John Chrysostom, On Timothy

we may lead a life in all godliness and honesty; and here, That the word of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. For if it should happen that a faithful woman cohabiting with an unbeliever is not virtuous, the blasphemy is accustomed to pass on to God; but if she is orderly, the preaching reaps the glory from her and from the good deeds accomplished by her. Let the women hear, as many as cohabit with wicked or unbelieving men; let them hear, and let them be instructed to lead them to godliness through their own ways. For even if you gain nothing else, and do not draw your husband to the fellowship of right doctrines, yet you have sewn up his mouth, not allowing Christianity to be blasphemed. And this is not small, but very great, that the doctrine is admired because of our conduct. Young men likewise exhort to be sober-minded. See how everywhere he exhorts to keep what is fitting. For of the teaching for women, he assigned the greater part to the women, setting the aged women over the younger ones; but of the men, he gives and assigns the whole to him. For nothing, nothing would be so difficult and hard for this age, as to overcome unseemly pleasures. For neither the love of money, nor the desire for glory, nor anything else so troubles this age, as the love of bodies. Therefore, leaving all other things, he bases his exhortation on the critical point. Then he is not negligent on account of the others either, but what does he say? In all things showing yourself a pattern of good works. Let the older women therefore, he says, teach the younger women, and you yourself exhort the young men to be sober-minded. And let the brightness of your life be a common school and example of virtue for all, set forth in the midst for all, like some archetypal image, having all good things in itself, providing examples with great ease to those who wish to copy something of the good things in it. In doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sound speech, that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of us. 3. He means by "he that is of the contrary part" both the devil and everyone who serves him. For when life shines, and speech is fitting, mild, gentle, affable, offering no handle to adversaries, the gain is great and ineffable. Great then is the need for the ministry of the word, not of any ordinary word, but of one that is approved and unassailable, and that offers no pretext from any quarter to those who wish for one. Servants to be subject to their own masters, to be well-pleasing in all things. Do you see what he said beforehand, That he that is of the contrary part, he says, may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of us. Therefore, worthy of condemnation is the one who separates wives from husbands on the pretext of continence, 62.685 and the one who deprives masters of slaves with this same pretense. This is not speech that cannot be condemned; but it gives great handle also to unbelievers, and opens the mouths of all against us. Servants, he says, to be subject to their own masters, to be well-pleasing in all things, not answering again, not purloining, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. Rightly, then, did he say elsewhere, As serving God, and not men. For even if you serve the master with good will, yet the occasion has its beginning from fear. So that he who serves him with so much fear will obtain the greatest rewards. For if he does not restrain his hand, nor his licentious tongue, how will the Greek admire the doctrine among us? But if they should see the slave philosophizing in Christ, showing greater continence than those who philosophized among them, and serving with much gentleness and good will, he will in every way admire the power of the

