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40

to be both orderly and sober-minded was the part of many. Having his children, he says, in subjection with all gravity. For it is necessary to provide the examples from one's own house. For who would believe that he who has not subjected his own son will subject another's? One that rules well his own house. This is what those from without also say, that the man who is a good manager of his household would also quickly become a statesman. For the Church is this, as it were a small household; and just as in the household there are children, a wife, servants, and the husband has taken up the rule of all; so also in the Church, it is nothing other than this: children, women, servants. If he who presides over the Church has partners in his rule, so also there the husband has his wife as a partner. But is it necessary here to care for the sustenance of widows and virgins? There also the husband has slaves, daughters; and besides, it is easier to rule a household. He, therefore, who has not managed these things well, how will he be able to manage the affairs of the Church? Then, having said, "If a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?" "Not a novice," he says. He does not mean here a younger man, but one newly catechized. "For I," he says, "planted, Apollos watered, 62.550 but God gave the increase." Wishing, therefore, to indicate this, he said this. Since what prevented him from saying, "not a younger man"? For what reason then, he asks, did he himself make Timothy, who was younger, a bishop? and he testifies to this, saying to him, "Let no man despise thy youth." [Because he was conscious of his great virtue; because of his great strictness of life; which indeed knowing, "From a child," he says writing, "thou hast known the holy scriptures." And that he kept a rigorous fast is shown by, "Use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities"; having written to him about this among other things, as, if he had not known that these things were accomplished by him, he would neither have written, nor would he have given such instructions to his disciple.] Since, therefore, many from the Greeks were coming over at that time and were being baptized, "Do not immediately," he says, "bring a novice to the dignity of rule," that is, one newly catechized. For if, before becoming a disciple, he should quickly become a teacher, he also comes to arrogance; if, before learning to be ruled, he should become one of the rulers, he is puffed up. For this reason he added: "Lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil"; that is, into the same condemnation which that one endured from his arrogance. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Rightly so; for he will be reproached by them. Perhaps for this reason also he said, "The husband of one wife," although elsewhere he says, "I would that all men were even as I myself," that is, in continence. In order, then, not to confine the matter to a narrow space, if he should require a precise way of life, for this reason he sought a moderate virtue. For it was necessary that a leader be appointed in every city; for hear him writing to Titus, "That thou shouldest set in order... and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee." But what if he has a good testimony and a good reputation, but is not such a person? Indeed, this is difficult; for it is desirable for the upright to have an upright reputation even among their enemies; but now he did not permit this alone; for he did not say, "He must have a testimony," but, "He must also have a testimony," as this along with the others; for not this alone. What then, if they speak ill of him without cause, and out of envy, and especially since they are Greeks? This is not the case; for they also respect the one who has an irreproachable life. How, he says? Hear him speaking of himself, "By evil report and good report." For they did not find fault with their life, but with their preaching; for this reason he says, "By evil report." They were slandered as deceivers and sorcerers because of their preaching. And they did this, since they could not find fault with their life. For why did no one say of the apostles that they were fornicators and licentious and covetous, but deceivers, which belonged only to their preaching? Was it not because an irreproachable life

