John Chrysostom, On Timothy

but everything has been transferred to the soul. For bodily things are nearer to us; for this reason he led us from this; but not now; for it was not necessary to sit beside the types, nor to attend upon the shadows, but to hold to the truth, and to grasp it. Sin is unclean; let us flee this, let us abstain from this; If you approach it, he says to 62.682 her, it will receive you. Nothing is more unclean than covetousness. From where is this clear? From the things themselves. For what does it not defile? hands, soul, the very house, where the plundered goods are stored. To the Jews, then, this seems to be nothing. And yet Moses carried the bones of Joseph, and Samson drank from the jawbone of a donkey, and ate honey from a lion, and Elijah was fed by ravens, and by a widow woman. But what, tell me, if on account of these things one must be precise, were not the skins of their books more accursed than anything? For they are from dead animals. The fornicator, therefore, is not the only one who is unclean, but others are even more so, and the adulterer is unclean; but both this one and that one are unclean, not because of the intercourse; since according to this reasoning even he who approaches his own wife is unclean; but because of the injustice and the covetousness, because he defrauded his brother in the most necessary things. Do you see that wickedness is unclean? And he who had two wives was not unclean; and David having many was not unclean; but when he took one unlawfully, he became unclean. Why? Because he did wrong, because he was covetous. And the fornicator is not unclean on this account because of the intercourse, but because of the manner, because he wrongs the woman, and they wrong each other by making the woman common, and overturning the laws of nature; for she ought to have belonged to one. For Male, he says, and female He made them; and He said, The two shall be one flesh; not the many, but The two into one flesh. Here too, therefore, there is injustice, and for this reason the matter is evil. Again, when anger exceeds its measure, it makes a person unclean, not because of the anger, but because of the manner; since this is also added, He who is angry, not simply, but, without a cause. So that everywhere the desire for more is unclean; for the matter is born from insatiability and greed. Let us be sober, therefore, I beseech you, let us become clean with the true cleanliness, that we may be counted worthy to see God, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY IV. That older men be sober, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, in patience; older women likewise in behavior befitting holiness, not

slanderers, not enslaved to much wine, teachers of what is good, that they may train the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, being submissive to their own husbands, that the word

of God may not be blasphemed. 1. There are faults which old age also has, and not youth; and it has some of those of youth, but it has nevertheless also sluggishness, idleness, lethargy, 62.682 dullness, irascibility. For this reason, giving instruction about these things, he says: That older men be sober. For there are many things that cause those of such an age not to be sober; and first, the very thing I mentioned, being dulled in every way, and being roused with difficulty, and moved with difficulty; for which reason he also adds, Dignified, self-controlled. Here the prudent

