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of a prudent man; but that of a talkative and idle and meddlesome one. Do you not see among servants, that the despicable ones among the servants, useful for nothing, are both talkative and babblers, and meddle in their masters' affairs, which they 62.134 wish to hide; while the prudent and well-disposed look to one thing only, how to fulfill their service? He who says much, does nothing; just as he who does much, says nothing out of season. For this reason Paul said, writing about widows, Not only do they learn to be idle, but also gossips. Tell me now, which is the greater interval, that of our age to that of children, or that of God to that of men? Ours to gnats, or God's to us? It is quite clear that it is God's to us. Why then are you so meddlesome? Give thanks for all things. What then, he says, if a Greek asks, how shall I answer? He wishes to learn from me if there is providence, for he himself says there is no one who provides. Therefore turning it around, you also ask him. But he says there is no providence. That there is providence is clear from what you have said; but that it is incomprehensible is clear from our not finding the reason. For if in the things which men administer we often do not know the manner of the administration, and though many of them seem to us even absurd, we yet concede, how much more so in the case of God? But in the case of God, nothing is absurd, nor does it seem so to the faithful. Wherefore let us give thanks for all things, for all things let us glorify him, Submitting yourselves one to another, he says, in the fear of God. For if you submit for the sake of a ruler, or for money, or for shame, how much more for the fear of God. Let there be a recompense of service and submission; for so it will not be slavery. Let not one sit in the rank of a free man, and the other in the rank of a slave, but it is better for both masters and slaves to serve one another; it is much better to be a slave in this way, than free in another. And it is clear from this: let there be someone with a hundred servants, and let no one among them serve; and let there be another hundred friends, serving one another; who will live better? Who with more pleasure, with more gladness? There is no anger there, nor provocation, nor wrath, nor anything else of that sort; here there is fear and cowardice; and there it is all of necessity, here of free choice; and there being compelled, here with gratitude they serve one another. Thus God wills; for this reason He washed the feet of the disciples. Or rather, if you wish to examine closely, even in the case of masters there is a recompense of service. For what if pride does not allow the recompense to be seen? For when this one provides bodily service, you in turn nourish his body, and care for it with food and clothing and shoes, and this too is a manner of service; because if you do not also provide your own service, neither will he provide his, but he will be free, and no law will compel him, if he is not being fed, to do this. If, therefore, this is so even in the case of slaves, what is absurd, if this happens also in the case of the free? In fear, he says, of Christ submitting. How great the grace, when we also have a reward? But does he not wish to submit to you? But you submit; do not simply obey, but submit. Be so disposed as toward all masters; for so you will quickly have them as slaves, enslaved by the most tyrannical power of slavery. For you will win them over more, when, receiving nothing from them, you yourself provide what is from you. This is, Submitting to one another in the fear of Christ, so that we may overcome all 62.135 passions, so that we may serve God, so that we may preserve love for one another; and then we will be able also 62.136 to be deemed worthy of the loving-kindness from God, by grace and mercies, and what follows.

