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A modest woman, bowing her head to the ground out of shame, has her face drawn downward; but she who chooses to ensnare many in the trap of her beauty, walks with a high neck. And with winks of their eyes. The accusation against a woman breathing fornication is to look about curiously with the eye, to reveal the licentiousness of her soul with her gaze, to smile sweetly, to provoke wantonly with her eyes, to send forth a certain destructive poison with her glance; just as the story holds about the basilisk, which they say destroys those who are seen by it from its glance alone. Rightly, therefore, is the Word indignant against those who walk with a high neck, that is, with a shameless face, and with winks of their eyes. The high neck is a sign of not even being subject to the yoke of modesty; of her living delicately and luxuriously, walking with her tunic trailing, and not making her gait natural, but wantonly in a dissonant, affected rhythm. Instead of these things, therefore, God will humble the ruling daughters of Zion. Since they did not voluntarily choose humility, but walked with a high neck, He will humble (he says) their leaders, the daughters of Zion. Even now one may see in many places Jewish women playing with their feet and not respecting the voice of the Prophet. Would that the daughters of the Church were not also accused of the same things. For many, as is common among the crowds who come to the divine word, on feast days, not knowing spiritual joy, give themselves over to indecent games, wallow in revels and drunkenness, and do not keep the commandment that says, Let your eyes look straight ahead; by looking askance with their eye and turning it aside, they display a sign of a wicked purpose. In many places the winks of the eyes are slandered, as it is noted in Proverbs regarding the evil man, that He winks with his eye, he signals with his foot. And again: He who winks with his eye with deceit, gathers sorrows for men. And that They who hate me without cause and wink with their eyes. Such accusations sometimes reach even men, those who in their arrogant disposition disdain their inferiors, who are puffed up in their posture, and who show their arrogance by the nod of their eyebrows, who walk rhythmically with a pompous and stately gait, letting their garment down to their ankles, showing arrogance, and having given themselves over to excessive games, for whom awaits the threatened fall through humiliation from on high. 3.124 And the Lord will uncover their form. This arrogant form, contrived for dissoluteness and every licentious thought, working in the hearts of the unguarded, the Lord will uncover, when in the revelation of hidden things the curtains of the flesh are stripped away, and the soul is made an example, naked and by itself, with the works of its indecency. And sometimes the uncovering of the form is at work even here for the good of those concerning whom the work is, so that, when what for a time escapes the notice of many has been laid bare, and the indecency of their sins has come to the knowledge of the many, those who formerly persisted in evil because it was hidden may be turned back in shame. It is the Lord's work, therefore, to uncover the feigned and contrived form. So that if any of us who are honored hide an indecent life under a pretext, let them fear the one who is about to uncover our form and reveal the counsels of our hearts, so that the worse reasonings that arise in each person may lie exposed to the sight of all. For his own counsels will encircle each of us and his actions will stand by him with their own tokens, bringing upon us eternal shame and reproach, when they are convicted of being contrary to the word, so that he who preaches not to steal is found to be a thief; he who says not to commit adultery is caught having his portion with the adulterers; he who
