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of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Become, therefore, philanthropic, so that you may hear these things, and you also, you gold-wearing 58.785 women, who have witnessed the course of these women, at last laying aside the disease of the desire for gold. So if you emulate the women, exchange the adornment which you wear, putting on almsgiving. What is the benefit, tell me, of these precious stones, and of these gold-embroidered garments? The soul, she says, rejoices in these things, and is gladdened. I asked you for the gain; but you have told me the harm. For to be occupied with these things and to rejoice in them and be attached to them, there is nothing worse. For this harsh slavery becomes more bitter, when one even rejoices while being enslaved. For for what spiritual thing will she ever be zealous as she ought, and when will she despise the affairs of this life as she ought, she who thinks that being bound with gold is worthy of joy? For one who stays in prison and takes pleasure in it will never wish to be set free, just as she will not either; but as one who has become a captive of this wicked desire, she will not even endure to hear a spiritual voice with the proper desire and zeal, let alone undertake the work. What then is the gain of this adornment and this stupidity? tell me. I am delighted, she says. Again you have told me the harm and the ruin. But I also enjoy, she says, much honor from those who see me. And what of that? For this is a pretext for other corruption, when it lifts one up to pride, when to arrogance. Come then, since you have not told the gain, bear with me as I recount to you the harms. What then are the harms from this? The care is greater than the pleasure. Therefore many of those who see, these coarser ones, are delighted more than she who wears it. For you adorn yourself with anxiety; but they, without this, feast their eyes. Then another again, the soul is debased, it is envied from all sides. For the women nearby, being stung, arm themselves against their own husbands, and stir up harsh wars against you. Along with these things, that all one's leisure and care is spent on this, that one does not strongly hold to spiritual achievements, that one is filled with pride and arrogance and vainglory, that one is nailed to the earth, and sheds its feathers, and instead of an eagle becomes a dog and a pig. For having ceased to look and fly toward heaven, like the swine you stoop to the ground, busying yourself with mines and caverns, and acquiring an unmanly and servile soul. But by your appearance do you turn the heads of those in the marketplace? For this very reason, therefore, you ought not to wear gold, so that you do not become a public spectacle and open the mouths of many accusers. For none of those who turn to look admires you, but they mock you as a lover of adornment, as arrogant, as a carnal woman. And if you enter a church, you have come out having received nothing but countless jeers and reproaches and curses, not only from those who see you, but also from the prophet. For immediately the great-voiced Isaiah, seeing you, will cry out: Thus says the Lord against the ruling daughters of Zion: Because they have walked with a high neck, and with winks of their eyes, and in the walking of their feet dragging their tunics, and with their feet playing at the same time; the Lord will uncover their adornment, and there will be dust instead of sweet perfume, and instead of a girdle you shall be girded with a rope. These things for you instead of finery. For these things were not said to them alone, but to every woman who imitates them. And Paul also stands with him as an accuser, 58.786 telling Timothy to command the women: Not to adorn themselves with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly clothing. So wearing gold is harmful everywhere, but especially when you enter a church, when you pass by the poor. For if you were eager to accuse yourself severely, you would not have put on any other attire than this, this mask of cruelty and inhumanity. 4. Consider then how many hungry stomachs you pass by with this attire, how many naked bodies with this satanic display. By how much

