John Chrysostom, On Timothy

that the servant show himself to be such, if you wish, I will also relate an example for you: Joseph was sold to the chief cook, and he was of another race, not of the Egyptian; what then did he do? When he saw the young man was virtuous, he did not consider the difference of race, but he himself both loved and was fond of and admired him, and he entrusted to him the entire supervision of the others, and of the things in the house he knew nothing because of him; but he was a second master, or rather, even more in charge than the master himself, if indeed the one was ignorant of his own affairs, while this one knew his master's affairs better than the master. And it seems to me that even later, when he believed the woman who made that unlawful slander against him, he honored the just man from his former respect and honor, and limited his anger to the prison. For if he had not greatly respected the man, and admired him for his past services, he would have immediately made away with him, and driven the sword through his body. For full of jealousy, it says, is the anger of a husband; he will not exchange his enmity for any ransom, nor will it be dissolved by many gifts. But if the jealousy of every man is such, much more so was his, being both an Egyptian and a barbarian, and having been wronged, as he thought, by the one he had honored. For you all know, surely, that the wrongs from all men do not wound us in the same way, but the evils done by those who were well-disposed toward us, and who were trusted by us and trusted us, and who received many benefits from us, annoy and grieve us more severely and more bitterly than others. He did not consider within himself, nor did he say: What is this? Having taken him as a servant, I gave him a share in all the things of the house, I made him free and somewhat greater than myself, and has he given me such 62.687 rewards in return? He said none of these things; so much did his former respect possess his soul. And what is surprising, if in the house he enjoyed so much honor, when even in the prison see how much care he enjoys? But you know how the character of those entrusted with the prisons is trained toward cruelty; they profit from the misfortunes of others, and those whom others feed while they suffer ill, these men tear apart, making profits worthy of many tears, being more savage than wild beasts. For from those things for which they ought to have pitied those who were cast in, from these they themselves profit. And let us not only consider this, but also that these men themselves do not treat all who are cast in in the same way. For they might even pity those who are there for slanders, and who were simply abused and bound; but those who have been cast in for the most shameful and terrible and audacious deeds, they torture with countless blows. So that the jailer was likely to be cruel not only because of his character, but also because of the reason for which he had been cast in. For whom would the young man not have stirred up against himself, having enjoyed so much honor, but suspected of tempting his mistress and repaying his benefactor with such rewards? Therefore, the jailer, considering these things, both the honor of the one cast in, and the deed for which he was cast in, would he not have treated the man more harshly than any wild beast? But the hope in God became superior to all these things; thus the virtue of a soul knows how to tame even wild beasts. For by the same gentleness with which he had won over his master, by the same he won over the chief jailer; and again Joseph was a ruler, and he held sway in the prison, as in the house. For since he was destined to be a king, it was fitting that he first learned to be ruled, and being ruled he was a ruler and presided over the house. 5. For if Paul requires this of the one who is drawn to the Church, saying thus: For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? so too he who comes to a position of authority must first be excellent at presiding over a house. He presided over the prison, not as a prison, but as a house. For he lightened the misfortunes for all,

