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into the order of widows and, not bearing widowhood in her youth, should marry, she will bring disgrace to the glory of the order of widows and will give an account to God, not because she was joined in a second marriage, but because she did not keep her own promise, having grown wanton against Christ. Therefore one must not make the promise rashly, but with security; "For it is better for her not to vow, than to vow and not to pay." But if some younger woman, having spent a short time with her husband and having lost him through death or some other cause, should remain by herself, having the gift of widowhood, she will be found blessed, likened to the widow in Zarephath of Sidon, with whom the holy prophet of God Elijah was a guest. Such a one will be likened to Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who did not depart from the temple night and day, continuing in supplications and prayers, being eighty years old, having lived with a husband from her virginity for seven years, and having glorified the coming of Christ, she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of him to all who were awaiting the redemption in Israel; such a one, having received a testimony, will be honored, having glory both among men on earth and with God in heaven the eternal praise. But let the younger widows not be enrolled in the order of widows, lest on the pretext of not being able to control the passions of their prime they come to a second marriage and find themselves in difficulty; but let them be assisted and helped, so that on the pretext of being in want they do not come to a second marriage and become entangled in an unseemly affair. For you ought to know this also, that monogamy which is according to the law is just, as being in accordance with the will of God, but digamy after a promise is unlawful, not on account of the union, but on account of the lie, and trigamy is a sign of incontinence, and what is beyond trigamy is manifest fornication and undoubted licentiousness. For God gave one woman to one man in the creation; "For the two shall be one flesh." But to younger women after the death of the first husband, let a second also be permitted, so that they may not fall into the condemnation of the devil and many snares and foolish and soul-harming desires, which bring about punishment rather than relief. But the true widows are those who have had only one husband, being attested by many in good works, widows indeed, sober, chaste, faithful, pious, having brought up children well and having received strangers blamelessly, whom also one helps

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εἰς τὸ χηρικὸν καὶ μὴ φέρουσα τὴν ἐν νεότητι χηρείαν γαμηθῇ, ἀπρέπειαν ἐμποιήσει τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ χηρικοῦ καὶ λόγον ὑφέξει τῷ Θεῷ, οὐχ ὅτι δευτέρῳ γάμῳ συνήφθη, ἀλλ' ὅτι τὴν ἑαυτῆς ἐπαγγελίαν οὐκ ἐφύλαξεν, καταστρηνιάσασα τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ∆ιὸ χρὴ μὴ προπετῶς ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ ἀσφαλείας· «Κρεῖσσον γάρ ἐστιν αὐτὴν μὴ εὔξασθαι, ἢ εὔξασθαι καὶ μὴ ἀποδοῦναι.» Eἰ δέ τις νεωτέρα ὀλίγον χρόνον σὺν τῷ ἀνδρὶ ποιήσασα καὶ ἀποβαλοῦσα αὐτὸν διὰ τελευτῆς ἢ δι' ἀφορμῆς τινος ἑτέρας, καὶ μείνῃ ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς δῶρον ἔχουσα χηρείας, μακαρία εὑρεθήσεται, ὁμοιωθεῖσα τῇ ἐν Σαρεφθοῖς Σιδωνίᾳ χήρᾳ, πρὸς ἣν ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Θεοῦ προφήτης Ἠλίας ἐπεξενώθη. Ἡ τοιαύτη ἐξομοιωθήσεται Ἄννῃ τῇ θυγατρὶ Φανουὴλ τῇ ἐκ φυλῆς Ἀσήρ, ἣ οὐκ ἀφίστατο τοῦ ἱεροῦ νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν παραμένουσα ταῖς δεήσεσι καὶ ταῖς προσευχαῖς, οὖσα μὲν ἐτῶν ὀγδοήκοντα, ζήσασα δὲ μετὰ ἀνδρὸς ἐκ τῆς παρθενίας αὐτῆς ἔτη ἑπτά, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ δοξάσασα παρουσίαν ἀνθωμολογεῖτο τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ ἐλάλει περὶ αὐτοῦ πᾶσι τοῖς προσδοκῶσιν λύτρωσιν ἐν Ἰσραήλ· ἡ τοιαύτη μαρτύριον λαβοῦσα τιμηθήσεται, κλέος ἔχουσα καὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ παρὰ Θεῷ ἐν οὐρανοῖς τὸν αἰώνιον ἔπαινον. Aἱ δὲ νεώτεραι χῆραι εἰς χηρικὸν μὲν μὴ ἐντασ σέσθωσαν, μήποτε προφάσει τοῦ μὴ δύνασθαι κρατεῖν τῆς ἀκμῆς ἐπὶ δευτερογαμίαν ἐλθοῦσαι ἐν πράγματι γένωνται· ἐπικουρείσθωσαν δὲ καὶ βοηθείσθωσαν, ἵνα μὴ προφάσει τοῦ λείπεσθαι ἐπὶ δευτερογαμίαν ἐλθοῦσαι ἐν πράγματι ἀπρεπεῖ ἐνσχεθῶσιν. Καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ εἰδέναι ὀφείλετε, ὅτι μονογαμία μὲν κατὰ νόμον γινομένη δικαία, ὡς ἂν κατὰ γνώμην Θεοῦ ὑπάρχουσα, διγαμία δὲ μετὰ ἐπαγγελίαν παράνομον, οὐ διὰ τὴν συνάφειαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ψεῦδος, τριγαμία δὲ ἀκρασίας σημεῖον, τὸ ὑπὲρ τὴν τριγαμίαν προφανὴς πορνεία καὶ ἀσέλγεια ἀναμφίβολος. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς μίαν γυναῖκα ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ δέδωκεν ἐν τῇ δημιουργίᾳ· «Ἔσονται γὰρ οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν.» Νεωτέραις δὲ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ πρώτου τελευτὴν συγκεχωρήσθω καὶ ὁ δεύτερος, ἵνα μὴ εἰς κρίμα τοῦ διαβόλου ἐμπέσωσιν καὶ παγίδας πολλὰς καὶ ἐπιθυμίας ἀνοήτους καὶ ἐπιζημίους ψυχαῖς, αἵτινες κόλασιν προξενοῦσιν μᾶλλον, ἢ ἄνεσιν. Aἱ δὲ ἀληθιναὶ χῆραί εἰσιν αἱ μόνανδροι ὑπάρξασαι, μαρτυρούμεναι ὑπὸ πολλῶν ἐν ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς, χῆραι τῷ ὄντι, σώφρονες, ἁγναί, πισταί, εὐσεβεῖς, τεκνοτροφήσασαι καλῶς καὶ ξενοδοχήσασαι ἀμέμπτως, ὧν καὶ ἀντιλαμβά