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hopes of the resurrection, and the good things prepared for those who do right, some are so faint-hearted that they are not even corrected by these expectations; what was he likely to suffer? Let us emulate Lazarus, both rich and poor. For not just one or two or three, but many more contests of virtue did he endure: poverty, the desolation of having no one to care for him, sickness, not for two or three days but for his whole life, and seeing himself in these circumstances, and the rich man in the opposite; having no other Lazarus to look to, being unable to philosophize about the resurrection, and along with the aforementioned evils, also having a wicked reputation among the many because of those misfortunes. What defense, then, shall we have, if when he bore all his terrible things together with such courage, we will not bear even half of his? For you cannot, you cannot show or name anyone else who has suffered so many and such evils. For this reason Christ also set him forth in our midst, so that, wherever we may fall into terrible things, seeing in him the extremity that exists, we might receive sufficient encouragement and comfort from his philosophy. For a common teacher of the world is set forth, offering to all who suffer anything terrible to look to him, and conquering all by the extremity of his own evils. For wise physicians, when they are about to cut away putrefied limbs, or to extract stones wedged in the passages, or to correct some other defect of nature, do not do this by taking the patient into a corner, but by setting him forth in the middle of the marketplaces, and having set up a theater of passers-by, they thus apply the incision. And they do this, not wishing to make a public spectacle of human misfortunes, but teaching the onlookers through the bodies of others to take great care for their own health. When, therefore, you see a righteous man in distress, mistreated, ending the present life in sickness and countless other terrible things, say to yourself, that if there were not a resurrection and a judgment, God would not have let him, having suffered so many evils, depart from here having enjoyed no good thing. From which it is clear that He has prepared for them another life, much sweeter and more tolerable than the present one. For how would it be reasonable that He allowed many of the wicked to live in luxury in the present life, but leaves many of the righteous in countless evils, being and being called righteous, and knowing how to render to each justly according to his worth? To whom is due glory, power, honor and worship, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

SERMON 14. Concerning women and beauty.

Those who are about to take wives, the things laid down by Paul concerning marriage

let them first read the laws, and learn from there what must be done, when a wife happens to be wicked and abusive and full of madness, and having any other such thing. If, then, you see that he gives you authority, upon finding one of these faults, to cast her out and bring in another, be of good courage, as having been freed from all danger; but if he does not permit this, but commands you to cherish her having all other faults except fornication, so secure yourself, as one who is about to bear all her wickedness. But if this is heavy and burdensome, do and arrange everything, so as to take a wife who is good and gentle and obedient. For if, when we are about to buy houses and servants, we are careful and inquisitive, about those selling and those who owned them before, concerning the construction of the one, and concerning the constitution of the body and the disposition of the soul of the other; it is much more necessary for those about to take wives to show such foresight and much more. For it is possible to sell a house again if it is inferior, and a servant who has turned out to be clumsy

