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with respect for this nature, because they did not lay hands on them even when there was a necessary need, and especially when she happens to be pregnant. For it is a shame for a man to strike a woman; and if for a man, much more so for one of the same sex. From these things women also become hateful to their husbands. What then, one says, when she commits fornication? Join her to a husband, take away the occasions for fornication, do not allow her to be pampered. What then, if she steals? Guard and watch her? Oh, the extravagance! I will be a guard, she says. Oh, the folly! Why, I ask, will you not be a guard? Does she not partake of the same soul as you? Has she not been deemed worthy of the same things from God? Does she not enjoy the same table? Does she not share the same nobility with you? What then, if she is, one says, abusive and talkative and a drunkard? And how many free women are like that? And God has commanded husbands to bear all the faults of their wives. Only let not the wife be a harlot, he says, and bear all her other faults. Even if she is a drunkard, or abusive, or talkative, or envious, or extravagant, or one who squanders your substance, you have a partner in life; you have the necessity to manage her; for this reason you are the head. Therefore manage her, do your own part. And if she remains incorrigible, and if she steals, guard your things; do not punish her so much; if she is talkative, silence her. This is of the highest philosophy. But now some have come to such a point of absurdity, as to uncover the head, and to drag their maids by the hair. 4. Why have you all blushed? Our discourse is not to all; but to those who are drawn into this brutishness. Let a woman not be uncovered, says Paul; but do you remove her head-covering entirely? Do you see how you insult yourself? If then she appears to you with her head bare, you call the matter an insult; but when you bare it yourself, do you say it is nothing terrible? Then she says: What, if she is not corrected? Correct her with a rod and with blows. And how many faults do you also have, and are not corrected? These things have now been said by us not on their behalf, but on behalf of you free women, so that you do nothing unseemly, nothing shameful, so that you do not harm yourselves. If in your house you are disciplined in these things in the case of your maidservant, and are gentle and not harsh, much more will you be so toward your husband. For if, when you have the power, you are shown to do nothing of the sort, much more, where there is a restraining influence, you will do nothing of the sort. So that the philosophy concerning maidservants benefits you greatly for the goodwill of your husbands. For with what measure you measure, he says, it will be measured back to you. Place a bridle on your mouth; and if you train yourself to bear nobly a difficult maidservant, you will not be vexed with one of equal rank even when she insults you; and by not being vexed, you have achieved the highest