ἀλλὰ μετέστη εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν τὸ πᾶν. Τὰ γὰρ σωματικὰ ἐγγυτέρω ἡμῶν· διὰ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τούτου ἐνήγαγεν· ἀλλ' οὐ νῦν· οὐ γὰρ ἔδει παρακαθέζεσθαι τοῖς τύποις, οὐδὲ προσεδρεύειν ταῖς σκιαῖς, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἔχεσθαι, καὶ ταύτης ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι. Ἀκάθαρτον ἡ ἁμαρτία· ταύτην φεύγωμεν, ταύτης ἀπεχώμεθα· Ἐὰν προσέλθῃς, φησὶ πρὸς 62.682 αὐτὴν, δέξεταί σε. Οὐδὲν πλεονεξίας ἀκαθαρτότερον. Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; Ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων. Τί γὰρ οὐ μιαίνει; χεῖρας, ψυχὴν, αὐτὴν τὴν οἰκίαν, ἔνθα ἀπόκειται τὰ ἁρπαζόμενα. Πρὸς Ἰουδαίους μὲν οὖν οὐδὲν τοῦτο εἶναι δοκεῖ. Καίτοι ὀστᾶ ἐβάστασεν ὁ Μωϋσῆς τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ ὁ Σαμψὼν ἀπὸ σιαγόνος ὄνου ἔπιε, καὶ ἀπὸ λέοντος μέλι ἔφαγε, καὶ Ἠλίας ἀπὸ κοράκων ἐτρέφετο, καὶ παρὰ γυναικὸς χήρας. Τί δὲ, εἰπέ μοι, εἰ τούτων ἕνεκεν ἀκριβολογεῖσθαι χρὴ, τὰ δέρματα τῶν βιβλίων αὐτῶν οὐ πάντων ἦν ἐναγέστερα; καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ νεκρῶν ζώων ἐστίν. Οὐχὶ ὁ πόρνος τοίνυν ἀκάθαρτος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτεροι τούτου μᾶλλον, καὶ ὁ μοιχὸς ἀκάθαρτος· ἀκάθαρτος δὲ καὶ οὗτος κἀκεῖνος, οὐ διὰ τὴν μίξιν· ἐπεὶ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον καὶ ὁ γυναικὶ ἰδίᾳ πλησιάζων, ἀκάθαρτος· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἀδικίαν καὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν, ὅτι τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐπλεονέκτησεν ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαιοτάτοις. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἡ κακία ἀκάθαρτον; Καὶ ὁ μὲν δύο γυναῖκας ἔχων οὐκ ἦν ἀκάθαρτος· καὶ πολλὰς ἔχων ὁ ∆αυῒδ οὐκ ἦν ἀκάθαρτος· ἐπειδὴ δὲ μίαν ἔσχε παρανόμως, ἀκάθαρτος γέγονε. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι ἠδίκησεν, ὅτι ἐπλεονέκτησε. Καὶ ὁ πόρνος δὲ οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ἀκάθαρτος διὰ τὴν μίξιν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν τρόπον, ὅτι ἀδικεῖ τὸ γύναιον, καὶ ἀλλήλους ἀδικοῦσι τὴν γυναῖκα ποιοῦντες κοινὴν, καὶ τοὺς τῆς φύσεως ἀνατρέποντες νόμους· ἑνὸς γὰρ αὐτὴν ἔδει εἶναι. Ἄρσεν γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτούς· καὶ εἶπεν, Ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν· οὐχ οἱ πολλοὶ, ἀλλ' Οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν ἀδικία ἐστὶ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πονηρὸν τὸ πρᾶγμα. Ὁ θυμὸς πάλιν ὅταν ὑπερβῇ τὰ μέτρα, ἀκάθαρτον ποιεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, οὐ διὰ τὴν ὀργὴν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν τρόπον· ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτο πρόσκειται, Ὁ ὀργιζόμενος, οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ, εἰκῆ. Ὥστε πανταχοῦ τὸ τοῦ πλείονος ἐφίεσθαι, ἀκάθαρτον· ἀπὸ γὰρ ἀπληστίας καὶ τοῦ ἀκορέστου τὸ πρᾶγμα τίκτεται. Νήφωμεν τοίνυν, παρακαλῶ, καθαροὶ γενώμεθα τὴν ἀληθῆ καθαρότητα, ἵνα τὸν Θεὸν ἰδεῖν καταξιωθῶμεν, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ∆ʹ. Πρεσβύτας νηφαλίους εἶναι, σεμνοὺς, σώφρονας, ὑγιαίνοντας τῇ πίστει, τῇ ἀγάπῃ, τῇ ὑπομονῇ· πρεσβύτιδας ὡσαύτως ἐν καταστήματι ἱεροπρεπεῖς, μὴ

διαβόλους, μὴ οἴνῳ πολλῷ δεδουλωμένας, καλοδιδασκάλους, ἵνα σωφρονίζωσι τὰς νέας φιλάνδρους εἶναι, φιλοτέ κνους, σώφρονας, ἁγνὰς, οἰκουροὺς, ἀγαθὰς, ὑποτασσομένας τοῖς οἰκείοις ἀνδράσιν, ἵνα μὴ ὁ λόγος

τοῦ Θεοῦ βλασφημῆται. αʹ. Ἔστιν ἃ καὶ τὸ γῆρας ἐλαττώματα ἔχει, καὶ οὐχ ἡ νεότης· καὶ ἔχει μέν τινα καὶ τῶν τῆς νεότητος, ἔχει δὲ ὅμως καὶ τὸ νωθρὸν, τὸ ὀκνηρὸν, τὸ ληθαργὸν, 62.682 τὸ ἀμβλὺ, τὸ ἀκρόχολον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο περὶ τούτων παραγγέλλων φησί· Πρεσβύτας εἶναι νηφαλίους. Πολλὰ γάρ ἐστι τὰ ποιοῦντα μὴ νήφειν τοὺς ἐν ἡλικίᾳ τοιαύτῃ· καὶ πρῶτον αὐτὸ ὅπερ ἔφην, τὸ πανταχόθεν ἀμβλύνεσθαι, καὶ δυσκόλως διεγείρεσθαι, καὶ δυσκόλως κινεῖσθαι· διὸ καὶ ἐπάγει, Σεμνοὺς, σώφρονας. Ἐνταῦθα τοὺς φρονίμους