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it is a mystery, and a great mystery, that leaving the one who begat, the one who fathered, the one who reared, the one who bore him in travail, the one who toiled, those who benefited him so much, those to whom he has been accustomed, he cleaves to her who was never even seen, nor has anything in common with him, and prefers her to all. It is truly a mystery. And the parents are not grieved when these things happen, but rather when they do not; and when money is spent and expense incurred, they are pleased. Truly a great mystery, having a certain ineffable wisdom. Moses prophesying this from of old declared it; this also Paul now proclaims, saying, Concerning Christ and concerning the Church. Nevertheless, it was not spoken thus for him alone, but also for the wife, that he might cherish her as his own flesh, as Christ also the Church. But the wife, that she fear the husband. He no longer lays down the things of love only, but what? That she fear the husband. The wife is a secondary authority. Let her not then demand equality; for she is under the head; nor let him despise her as being in subjection; for she is the body, and if the head should despise the body, it too will perish with it. But let him bring in love as a counterbalance to obedience. As the head, so also the body; the one providing for its service the hands, the feet, the other 62.141 all its members; while the other provides for it, having all sensation in itself. Nothing is better than this union. And how can there be love, he says, where there is fear? It is then most of all that there would be love. For she who fears, also loves; she who loves, fears as a head, and loves as a member, since the head is also a member of the whole body. For this reason He subjected the one, and set the other over her, that there might be peace. For where there is equality, there could never be peace, not in a democratic household, nor where all are rulers, but there must be one authority. And this is universally true of physical things; since if there are spiritual men, there will be peace. There were five thousand souls, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they were subject to one another. This is a sign of understanding and of the fear of God. He showed, then, the manner of love, but that of fear, no longer. 5. And see how he enlarges upon love, relating the things concerning Christ, the things concerning his own flesh, the saying, For this cause shall a man leave his mother and his father; but the things of fear he no longer enlarges upon. Why is that? Because he wishes this to prevail, that of love. For when this is present, all other things follow; but when the other is present, not necessarily. For he who loves his wife, even if she is not very obedient, will nevertheless endure all things; so difficult and troublesome is concord, unless they are bound together by the tyranny of love; yet fear will not at all achieve this. For this reason he dwells more on this, which