John Chrysostom, Sermon 3 on Genesis

feigning natural beauty, having colored their cheeks with white lead and another red substance, and shining on the neck, like a lifeless pillar, hour after hour and day after day braiding their hair, and making it glisten up to the forehead, and anointing their eyebrows with black, the characteristics of a malicious practice. Are not their ways wicked? Are not their deeds absurd, and their actions unprofitable? Are not their hopes foolish? And those whom they are not able to entice openly, secretly within themselves they string their bows and arrows; just as Eve enticed Adam in secret. For I have heard of many of them looking around through a hole in a plank, and watching those walking in the public squares, both small and great, and laughing at one man's walk, belittling another's age, mocking another's hair and clothing, and becoming mimics of other malicious women; spending their time in idleness on feasts and the Lord's days, and never rising, neither for food, nor for drink, nor for sleep; but they spend their daily toil and care on this day; and they neither respect their fathers, nor reverence their mothers, nor are they ashamed before their brothers, nor do they regard their male or female slaves, but they have become a plaything for all alike, and in all things they are like a ship tossed by waves. Look into the tombs, O daughters of Zion, and children of the holy font, and behold the image that you beautify, 56.536 and your unprofitable and untimely fancies and appearances, how all is dust, how most bitter death withers all things, how all is ashes, how it is filled with foul odor. And let not the class of women cry out against me as accusing them. For I said before my discourse that this discourse was not made concerning sensible women, but concerning wicked and unintelligent and foolish ones. For I know many women who are modest and good and who walk in modesty, whom also the apostle mentioned in the book of life. But come, let us also describe the people of the other orders. For I have announced that I would declare to your greatness the images of three orders, of virgins, and of those in marriage, and of those reckoned in widowhood. Since concerning virgins I have explained a few things out of many to your charity, let us begin also concerning the women who boast in marriage, who have become like an asp to their own husbands. For how many women have I seen who brought sudden death upon their own spouses? How many do I know who, not being able to bring death upon their own partners, have made them groan and tremble through malice, and not even according them the honor as they would to animals? But if she is rich, boasting in her wealth day and night, she does not allow her spouse to live in peace. And if she is poor, going from place to place, and from house to house, she stirs up fights, fans the flames of anger, causes disturbances every day, not allowing her husband to have peace either with a neighbor or with an acquaintance, but she insults everyone, goes to court with everyone, runs down everyone, disturbs everyone, shamelessly deserting to the authorities, and being found in the law courts as one who has been wronged, and chattering in the baths, and causing untimely encounters in the churches, and babbling these things: I am the increase of my livelihood, I am the instruction of the slaves, I am the one who provides the food; in vain does my spouse hold the first place, he has no care for anything; he does not know what I accomplish in my house, except for the bread he eats from the table, and the drink which he drinks without knowing. O manifest shamelessness! Rightly does wisdom cry out: Do not pay attention to a wicked woman; for honey drips from her lips, which

