John Chrysostom, On Priesthood

a nurse and a multitude of servants and the security of the house assist the father in guarding the virgin; for she is not allowed to go into the market-place continually, nor, when she does go, is she forced to be seen by any who meet her, as the darkness of evening no less than the walls of the house hides her who does not wish to be seen. Besides these things, she is free from every cause, so that she would never be forced to come into the sight of men; for neither care for necessities, nor the insults of those who do wrong, nor anything else of that sort, forces her into such a meeting, her father being everything to her; but she has one care only, to do or say nothing unworthy of the decorum that befits her. But here there are many things that make the guardianship difficult for the father, or rather, even impossible; for he could not have her indoors with him; for such a cohabitation is neither seemly nor without danger. For even if they themselves suffer no harm, but remain keeping their holiness intact, they will give no less an account for the souls they have scandalized than if they had happened to sin against one another. And since this is not possible, it is not easy to discern the movements of her soul and to cut off those which are disorderly, and to train more those which are in order and rhythm and lead them to the better, nor is it easy to be inquisitive about her goings-out. For poverty and a lack of protection do not permit him to be a precise examiner of the seemliness that befits her; for when she is forced to minister to herself in all things, she has many pretexts for going out, if indeed she should wish not to be chaste. And he who commands her to remain at home always must both cut off these pretexts, providing a sufficiency of necessities and someone to minister to her in these things; and he must also keep her from funerals and all-night vigils. For he knows, that resourceful serpent knows how to sow his venom even through good deeds. And the virgin must be walled in on all sides and go forth from the house only a few times in the whole year, when inescapable and necessary reasons compel her. But if anyone should say that it is not the work of a bishop to handle any of these things, let him know well that the cares and responsibilities for each one have their reference to him. It is far more profitable for him, by ministering to all things himself, to be free from the accusations which he must endure because of the sins of others, than, being free from the ministry, to tremble at the account for what others have done. In addition to these things, he who does these things by himself goes through them all with much ease; but he who is forced to do this by persuading the opinions of all does not have as much relief from being free of the personal labor as he has troubles and disturbances on account of those who oppose and fight against his judgments. But I could not enumerate all the cares on behalf of the virgins; for even when it is necessary to enroll them, they cause no small trouble to the one entrusted with this stewardship.

3.14 14. Concerning Judgments The part concerning judgments has countless vexations, and much business, and difficulties so great as not even those who sit to judge external cases bear; for it is a task to find justice itself, and having found it, it is difficult not to corrupt it. And there is not only business and difficulty, but also no small danger; for some of the weaker ones, having fallen into troubles, because they did not receive protection, have made shipwreck concerning the faith. For many of those who have been wronged hate those who do not help them no less than those who have wronged them; and they are willing to consider neither the perversion of affairs, nor the difficulty of the times, nor the measure of priestly power, nor anything else of that sort, but they are unforgiving judges, knowing one defense, that of