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Πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. Γίνεσθε τοίνυν φιλάνθρωποι, ἵνα ταῦτα ἀκούσητε, καὶ ὑμεῖς αἱ χρυσοφόροι 58.785 γυναῖκες, αἱ τὸν δρόμον τῶν γυναικῶν θεασάμεναι τούτων, ὀψὲ γοῦν ποτε τὴν νόσον ἀποθέμεναι τῆς τῶν χρυσίων ἐπιθυμίας. Ὥστε εἰ ζηλοῦτε τὰς γυναῖκας, ἀνταλλάξασθε τὸν κόσμον, ὃν περίκεισθε, ἐλεημοσύνην περιθέμεναι. Τί τὸ ὄφελος, εἰπέ μοι, τῶν λίθων τῶν τιμίων τούτων, καὶ τῶν χρυσοπάστων ἱματίων; Χαίρει τούτοις, φησὶν, ἡ ψυχὴ, καὶ εὐφραίνεται. Ἐγώ σε τὸ κέρδος ἠρώτησα· σὺ δέ μοι τὸ βλάβος εἶπες. Τοῦ γὰρ περὶ ταῦτα ἠσχολῆσθαι καὶ χαίρειν καὶ προσηλῶσθαι, χεῖρον οὐδέν. Πικροτέρα γὰρ ἡ χαλεπὴ αὕτη δουλεία γίνεται, ὅταν τις καὶ δουλεύων εὐφραίνηται. Ἐπὶ τίνι γὰρ τῶν πνευματικῶν ὡς χρὴ σπουδάσει ποτὲ, πότε δὲ καταγελάσεται ὡς δεῖ τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων, ἡ χαρᾶς ἄξιον εἶναι νομίζουσα τὸ δεδέσθαι χρυσῷ; Ὁ γὰρ ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ μένων καὶ ἡδόμενος, οὐδέποτε ἀπαλλαγῆναι θελήσει, ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ αὕτη· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τις αἰχμάλωτος γενομένη τῆς πονηρᾶς ταύτης ἐπιθυμίας, οὐδὲ φωνῆς ἀνέξεται πνευματικῆς ἀκοῦσαι μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης ἐπιθυμίας τε καὶ σπουδῆς, μήτιγε ἔργον μετελθεῖν. Τί οὖν τὸ κέρδος τοῦ κόσμου τούτου καὶ τῆς βλακείας ταύτης; εἰπέ μοι. Τέρπομαι, φησί. Πάλιν μοι τὴν βλάβην εἶπες καὶ τὸν ὄλεθρον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τιμῆς ἀπολαύω, φησὶ, πολλῆς παρὰ τῶν ὁρώντων. Καὶ τί τοῦτο; Ἑτέρας γὰρ τοῦτο διαφθορᾶς ὑπόθεσις, ὅταν εἰς τῦφον, ὅταν εἰς ἀπόνοιαν αἴρῃ. Φέρε οὖν, ἐπειδὴ σὺ τὸ κέρδος οὐκ εἶπες, ἀνάσχου ἐμοῦ σοι διηγουμένου τὰς βλάβας. Τίνες οὖν ἐντεῦθεν αἱ βλάβαι; Ἡ φροντὶς ἡ μείζων τῆς ἡδονῆς. ∆ιὸ πολλοὶ τῶν ὁρώντων, τούτων δὴ τῶν παχυτέρων, τέρπονται μᾶλλον, ἢ ἡ περικειμένη. Σὺ μὲν γὰρ μετὰ μερίμνης καλλωπίζῃ· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἄνευ ταύτης ἑστιῶσι τὰς ὄψεις. Εἶτα ἑτέρα πάλιν, τὸ ταπεινοῦσθαι τὴν ψυχὴν, τὸ βασκαίνεσθαι πανταχόθεν. Αἱ γὰρ πλησίον δηχθεῖσαι κατὰ τῶν οἰκείων ἀνδρῶν ὁπλίζονται, καὶ πολέμους ἀναῤῥιπίζουσί σοι χαλεπούς. Μετὰ τούτων τὸ τὴν σχολὴν ἅπασαν καὶ τὴν φροντίδα εἰς τοῦτο δαπανᾶσθαι, τὸ τῶν πνευματικῶν μὴ σφόδρα ἀντέχεσθαι κατορθωμάτων, τὸ τύφου καὶ ἀπονοίας καὶ κενῆς πληροῦσθαι δόξης, τὸ τῇ γῇ προσηλῶσθαι, καὶ πτεροῤῥυεῖν, καὶ ἀντὶ ἀετοῦ γενέσθαι κύνα καὶ χοῖρον. Ἀφεῖσα γὰρ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν βλέπειν καὶ πέτασθαι, καθάπερ οἱ χοῖροι χαμαὶ νεύεις, μέταλλα περιεργαζομένη καὶ χηραμοὺς, καὶ ψυχὴν ἄνανδρον καὶ ἀνελευθέραν κτωμένη. Ἀλλ' ἐπιστρέφεις φαινομένη τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς; ∆ι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο χρυσοφορεῖν οὐκ ἔδει, ἵνα μὴ κοινὸν γένῃ θέατρον, καὶ πολλῶν κατηγόρων ἀνοίξῃς στόματα. Οὐδεὶς γάρ σε τῶν ἐπιστρεφομένων θαυμάζει, ἀλλὰ σκώπτουσιν ὡς φιλόκοσμον, ὡς ἀλαζόνα, ὡς σαρκικὴν γυναῖκα. Κἂν εἰς ἐκκλησίαν εἰσέλθῃς, ἐξῆλθες οὐδὲν λαβοῦσα, ἀλλ' ἢ μυρία σκώμματα καὶ λοιδορίας καὶ ἀρὰς, οὐχὶ παρὰ τῶν ὁρώντων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου. Καὶ γὰρ εὐθέως ὁ μεγαλοφωνότατος Ἡσαΐας ἰδών σε βοήσεται· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ἐπὶ τὰς ἀρχούσας θυγατέρας Σιών· Ἀνθ' ὧν ἐπορεύθησαν ὑψηλῷ τραχήλῳ, καὶ νεύμασιν ὀφθαλμῶν, καὶ τῇ πορείᾳ τῶν ποδῶν σύρουσαι τοὺς χιτῶνας, καὶ τοῖς ποσὶν ἅμα παίζουσαι· ἀνακαλύψει Κύριος τὸν κόσμον αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔσται ἀντὶ ὀσμῆς ἡδείας κονιορτὸς, ἀντὶ δὲ ζώνης σχοινίῳ ζώσῃ. Ταῦτά σοι ἀντὶ καλλωπισμοῦ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ πρὸς ἐκείνας μόνας ταῦτα εἴρηται, ἀλλὰ πρὸς πᾶσαν γυναῖκα μιμουμένην αὐτάς. Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δὲ μετ' ἐκείνου κατ 58.786 ήγορος ἕστηκε, λέγων Τιμοθέῳ παραγγέλλειν ταῖς γυναιξί· Μὴ ἐν πλέγμασιν, ἢ χρυσίῳ, ἢ μαργαρίταις, ἢ ἱματισμῷ πολυτελεῖ κοσμεῖν ἑαυτάς. Ὥστε πανταχοῦ μὲν βλαβερὸν τὸ χρυσοφορεῖν, μάλιστα δὲ ὅταν εἰς ἐκκλησίαν εἰσίῃς, ὅταν διὰ τῶν πενήτων παρίῃς. Εἰ γὰρ σφόδρα σαυτῆς κατηγορῆσαι ἐσπούδασας, οὐκ ἂν ἄλλο περιέθου σχῆμα, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ τῆς ὠμότητος τοῦτο, καὶ ἀπανθρωπίας προσωπεῖον. δʹ. Ἐννόησον γοῦν πόσας γαστέρας παρέρχῃ πεινώσας μετὰ τοῦ σχήματος τούτου, πόσα σώματα γεγυμνωμένα μετὰ τῆς φαντασίας ταύτης τῆς σατανικῆς. Πόσῳ