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should accuse you for the neglect toward the slaves. Forbearing threatening. Do not be, he says, burdensome or harsh. Knowing that your own Master also is in heaven. Wow! What a great thing he hinted at! How he has frightened them! That is, with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Lest you hear: 'You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt.' And there is no partiality, he says, with Him. Do not suppose, he says, that what is done to the slave, as being done to a slave, He will thus let pass. For the external laws indeed know a distinction between these classes, being the laws of men; but the law of the common Master knows no distinction, inasmuch as He does good to all in common, and imparts the same things to all. But if anyone should ask from whence slavery came, and why it entered into human life (for I know many who gladly ask such questions and wish to learn), I will say to you: Covetousness gave birth to slavery, coarseness, greediness; since Noah had no slave, nor Abel, nor Seth, nor even those after them. Sin gave birth to this thing, insolence towards fathers. Let children hear, that they are worthy of being slaves, when they are ungrateful to their fathers. Such a one has deprived himself of his noble birth; for he who insults his father is no longer a son. And if he who insults his father is not a son, how shall he who insults our true Father be a son? He has departed from his noble birth, he has acted insolently against nature. Then also wars and battles took captives. But Abraham had servants, one says. But he did not treat them as servants. See how he connects everything to the head: the wife, "That," he says, "he may love her;" the children, "That he may bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord;" the slaves, "Knowing that your own Master also is in heaven." Thus, he says, you also, being slaves yourselves, become humane and forgiving. But if you wish to hear, we will say the same things about servants as we did before about children: teach 62.158 them to be devout, and everything else will surely follow. 62.158 But now, when someone goes up to the theatre, and goes away to the bath, he drags all his servants with him; but to church, no longer, nor does he compel them to be present and to listen. But how will the servant listen, when you, the master, are paying attention to other things? Did you buy, did you purchase the slave? Command him first in the things concerning God, so that he may be gentle toward his fellow slaves, and make much account of virtue. Each person's house is a city, each one is a ruler of his own house. And that this is so for the houses of the wealthy is obvious, where there are also fields and stewards and rulers over rulers; but I say that even the house of the poor is a city. For here too there are offices of rule; for example, the man rules over the wife, the wife over the servants, the servants over their own wives; again the wives and the men over the children. Does it not seem to you that he is