καὶ τροφὸς καὶ θεραπαινῶν πλῆθος καὶ οἰκίας ἀσφάλεια συναντιλαμβάνεται τῷ γεννησαμένῳ πρὸς τὴν τῆς παρθένου τήρησιν· οὔτε γὰρ εἰς ἀγορὰν αὐτὴν ἐμβάλλειν ἐφίεται συνεχῶς, οὔτε, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐμβάλλῃ, φαίνεσθαί τινι τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων ἀναγκάζεται, τοῦ σκότους τῆς ἑσπέρας οὐχ ἧττον τῶν τῆς οἰκίας τοίχων καλύπτοντος τὴν φανῆναι μὴ βουλομένην. Χωρὶς δὲ τούτων πάσης αἰτίας ἀπήλλακται, ὡς μὴ ἄν ποτε εἰς ἀνδρῶν ὄψιν βιασθῆναι ἐλθεῖν· οὔτε γὰρ ἡ τῶν ἀναγκαίων φροντίς, οὔτε αἱ τῶν ἀδικούντων ἐπήρειαι, οὐδ' ἄλλο τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν εἰς ἀνάγκην αὐτὴν τοιαύτης συντυχίας καθίστησιν, ἀντὶ πάντων αὐτῇ γινομένου τοῦ πατρός· αὐτὴ δὲ μίαν ἔχει φροντίδα μόνον, τὸ μηδὲν ἀνάξιον μήτε πρᾶξαι μήτε εἰπεῖν τῆς αὐτῇ προσηκούσης κοσμιότητος. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ πολλὰ τὰ ποιοῦντα τῷ πατρὶ δύσκολον, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἀδύνατον τὴν φυλακήν· οὔτε γὰρ ἔνδον ἔχειν αὐτὴν μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ δύναιτ' ἄν· οὔτε γὰρ εὐσχήμων οὔτε ἀκίνδυνος ἡ τοιαύτη συνοίκησις. Κἂν γὰρ μηδὲν αὐτοὶ ζημιωθῶσιν, ἀλλ' ἀκεραίαν μείνωσι τὴν ἁγιωσύνην φυλάττοντες, οὐκ ἐλάττονα δώσουσι λόγον ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐσκανδάλισαν ψυχῶν ἢ εἰ εἰς ἀλλήλους ἁμαρτάνοντες ἔτυχον. Τούτου δὲ οὐκ ὄντος δυνατοῦ, οὔτε τὰ κινήματα τῆς ψυχῆς καταμαθεῖν εὔπορον καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀτάκτως φερόμενα περικόψαι, τὰ δὲ ἐν τάξει καὶ ῥυθμῷ μᾶλλον ἀσκῆσαι καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον ἀγαγεῖν, οὔτε τὰς ἐξόδους περιεργάζεσθαι ῥᾴδιον. Ἡ γὰρ πενία καὶ τὸ ἀπροστάτευτον οὐκ ἀφίησιν αὐτὸν ἀκριβῆ τῆς ἐκείνῃ προσηκούσης εὐκοσμίας γενέσθαι ἐξεταστήν· ὅταν γὰρ ἑαυτῇ πάντα διακονεῖν ἀναγκάζηται, πολλάς, εἴ γε βούλοιτο μὴ σωφρονεῖν, τῶν προόδων τὰς προφάσεις ἔχει. Καὶ δεῖ τὸν κελεύοντα διαπαντὸς οἴκοι μένειν καὶ ταύτας περικόψαι τὰς προφάσεις καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀναγκαίων αὐτάρκειαν παρασχόντα καὶ τὴν πρὸς ταῦτα διακονησομένην αὐτῇ· δεῖ δὲ καὶ ἐκφορῶν καὶ παννυχίδων ἀπείργειν. Οἶδε γάρ, οἶδεν ὁ πολυμήχανος ὄφις ἐκεῖνος καὶ διὰ χρηστῶν πράξεων τὸν αὐτοῦ παρασπείρειν ἰόν. Καὶ χρὴ τὴν παρθένον πανταχόθεν τειχίζεσθαι καὶ ὀλιγάκις τοῦ παντὸς ἐνιαυτοῦ προβαίνειν τῆς οἰκίας, ὅταν ἀπαραίτητοι καὶ ἀναγκαῖαι κατεπείγωσι προφάσεις. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις οὐδὲν εἶναι τούτων ἔργον ἐπισκόπῳ μεταχειρίζειν, εὖ ἴστω ὅτι τῶν ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ αἱ φροντίδες καὶ αἱ αἰτίαι εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἔχουσι τὴν ἀναφοράν. Πολλῷ δὲ λυσιτελέστερον αὐτὸν ἅπαντα διακονούμενον ἀπηλλάχθαι ἐγκλημάτων ἃ διὰ τὰς τῶν ἑτέρων ἁμαρτίας ὑπομένειν ἀνάγκη ἢ τῆς διακονίας ἀφειμένον τὰς ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔπραξαν ἕτεροι τρέμειν εὐθύνας. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ὁ μὲν δι' ἑαυτοῦ ταῦτα πράττων μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐκολίας ἅπαντα διεξέρχεται· ὁ δὲ ἀναγκαζόμενος μετὰ τοῦ πείθειν τὰς ἁπάντων γνώμας τοῦτο ποιεῖν οὐ τοσαύτην ἔχει τὴν ἄνεσιν ἐκ τοῦ τῆς αὐτουργίας ἀφεῖσθαι ὅσα πράγματα καὶ θορύβους διὰ τοὺς ἀντιπίπτοντας καὶ ταῖς αὐτοῦ κρίσεσι μαχομένους. Ἀλλὰ πάσας μὲν οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην καταλέγειν τὰς ὑπὲρ τῶν παρθένων φροντίδας· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὅταν αὐτὰς ἐγγράφεσθαι δέῃ οὐ τὰ τυχόντα παρέχουσι πράγματα τῷ ταύτην πεπιστευμένῳ τὴν οἰκονομίαν.

3.14 ιδʹ. Περὶ κρίσεωσ Τὸ δὲ τῶν κρίσεων μέρος μυρίας μὲν ἔχει τὰς ἐπαχθείας, πολλὴν δὲ τὴν ἀσχολίαν καὶ δυσκολίας τοσαύτας ὅσας οὐδὲ οἱ τοῖς ἔξωθεν δικάζειν καθήμενοι φέρουσι· καὶ γὰρ εὑρεῖν αὐτὸ τὸ δίκαιον ἔργον καὶ εὑρόντα μὴ διαφθεῖραι χαλεπόν. Οὐκ ἀσχολία δὲ μόνον καὶ δυσκολία, ἀλλὰ καὶ κίνδυνος πρόσεστιν οὐ μικρός· ἤδη γάρ τινες τῶν ἀσθενεστέρων πράγμασιν ἐμπεσόντες, ἐπειδὴ προστασίας οὐκ ἔτυχον, ἐναυάγησαν περὶ τὴν πίστιν. Πολλοὶ γὰρ τῶν ἠδικημένων οὐχ ἧττον τῶν ἠδικηκότων τοὺς μὴ βοηθοῦντας μισοῦσι· καὶ οὔτε πραγμάτων διαστροφήν, οὔτε καιρῶν χαλεπότητα, οὔτε ἱερατικῆς δυναστείας μέτρον, οὔτε ἄλλο τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν λογίζεσθαι βούλονται, ἀλλ' εἰσὶν ἀσύγγνωστοι δικασταί, μίαν ἀπολογίαν εἰδότες, τὴν τῶν