τὸν οἰκέτην τοιοῦτον ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, εἰ βούλεσθε, ὑμῖν καὶ παράδειγμα διηγήσομαι· Ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἐπράθη πρὸς τὸν ἀρχιμάγειρον, καὶ δόξης ἑτέρας ἦν, οὐ τῆς Αἰγυπτιακῆς· τί οὖν ἐκεῖνος; Ἐπειδὴ ἐνάρετον εἶδε τὸν νεανίσκον, οὐκ ἐνενόησε τὸ τῆς δόξης διεστηκὸς, ἀλλ' αὐτός τε ἠγάπα καὶ ἐφίλει καὶ ἐθαύμαζε, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων αὐτῷ τὴν ἐπιστασίαν ἐνεχείρισεν ἅπασαν, καὶ τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν οὐδὲν ᾔδει δι' αὐτόν· ἀλλὰ δεύτερος δεσπότης ἐκεῖνος ἦν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ δεσπότου κυριώτερος, εἴ γε ὁ μὲν ἠγνόει τὰ αὑτοῦ, οὗτος δὲ τὰ ἐκείνου ᾔδει μᾶλλον τοῦ δεσπότου. Καί μοι δοκεῖ καὶ ὕστερον, ὅτι ἐπίστευσε τῷ γυναίῳ τὴν παράνομον ἐκείνην συκοφαντίαν κατ' αὐτοῦ ποιησαμένῳ, τιμῶν τὸν δίκαιον ἀπὸ τῆς προτέρας αἰδοῦς καὶ τῆς τιμῆς, μέχρι τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου στῆσαι τὴν ὀργήν. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ σφόδρα ᾐδεῖτο τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ ἐθαύμαζεν ἀπὸ τῶν προϋπηργμένων αὐτῷ, κἂν εὐθέως αὐτὸν διεχειρίσατο, καὶ τὸ ξίφος διήλασε διὰ τοῦ σώματος ἐκείνου. Μεστὸς γὰρ ζήλου, φησὶ, θυμὸς ἀνδρός· οὐκ ἀνταλλάξεται οὐδενὸς λύτρου τὴν ἔχθραν, οὐδὲ μὴ διαλυθῇ πολλῶν δώρων. Εἰ δὲ παντὸς ἀνδρὸς τοιοῦτος ὁ ζῆλος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐκείνου, Αἰγυπτίου τε ὄντος καὶ βαρβάρου, καὶ παρὰ τοῦ τιμηθέντος ἠδικημένου, ὡς ᾤετο. Ἴστε γὰρ δήπου πάντες, ὅτι οὐχ ὁμοίως ἡμᾶς δάκνει τὰ παρὰ πάντων ἀδικήματα, ἀλλὰ σφοδρότερον τῶν ἄλλων καὶ πικρότερον τὰ παρὰ τῶν εὐνοϊκῶς πρὸς ἡμᾶς διατεθέντων, καὶ πιστευθέντων καὶ πιστευσάντων ἡμῖν, καὶ πολλὰ παρ' ἡμῶν εὖ παθόντων γενόμενα κακὰ μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς ἀνιᾷ καὶ λυπεῖ. Οὐκ ἐνενόησε πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, οὐδὲ εἶπε· Τί τοῦτο; οἰκέτην αὐτὸν λαβὼν πάντων μετέδωκα τῶν τῆς οἰκίας, ἐλεύθερον ἐποίησα καὶ ἐμοῦ τι μείζονα, καὶ τοιαύτας μοι τὰς 62.687 ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδέδωκεν; Οὐδὲν τούτων εἶπεν· οὕτως αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν ἡ προτέρα κατεῖχεν αἰδώς. Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν, εἰ ἐν οἰκίᾳ τοσαύτης ἀπήλαυσε τιμῆς, ὅπου καὶ ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ ὅρα αὐτὸν, ὅσης ἀπολαύει κηδεμονίας; Ἴστε δὲ πῶς πρὸς ὠμότητα τοῖς τὰ δεσμωτήρια ἐγκεχειρισμένοις τὸ ἦθος ἐξήσκηται· τὰς ἀλλοτρίας καρποῦνται συμφορὰς, καὶ οὓς ἕτεροι κακῶς πάσχοντας τρέφουσι, τούτους οὗτοι σπαράττουσι, κέρδη κερδαίνοντες πολλῶν δακρύων ἄξια, θηρίων ὄντες ὠμότεροι. Ἀφ' ὧν γὰρ ἐχρῆν ἐλεεῖν τοὺς ἐμβεβλημένους, ἀπὸ τούτων αὐτοὶ καρποῦνται. Καὶ μὴ τοῦτο μόνον λογιζώμεθα, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ οὗτοι οὐχ ὁμοίως πᾶσι κέχρηνται τοῖς ἐμβεβλημένοις. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ συκοφαντίαις, καὶ ἐπηρεασθέντας ἁπλῶς καὶ δεθέντας καὶ ἐλεήσαιεν ἄν· τοὺς δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς αἰσχίστοις καὶ δεινοτάτοις καὶ τολμηροῖς ἐμβεβλημένους μυρίαις αἰκίζονται πληγαῖς. Ὥστε οὐ μόνον ἀπὸ τοῦ τρόπου ὠμὸς ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι ὁ δεσμοφύλαξ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς αἰτίας, δι' ἢν ἐνεβέβλητο. Τίνα γὰρ οὐκ ἂν διήγειρε καθ' ἑαυτοῦ ὁ νεανίσκος, τοσαύτης μὲν ἀπολαύσας τιμῆς, ὑποπτευθεὶς δὲ τὴν δέσποιναν πειρᾷν καὶ τοιαύταις τὸν εὐεργέτην ἀμειβόμενος ἀμοιβαῖς; Ταῦτα οὖν ἐννοῶν ὁ δεσμοφύλαξ, καὶ τὴν τιμὴν τοῦ ἐμβεβλημένου, καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐφ' ᾧ ἐνεβέβλητο, οὐκ ἂν παντὸς θηρίου χαλεπώτερον ἐχρήσατο τῷ ἀνδρί; Ἀλλὰ πάντων τούτων ἀνωτέρα γέγονεν ἡ ἐλπὶς ἡ εἰς τὸν Θεόν· οὕτως οἶδε καὶ θηρία καταπραΰνειν ψυχῆς ἀρετή. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπιεικείας, ἀφ' ἧς τὸν δεσπότην εἷλεν, ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς καὶ τὸν ἀρχιδεσμοφύλακα· καὶ πάλιν ἦν ἄρχων ὁ Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ ἐκράτει, καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλε βασιλεύειν, εἰκότως πρότερον ἐμάνθανεν ἄρχεσθαι, καὶ ἀρχόμενος ἄρχων ἦν καὶ προέστη τῆς οἰκίας. εʹ. Εἰ γὰρ τὸν εἰς Ἐκκλησίαν ἑλκόμενον ἀπαιτεῖ τοῦτο ὁ Παῦλος, οὕτω λέγων· Εἰ γάρ τις τοῦ ἰδίου οἴκου προστῆναι οὐκ οἶδε, πῶς Ἐκκλησίας Θεοῦ ἐπιμελήσεται; καὶ τὸν εἰς ἀρχὴν ἐλθόντα, πρότερον ἄριστον εἶναι χρὴ προεστάναι οἰκίας. Προέστη δεσμωτηρίου, οὐχ ὡς δεσμωτηρίου, ἀλλ' ὡς οἰκίας. Πᾶσι γὰρ ἐπεκούφιζε τὰς συμφορὰς,