philosophy. But there are some who also add oaths; and nothing is more shameful than a woman who is angry in this way. What then, if she adorns herself, one says? Prevent this, and I agree; but prevent it, beginning from yourself, not so much by fear as by example; be in all things an archetypal image. And blasphemy, he says, let it be put away from you. See how the evil proceeds. Bitterness begot anger, anger wrath, wrath clamor, clamor blasphemy, that is, revilings; blasphemy then blows, blows wounds, the 62.111 wounds death. But Paul was not willing to utter any of these things, but only this, Let it be put away with all malice. What is, With all malice? For all malice ends in this. For there are some like dogs that bite secretly, who neither bark at nor are vexed with those who approach; but fawning and showing a gentle appearance, they catch them off guard and have fixed their teeth in them; these are more dangerous than those who openly show their enmity. Since, therefore, there are also men who are dogs, and who threaten neither by crying out, nor by being angry, nor by being vexed, but secretly weave deceits, and contrive a thousand evils, and take revenge through deeds, he also alluded to these. Let it be put away from you, he says, with all malice. Do not spare words, only to take revenge through deeds. I for this reason have chastened the tongue, and have cut short its clamor, so that it might not light the torch more vehemently; but if even without clamor the same things
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πρὸς τὴν φύσιν ταύτην αἰδοῖ, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἀναγκαίας χρείας οὔσης ἀνήρτησαν, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν κύουσα τύχῃ. Αἰσχύνη γὰρ ἀνδρὶ γυναῖκα τύπτειν· εἰ δὲ ἀνδρὶ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῇ ὁμοφύλῳ. Ἀπὸ τούτων καὶ τοῖς ἀνδράσι γίνονται μισηταὶ αἱ γυναῖκες. Τί οὖν, φησὶν, ὅταν πορνεύῃ; Ζεῦξον ἀνδρὶ, περίελε τῆς πορνείας τὰς ὑποθέσεις, μὴ συγχώρει ὑπερμαζᾷν. Τί οὖν, ἂν κλέπτῃ; Φύλαττε καὶ παρατήρει; Ὢ τῆς ὑπερβολῆς! ἐγὼ ἔσομαι φύλαξ, φησίν. Ὢ τῆς ἀνοίας! διὰ τί, παρακαλῶ, οὐκ ἔσῃ φύλαξ; οὐχὶ τῆς αὐτῆς σοι μετέχει ψυχῆς; οὐχὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἠξίωται παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ; οὐ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀπολαύει τραπέζης; οὐ τῆς αὐτῆς σοι κοινωνεῖ εὐγενείας; Τί οὖν, ἂν ᾖ, φησὶ, λοίδορος καὶ λάλος καὶ μέθυσος; Πόσαι δέ εἰσιν ἐλεύθεραι τοιαῦται; Πάντα δὲ τὰ ἐλαττώματα τῶν γυναικῶν φέρειν τοὺς ἄνδρας προσέταξεν ὁ Θεός. Μόνον μὴ ἔστω, φησὶ, πόρνη ἡ γυνὴ, καὶ πάντα τὰ λοιπὰ φέρε ἐλαττώματα. Κἂν μέθυσος ᾖ, κἂν λοίδορος, κἂν λάλος, κἂν βάσκανος, κἂν πολυτελὴς, κἂν σπαθῶσα τὴν οὐσίαν, κοινωνὸν ἔχεις βίου· ῥυθμίζειν ἀνάγκην ἔχεις· διὰ τοῦτο κεφαλὴ εἶ σύ. Οὐκοῦν ῥύθμιζε, τὸ σαυτοῦ ποίει. Κἂν ἀδιόρθωτος μένῃ, κἂν κλέπτῃ, φύλαττε τὰ σά· μὴ ἐκείνην τοσοῦτον τιμωροῦ· ἂν λάλος ᾖ, ἐπιστόμιζε. Τοῦτο φιλοσοφίας ἐστὶ τῆς ἀνωτάτω. Νυνὶ δὲ εἰς τοσοῦτό τινες ἀτοπίας ἥκουσιν, ὡς ἀποκαλύπτειν τὴν κεφαλὴν, καὶ ἀπὸ τριχῶν σύρειν τὰς