is strong. And the wife, though she seems to be at a disadvantage because she was commanded to fear, is at an advantage; for the man is commanded the more important thing, to love. What then, he says, if the wife does not fear? You love, fulfill your part. For even if what is due from others does not follow, what is due from us must follow. As for instance I say: Submitting yourselves, he says, one to another in the fear of Christ. What then, if the other does not submit? You obey the law of God. So indeed also here; at any rate, let the wife, even if she is not loved, nevertheless fear, so that nothing may have happened on her part; and let the husband, if the wife does not fear, nevertheless love, so that he himself may be lacking in nothing; for each has received his own. This therefore is a marriage made according to Christ, a spiritual marriage and a spiritual birth, not of blood, nor of travail. Such also was that of Isaac; hear the Scripture saying, And it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. And the marriage is not from passion nor from bodies, but is entirely spiritual, the soul being joined to God by an ineffable union, and He alone knows it. For this reason he says, He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. See how he is eager to unite both flesh to flesh, and spirit to spirit. Where are the heretics? He would not have, if marriage were among things slandered, called them bride and bridegroom; he would not have been exhorting

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μυστήριόν ἐστι, καὶ μέγα μυστήριον, ὅτι τὸν φύντα, τὸν γεννησάμενον, τὸν ἀναθρεψάμενον, τὴν ὠδινήσασαν, τὴν ταλαιπωρηθεῖσαν ἀφεὶς, τοὺς τὰ τοσαῦτα εὐεργετήσαντας, τοὺς ἐν συνηθείᾳ γενομένους, τῇ μηδὲ ὀφθείσῃ, μηδὲ κοινόν τι ἐχούσῃ πρὸς αὐτὸν προσκολλᾶται, καὶ πάντων αὐτὴν προτιμᾷ. Μυστήριον ὄντως ἐστί. Καὶ οἱ γονεῖς τούτων γινομένων οὐκ ἄχθονται, ἀλλὰ μὴ γινομένων μᾶλλον· καὶ χρημάτων ἀναλισκομένων καὶ δαπάνης γινομένης, ἥδονται. Ὄντως μέγα μυστήριον, ἀπόῤῥητόν τινα σοφίαν ἔχον. Τοῦτο ἄνωθεν προφητεύων ἐδήλου Μωϋσῆς· τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ὁ Παῦλος βοᾷ λέγων· Εἰς Χριστὸν καὶ εἰς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Πλὴν οὐ δι' αὐτὸν εἴρηται μόνον οὕτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὴν γυναῖκα, ἵνα ὡς τὴν ἰδίαν σάρκα αὐτὴν θάλπῃ, ὡς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Ἡ δὲ γυνὴ ἵνα φοβῆται τὸν ἄνδρα. Οὐκέτι τὰ τῆς ἀγάπης τίθησι μόνον, ἀλλὰ τί; Ἵνα φοβῆται τὸν ἄνδρα. Ἀρχὴ δευτέρα ἐστὶν ἡ γυνή. Μήτε οὖν αὕτη τὴν ἰσοτιμίαν ἀπαιτείτω· ὑπὸ γὰρ τὴν κεφαλήν ἐστι· μήτε ἐκεῖνος ὡς ὑποτεταγμένης καταφρονείτω· σῶμα γάρ ἐστι, κἂν καταφρονῇ τοῦ σώματος ἡ κεφαλὴ, καὶ αὐτὴ προσαπολεῖται· ἀλλ' ἀντίῤῥοπον τῆς ὑπακοῆς εἰσαγέτω τὴν ἀγάπην. Ὥσπερ ἡ κεφαλὴ, καὶ τὸ σῶμα· τὸ μὲν αὐτῇ πρὸς διακονίαν παρέχον τὰς χεῖρας, τοὺς πόδας, τὰ λοιπὰ 62.141 πάντα μέλη· ἐκείνη δὲ αὐτοῦ προνοουμένη, πᾶσαν ἐν ἑαυτῇ αἴσθησιν ἔχουσα. Οὐδὲν ταύτης ἄμεινον τῆς συζυγίας. Καὶ πῶς ἂν γένοιτο ἀγάπη, φησὶ, φόβου ὄντος; Μάλιστα τότε ἂν