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ing, let her be as one not seeing and as one not hearing let her be. And let the widow care for nothing else, except to pray for those who give and for the whole Church. But when asked anything by anyone, let her not answer readily, except for what concerns faith and righteousness and hope in God, sending those who wish to be instructed in the doctrines of godliness to the leaders. But let her only answer concerning the overthrow of polytheistic error, demonstrating the doctrine of the monarchy of God; but concerning what follows, let her not answer anything rashly, so that by speaking something in ignorance she might bring blasphemy upon the word. For the Lord taught that the word is like a grain of mustard seed. And this is fiery, which if anyone uses it unskillfully, he will find it bitter. For it is necessary in mystical matters not to be a betrayer, but secure; for the Lord admonishes us, saying: "Do not cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turning, tear you to pieces." For the unbelievers, having heard the word concerning Christ not properly, but inadequately, and especially that concerning his incarnation or his passion, will mock and ridicule it as false rather than glorify it, and the old woman will be guilty of rashness and of blasphemy and will inherit the woe; "Woe, it says, to him through whom my name is blasphemed among the nations." Therefore we do not permit women to teach in Church, but only to pray and to listen to the teachers. For even our teacher and Lord Himself, Jesus Christ, when he sent us the twelve to make disciples of the people and the nations, nowhere sent out women to preach, although he was not lacking them; for with us were both the mother of the Lord and his sisters, and also Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Martha and Mary the sisters of Lazarus, and Salome and certain others. For if it had been necessary for women to teach, he himself would have been the first to command these also, with us, to instruct the people; for if the man is the head of the woman, it is not right for the rest of the body to rule the head. Let the widow therefore know that she is an altar of God, and let her sit in her own house, not entering the houses of the faithful under some pretext for the sake of receiving something; for the altar of God never runs about, but is fixed in one place. Therefore let the virgin and the widow not be gadding about or roaming through the houses of others; because wanderers and the shameless

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μενον, ἔστω ὡς μὴ βλέπουσα καὶ ὡς μὴ ἀκούουσα ὑπαρχέτω. Καὶ μηδὲν ἕτερον τῇ χήρᾳ μελέτω, εἰ μὴ τὸ προσεύχεσθαι ὑπὲρ τῶν διδόντων καὶ ὑπὲρ ὅλης τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Ἐπε ρωτωμένη δέ τι ὑπό τινος, μὴ ·ᾳδίως ἀποκρινέσθω, πλὴν ὅσα περὶ πίστεως καὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ τῆς εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπίδος, ἀποστέλλουσα τοῖς ἡγουμένοις τοὺς θέλοντας κατηχεῖσθαι τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας δόγματα. Μόνα δὲ ἀποκρινέσθω τὰ περὶ ἀνατροπῆς πολυθέου πλάνης, ἀποδεικνύουσα τὸν περὶ μοναρχίας Θεοῦ λόγον· περὶ δὲ τῶν ἑξῆς προπετῶς τι μὴ ἀποκρινέσθω, ὅπως μή τι ἀμαθῶς φθεγξαμένη βλασφημίαν προστρίψῃ τῷ λόγῳ. Κόκκῳ γὰρ σινάπεως ἐοικέναι τὸν λόγον ὁ Κύριος ἐδογμάτισεν. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐστὶ διάπυρον, ᾧ ἐάν τις ἀπείρως χρήσηται, πικρὸν αὐτὸ εὑρήσει. Χρὴ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς μυστικοῖς μὴ προδότην εἶναι, ἀλλ' ἀσφαλῆ· παραινεῖ γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ Κύριος λέγων· «Μὴ βάλετε τοὺς μαργαρίτας ὑμῶν ἔμπρο σθεν τῶν χοίρων, μήποτε καταπατήσωσιν αὐτοὺς ἐν τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτῶν καὶ στραφέντες ·ήξωσιν ὑμᾶς.» Ἀκού σαντες γὰρ οἱ ἄπιστοι τὸν περὶ Χριστοῦ λόγον οὐ δεόντως, ἀλλ' ἐνδεῶς, καὶ μάλιστα τὸν περὶ ἐνσωματώσεως ἢ τοῦ πάθους αὐτοῦ, μυκτηρίσαντες χλευάσουσιν μᾶλλον ὡς ψευδῆ ἢ δοξάσουσιν, καὶ ἔνοχος ἔσται τῆς προπετείας ἡ πρεσβῦτις καὶ τῆς βλασφημίας καὶ τὸ οὐαὶ κληρονομήσει· «Oὐαὶ δέ, φησίν, δι' οὗ τὸ ὄνομά μου βλασφημεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν.» Oὐκ ἐπιτρέπομεν οὖν γυναῖκας διδάσκειν ἐν Ἐκκλη σίᾳ, ἀλλὰ μόνον προσεύχεσθαι καὶ τῶν διδασκάλων ἐπα κούειν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ διδάσκαλος ἡμῶν καὶ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς δώδεκα πέμψας μαθητεῦσαι τὸν λαὸν καὶ τὰ ἔθνη, γυναῖκας οὐδαμοῦ ἐξαπέστειλεν εἰς τὸ κήρυγμα, καίτοι οὐκ ἀπορῶν· συνῆν γὰρ ἡμῖν ἥ τε μήτηρ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ αἱ ἀδελφαὶ αὐτοῦ, ἔτι δὲ Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ καὶ Μαρία ἡ Ἰακώβου καὶ Μάρθα καὶ Μαρία αἱ ἀδελφαὶ Λαζάρου καὶ Σαλώμη καὶ ἕτεραί τινες. Eἰ γὰρ ἦν ἀναγκαῖον γυναιξὶν διδάσκειν, αὐτὸς ἂν ἐκέλευσε πρῶτος καὶ ταύταις σὺν ἡμῖν κατηχεῖν τὸν λαόν· εἰ γὰρ κεφαλὴ γυναικὸς ὁ ἀνήρ, οὐκ ἔστιν δίκαιον τὸ λοιπὸν σῶμα τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐξάρχειν. Γνωριζέτω οὖν ἡ χήρα, ὅτι θυσιαστή ριόν ἐστι Θεοῦ, καὶ καθήσθω ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτῆς, μὴ μετά τινος προφάσεως ἐν ταῖς τῶν πιστῶν οἰκίαις ἐπὶ τῷ λαμβά νειν εἰσπορευομένη· οὐδὲ γάρ ποτε τὸ θυσιαστήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ περιτρέχει, ἀλλ' ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ ἵδρυται. Ὑπαρχέτω οὖν καὶ ἡ παρθένος καὶ ἡ χήρα μὴ περιτροχᾶς ἢ ·εμβομένη κατὰ τὰς τῶν ἀλλοτρίων οἰκίας· ὅτι αἱ ·εμβοὶ καὶ ἀναιδεῖς