φυσικὸν κάλλος ψευδόμεναι, διὰ ψιμμιθίου καὶ ἑτέρου ἐρυθροῦ τὰς παρειὰς ἐπιχρώσασαι, καὶ τῷ τραχήλῳ στίλβουσαι, καθάπερ ἄψυχος στήλη, ὥραν καθ' ὥραν καὶ ἡμέρας ἐξ ἡμέρας τὰς τρίχας περιπλέκουσαι, καὶ μέχρι τοῦ μετώπου διαστίλβουσαι, καὶ τὰς ὀφρύας ἐν μέλανι χρίουσαι, ἴδια κακοήθους πράξεως. Οὐχὶ αὐτῶν πονηροὶ καθεστήκασιν οἱ τρόποι; οὐχὶ αὐτῶν τὰ ἔργα ἄτοπα, καὶ πράξεις αἱ ἀνωφελεῖς; οὐκ αὐτῶν αἱ ἀνόητοι ἐλπίδες; Καὶ ὅσους ἐν παῤῥησίᾳ οὐ δύνανται δελεάσαι, κρυφίως ἐν ἑαυταῖς τὰ τόξα καὶ τὰ βέλη ἐπιτείνουσι· καθάπερ ἡ Εὔα τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἐν ἀποκρύφοις ἐδελέασε. Πολλὰς γὰρ αὐτῶν ἀκήκοα διὰ τρυμαλιᾶς σανίδος περιβλεπούσας, καὶ θεωρούσας τοὺς ἐπὶ τὰς πλατείας περιπατοῦντας, μικρούς τε καὶ μεγάλους, καὶ τοῦ μὲν τὴν ὁδὸν καταγελασάσας, τοῦ δὲ τὴν ἡλικίαν σμικρυνούσας, τοῦ δὲ τὰς τρίχας καὶ τὴν στολὴν ἐμπαιζούσας, καὶ μίμους καθεστώσας κακοήθων ἄλλων γυναικῶν· ἐν ἀργίᾳ διαγούσας ἐν ἑορταῖς καὶ κυριακαῖς, καὶ οὐδέποτε αὐτὰς ἀνισταμένας, οὔτε ἐπὶ βρῶσιν, οὔτε ἐπὶ πόσιν, οὔτε ἐπὶ ὕπνον· ἀλλὰ τὸν καθημερινὸν κάματον καὶ τὴν μέριμναν ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναλίσκουσι· καὶ οὔτε πατέρας αἰδοῦνται, οὔτε μητέρας ἐντρέπονται, οὔτε ἀδελφοὺς αἰσχύνονται, οὔτε δούλους εὐλαβοῦνται ἢ δουλίδας, ἀλλὰ πᾶσιν ὁμοῦ γεγένηνται παίγνιον, καὶ πρὸς πάντα εἰσὶν ὥσπερ ναῦς κυμαινομένη. Ἐγκύψατε ἐν τοῖς τάφοις, θυγατέρες Σιὼν, καὶ τῆς ἁγίας κολυμβήθρας τέκνα, καὶ θεάσασθε τὴν εἰκόνα, ἣν καλλωπίζετε, 56.536 καὶ τὰς ἀνωφελεῖς καὶ ἀκαίρους φαντασίας ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ σχήματα, πῶς πάντα κόνις, πῶς πάντα ὁ πικρότατος θάνατος μαραίνει, πῶς πάντα τέφρα, πῶς δυσωδίας πεπλησμένα. Καὶ μή μου τὸ τῶν γυναικῶν σύστημα καταβοάτω ὡς αὐτὰς κατηγοροῦντος. Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ λόγου εἶπον, ὅτι οὐ περὶ συνετῶν γυναικῶν ὁ λόγος οὗτος γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ περὶ πονηρῶν καὶ ἀσυνέτων καὶ ἀφρόνων. Πολλὰς γὰρ ἐγὼ οἶδα γυναῖκας σώφρονας καὶ ἀγαθὰς καὶ ἐν σωφροσύνῃ περιπατούσας, ἃς καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος ἐμνημόνευσεν ἐν βίβλῳ ζωῆς. Ἀλλὰ φέρε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ταγμάτων τὸν δῆμον ἀνιστορήσωμεν. Τριῶν γὰρ ταγμάτων εἰκόνας τῇ ὑμῶν μεγαλειότητι ἀπηγγειλάμην φράσαι, παρθένων, καὶ τῶν ἐν συζυγίαις, καὶ τῶν ἐν χηρείαις καταγομένων. Ἐπειδὴ περὶ τῶν παρθένων ὀλίγα ἐκ τῶν πολλῶν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ὑμῶν ἐξηγησάμην, ἀρξώμεθα καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐν γάμοις ἐγκαυχωμένων γυναικῶν, αἵτινες δίκην ἀσπίδος τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἀνδράσι καθεστήκασι. Πόσας γὰρ γυναῖκας εἶδον τοῖς ἑαυτῶν συζύγοις θάνατον αἰφνίδιον προσενεγκούσας; πόσας ἐπίσταμαι τοῖς ἑαυτῶν συνεύνοις μὴ δυναμένας ἐπαγαγεῖν θάνατον, στένοντας καὶ τρέμοντας διὰ κακοηθείας πεποιηκυίας αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐδὲ ὡς τὰ ζῶα τὴν τιμὴν αὐτοῖς προσαγούσας; Ἀλλὰ κἂν πλουσία ὑπάρχῃ, ἐγκαυχωμένη ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτῆς ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς, ζῇν ἐν εἰρήνῃ τὸν ὁμόζυγον οὐκ ἐᾷ. Κἂν πένης ᾖ, διερχομένη ἀπὸ τόπου εἰς τόπον, καὶ εἰς οἰκίαν ἐξ οἰκίας, μάχας ἀνεγείρει, θυμοὺς ἀναῤῥιπίζει, ταραχὰς καθεκάστην προσφέρει, οὐκ ἐῶσα τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς οὔτε μετὰ γείτονος, οὔτε μετὰ γνωρίμου εἰρήνην ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ πάντας ὑβρίζει, μετὰ πάντων δικάζεται, πάντας ἐπιτρέχει, πάντας θορυβεῖ, ἐν ἀρχαῖς αὐτομολοῦσα ἀναισχύντως, καὶ ἐν δικαστηρίοις εὑρισκομένη ὡς ἀδικηθεῖσα, καὶ ἐν βαλανείοις πολυλογοῦσα, καὶ ἐν ἐκκλησίαις συντυχίας ἀκαίρους προσφέρουσα, καὶ ταῦτα φλυαροῦσα· Ἐγὼ τοῦ βίου μου ἡ αὔξησις, ἐγὼ τῶν δούλων ἡ παιδαγωγία, ἐγὼ τῶν τροφῶν ἡ μεριμνήτρια· μάτην ὁ σύζυγός μου τὰ πρεσβεῖα φέρει, οὐδενὸς πράγματος φροντὶς αὐτῷ ὑπάρχει· οὐ γινώσκει τί ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου ἐκτελῶ, εἰ μὴ τὸν ἄρτον ὃν ἐσθίει ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης, καὶ τὸ πόμα ὅπερ πίνει μὴ γινώσκων. Ὢ ἀναισχυντίας προδήλου! ∆ικαίως ἡ σοφία βοᾷ· Μὴ πρόσεχε φαύλῃ γυναικί· μέλι γὰρ ἀποστάζει ἐκ χειλέων, ὃ