θεραπαινίδας. δʹ. Τί ἠρυθριάσατε πᾶσαι; Οὐ πρὸς πάσας ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος· ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς εἰς τὴν θηριωδίαν ἐξελκομένας ταύτην. Γυνὴ ἀκατακάλυπτος μὴ ἔστω, φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος· σὺ δὲ ὅλως τὸ κρήδεμνον περιαιρεῖς; Ὁρᾷς πῶς σαυτὴν ὑβρίζεις; Ἂν μὲν οὖν γυμνῇ φανῇ σοι τῇ κεφαλῇ ἐκείνη, ὕβριν τὸ πρᾶγμα λέγεις· σὺ δὲ αὐτὴν γυμνοῦσα, οὐδὲν δεινὸν εἶναι φής; Εἶτά φησι· Τί, ἂν μὴ διορθῶται; Ῥάβδῳ καὶ πληγαῖς σωφρόνισον. Πόσα δὲ καὶ σὺ ἔχεις ἐλαττώματα, καὶ οὐ διορθοῦσαι; Ταῦτα ἡμῖν νῦν οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων εἴρηται, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τῶν ἐλευθέρων, ὥστε μηδὲν ἄσεμνον, μηδὲν αἰσχρὸν ποιεῖν, ὥστε μὴ βλάπτειν ἑαυτάς. Ἐὰν ἐν οἰκίᾳ ταῦτα παιδευθῇς ἐπὶ τῆς θεραπαινίδος, καὶ προσηνὴς ᾖς καὶ μὴ χαλεπὴ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἔσῃ τοιαύτη. Εἰ γὰρ ἐξουσίας οὔσης μηδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐργαζομένη δειχθῇς, πολλῷ μᾶλλον, ἔνθα τὸ κωλύον ἐστὶν, οὐδὲν ἐργάσῃ τοιοῦτον. Ὥστε ἡ περὶ τὰς θεραπαινίδας φιλοσοφία μέγιστα ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀνδρῶν εὔνοιαν ὠφελεῖ. Ὧ γὰρ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε, φησὶν, ἀντιμετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν. Θὲς τῷ στόματι χαλινόν· κἂν ἐγγυμνασθῇς θεραπαινίδα χαλεπαίνουσαν φέρειν γενναίως, πρὸς τὴν ὁμότιμον οὐδὲ ὑβρίζουσαν δυσχερανεῖς· μὴ δυσχεραίνουσα δὲ, τὴν ἄκραν φιλοσοφίαν κατώρθωσας. Εἰσὶ δέ τινες, αἳ καὶ ὅρκους προστιθέασιν· οὐδὲν δὲ αἰσχρότερον τῆς οὕτω θυμουμένης. Τί οὖν, ἂν καλλωπίζηται, φησί; Τοῦτο κώλυσον, καὶ ἐγὼ σύμφημι· κώλυσον δὲ, ἀπὸ σαυτῆς ἀρχομένη, μὴ φόβῳ τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ὑποδείγματι· ἔσο ἐν πᾶσιν ἀρχέτυπος εἰκών. Καὶ βλασφημία, φησὶν, ἀρθήτω ἀφ' ὑμῶν. Ὅρα πῶς πρόεισι τὸ κακόν. Ἡ πικρία τὸν θυμὸν ἔτεκεν, ὁ θυμὸς τὴν ὀργὴν, ἡ ὀργὴ τὴν κραυγὴν, ἡ κραυγὴ τὴν βλασφημίαν, τουτέστι, τὰς λοιδορίας· ἡ βλασφημία λοιπὸν πληγὰς, αἱ πληγαὶ τραύματα, τὰ 62.111 τραύματα θάνατον. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων ἠθέλησε φθέγξασθαι Παῦλος, ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦτο μόνον, Ἀρθήτω σὺν πάσῃ κακίᾳ. Τί ἐστι, Σὺν πάσῃ κακίᾳ; Πᾶσα γὰρ κακία εἰς τοῦτο τελευτᾷ. Εἰσὶ γάρ τινες καθάπερ οἱ λαθροδῆκται τῶν κυνῶν, οἳ τοὺς μὲν προσιόντας οὐδὲν ὑλακτοῦσιν, οὐδὲ δυσχεραίνουσι· σαίνοντες δὲ καὶ προσηνὲς ἐπιδεικνύμενοι σχῆμα, ἀφυλάκτους λαβόντες, τοὺς ὀδόντας ἐνέπηξαν· οὗτοι χαλεπώτεροι τῶν ἐκ φανεροῦ τὴν ἔχθραν ἀναδεχομένων. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ ἄνθρωποί εἰσι κύνες, καὶ οὔτε κράζοντες, οὔτε ὀργιζόμενοι, οὔτε δυσχεραίνοντες ἀπειλοῦσι, λάθρα δὲ ῥάπτοντες δόλους, καὶ κατασκευάζοντες μυρία κακὰ, καὶ δι' ἔργων ἀμυνόμενοι, καὶ τούτους ᾐνίξατο. Ἀρθήτω ἀφ' ὑμῶν, φησὶ, σὺν πάσῃ κακίᾳ. Μὴ ῥημάτων μὲν φείδου, διὰ δὲ τῶν ἔργων ἀμύνου. Ἐγὼ διὰ τοῦτο τὴν γλῶσσαν ἐκόλασα, καὶ τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῆς περιέκοψα, ἵνα μὴ τὸν πυρσὸν ἀνάψῃ σφοδρότερον· εἰ δὲ καὶ χωρὶς κραυγῆς τὰ αὐτὰ