40

εἶναι καὶ κόσμιον καὶ σώφρονα πολλῶν ἦν. Τέκνα ἔχοντα, φησὶν, ἐν ὑποταγῇ μετὰ πάσης σεμνότητος. ∆εῖ γὰρ οἴκοθεν παρέχεσθαι τὰ παραδείγματα. Τίς γὰρ ἂν πιστεύσειεν, ὅτι τὸν ἀλλότριον ὑποτάξει ὁ τὸν υἱὸν μὴ ὑποτάξας; Τοῦ ἰδίου οἴκου καλῶς προϊστάμενον. Τοῦτο καὶ οἱ ἔξωθέν φασιν, ὅτι ὁ οἰκονομικὸς καὶ πολιτικὸς ἂν γένοιτο ταχέως. Καὶ γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ὡσανεὶ μικρὰ οἰκία· καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ εἰσὶ παιδία, γυνὴ, οἰκέται, καὶ πάντων ὁ ἀνὴρ ἀνῄρηται τὴν ἀρχήν· οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ οὐδὲν ἄλλο, ἢ τοῦτό ἐστι, παιδία, γυναῖκες, οἰκέται. Εἰ δὲ κοινωνοὺς ἔχει τῆς ἀρχῆς ὁ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προεστὼς, ἀλλ' ἔχει κἀκεῖ ὁ ἀνὴρ κοινωνὸν τὴν γυναῖκα. Ἀλλὰ τὰ πρὸς διατροφὴν ἐνταῦθα τῶν χηρῶν καὶ τῶν παρθένων φροντίζειν δεῖ; Ἔχει κἀκεῖ ὁ ἀνὴρ τοὺς δούλους, τὰς θυγατέρας· ἄλλως δὲ καὶ εὐκολώτερον τῆς οἰκίας ἄρχειν. Ὁ τοίνυν ταῦτα καλῶς οὐκ οἰκονομήσας, πῶς τὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας οἰκονομῆσαι δυνήσεται; Εἶτα εἰπὼν, Εἰ δέ τις τοῦ ἰδίου οἴκου προστῆναι οὐκ οἶδε, πῶς Ἐκκλησίας Θεοῦ ἐπιμελήσεται; Μὴ νεόφυτον, φησίν. Οὐ τὸν νεώτερον ἐνταῦθα λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὸν νεοκατήχητον· Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐφύτευσα, Ἀπολλὼς ἐπότισεν, 62.550 ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς ηὔξανε. Τοῦτον οὖν δηλῶσαι βουλόμενος, τοῦτο εἶπεν. Ἐπεὶ τί ἐκώλυεν εἰπεῖν, μὴ νεώτερον; Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν αὐτὸς, φησὶ, τὸν Τιμόθεον νεώτερον ὄντα ἐποίει; καὶ μαρτυρεῖ τοῦτο, πρὸς αὐτὸν λέγων, Μηδείς σου τῆς νεότητος καταφρονείτω. [Ὅτι πολλὴν τὴν ἀρετὴν αὐτῷ συνῄδει· ὅτι μεγάλην τὴν περὶ τὸν βίον ἀκρίβειαν· ὃ δὴ καὶ εἰδὼς, Ἐκ βρέφους, φησὶ γράφων, τὰ ἱερὰ Γράμματα ἔμαθες. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἐπιτεταμένην εἶχε νηστείαν, δηλοῖ τὸ, Οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ χρῶ διὰ τὰς πυκνάς σου ἀσθενείας· μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ περὶ τούτου γράψας αὐτῷ, ὡς, εἰ μὴ ταῦτα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατωρθωμένα ᾔδει, οὔτε ἂν ἔγραψεν, οὔτε τῷ μαθητῇ τοιαῦτα παρήγγειλεν.] Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ἐξ Ἑλλήνων πολλοὶ προσῄεσαν τότε καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο, Μὴ εὐθέως, φησὶ, νεόφυτον εἰς τὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς ὄγκον ἄγετε, τουτέστι, νεοκατήχητον. Εἰ γὰρ, πρὶν ἢ γενέσθαι μαθητὴς, διδάσκαλος γένοιτο ταχέως, καὶ εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἔρχεται· εἰ, πρὶν ἢ μαθεῖν ἄρχεσθαι, τῶν ἀρχόντων γένοιτο, φυσᾶται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπήγαγεν· Ἵνα μὴ τυφωθεὶς εἰς κρῖμα ἐμπέσῃ τοῦ διαβόλου· τουτέστιν, εἰς τὴν καταδίκην τὴν αὐτὴν, ἣν ἐκεῖνος ἀπὸ τῆς ἀπονοίας ὑπέμεινε. ∆εῖ δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ μαρτυρίαν καλὴν ἔχειν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν ἐμπέσῃ καὶ παγίδα τοῦ διαβόλου. Καλῶς· μέλλει γὰρ ὀνειδίζεσθαι παρ' αὐτῶν. Τάχα καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εἶπε, Μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρα, καίτοι λέγων ἀλλαχοῦ, Θέλω πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἶναι, ὡς καὶ ἐμαυτὸν, τουτέστιν, ἐν ἐγκρατείᾳ. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ εἰς στενὸν περικλείσῃ τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἐὰν ἠκριβωμένην πολιτείαν ἀπαιτήσῃ, διὰ τοῦτο συμμεμετρημένην ἐζήτησεν ἀρετήν. Ἔδει γὰρ καθίστασθαι καθ' ἑκάστην πόλιν τὸν προηγούμενον· ἄκουε γὰρ αὐτοῦ γράφοντος τῷ Τίτῳ, Ἵνα καταστήσῃς κατὰ πόλιν πρεσβυτέρους, ὡς ἐγώ σοι διεταξάμην. Τί δὲ, ἂν μαρτυρίαν ἔχῃ καλὴν καὶ δόξαν ἀγαθὴν, μὴ ᾖ δὲ τοιοῦτος; Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν δύσκολον τοῦτο· ἀγαπητὸν γὰρ τοὺς ὀρθοὺς ὀρθὴν ἔχειν δόξαν παρὰ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς· νῦν δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο μόνον εἴασεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπε, ∆εῖ αὐτὸν μαρτυρίαν ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ, ∆εῖ αὐτὸν καὶ μαρτυρίαν ἔχειν, ὡς μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ ταύτην· οὐ γὰρ δὴ ταύτην μόνον. Τί οὖν, ἂν κακῶς λέγοιεν αὐτὸν εἰκῆ, καὶ βασκαίνοντες, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπειδὴ Ἕλληνές εἰσιν; Οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο· τὸν γὰρ ἄληπτον ἔχοντα βίον κἀκεῖνοι αἰδοῦνται. Πῶς, φησίν; Ἄκουε αὐτοῦ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λέγοντος, ∆ιὰ δυσφημίας καὶ εὐφημίας. Οὐ γὰρ τοῦ βίου αὐτῶν ἐπελαμβάνοντο, ἀλλὰ τοῦ κηρύγματος· διὰ τοῦτό φησι, ∆ιὰ δυσφημίας. Ὡς πλάνοι καὶ γόητες διεβάλλοντο διὰ τὸ κήρυγμα. Καὶ τοῦτο ἐποίουν, ἐπεὶ μὴ εἶχον τοῦ βίου αὐτῶν ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ μηδεὶς εἶπε περὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὅτι πόρνοι καὶ ἀσελγεῖς καὶ πλεονέκται, ἀλλὰ πλάνοι, ὃ τοῦ κηρύγματος ἦν μόνον; ἆρα οὐχ ὅτι βίον ἄληπτον