HOMILY 20. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is

the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church: and He is

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συνετοῦ· ἐκεῖνο δὲ λάλου καὶ ἀργοῦ καὶ περιέργου. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἐν τοῖς οἰκέταις, ὅτι οἱ μὲν κατάπτυστοι τῶν οἰκετῶν οὐδαμοῦ χρήσιμοι λάλοι τέ εἰσι καὶ φλύαροι, καὶ τὰ τῶν δεσποτῶν περιεργάζονται, ἅπερ ἐκεῖνοι 62.134 κρύπτειν ἐθέλουσιν· οἱ δὲ συνετοὶ καὶ εὐγνώμονες πρὸς ἓν μόνον ὁρῶσιν, ὅπως αὐτῶν τὴν διακονίαν πληρῶσιν; Ὁ πολλὰ φθεγγόμενος οὐδὲν ἐργάζεται· ὥσπερ ὁ πολλὰ ἐργαζόμενος οὐδὲν φθέγγεται ἄκαιρον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγε περὶ χηρῶν γράφων· Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἀργαὶ μανθάνουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ φλύαροι. Εἰπὲ δή μοι, ποῖόν ἐστι πλέον τὸ μέσον, τὸ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἡλικίας πρὸς τὴν τῶν παίδων, ἢ τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων; τὸ ἡμέτερον πρὸς κώνωπας, ἢ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς; Εὔδηλον ὅτι τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Τί οὖν σὺ τοσοῦτον περιεργάζῃ; Εὐχαρίστει ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων. Τί οὖν, ἂν Ἕλλην ἔρηται, φησὶ, πῶς ἀποκρινοῦμαι; βούλεται μαθεῖν παρ' ἐμοῦ, εἰ ἔστι πρόνοια, αὐτὸς γὰρ οὔ φησιν εἶναί τινα τὸν προνοοῦντα. Οὐκοῦν μεταστρέψας, ἐρώτησον αὐτὸν καὶ σύ. Ἀλλ' οὔ φησιν εἶναι πρόνοιαν. Ὅτι μὲν ἔστι πρόνοια, ἐξ ὧν εἶπας, δῆλον· ὅτι δὲ ἄληπτος, ἐξ ὧν οὐχ εὑρίσκομεν τὸν λόγον. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν οἷς διοικοῦσιν ἄνθρωποι οὐκ ἴσμεν τὸν τρόπον τῆς διοικήσεως πολλάκις, καίτοι ἐξ αὐτῶν πολλὰ ἡμῖν εἶναι δοκεῖ καὶ ἄτοπα, καὶ παραχωροῦμεν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ Θεοῦ; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἐπὶ Θεοῦ ἄτοπον οὔτε ἐστὶν, οὔτε δοκεῖ τοῖς πιστοῖς. ∆ιὸ ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων εὐχαριστῶμεν, ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων δοξάζωμεν αὐτόν, Ὑποτασσόμενοι ἀλλήλοις, φησὶν, ἐν φόβῳ Θεοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ δι' ἄρχοντα ὑποτάττῃ, ἢ διὰ χρήματα, ἢ δι' αἰδὼ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον διὰ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον. Ἔστω δουλείας καὶ ὑποταγῆς ἀντίδοσις· οὕτω γὰρ οὐκ ἔσται δουλεία. Μὴ ὁ μὲν ἐν τάξει καθεζέσθω ἐλευθέρου, ὁ δὲ ἐν τάξει δούλου, ἀλλὰ καὶ δεσπότας καὶ δούλους ἀλλήλοις δουλεύειν βέλτιον· πολλῷ βέλτιον οὕτως εἶναι δοῦλον, ἢ ἑτέρως ἐλεύθερον. Καὶ δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν· ἔστω τις οἰκέτας ἔχων ἑκατὸν, καὶ μηδεὶς ἐν αὐτοῖς διακονείτω· ἕτεροι δέ τινες ἔστωσαν ἑκατὸν φίλοι, ἀλλήλοις διακονούμενοι· τίνες ἄμεινον βιώσονται; τίνες μετὰ πλείονος ἡδονῆς, μετὰ πλείονος εὐφροσύνης; Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ ὀργὴ, οὐδὲ παροξυσμὸς, οὐδὲ θυμὸς, οὐδὲ ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδέν· ὧδε φόβος καὶ δειλία· κἀκεῖ μὲν ἀνάγκης, ἐνταῦθα δὲ προαιρέσεως τὸ πᾶν· κἀκεῖ μὲν βιαζόμενοι, ἐνταῦθα δὲ χάριν ἔχοντες ἀλλήλοις δουλεύουσιν. Οὕτω βούλεται ὁ Θεός· διὰ τοῦτο ἔνιψε τοὺς πόδας τῶν μαθητῶν, Μᾶλλον δὲ, εἰ θέλεις ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάσαι, καὶ ἐπὶ δεσποτῶν ἀντίδοσίς ἐστι δουλείας. Τί γὰρ, εἰ ὁ τῦφος οὐκ ἀφίησι φανῆναι τὴν ἀντίδοσιν; Ὅταν γὰρ οὗτος μὲν τὴν σωματικὴν διακονίαν παρέχῃ, σὺ δὲ τὸ σῶμα τρέφῃς, καὶ θεραπεύῃς καὶ τροφαῖς καὶ ἐνδύμασι καὶ ὑποδήμασι, καὶ οὗτος δουλείας ἐστὶ τρόπος· ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ παρέχῃς καὶ σὺ τὴν σὴν, διακονίαν, οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἔσται ἐλεύθερος, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτὸν ἀναγκάσει νόμος καὶ μὴ τρεφόμενον τοῦτο ποιεῖν. Εἰ τοίνυν καὶ ἐπὶ δούλων τοῦτό ἐστι, τί ἄτοπον, ἐὰν καὶ ἐπὶ ἐλευθέρων τοῦτο γίνηται; Ἐν φόβῳ, φησὶ, Χριστοῦ ὑποτασσόμενοι. Πόση ἡ χάρις, ὅταν καὶ μισθὸν ἔχωμεν; Ἀλλ' οὐ βούλεταί σοι ὑποταγῆναι; Ἀλλὰ σὺ ὑποτάγηθι· μὴ ἁπλῶς ὑπακούσῃς, ἀλλ' ὑποτάγηθι· ὡς πρὸς δεσπότας ἅπαντας, οὕτω διάκεισο· οὕτω γὰρ αὐτοὺς δούλους ἕξεις ταχέως τῇ τυραννικωτάτῃ τῆς δουλείας δυνάμει δεδουλωμένους. Μᾶλλον γὰρ αὐτοὺς αἱρήσεις, ὅταν οὐδενὸς τῶν παρ' αὐτῶν τυγχάνων, αὐτὸς τὰ παρὰ σαυτοῦ παρέχῃς. Τοῦτό ἐστιν, Ὑποτασσόμενοι ἀλλήλοις ἐν φόβῳ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα πάντων κρατῶμεν τῶν 62.135 παθῶν, ἵνα τῷ Θεῷ δουλεύωμεν, ἵνα τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγάπην διασώζωμεν· καὶ τότε δυνησόμεθα καὶ 62.136 τῆς παρὰ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἀξιωθῆναι, χάριτι καὶ οἰκτιρμοῖς, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Κʹ. Αἱ γυναῖκες, τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν ὑποτάσσεσθε, ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅτι ὁ ἀνήρ ἐστι

κεφαλὴ τῆς γυ ναικὸς, ὡς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς κεφαλὴ τῆς Ἐκκλη σίας, καὶ αὐτός ἐστι