοιαύτης ἁμαρτίας τὸ βαλανεῖον; Θερμαὶ δακρύων πηγαὶ, στεναγμοὶ κάτωθεν ἀπὸ καρδίας ἀνιόντες, κατάνυξις διηνεκὴς, εὐχαὶ ἐκτενεῖς, ἐλεημοσύναι, καὶ ἐλεημοσύναι δαψιλεῖς, τὸ καταγνῶναι τῶν γεγενημένων, τὸ μηκέτι τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιχειρῆσαι πράγμασιν· οὕτως ἁμαρτίας ἀποσμήχεται φύσις, οὕτως ἐκκαθαίρεται τῆς ψυχῆς ὁ ῥύπος· ὥστε ἐὰν μὴ τοιαῦτα ποιῶμεν, κἂν ἁπάσας τῶν ποταμῶν διέλθωμεν τὰς πηγὰς, οὐδὲ μικρὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ταύτης ὑφελέσθαι δυνησόμεθα μέρος.