like a king, having so many rulers subject to himself, and that it befits him to be more skilled in household management and in civic matters than all? For he who knows how to deal with these in various ways, knows how to choose suitable rulers, and will indeed choose excellent ones. Therefore the wife will be another king in the house without the diadem, and he who knows how to choose this king will arrange all other things well. Finally, my brethren, he says, be strong in the Lord. When the discourse is about to end, he always uses this manner. 3. Was I not right in saying from the beginning, that each person's house is an entire army camp? For behold, having arranged all the offices, he then arms them, and leads them out to war. For if no one seizes the office of another, but each remains in his own place, all things will be well arranged. Be strong, he says, in the Lord, and in the power of His might; that is, in the hope in Him through His help. For since he has commanded many things which must be done, do not be afraid, he says, cast your hope upon the Lord, and He will make everything easy. And put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. He did not say, Against the battles, nor, Against the wars, but, Against the

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ἐγκαλέσῃ ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς τοὺς δούλους ἀμελείας. Ἀνιέντες τὴν ἀπειλήν. Μὴ φορτικοὶ, φησὶ, μηδὲ ἐπαχθεῖς γίνεσθε. Εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ὁ Κύριός ἐστιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Βαβαί! ἡλίκον ᾐνίξατο! πῶς ἐφόβησε! Τουτέστι, τῷ μέτρῳ, ᾧ μετρεῖς, ἀντιμετρηθήσεταί σοι. Μὴ ἀκούσῃς· ∆οῦλε πονηρὲ, πᾶσαν τὴν ὀφειλὴν ἐκείνην ἀφῆκά σοι. Καὶ προσωποληψία, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔστι παρ' αὐτῷ. Μὴ νομίσῃς, φησὶν, ὅτι τὰ εἰς τὸν δοῦλον, ὡς εἰς δοῦλον γινόμενα, οὕτως ἀφήσει. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἔξωθεν νόμοι διαφορὰν ἴσασι τούτων τῶν γενῶν, ἅτε ἀνθρώπων ὄντες νόμοι· ὁ δὲ νόμος ὁ τοῦ κοινοῦ ∆εσπότου οὐδεμίαν οἶδε διαφορὰν, ἅτε κοινῇ πάντας εὖ ποιῶν, καὶ πᾶσι τῶν αὐτῶν μεταδιδούς. Εἰ δέ τις ἔροιτο πόθεν ἡ δουλεία, καὶ διὰ τί εἰς τὸν βίον εἰσῆλθε τὸν ἀνθρώπινον (καὶ γὰρ οἶδα πολλοὺς καὶ ἐρωτῶντας τὰ τοιαῦτα ἡδέως καὶ μαθεῖν βουλομένους), ἐγὼ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐρῶ· Ἡ πλεονεξία τὴν δουλείαν ἔτεκεν, ἡ βαναυσία, ἡ ἀπληστία· ἐπεὶ Νῶε δοῦλον οὐκ εἶχεν, οὐδὲ Ἄβελ, οὐδὲ Σὴθ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οἱ μετὰ ταῦτα. Ἁμαρτία τοῦτο τὸ πρᾶγμα ἔτεκεν, ἡ εἰς τοὺς πατέρας ὕβρις. Ἀκουέτωσαν οἱ παῖδες, ὅτι ἄξιοί εἰσι δοῦλοι εἶναι, ὅταν εἰς τοὺς πατέρας ἀγνώμονες ὦσιν. Ἀφείλετο ἑαυτοῦ ὁ τοιοῦτος τὴν εὐγένειαν· ὁ γὰρ ὑβρίζων τὸν πατέρα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι υἱός. Εἰ δὲ ὁ πατέρα ὑβρίζων, οὐκ ἔστιν υἱὸς, ὁ τὸν ὄντως ἡμῶν Πατέρα ὑβρίζων, πῶς ἔσται υἱός; Ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ τῆς εὐγενείας, ἐξύβρισεν εἰς τὴν φύσιν. Εἶτα καὶ πόλεμοι καὶ μάχαι αἰχμαλώτους ἔλαβον. Ἀλλ' ὁ Ἀβραὰμ εἶχεν οἰκέτας, φησίν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς οἰκέταις ἐκέχρητο. Ὅρα πῶς πάντα εἰς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀναρτᾷ· τὴν γυναῖκα, Ἵνα, φησὶν, ἀγαπᾷ ταύτην· τὰ παιδία, Ἵνα ἐκτρέφῃ ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου· τοὺς δούλους, Εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ὁ Κύριός ἐστιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Οὕτω, φησὶ, καὶ αὐτοὶ, ὡς δοῦλοι ὄντες, φιλάνθρωποι γίνεσθε καὶ συγγνωμονικοί. Εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε ἀκοῦσαι, τὰ αὐτὰ ἐροῦμεν περὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν, ἃ καὶ πρότερον περὶ τῶν παίδων· διδάσκετε 62.158 αὐτοὺς εἶναι εὐλαβεῖς, καὶ πάντως πάντα ἕπεται. 62.158 Νῦν δὲ εἰς μὲν θέατρον ἀνιὼν, καὶ εἰς βαλανεῖον ἀπιών τις, πάντας ἐπισύρεται τοὺς παῖδας· εἰς δὲ ἐκκλησίαν, οὐκέτι, οὐδὲ ἀναγκάζει παρεῖναι καὶ ἀκούειν. Πῶς δὲ ὁ οἰκέτης ἀκούσεται, σοῦ τοῦ δεσπότου ἑτέροις προσέχοντος; Ἠγόρασας, ἐπρίω τὸν δοῦλον; ἐπίταττε πρότερον αὐτῷ τὰ κατὰ Θεὸν, ὥστε πρὸς τοὺς συνδούλους εἶναι ἤπιον, ἀρετῆς πολὺν ποιεῖσθαι λόγον. Πόλις ἐστὶν ἡ ἑκάστου οἰκία, ἄρχων ἐστὶν ἕκαστος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ οἰκίας. Καὶ ὅτι μὲν τοιαύτη ἡ τῶν πλουτούντων, εὔδηλον, ἔνθα καὶ ἀγροὶ καὶ ἐπίτροποι καὶ ἄρχοντες ἐπὶ ἄρχουσιν· ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν πενήτων οἰκίαν φημὶ πόλιν εἶναι. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθά εἰσιν ἀρχαί· οἷον, κρατεῖ τῆς γυναικὸς ὁ ἀνὴρ, ἡ γυνὴ τῶν οἰκετῶν, οἱ οἰκέται τῶν ἰδίων γυναικῶν· πάλιν αἱ γυναῖκες καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες τῶν παίδων. Ἆρα οὐ δοκεῖ σοι, καθάπερ τις βασιλεὺς εἶναι, τοσούτους ἔχων ἄρχοντας ὑποτεταγμένους ἑαυτῷ, καὶ πάντων προσήκειν αὐτὸν οἰκονομικώτερον εἶναι καὶ πολιτικώτερον; Ὁ γὰρ εἰδὼς διαφόρως κεχρῆσθαι τούτοις, οἶδε τοὺς ἐπιτηδείους ἄρχοντας αἱρεῖσθαι, καὶ αἱρήσεταί γε λαμπρούς. Οὐκοῦν ἔσται βασιλεὺς ἕτερος ἡ γυνὴ ἐν οἰκίᾳ χωρὶς τοῦ διαδήματος, καὶ ὁ εἰδὼς τὸν βασιλέα τοῦτον αἱρεῖσθαι, πάντα τὰ ἄλλα καλῶς διαθήσει. Τὸ λοιπὸν, ἀδελφοί μου, φησὶν, ἐνδυναμοῦσθε ἐν Κυρίῳ. Ὅταν μέλλῃ τελευτᾷν ὁ λόγος, ἀεὶ τούτῳ κέχρηται τῷ τρόπῳ. γʹ. Οὐχὶ καλῶς ἔλεγον ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ὅτι στρατόπεδόν ἐστιν ὁλόκληρον ἡ ἑκάστου οἰκία; Ἰδοὺ γὰρ διατάξας πάσας τὰς ἀρχὰς, λοιπὸν αὐτοὺς καθοπλίζει, καὶ ἐπὶ πόλεμον ἐξάγει. Ἐὰν γὰρ μηδεὶς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἁρπάζῃ τὴν τοῦ ἑτέρου, ἀλλὰ κατὰ χώραν ἕκαστος μένῃ, πάντα εὖ διακείσεται. Ἐνδυναμοῦσθε, φησὶν, ἐν Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἐν τῷ κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ· τουτέστιν, ἐν τῇ ἐλπίδι τῇ εἰς αὐτὸν διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ βοηθείας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλὰ ἐπέταξεν ἅπερ ἔδει γενέσθαι, μὴ δείσητε, φησὶν, ἐπιῤῥίψατε τὴν ἐλπίδα ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον, καὶ πάντα ἐξευμαρίσει. Καὶ ἐνδύσασθε τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι ὑμᾶς στῆναι πρὸς τὰς μεθοδείας τοῦ διαβόλου. Οὐκ εἶπε, Πρὸς τὰς μάχας, οὐδὲ, Πρὸς τοὺς πολέμους, ἀλλὰ, Πρὸς τὰς