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of young men, whether poor or rich.” You have shown, he says, by what you have done, that you have not done this as a slave to desire. For you would have gone to those of a young age, taking into account not wealth, nor poverty, but only the enjoyment of pleasure. But you have come to a man who fills the role of your father. For this is what “daughter” signifies. And he has called her this twice. “And now, daughter, do not be afraid; all that you say I will do for you. For all the tribe of my people knows that you are a woman of valor, and that I am truly a kinsman-redeemer.” No one, he says, will blame me; for you are praised by all, and I will make the marriage on account of kinship, not on account of licentiousness. But since there is another kinsman who is closer, I must first speak with him, so that if he should choose to, he may marry according to the law; but if he is not persuaded according to the law, then I shall place the marriage yoke upon you. Such was the virtue of the man, that when a comely young maiden came to him by night, he preserved his self-control, and he kept the matter according to the law, and he did not rush into marriage contrary to the law, but brought the matter of the marriage to the one who was a closer kinsman; then when that man declined the marriage, then finally he was joined to the praiseworthy woman. His words to that man are also admirable. For he did not first bring to him the words concerning the marriage, but spoke about the acquisition of the fields. Then, when that man had gladly 317 accepted the contract, he added the matter of the marriage, saying that it was just for the one who acquired the fields of the deceased, to also marry the wife and preserve the memory of the departed by begetting children. But since that man refused the contract for the fields on account of the marriage, he removed his sandal according to the law and gave it; and Boaz took Ruth. That he did not endure to marry as a slave to pleasure, his praiseworthy words also make clear. “For, it says, Boaz said to the elders and to all the people: You are witnesses today that I have acquired all that belonged to Abimelech and all that belongs to Mahlon and Chilion from the hand of Naomi; and indeed Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, I have acquired for myself as a wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, and the name of the dead shall not be cut off from among his brothers and from his tribe.” The piety and the precision of what was said is worthy of admiration. For I am not transgressing, he says, the law, by taking a Moabitess woman, but I am fulfilling the divine law, being zealous that the memory of the deceased be kept unquenched. And the elders also strengthened the marriage with a blessing. And they spoke thus: “May the Lord make your wife who is entering your house like Rachel and Leah, who both built the house of Israel, and may you do valiantly in Ephrathah; and may there be a name in Bethlehem. And may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, and from your seed may the Lord give you from this young woman.” The words of the blessing also hint that he had another wife. For this reason 318 they mentioned both Rachel and Leah in the same way, and added, “who both built the house of Israel.” And the phrase, “do valiantly in Ephrathah and may there be a name in Bethlehem renowned among all people,” and they mentioned Tamar, because she too, being a foreigner, gave birth to Perez, from whom David the king traced his lineage, and the descendant of David, both master and son and Lord. From her Obed was born, the father of Jesse, who begot David. The women, bringing this infant to Naomi, said, “Blessed is the Lord, who has not left you today without a kinsman-redeemer to call your name in Israel. And he shall be to you a restorer of life.” This, according to its obvious meaning, indicates her comfort; but according to the truth, the conversion of the world. For from there blossomed the salvation of the world.