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γυνὴ καὶ κοσμία, εἰς γῆν κατανεύουσα ὑπὸ αἰδοῦς, ἐπὶ τὸ κάτω καθελκόμενον ἔχει τὸ πρόσωπον· ἡ δὲ πολλοὺς ἀγρεῦσαι τῇ παγίδι τοῦ κάλλους προαιρουμένη, πορεύεται ὑψηλῷ τρα χήλῳ. Καὶ ἐν νεύμασιν ὀφθαλμῶν. Γυναικὸς πορνείας πνεούσης τὸ κατηγόρημα, περίεργα βλέπειν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ, τὴν ἀσέλγειαν τῆς ψυχῆς καταμηνύειν τῷ βλέμματι, ἐμμειδιᾷν, τοῖς ὀφθαλ μοῖς ἐρεθίζειν πορνικῶς, ἰόν τινα φθαρτικὸν ἐξαποστέλλειν τοῖς ὄμμασιν· ὁποῖον δή τι καὶ ὁ περὶ τοῦ βασιλίσκου κα τέχει λόγος, ὅν φασι καὶ ἐκ μόνης τῆς ὄψεως διαφθείρειν τοὺς θεαθέντας. ∆ικαίως οὖν ἀγανακτεῖ ὁ λόγος κατὰ τῶν πορευομένων ὑψηλῷ τραχήλῳ, τουτέστιν ἀπερυθρια σμένῳ προσώπῳ καὶ ἐν νεύμασιν ὀφθαλμῶν. Τὸ δὲ ὑψηλὸν τοῦ τραχήλου, δεῖγμα τοῦ μηδὲ τῷ ζυγῷ τῆς σωφροσύνης ὑποκεῖσθαι· ἁβρυνομένης δὲ καὶ χλιδώσης, τὸν χιτῶνα ἐπισυ ρομένης βαδίζειν καὶ τὸ βάδισμα μὴ κατὰ φύσιν ποιεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ῥυθμὸν ἐκμελῆ ἐπιτετηδευμένον ἐκλύτως. Ἀντὶ οὖν τούτων Ταπεινώσει ὁ Θεὸς ἀρχούσας θυγατέρας Σιών. Ἐπειδὴ ἑκουσίως τὸ ταπεινὸν οὐχ εἵλοντο, ἀλλ' ἐπορεύ θησαν ὑψηλῷ τραχήλῳ, ταπεινώσει (φησὶ) τὰς ἀρχηγοὺς αὐτῶν, τὰς θυγατέρας Σιών. Ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἔξεστιν ὁρᾷν πολλαχοῦ τὰς Ἰουδαίας γυναῖκας τοῖς ἑκάστου ποσὶν ἐπιπαιζούσας καὶ μὴ ἐντρεπομένας τὴν τοῦ Προφήτου φωνήν. Εἴθε δὲ μὴ καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας αἱ θυγατέρες τὰ αὐτὰ ἐγκαλοῖντο. Πολλαὶ γὰρ, ὡς ἐν πλήθει ἐπὶ τῶν προσιόντων τῷ θείῳ λόγῳ, ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῶν ἑορτῶν, οὐκ εἰδυῖαι εὐφροσύνην πνευματικὴν, παιδιαῖς ἀσέμνοις ἑαυτὰς ἐπιδιδοῦσαι, κώμοις καὶ μέθαις ἐγκαλινδοῦνται, καὶ μὴ τη ροῦσαι τὸ παράγγελμα τὸ λέγον, ὅτι Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὀρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν· ὑπολοξοῦσαι τὸ ὄμμα καὶ παρεκκλίνουσαι, δεῖγ μα πονηρᾶς ἐκφέρουσι προαιρέσεως. Πολλαχοῦ δὲ τὰ νεύ ματα τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν διαβέβληται, ὡς ἐν Παροιμίαις ἐπὶ τοῦ κακοῦ παρατετήρηται, ὅτι Ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς ἐννεύει μὲν ὀφθαλμῷ, σημαίνει δὲ ποδί. Καὶ πάλιν· Ὁ ἐννεύων ὀφθαλμῷ μετὰ δόλου, συνάγει ἀνδράσι λύπας. Καὶ τὸ Οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεὰν καὶ διανεύοντες ὀφθαλμοῖς. Φθάνει δέ ποτε καὶ ἐπ' ἄνδρας τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐγκλήματα, τοὺς φρονήματι μὲν ἀλαζονικῷ ὑπερφρονοῦντας τῶν ὑποδεεστέρων, ὑπτιάζοντας δὲ τῷ σχήματι, καὶ τῷ νεύματι τῶν ὀφρύων τὴν ἀλαζο νείαν ἐνδεικνυμένους, σοβαρῷ δὲ καὶ διηρμένῳ βαδίσματι εὔρυθμα βαίνοντας, τὸ ἱμάτιον καθιέντας μέχρι τῶν σφυρῶν, ἀλαζονείαν ἐνδεικνυμένους, καὶ παιδιαῖς ἑαυτοὺς ἀμέτροις ἐκδεδωκότας, οὓς μένει τὸ ἀπειληθὲν πτῶμα τὸ διὰ τῆς ταπεινώσεως τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕψους. 3.124 Καὶ Κύριος ἀνακαλύψει τὸ σχῆμα αὐτῶν. Τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα τὸ ὑπερήφανον καὶ πεποιημένον πρὸς ἔκ λυσιν καὶ πᾶσαν ἀκόλαστον ἔννοιαν, ταῖς καρδίαις τῶν ἀφυ λάκτων ἐνεργαζόμενον, ἀνακαλύψει Κύριος, ὅταν ἐν τῇ φανε ρώσει τῶν κρυπτῶν τὰ μὲν τῆς σαρκὸς παραπετάσματα πε ριαιρεθῇ, γυμνὴ δὲ καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὴν μετὰ τῶν ἔργων τῆς ἀσ χημοσύνης παραδειγματίζεται ἡ ψυχή. Ἐνεργεῖται δέ ποτε καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἡ ἀποκάλυψις τοῦ σχήματος ἐπὶ καλῷ τῶν, περὶ οὓς ἡ ἐνέργεια, ὥστε, γυμνωθέντων, ἃ τέως πολλοὺς διαλαν θάνει καὶ εἰς γνῶσιν τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐλθούσης τῆς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν ἀσχημοσύνης, ἐπιστρέψαι καταιδεσθέντας τοὺς τέως διὰ τὸ λανθάνειν ἐπιμένοντας τῷ κακῷ. Τοῦ Κυρίου οὖν ἔργον, ἀνακαλύψαι τὸ σχῆμα τὸ ἐπίπλαστον καὶ κατ εσχηματισμένον. Ὥστε καὶ εἴ τινες ἡμῶν τῶν τιμωμένων προσχήματι βίον ἄσεμνον ὑποκρύπτουσι, φοβηθήτωσαν τὸν ἀνακαλύπτειν ἡμῶν τὸ σχῆμα μέλλοντα καὶ φανεροῦντα τὰς βουλὰς τῶν καρδιῶν ἡμῶν, ὥστε ἐν ταῖς πάντων προκεῖσθαι ὄψεσι τοὺς ἐν ἑκάστῳ γινομένους χείρονας λογισμούς. Κυκλώσει γὰρ ἕκαστον ἡμῶν τὰ διαβούλια αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ πράξεις ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις γνωρίσ μασι περιστήσονται, αἰσχύνην καὶ ὀνειδισμὸν αἰώνιον ἡμῖν ἐπ άγουσαι, ὅταν ἐλέγχωνται ἐναντίως ἔχουσαι πρὸς τὸν λόγον, ὥστε τὸν κηρύσσοντα μὴ κλέπτειν, κλοπέα ἐφευρίσκεσθαι· τὸν λέγοντα μὴ μοιχεύειν, ἐν τοῖς μοιχοῖς ἔχοντα τὴν με ρίδα φωρᾶσθαι· τὸν