John Chrysostom, On 1 Timothy

to make the precision of the girdle apparent, with the whole cloak being wrapped around the head. And they dress their hands with such precision, just like tragic actors, that you would think them to have grown to them rather. What could one say about their gait, and their other affectations, which are more able than any gold to capture those who behold them? Let us be afraid, beloved, lest we too hear what the prophet said to the Hebrew women who were occupied with outward adornment: Instead of a girdle, you will gird yourself with a rope, and instead of the adornment of your head, you will have baldness. So these things are more seductive than gold, as are many other things also contrived for this purpose, to be seen and to captivate those who behold them. The sin is not small, but exceedingly great, able to provoke God, able to ruin the whole labor of virginity. 3. You have Christ as a bridegroom; why do you attract human lovers? He will then judge you for adultery. Why do you not adorn yourself with the adornment that pleases him, that is dear to him: modesty, self-control, propriety, sober attire? This is something whorish and shameful. No longer do we distinguish between prostitutes and virgins. See to what great indecency they have brought themselves. A virgin ought to be unaffected, dressed simply and without artifice; but this one contrives countless things for her outward appearance. Cease from this madness, woman; transfer such zeal to your soul, to your inner comeliness; for this outward adornment which you wear does not permit the inward one to become beautiful. The one occupied with this, despises the inward one, just as the one who despises this, shows all zeal for the inward one. Do not say to me, ‘Woe is me, I wear a threadbare garment, cheap footwear, a worthless veil; what sort of adornment is this?’ Do not deceive yourself. It is possible, as I said, to be beautified more by these things than by those others, especially through threadbare garments, or those molded to the body, and well-shaped to a shameless figure, and shining brightly. You say these things to me; but what will you say to God 62.543 who knows the intention, with which you do these things? But you do not do it so as to fornicate? But what then? so as to be admired? And are you not ashamed, nor do you blush, wishing to be admired for these things? ‘But I wear these things simply,’ she says, ‘not even for this reason.’ God knows what you are saying to us. For are you giving an account to me? To him who is present at what happens, and will then examine these things, to him before whom all things are naked and laid bare. For this reason we also say these things now, so that we may not make you liable for those accounts. Let us be afraid lest he reproach you too, as he did through the prophet to the women of Judah, ‘They came to be seen by me, acting wantonly and tripping with their feet.’ You have undertaken a great contest, where there is need of athletic struggle, not of beautification; there is need to box, not to be listless. Do you not see the boxers, the athletes? Do they care about their gait and posture? Not at all; but having put aside all these things, putting on a garment drenched in oil, they look to one thing only: to strike, and not be struck. The devil stands gnashing his teeth, wishing to tear you down from every side; and you remain occupied with this satanic adornment? I wish to say nothing about the voice, how many practice this also, about perfumes and the rest of the foolishness. For these things the worldly women laugh at us. The solemnity of virginity is lost; no one honors a virgin as one ought to honor her; for they have caused themselves to be dishonored. 62.544 Ought they not, as if having come from heaven, thus to be regarded with admiration in the Church of God? but now they are despised on account of themselves, not on account of the prudent ones. For when she who has a husband and children and presides over a household sees you, who ought to be crucified to the world, pursuing this worldly adornment more than she does, how will she not laugh? how will she not despise you? Do you see how great the zeal is? how great the practice? for