βίον διάγωμεν ἐν πάσῃ εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ σεμνότητι· καὶ ἐνταῦθα, Ἵνα μὴ ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἡ διδασκαλία βλασφημῆται. Εἰ γὰρ συμβαίη γυναῖκα πιστὴν ἀπίστῳ συνοικοῦσαν μὴ εἶναι ἐνάρετον, ἡ βλασφημία ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν διαβαίνειν εἴωθεν· εἰ δὲ εἴη κοσμία, τὸ κήρυγμα καρποῦται τὴν δόξαν τὴν ἐξ ἐκείνης καὶ τῶν ὑπ' ἐκείνης κατορθουμένων. Ἀκουέτωσαν αἱ γυναῖκες, ὅσαι μοχθηροῖς ἢ ἀπίστοις συνοικοῦσιν ἀνδράσιν· ἀκουέτωσαν, καὶ παιδευέσθωσαν διὰ τῶν οἰκείων τρόπων ἐνάγειν αὐτοὺς εἰς εὐσέβειαν. Κἂν γὰρ μηδὲν ἕτερον κερδάνῃς, μηδὲ ἐφελκύσῃ τὸν ἄνδρα πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὀρθῶν δογμάτων κοινωνίαν, ἀλλὰ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἀπέῤῥαψας, οὐκ ἐῶσα βλασφημεῖσθαι τὸν Χριστιανισμόν. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ μικρὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα μέγα, τὸ θαυμάζεσθαι τὸ δόγμα ἐκ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀναστροφῆς. Τοὺς νεωτέρους ὡσαύτως παρακάλει σωφρονεῖν. Ὅρα πῶς πανταχοῦ παρακαλεῖ τὸ πρέπον φυλάττειν. Τῆς μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὰς γυναῖκας διδασκαλίας ταῖς γυναιξὶ τὸ πλέον ἀπένειμε, τὰς γεγηρακυίας ταῖς νεωτέραις ἐπιστήσας· τῶν δὲ ἀνδρῶν τὸ πᾶν αὐτῷ δίδωσι καὶ ἀπονέμει. Οὐδὲν γὰρ, οὐδὲν οὕτω δύσκολον καὶ χαλεπὸν τῇ ἡλικίᾳ ταύτῃ γένοιτ' ἂν, ὡς τὸ περιγενέσθαι τῶν ἡδονῶν τῶν ἀτόπων. Οὔτε γὰρ χρημάτων ἔρως, οὔτε δόξης ἐπιθυμία, οὔτε ἄλλο οὐδὲν οὕτω ταύτην διενοχλεῖ τὴν ἡλικίαν, ὡς ὁ τῶν σωμάτων ἔρως. ∆ιὸ πάντα τὰ ἄλλα ἀφεὶς, περὶ τὸ καίριον αὐτῷ τὴν παραίνεσιν ἵστησιν. Εἶτα οὐδὲ τῶν ἄλλων ἕνεκεν ῥᾳθυμεῖ, ἀλλὰ τί φησι; Περὶ πάντα ἑαυτὸν παρεχόμενος τύπον καλῶν ἔργων. ∆ιδασκέτωσαν μὲν οὖν, φησὶ, καὶ αἱ πρεσβύτεραι τὰς νεωτέρας, καὶ σὺ δὲ αὐτὸς παρακάλει τοὺς νεωτέρους σωφρονεῖν. Ἔστω δὲ κοινὸν πᾶσι διδασκαλεῖον καὶ ὑπόδειγμα ἀρετῆς ἡ τοῦ σοῦ βίου λαμπρότης, εἰς μέσον πᾶσι προκειμένη, ὥσπερ ἀρχέτυπός τις εἰκὼν, πάντα ἔχουσα ἐν ἑαυτῇ τὰ καλὰ, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐκολίας τοῖς βουλομένοις ἐναπομάξασθαί τι τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ καλῶν παρεχομένη τὰ παραδείγματα. Ἐν τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ ἀδιαφθορίαν, σεμνότητα, λόγον ὑγιῆ, ἀκατάγνωστον, ἵνα ὁ ἐξ ἐναντίας ἐντραπῇ, μηδὲν ἔχων περὶ ἡμῶν λέγειν φαῦλον. γʹ. Τὸν ἐξ ἐναντίας φησὶ καὶ τὸν διάβολον καὶ πάντα τὸν ἐκείνῳ διακονούμενον. Ὅταν γὰρ καὶ βίος λάμπῃ, καὶ λόγος ᾖ συμβαίνων, ἐπιεικὴς, ἥμερος, προσηνὴς, μηδεμίαν τοῖς ἐναντίοις παρέχων λαβὴν, πολὺ καὶ ἄφατον τὸ κέρδος. Πολλὴ ἄρα τῆς τοῦ λόγου διακονίας ἡ χρεία, λόγου οὐ τοῦ τυχόντος, ἀλλὰ δοκίμου τινὸς καὶ ἀλήπτου, καὶ μηδεμίαν μηδαμόθεν παρεχομένου τοῖς βουλομένοις πρόφασιν. ∆ούλους ἰδίοις δεσπόταις ὑποτάσσεσθαι, ἐν πᾶσιν εὐαρέστους εἶναι. Ὁρᾷς τί προλαβὼν εἶπεν, Ἵνα ὁ ἐξ ἐναντίας, φησὶν, ἐντραπῇ, μηδὲν ἔχων περὶ ἡμῶν λέγειν φαῦλον. Ἄρα καταγνώσεως ἄξιος ὁ γυναῖκας ἀπὸ ἀνδρῶν ἀποζευγνὺς τῇ προφάσει τῆς ἐγκρατείας, 62.685 καὶ ὁ δούλους δεσποτῶν ἀποστερῶν τῷ αὐτῷ δὴ τούτῳ προσχήματι. Οὗτος οὐκ ἔστιν ἀκατάγνωστος ὁ λόγος· πολλὴν δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἀπίστοις δίδωσι λαβὴν, καὶ τὰ πάντων καθ' ἡμῶν ἀνοίγει στόματα. ∆ούλους, φησὶν, ἰδίοις δεσπόταις ὑποτάσσεσθαι, ἐν πᾶσιν εὐαρέστους εἶναι, μὴ ἀντιλέγοντας, μὴ νοσφιζομένους, ἀλλὰ πίστιν πᾶσαν ἐνδεικνυμένους ἀγαθὴν, ἵνα τὴν διδασκαλίαν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν κοσμῶσιν ἐν πᾶσιν. Εἰκότως ἄρα ἔλεγεν ἑτέρωθι, Ὡς τῷ Θεῷ δουλεύοντες, καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις. Κἂν γὰρ τῷ δεσπότῃ διακονῇς μετ' εὐνοίας, ἀλλ' ἡ πρόφασις ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχει. Ὥστε ὁ μετὰ τοσούτου φόβου ἐκείνῳ διακονῶν, μεγίστων ἐπιτεύξεται τῶν μισθῶν. Εἰ γὰρ χειρὸς μὴ κρατεῖ, μηδὲ γλώττης ἀκολάστου, πόθεν θαυμάσεται ὁ Ἕλλην τὸ δόγμα τὸ παρ' ἡμῖν; Εἰ δὲ τὸν δοῦλον θεάσοιντο τὸν ἐν Χριστῷ φιλοσοφοῦντα, τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς φιλοσοφησάντων μείζονα τὴν ἐγκράτειαν ἐπιδεικνύμενον, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἐπιεικείας καὶ τῆς εὐνοίας διακονούμενον, παντὶ τρόπῳ θαυμάσεται τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