γένοιτο. Ἡ γὰρ φοβουμένη καὶ ἀγαπᾷ· ἡ ἀγαπῶσα φοβεῖται ὡς κεφαλὴν, καὶ ἀγαπᾷ ὡς μέλος, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ κεφαλὴ μέλος τοῦ παντός ἐστι σώματος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὴν μὲν ὑπέταξε, τὸν δὲ ἐπέθηκεν, ἵνα εἰρήνη ᾖ. Ἔνθα γὰρ ἰσοτιμία, εἰρήνη οὐκ ἄν ποτε γένοιτο, οὐδὲ δημοκρατουμένης οἰκίας, οὐδὲ πάντων ἀρχόντων, ἀλλὰ ἀνάγκη μίαν εἶναι τὴν ἀρχήν. Καὶ ταῦτα πανταχοῦ ἐπὶ τῶν σωματικῶν· ἐπεὶ ἐὰν ὦσιν ἄνδρες πνευματικοὶ, ἔσται εἰρήνη. Πεντακισχίλιαι ἦσαν ψυχαὶ, καὶ οὐδείς τι τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἔλεγεν ἴδιον εἶναι, ἀλλ' ὑπετάττοντο ἀλλήλοις. Τοῦτο δεῖγμα συνέσεως καὶ φόβου Θεοῦ. Τὸν μὲν οὖν τῆς ἀγάπης τρόπον ἔδειξε, τὸν δὲ τοῦ φόβου, οὐκέτι. εʹ. Καὶ ὅρα τὸν μὲν τῆς ἀγάπης πλατύνοντα, τὰ κατὰ Χριστὸν διηγούμενον, τὰ κατὰ τὴν σάρκα τὴν ἰδίαν, τὸ, Ἀντὶ τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὴν μητέρα αὑτοῦ καὶ τὸν πατέρα· τὰ δὲ τοῦ φόβου οὐκέτι πλατύνει. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι τοῦτο μᾶλλον βούλεται κρατεῖν, τὸ τῆς ἀγάπης. Ταύτης γὰρ οὔσης, πάντα ἕπεται τὰ ἄλλα· ἐκείνου δὲ ὄντος, οὐ πάντως. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀγαπῶν τὴν γυναῖκα, κἂν μὴ σφόδρα ἔχῃ πειθηνίαν, πάντα ὅμως ὑποστήσεται· οὕτω δύσκολον καὶ χαλεπὸν ἡ ὁμόνοια, ὅταν μὴ τῇ τῆς τυραννίδος ἀγάπῃ ὦσι συνδεδεμένοι· ὁ μέντοι φόβος οὐ πάντως τοῦτο κατορθώσει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐνδιατρίβει τούτῳ πλέον, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἰσχυρόν. Καὶ δοκοῦσα πλεονεκτεῖσθαι ἡ γυνὴ, ὅτι φοβεῖσθαι προσετάγη, πλεονεκτεῖ· τὸ γὰρ κυριώτερον ὁ ἀνὴρ προστέτακται, τὸ ἀγαπᾷν. Τί οὖν, ἂν μὴ φοβῆται, φησὶν, ἡ γυνή; Σὺ ἀγάπα, τὸ σαυτοῦ πλήρου. Καὶ γὰρ ἂν τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων μὴ ἕπηται, τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν ἕπεσθαι δεῖ. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Ὑποτασσόμενοι, φησὶν, ἀλλήλοις ἐν φόβῳ Χριστοῦ. Τί οὖν, ἂν ὁ ἕτερος μὴ ὑποτάσσηται; Σὺ πείθου τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα· ἡ γοῦν γυνὴ κἂν μὴ ἀγαπᾶται, ὅμως φοβείσθω, ἵνα μηδὲν ᾖ παρ' αὐτῇ γεγονός· ὅ τε ἀνὴρ, ἂν μὴ φοβῆται ἡ γυνὴ, ὅμως ἀγαπάτω, ἵνα μηδὲν αὐτὸς ὑστερῇ· ἕκαστος γὰρ τὸ ἴδιον ἀπέλαβεν. Ἄρα γάμος ἐστὶν οὗτος γινόμενος κατὰ Χριστὸν, γάμος πνευματικὸς καὶ γέννησις πνευματικὴ, οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων, οὐκ ἐξ ὠδίνων. Τοιαύτη καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ἰσαάκ· ἄκουε τῆς Γραφῆς λεγούσης· Καὶ ἐξέλιπε παραγίνεσθαι Σάῤῥᾳ τὰ γυναικεῖα αὐτῆς. Καὶ ὁ γάμος οὐκ ἀπὸ πάθους οὐδὲ σωμάτων, ἀλλὰ πνευματικὸς ὅλος, ψυχῆς πρὸς Θεὸν συναπτομένης συνάφειαν ἄῤῥητον, καὶ μόνος οἶδεν αὐτός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Ὁ κολλώμενος τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἓν πνεῦμά ἐστιν. Ὅρα πῶς σπουδάζει καὶ τὴν σάρκα ἑνῶσαι τῇ σαρκὶ, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τῷ πνεύματι. Ποῦ οἱ αἱρετικοί; Οὐκ ἂν, εἰ τῶν διαβεβλημένων ὁ γάμος ἦν, νύμφην καὶ νυμφίον ἐκάλεσεν· οὐκ ἂν προτρέπων