τοῦ ζώσματος τὴν ἀκρίβειαν φαίνεσθαι, τοῦ φάρους παντὸς περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν περιαγομένου. Τὰς δὲ χεῖρας, καθάπερ οἱ τραγῳδοὶ, οὕτω μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐνδιδύσκουσιν, ὥστε νομίζειν προσπεφυκέναι μᾶλλον αὐταῖς. Τί ἄν τις εἴποι τὴν βάδισιν, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἐπιτηδεύματα παντὸς χρυσίου μᾶλλον δυνάμενα τοὺς θεωμένους ἑλεῖν; Φοβηθῶμεν, ἀγαπητοὶ, μὴ ἀκούσωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἅπερ ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγε ταῖς τῶν Ἑβραίων γυναιξὶ περὶ τὸν κόσμον τὸν ἔξωθεν ἠσχολημέναις· Ἀντὶ ζώνης σχοινίῳ ζώσῃ, καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ κόσμου τῆς κεφαλῆς σου φαλάκρωμα ἕξεις. Ὥστε ταῦτα μᾶλλον ἐπαγωγὰ τῶν χρυσίων ἐστὶν, ὡς πολλῶν ἑτέρων καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ἐπιτετηδευμένων, πρὸς τὸ ὁρᾶσθαι καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζειν τοὺς θεωμένους. Οὐκ ἔστι μικρὸν τὸ ἁμάρτημα, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα μέγα, ἱκανὸν παροξῦναι τὸν Θεὸν, ἱκανὸν παντὶ τῷ πόνῳ τῆς παρθενίας λυμήνασθαι. γʹ. Χριστὸν ἔχεις νυμφίον· τί ἐραστὰς ἀνθρώπους ἐπισπᾶσαι; Μοιχείας σε τότε κρινεῖ. ∆ιὰ τί μὴ κοσμῇ τὸν κόσμον τὸν αὐτῷ ἀρέσκοντα, τὸν αὐτῷ φίλον, τὴν αἰδὼ, τὴν σωφροσύνην, τὴν κοσμιότητα, τὴν σώφρονα καταστολήν; αὕτη πορνική τίς ἐστι καὶ αἰσχρά. Οὐκέτι διαγινώσκομεν τὰς πόρνας καὶ τὰς παρθένους. Ὅρα εἰς πόσην ἀσχημοσύνην ἐξήγαγον ἑαυτάς. Ἀνεπιτήδευτον εἶναι χρὴ τὴν παρθένον, ἁπλῶς καὶ εἰκῆ διεσκευασμένην· ἡ δὲ μυρία ἐπιτηδεύει πρὸς τὴν φαινομένην διασκευήν. Παῦσαι τῆς μανίας, γύναι, ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχὴν μετάγαγε τὴν τοιαύτην σπουδὴν, ἐπὶ τὴν ἔσω ἐμπρέπειαν· οὗτος γὰρ ὁ κόσμος ὁ ἔξωθεν περικείμενος οὐκ ἀφίησι τὸν ἔνδον γενέσθαι καλόν. Ὁ περὶ τοῦτον ἠσχολημένος, τοῦ ἔνδον καταφρονεῖ, ὥσπερ ὁ τούτου καταφρονῶν, πᾶσαν τὴν σπουδὴν περὶ τὸν ἔνδον ἐνδείκνυται. Μή μοι εἴπῃς, Οἴμοι, ἱμάτιον ἐκτετριμμένον φορῶ, ὑπόδημα εὐτελὲς, κάλυμμα οὐδαμινόν· ποῖος ταῦτα κόσμος; Μὴ ἀπάτα σαυτήν. Ἔνεστιν, ὅπερ ἔφην, διὰ τούτων μειζόνως καλλωπίζεσθαι, ἢ δι' ἐκείνων, μάλιστα διὰ τῶν ἐκτετριμμένων ἱματίων, ἢ τῶν προσπεπλασμένων τῷ σώματι, καὶ ἐκτετυπωμένων καλῶς πρὸς τὸ σχῆμα τὸ ἀναιδὲς, καὶ στιλβόντων λαμπρόν. Ἐμοὶ ταῦτα λέγεις· τί δὲ τῷ Θεῷ ἐρεῖς 62.543 τῷ τὴν διάνοιαν εἰδότι, μεθ' ἧς ταῦτα ποιεῖς; Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὥστε πορνεῦσαι ποιεῖς; Ἀλλὰ τί; ὥστε θαυμασθῆναι; καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ, οὐδὲ ἐρυθριᾷς ἐπὶ τούτοις βουλομένη θαυμάζεσθαι; Ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς, φησὶ, ταῦτα περίκειμαι, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τούτῳ. Οἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς ἃ φθέγγῃ πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Μὴ γὰρ ἐμοὶ δίδως λόγον; Ἐκείνῳ τῷ παρόντι τοῖς γινομένοις, καὶ τότε ἐξετάζοντι ταῦτα, ἐκείνῳ ᾧ γυμνὰ καὶ τετραχηλισμένα πάντα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ταῦτα λέγομεν νῦν, ἵνα ὑμᾶς τῶν εὐθυνῶν ἐκείνων μὴ ποιήσωμεν ἐνόχους. Φοβηθῶμεν μὴ καὶ ὑμῖν ὀνειδίσῃ, ἃ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου ταῖς Ἰουδαίων γυναιξὶν, Ἦλθον ὀφθῆναί μοι θρυπτόμεναι καὶ τοῖς ποσὶν ἅμα παίζουσαι. Ἀνεδέξασθε ἀγῶνα μέγαν, ἔνθα ἀθλήσεως, οὐ καλλωπισμοῦ δεῖ, πυκτεύειν δεῖ, οὐ βλακεύειν. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς πυκτεύοντας, τοὺς ἀθλοῦντας; ἆρα βαδίσεως αὐτοῖς μέλει καὶ σχήματος; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα ἀφέντες, ἱμάτιον ἐλαίῳ διάβροχον ἀναβαλλόμενοι, πρὸς ἓν μόνον ὁρῶσι, τὸ πλῆξαι, καὶ μὴ πληγῆναι. Ἕστηκεν ὁ διάβολος τρίζων τοὺς ὀδόντας, πάντοθέν σε βουλόμενος καθελεῖν· σὺ δὲ μένεις ἀπησχολημένη περὶ τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον τὸν σατανικόν; Οὐδὲν βούλομαι λέγειν περὶ φωνῆς, πῶς πολλαὶ καὶ τοῦτο ἐπιτηδεύουσι, περὶ μύρων καὶ τῆς ἄλλης βλακείας. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα γελῶσιν ἡμᾶς αἱ κοσμικαί. Τὸ σεμνὸν τῆς παρθενίας ἀπόλωλεν· οὐδεὶς τιμᾷ παρθένον, ὡς τιμᾷν χρή· ἑαυτὰς γὰρ ἀτιμάζεσθαι 62.544 πεποιήκασιν. Οὐκ ἔδει, ὥσπερ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ παραγενομένας, οὕτως εἶναι περιβλέπτους ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ; νῦν δὲ καταπεφρόνηνται δι' ἑαυτὰς, οὐ διὰ τὰς φρονίμους. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃ σε, τὴν ἐσταυρωμένην εἶναι ὀφείλουσαν, ἡ ἄνδρα ἔχουσα καὶ παιδία καὶ οἰκίας προεστῶσα, μᾶλλον αὐτῆς τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον διώκουσαν, πῶς οὐ καταγελάσεται; πῶς οὐ καταφρονήσει; Ὁρᾷς πόση ἡ σπουδή; πόση ἡ μελέτη; δι'