John Chrysostom, On "Do not fear"

and in the higher matters: hasten, hasten. He urges his wife, so that the delay might not cast the strangers into despondency: Hasten, and knead three 55.507 measures of fine flour. The command is laborious, the order burdensome: Knead three measures of fine flour. She did not say: What is this? Was it for these prospects that I was wedded to you, that you should make me a mill-woman and a baker, a woman who possesses such wealth? You have three hundred and eighteen servants, and you did not choose to command them, but you urge me to this service? She said nothing of the sort, she did not even think it; but since she was the wife of Abraham, not only in bodily union, but also in fellowship of virtue, for this reason he says, Hasten; and she seizes the command with eagerness; for she knew the fruit that springs from hospitality. Hasten, knead. For he knew the diligence of his wife. Where are the women of today? Let us compare them with Sarah. Do they accept such commands? such labors? Bring out for me the hand of the world-loving woman, and you see it gilded on the outside, but possessing a siege within. The greed of how many poor, tell me, does your hand bear? Bring out your hand for me, show it; what is it clothed in? Greed. Bring out the hand of Sarah. What is it clothed in? Hospitality, almsgiving, love, love for the poor. O beautiful right hand! Look at a right hand and a right hand. But there is one form of a right hand, but much difference. There, fountains of tears; here, crowns and prizes. I say these things, so that neither women may seek such things from men, nor men may tolerate women demanding such things. See Sarah, see the rich woman kneaded three measures of fine flour. How great was the labor? But she did not feel the labor because of the hope of the fruit and the reward. Hasten, knead three measures of fine flour. What are you doing? Do you adorn yourself, woman? For whom do you wish to be pleasing? For your husband? A bad practice, if in this way you are going to please your husband, if in this way you hasten to please your husband. How then shall I be pleasing? By your modesty. But how shall I be pleasing? By your fairness, by your wisdom, by your gentleness and love, by your concord and harmony. These are your ornaments, woman. These virtues of yours produce concord; those other ornaments do not make you pleasing, but also prepare you to be burdensome to your husband. For when you say, Seize and bring it to me, for a little while you are pleasing, but later you have an enemy. But so that you may learn that you are not pleasing your husband: for at home you put them away, and in the church you put them on; if you were pleasing your husband, you would wear them at home. But as I said, you enter the church, with your hands and neck gilded. If Paul should come, that fearsome and beloved one, fearsome to sinners, and beloved to the pious, he cries out and says likewise: Women ought to adorn themselves, not with gold, not with pearls, not with costly attire. Then if a Greek should enter, and see them above wearing these things, and Paul below saying these things, will he not say that this is a stage-play and a fable? Our affairs are not a stage-play, even if these things happen in this way. But the Greek is harmed, and says: I entered a church of Christians, and I heard Paul saying, Not with gold, nor with pearls, but the woman demonstrating the opposite through her works. 6. What use is gold to you, woman? So that you may appear 55.508 beautiful and comely? But this contributes nothing to the beauty of your soul. Become beautiful in soul, and you shall also be desirable in body. The wisdom of a man will illuminate his face. And yet wisdom is of his soul. Nothing creates desire and love like love. For if your husband loves you, even if you are unattractive, you will seem desirable to him; but if he hates you, even if you are beautiful, he does not want to see you.

καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοτέροις πράγμασι· σπεῦσον, σπεῦσον. Ἐπείγει τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ ἵνα μὴ ἡ μέλλησις εἰς ἀθυμίαν ἐμβάλλῃ τοὺς ξένους· Σπεῦσον, καὶ φύρασον τρία 55.507 μέτρα σεμιδάλεως. Ἐπίπονον τὸ ἐπίταγμα, φορτικὸν τὸ κέλευσμα· Φύρασον τρία μέτρα σεμιδάλεως. Οὐκ εἶπε· Τί τοῦτο; ἐπὶ ταύταις ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἐνυμφεύθην σοι, ἵνα με μυλωθρίδα καὶ ἀρτοποιὸν ποιήσῃς, γυναῖκα τὴν πλοῦτον ἔχουσαν τοσοῦτον; Τριακοσίους δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ δούλους ἔχεις, καὶ ἐκείνοις ἐπιτάξαι οὐχ εἵλου, ἀλλά με εἰς τὴν διακονίαν ταύτην ἐπείγεις; Οὐκ εἶπέ τι τοιοῦτον, οὐκ ἐνενόησεν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ γυνὴ ἦν τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, οὐ συνουσίᾳ μόνον σώματος, ἀλλὰ καὶ κοινωνίᾳ ἀρετῆς, διὰ τοῦτο λέγει, Σπεῦσον· καὶ ἁρπάζει τὸ ἐπίταγμα ἐκείνη μετὰ προθυμίας· ᾔδει γὰρ τὸν καρπὸν βρύοντα τῆς φιλοξενίας. Σπεῦσον, φύρασον. Ἤδει γὰρ τῆς γυναικὸς τὸ ἐπιμελές. Ποῦ αἱ νῦν γυναῖκες; Παραβάλωμεν αὐτὰς τῇ Σάῤῥᾳ. Ἆρα τοιαῦτα ἐπιτάγματα δέχονται; τοιαῦτα ἔργα; Ἔκβαλέ μοι τῆς φιλοκόσμου γυναικὸς τὴν χεῖρα, καὶ ὁρᾷς αὐτὴν κεχρυσωμένην ἔξωθεν, ἔνδοθεν δὲ πολιορκίαν κεκτημένην. Πόσων πενήτων, εἰπέ μοι, πλεονεξίαν ἡ χείρ σου βαστάζει; Ἔκβαλέ μοι τὴν χεῖρά σου, δεῖξον αὐτήν· τί ἐνδέδυται; Πλεονεξίαν. Ἔκβαλε τὴν χεῖρα τῆς Σάῤῥας. Τί ἐνδέδυται; Φιλοξενίαν, ἐλεημοσύνην, ἀγάπην, φιλοπτωχίαν. Ὢ καλῆς δεξιᾶς! Βλέπε δεξιὰν καὶ δεξιάν. Ἀλλὰ μία μὲν μορφὴ δεξιᾶς, πολλὴ δὲ διαφορά. Ἐκεῖ πηγαὶ δακρύων, ἐνταῦθα στέφανοι καὶ βραβεῖα. Ταῦτα λέγω, ἵνα μήτε γυναῖκες τοιαῦτα παρὰ ἀνδρῶν ζητῶσι, μήτε ἄνδρες ἀνέχωνται γυναικῶν τοιαῦτα ἀπαιτουσῶν. Ἴδε ἡ Σάῤῥα, ἴδε ἡ πλουσία ἐφύρασε τρία μέτρα σεμιδάλεως. Πόσος ὁ πόνος; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ᾔσθετο πόνου διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τοῦ καρποῦ καὶ τοῦ κέρδους. Σπεῦσον, φύρασον τρία μέτρα σεμιδάλεως. Τί ποιεῖς; καλλωπίζῃ, γύναι; Ἵνα τίνι ἀρέσῃς; Τῷ ἀνδρί; Κακὴ μελέτη, εἰ οὕτω μέλλεις ἀρέσκειν τῷ ἀνδρὶ, εἰ οὕτω σπεύδεις ἀρέσκειν σου τῷ ἀνδρί. Πῶς οὖν ἀρέσω; Τῇ σωφροσύνῃ. Ἀλλὰ πῶς ἀρέσω; Τῇ ἐπιεικείᾳ, τῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ, τῇ πραΰτητι καὶ τῇ ἀγάπῃ, τῇ ὁμονοίᾳ καὶ τῇ συμφωνίᾳ. Ταῦτά σου τὰ κόσμια, γύναι. Αὗταί σου αἱ ἀρεταὶ ὁμόνοιαν ἐργάζονται· ἐκεῖνα τὰ κόσμια ἀρέσκειν οὐ ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἀνδρί σε φορτικὴν παρασκευάζει γίνεσθαι. Ὅταν γὰρ εἴπῃς, Ἅρπασον καὶ φέρε μοι, ἐν ὀλίγῳ μὲν σὺ ἀρέσκεις, ὕστερον δὲ πολέμιον ἔχεις. Ἵνα δὲ μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐκ ἀνδρὶ ἀρέσκεις· ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ γὰρ αὐτὰ ἀποτίθεσαι, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ αὐτὰ περιβάλλῃ· εἰ τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἤρεσκες, ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ ἂν αὐτὰ ἐφόρεις. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ εἶπον, εἰσέρχῃ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, κεχρυσωμένη τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τὸν τράχηλον. Ἐὰν ἔλθῃ Παῦλος, ὁ φοβερὸς ἐκεῖνος καὶ ποθεινὸς, φοβερὸς τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι, καὶ ποθεινὸς τοῖς εὐσεβοῦσι, βοᾷ καὶ λέγει ὡσαύτως· Τὰς γυναῖκας κοσμεῖν ἑαυτὰς χρὴ, μὴ ἐν χρυσῷ, μὴ ἐν μαργαρίταις, μὴ ἐν ἱματισμῷ πολυτελεῖ. Εἶτα ἂν εἰσέλθῃ ὁ Ἕλλην, καὶ ἴδῃ ἄνω μὲν φορούσας ταῦτα ἐκείνας, κάτω δὲ Παῦλον ταῦτα λέγοντα, οὐκ ἐρεῖ, ὅτι σκηνὴ καὶ μῦθος ταῦτά ἐστιν; Οὐκ ἔστι μὲν σκηνὴ τὰ ἡμέτερα, κἂν οὕτω ταῦτα γίνηται. Ὁ δὲ Ἕλλην βλάπτεται, καὶ λέγει· Εἰσῆλθον εἰς ἐκκλησίαν Χριστιανῶν, καὶ ἤκουσα τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος, Μὴ ἐν χρυσῷ, μηδὲ ἐν μαργαρίταις, τὴν δὲ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐναντία ἐπιδεικνυμένην. ςʹ. Τί σοι ὄφελος τοῦ χρυσίου, γύναι; Ἵνα καλὴ φαίνῃ 55.508 καὶ ὡραία; Ἀλλ' οὐδέν σοι τοῦτο εἰς τὸ κάλλος τῆς ψυχῆς συντελεῖ. Γενοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν εὔμορφος, καὶ ἔσῃ καὶ τὸ σῶμα ποθεινή. Σοφία ἀνθρώπου φωτιεῖ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ. Καίτοι ἡ σοφία τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ. Οὐδὲν ποιεῖ πόθον καὶ ἔρωτα, ὡς ἀγάπη. Ἐὰν γὰρ φιλῇ σε ὁ ἀνήρ σου, κἂν ἄμορφος ᾖς, ποθεινὴ αὐτῷ φαίνῃ· ἐὰν δὲ μισήσῃ σε, κἂν εὔμορφος ᾖς, οὐ θέλει σε ὁρᾷν.