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νεανιῶν, ἤτοι πτωχὸς ἤτοι πλούσιος ". δεδήλωκας, φησί, δι' ὧν ἔπραξας, ὡς οὐκ ἐπιθυμίᾳ δουλεύσασα τοῦτο δέδρακας. ἢ γὰρ ἂν πρὸς τοὺς νέαν ἄγοντας ἡλικίαν ἐφοίτησας, οὐ πλοῦτον, οὐ πενίαν, ἀλλὰ μόνην λογιζομένη τῆς ἡδονῆς τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν. ἀλλ' ἐλήλυθας πρὸς ἄνδρα πατρός σου τάξιν πληροῦντα. τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τὸ " θύγατερ ". καὶ δὶς δὲ αὐτὴν οὕτω κέκληκε. " καὶ νῦν, θύγατερ, μὴ φοβοῦ· πάντα ὅσα ἂν εἴπῃς ποιήσω σοι. οἶδε γὰρ πᾶσα φυλὴ λαοῦ μου, ὅτι γυνὴ δυνάμεως εἶ σύ, καὶ ὅτι ἀληθῶς ἀγχιστεὺς ἐγώ εἰμι ". οὐδείς μοι, φησίν, ἐπιμέμψεται· σύ τε γὰρ ἐπαινῇ παρὰ πάντων· κἀγὼ διὰ τὴν συγγένειαν, οὐ δι' ἀκολασίαν, τὸν γάμον ποιήσομαι. ἐπειδὴ δέ ἐστιν ἕτερος πλησιαίτερος συγγενής, ἐκείνῳ με δεῖ πρότερον διαλεχθῆναι, ἵνα εἰ μὲν ἕλοιτο, γήμῃ κατὰ τὸν νόμον· εἰ δὲ μὴ πείθοιτο κατὰ τὸν νόμον, ἐγὼ δή σοι τότε τὸν γαμικὸν ἐπιθήσω ζυγόν. τοσαύτη ἡ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀρετή, ὅτι κόρης νέας εὐπρεποῦς νύκτωρ πρὸς αὐτὸν φοιτησάσης, τὴν σωφροσύνην ἐφύλαξε, καὶ τῷ νόμῳ τὸ πρᾶγμα τετήρηκε, καὶ οὐδὲ τῷ γάμῳ παρὰ τὸν νόμον προσέδραμεν, ἀλλὰ τῷ πλησιαιτέρῳ τοὺς περὶ τοῦ γάμου προσενήνοχε λόγους· εἶτα ἐκείνου παραιτησαμένου τὸν γάμον, τότε λοιπὸν τῇ ἀξιεπαίνῳ γυναικὶ συνηρμόσθη. ἀξιάγαστα δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ῥήματα. οὐ γὰρ πρώτους αὐτῷ τοὺς περὶ τοῦ γάμου προσενήνοχε λόγους, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς τῶν ἀγρῶν κτήσεως διελέχθη. ἔπειτα ἐκείνου τὸ συμβόλαιον ἀσπαστῶς 317 δεξαμένου, τὸν περὶ τοῦ γάμου προστέθεικεν λόγον, εἰρηκὼς δίκαιον εἶναι τὸν τοῦ τετελευτηκότος κτώμενον τοὺς ἀγρούς, γῆμαι καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ φυλάξαι τῇ παιδοποιΐᾳ τοῦ κατοιχομένου τὴν μνήμην. ἐπειδὴ δὲ διὰ τὸν γάμον καὶ τὸ τῶν ἀγρῶν ἐκεῖνος ἠρνήθη συμβόλαιον, ὑπελύσατο μὲν κατὰ τὸν νόμον καὶ τὸ ὑπόδημα δέδωκεν· ἠγάγετο δὲ ὁ Βοὸζ τὴν Ῥούθ. ὅτι δὲ οὐχ ἡδονῇ δουλεύων ἠνέσχετο γῆμαι, δηλοῖ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ ἀξιέπαινα ῥήματα. " εἶπε, γάρ φησι, Βοὸζ τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις καὶ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ· μάρτυρες ὑμεῖς σήμερον, ὅτι κέκτημαι πάντα τὰ τοῦ Ἀβιμέλεχ καὶ πάντα ὅσα ὑπάρχει τῷ Μααλὼν καὶ τῷ Χελεὼν ἐκ χειρὸς Νοεμίν· καίγε Ῥοὺθ τὴν μωαβῖτιν τὴν γυναῖκα Μααλὼν κέκτημαι ἐμαυτῷ εἰς γυναῖκα, τοῦ ἀναστῆσαι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τεθνηκότος ἐπὶ τῆς κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐξολοθρευθήσεται τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τεθνηκότος ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς αὐτοῦ ". ἄξιον θαυμάσαι τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ τὸ εὐσεβὲς καὶ τὸ ἀκριβές. οὐ παραβαίνω γάρ, φησί, τὸν νόμον, μωαβῖτιν γυναῖκα λαμβάνων, ἀλλὰ τὸν θεῖον νόμον πληρῶ, τοῦ τετελευτηκότος ἄσβεστον φυλαχθῆναι τὴν μνήμην σπουδάζων. ἐκράτυναν δὲ καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τῇ εὐλογίᾳ τὸν γάμον. εἶπον δὲ οὕτως· " δῴη Κύριος τὴν γυναῖκα σου τὴν εἰσπορευομένην εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου, ὡς Ῥαχὴλ καὶ Λείαν, αἳ ᾠκοδόμησαν ἀμφότεραι τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ποιήσαι δύναμιν ἐν Ἐφράθα· καὶ ἔσται ὄνομα ἐν Βηθλεέμ. καὶ γένοιτο ὁ οἶκός σου ὡς οἶκος Φάρες, ὃν ἔτεκε Θαμὰρ τῷ Ἰούδᾳ, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματός σου δῴη σοι Κύριος ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης ταύτης ". αἰνίττονται τῆς εὐλογίας οἱ λόγοι καὶ ἑτέραν αὐτὸν ἐσχηκέναι γυναῖκα. διὸ καὶ τῆς Ῥα 318 χὴλ καὶ τῆς Λείας, κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἐμνημόνευσαν, καὶ ἐπήγαγον, " αἳ ᾠκοδόμησαν ἀμφότεραι τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραήλ ". τὸ δὲ " ποιήσαι δύναμιν ἐν Ἐφράθα καὶ ἔσται ὄνομα ἐν Βηθλεὲμ παρὰ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἀοίδιμον ", τῆς δὲ Θαμὰρ ἐμνημόνευσαν, ἐπειδὴ κἀκείνη ἀλλόφυλος οὖσα τὸν Φάρες γεγέννηκεν, ἐξ οὗ ∆αβὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς κατάγει τὸ γένος, καὶ ὁ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἀπόγονος, καὶ δεσπότης καὶ υἱὸς καὶ Κύριος. ἐκ ταύτης ὁ Ὠβὴδ ἐγεννήθη τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ ὁ πατήρ, ὃς ἔφυσε τὸν ∆αβίδ. τοῦτο τὸ βρέφος αἱ γυναῖκες προσενεγκοῦσαι τῇ Νοεμὶν ἔφασαν, " εὐλογητὸς Κύριος, ὃς οὐ κατέλυσέ σοι σήμερον τὸν ἀγχιστεύοντα καλέσαι τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν Ἰσραήλ. καὶ ἔσται εἰς ἐπιστρέφοντα ψυχήν ". τοῦτο δὲ κατὰ μὲν τὸ πρόχειρον νόημα, τὴν ἐκείνης ψυχαγωγίαν δηλοῖ· κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐπιστροφήν. ἐκεῖθεν γὰρ ἤνθησε τῆς οἰκουμένης ἡ σωτηρία.