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ἀναστάσεως ἐλπίδας, καὶ τὰ ἡτοιμασμένα τοῖς κατορθοῦσιν ἀγαθὰ, οὕτω μικροψύχως τινὲς διάκεινται, ὡς μηδὲ ταύταις διορθοῦσθαι ταῖς προσδοκίαις· τί πάσχειν ἐκεῖνον εἰκὸς ἦν; Ζηλώσωμεν τὸν Λάζαρον καὶ πλούσιοι καὶ πένητες. Οὐ γὰρ ἕνα καὶ δύο καὶ τρεῖς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ πλείους ἄθλους ἀρετῆς ὑπέμεινε, τὴν πενίαν, τὴν ἐρημίαν τῶν προστησομένων, τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν, τὸ μὴ μέχρι δύο καὶ τριῶν ἡμερῶν, ἀλλὰ διὰ παντὸς τοῦ βίου, καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἐν τούτοις, καὶ τὸν πλούσιον ἐν τοῖς ἐναντίοις ὁρᾷν· τὸ μὴ πρὸς Λάζαρον ἕτερον ἔχειν ἰδεῖν, τὸ μηδὲν περὶ ἀναστάσεως δύνασθαι φιλοσοφεῖν, τὸ μετὰ τῶν εἰρημένων κακῶν καὶ πονηρὰν παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἔχειν ὑπόληψιν ἀπὸ τῶν συμφορῶν ἐκείνων. Τίνα οὖν ἕξομεν ἀπολογίαν, εἰ τούτου πάντα ὁμοῦ τὰ δεινὰ μετὰ τοσαύτης φέροντος ἀνδρείας, ἡμεῖς μηδὲ τὰ ἡμίση τούτου οἴσομεν; Οὐ γὰρ ἔχεις, οὐκ ἔχεις δεῖξαι οὐδὲ εἰπεῖν ἄλλον τινὰ τοσαῦτα καὶ τοιαῦτα πεπονθότα κακά. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο αὐτὸν καὶ εἰς μέσον προὔθηκεν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἵνα, ὅπουπερ ἂν ἐμπέσωμεν τῶν δεινῶν, ὁρῶντες παρὰ τούτῳ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν οὖσαν, ἱκανὴν ἐκ τῆς ἐκείνου φιλοσοφίας ἀναλάβωμεν παράκλησιν καὶ παραμυθίαν. Κοινὸς γὰρ τῆς οἰκουμένης διδάσκαλος πρόκειται, τοῖς ὁτιοῦν πάσχουσι δεινὸν πρὸς αὐτὸν παρέχων πᾶσιν ὁρᾷν, καὶ πάντας νικῶν τῇ τῶν οἰκείων κακῶν ὑπερβολῇ. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ σοφοὶ τῶν ἰατρῶν, ὅταν σεσηπότα μέλλωσι τέμνειν μέλη, ἢ λίθους τοῖς πόροις ἐναπεσφηνωμένους ἐξέλκειν, ἢ ἄλλο τι τῆς φύσεως ἁμάρτημα διορθοῦν, οὐκ εἰς γωνίαν λαβόντες τὸν κάμνοντα τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ἐν μέσαις αὐτὸν προθέντες ταῖς ἀγοραῖς, καὶ θέατρον ἐκ τῶν παριόντων περιστήσαντες, οὕτως ἐπάγουσι τὴν τομήν. Ποιοῦσι δὲ τοῦτο, οὐχὶ τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας ἐκπομπεύειν βουλόμενοι συμφορὰς, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ὁρῶντας ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις παιδεύοντες σώμασι, πολλὴν τῆς οἰκείας ὑγείας ποιεῖσθαι τὴν πρόνοιαν. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς δίκαιον στενοχωρούμενον, κακουχούμενον, ἐν ἀῤῥωστίᾳ καὶ μυρίοις ἑτέροις δεινοῖς τὸν παρόντα βίον καταλύσαντα, εἰπὲ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, ὅτι εἰ μὴ ἀνάστασις ἦν καὶ κρίσις, οὐκ ἂν ὁ Θεὸς τοσαῦτα δι' αὐτὸν πεπονθότα κακὰ ἀφῆκε, μηδενὸς ἀπολαύσαντα ἀγαθοῦ, ἀπελθεῖν ἐντεῦθεν. Ὅθεν δῆλον, ὅτι ἑτέραν αὐτοῖς ἡτοίμασε ζωὴν, ἡδίω τῆς παρούσης καὶ ἀνεκτοτέραν πολλῷ. Ἐπεὶ πῶς ἂν ἔχοι λόγον, ὅτι τῶν μὲν πονηρῶν εἴασε πολλοὺς τρυφᾷν κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον, τῶν δὲ δικαίων πολλοὺς ἐν μυρίοις ἀφίησι κακοῖς, δίκαιος ὢν καὶ ὀνομαζόμενος, καὶ δικαίως ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἀποδιδόναι εἰδώς; Ὧ πρέπει δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ καὶ προσκύνησις, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων Ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ Ι∆ʹ. Περὶ γυναικῶν καὶ κάλλους.

Οἱ γυναῖκας ἄγεσθαι μέλλοντες, τοὺς παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ περὶ γάμων κειμένους

ἀναγινωσκέτωσαν πρότερον νόμους, κἀκεῖθεν μανθανέτωσαν τί δεῖ ποιεῖν, ὅταν πονηρὰ καὶ λοίδορος καὶ μανίας γέμουσα, καὶ ὁτιοῦν ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων ἔχουσα τύχοι γυνή. Ἂν τοίνυν ἴδῃς ὅτι σοι δίδωσιν ἐξουσίαν ἓν τούτων τῶν ἐλαττωμάτων εὑρόντα ἐκβάλλειν μὲν ἐκείνην, εἰσάγειν δὲ ἑτέραν, ὡς παντὸς ἀπηλλαγμένος κινδύνου θάῤῥει· ἂν δὲ τοῦτο μὲν μὴ ἐπιτρέπῃ, κελεύῃ δὲ πλὴν πορνείας πάντα τὰ ἄλλα ἐλαττώματα ἔχουσαν στέργειν, οὕτως ἀσφάλισον σεαυτὸν, ὡς μέλλων ἅπασι φέρειν αὐτῆς τὴν πονηρίαν. Εἰ δὲ βαρὺ τοῦτο καὶ φορτικὸν, πάντα ποίει καὶ πραγματεύου, ὥστε χρηστὴν καὶ ἐπιεικῆ καὶ πειθήνιον γυναῖκα λαβεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ οἰκίας ὠνεῖσθαι μέλλοντες καὶ οἰκέτας, περιεργαζόμεθα καὶ πολυπραγμονοῦμεν, τούς τε πωλοῦντας τούς τε ἔμπροσθεν κτησαμένους, τῶν μὲν τὴν κατασκευὴν, τῶν δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἕξιν καὶ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς προαίρεσιν· πολλῷ μᾶλλον γυναῖκας ἄγεσθαι μέλλοντας πρόνοιαν τοσαύτην καὶ πολλῷ πλείονα ἐπιδείκνυσθαι χρή. Οἰκίαν μὲν γὰρ φαύλην οὖσαν ἀποδόσθαι πάλιν ἔξεστι, καὶ οἰκέτην σκαιὸν φανέντα