Homilies on First Timothy 11

'Deacons likewise must be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre, holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.'

'And let these also first be proved; then let them serve as deacons, being blameless.'

Having discoursed concerning bishops, and having described their character, and having stated what qualities they must have and from what they must abstain, and having passed over the order of presbyters, he leaped across to the deacons.

Why then? Because there is not much difference between them and the bishops;

for they too have taken upon themselves the ministry of teaching and the presidency of the Church;

and the things which he said concerning bishops fit the presbyters also.

For it is only in ordination that the bishops have gone beyond them, and in this alone do they seem to have the advantage over the presbyters.

That is to say, these too, he says, must have the same qualities.

What are these same qualities? Such as being irreproachable, being sober-minded, hospitable, forbearing, not contentious, not lovers of money.

And that it was because he wished them to be such that he said 'Likewise,' he made clear by what he added, saying, 'Grave, not double-tongued';

that is, not underhanded, nor deceitful.

For nothing is so wont to make men base as deceitfulness;

nothing is so useless in the Church as being double-faced.

'Not given to much wine,' he says, 'not greedy of filthy lucre, holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.'

Behold, he has indicated what it is to be blameless.

And observe how he sets down 'Not a novice' here also.

For by saying, 'And let these also first be proved,' as though this had been said by him concerning the bishop, he thus added his conjunction to it;

for there is no difference between them.

For this reason it was said there also, 'Not a novice.'

For how is it not absurd that, in the case of a house, a newly-purchased servant is not entrusted with anything of what is within before he has, through much testing, given many proofs of his disposition; yet in the Church of God, one who has just come in from outside should straightway be ranked among the foremost? 'Women likewise'—that is, deacons, he says—'must be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.'

Some say that this was spoken simply concerning women; but it is not so;

for why should he wish to insert something about women in the midst of what he was saying? Rather, he is speaking of those who hold the dignity of the diaconate.

'Let deacons be the husbands of one wife.'

These things also are fitly said concerning women deacons.

For this order is exceedingly necessary and useful and seemly in the Church.

'Let deacons be,' he says, 'the husbands of one wife.'

Do you see how he requires the same virtue also from the deacons? For even if they are not of the same rank as the bishop, yet nonetheless they ought to be equally irreproachable, equally pure.

'Ruling their children well and their own houses.'

'For those who have served well as deacons gain to themselves a good standing, and much boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.'

Everywhere he sets down the ruling of one's children, that the rest may not be caused to stumble on this account.

'For those,' he says, 'who have served well as deacons gain to themselves a good standing';

that is, advancement and much boldness which is in the faith of Jesus Christ.

Those who have shown themselves diligent in the lower matters will quickly ascend to those higher things also.

'These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly.'

'But if I tarry, that you may know how one ought to conduct oneself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.'

That the giving of directions about such matters might not cast the disciple into despondency, he says:

'Not for this reason do I write these things, as though I were no longer coming; but I will indeed come, yet if it should chance that I tarry, I write them that you may not be distressed,' he says.

To this one he writes these things in order to allay his despondency; but to the others, in order to arouse them and make them more zealous;

for his coming, even when only promised, could accomplish great things.

But do not wonder if, though foreseeing all things by the Spirit, he was ignorant of this when he said, 'I hope to come, but if I tarry';

for this belongs to one who is ignorant.

For since he was being led by the Spirit, and did not do the things he did of his own judgment, he was reasonably ignorant of this too.

'That you may know,' he says, 'how one ought to conduct oneself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.'

Not like that Jewish one.

For this is what holds together the faith and the preaching;

for the truth is both the pillar and the ground of the Church.

'And confessedly,' he says, 'great is the mystery of godliness';

'God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit.'

That is to say, the dispensation on our behalf.

Neither bells, nor the Holy of Holies, nor the high priest;

the Church is the pillar of the whole inhabited world.

Consider the mystery, and you have cause to shudder;

for it is both a mystery, and a great one, and a mystery of godliness, and confessedly so, not as a matter of dispute;

Since, in giving directions about priests, he said nothing such as was said in Leviticus, he refers the matter to another point, saying, 'God was manifested in the flesh'—that is, 'The Creator,' he says, 'was seen in the flesh.'

'And wisdom was justified by her children';

or because He did no guile;

which is what the prophet says, 'Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth.'

So that angels too, together with us, beheld the Son of God, not having seen Him before.

'He was preached among the nations, believed on in the world.'

Everywhere throughout the inhabited world He was heard of, and believed on;

And the prophet makes this plain when he says, 'Their sound went out into all the earth.'

Do not, then, suppose these to be mere bare words;

for they are not, but are filled with unutterable realities.

'This same Jesus,' he says, 'who was taken up from you, shall so come in like manner as you have seen.'

Consider, I pray you, the discernment of the blessed Paul.

About to exhort those counted worthy of the ministry not to indulge freely in wine, he did not say 'do not be drunk,' but 'not giving heed to much wine.'

For if those who entered the temple partook of no wine at all, much more ought these men to abstain.

For it produces distraction, he says; and even if it does not cause drunkenness, it slackens the vigor of the soul and unstrings its firm composure.

But observe how everywhere he calls the dispensation on our behalf a mystery;

for it is not plain to all men—nay rather, it was not plain even to the angels;

for how could it be, seeing it was made manifest through the Church? For this reason he says, 'Confessedly, it is great.'

For God became man, and man became God;

he appeared as a man without sin;

the angels beheld him together with us.

Let us not, then, parade the mystery abroad, nor set it forth in every place, but let us live worthily of this mystery.

Those to whom mysteries have been entrusted are men of great account.

If a king had entrusted us with some secret, tell me, would we not have reckoned it a token of great friendship? But now God has entrusted us with his own mystery, and, as though we had received no great benefit, we prove ungrateful toward our Benefactor.

Let us shudder, we who are still so insensible toward this benefaction.

A mystery is that which all know;

or rather, that which before this not all knew, but which now has become plain to all.

Let us, then, become trustworthy in the keeping of the mystery.

He entrusted us with so great a mystery;

but we do not entrust even money to him.

'Lay them up with me,' he says; 'no one can snatch them away, neither moth nor robber can spoil them, and I promise to give a hundredfold'—and yet we are not persuaded.

And yet with those with whom we deposit a trust we receive back nothing more; but if we recover the whole of what we deposited, we are even grateful.

'Even if a thief steals it here,' he says, 'reckon that to my account;'

nor say, 'A robber took it,' nor, 'A moth devoured it.'

He renders a hundredfold here, and there he adds eternal life besides—and yet no one deposits with him.

'But he repays me slowly,' one says.

Yet this too is the greatest proof of his munificence—that he does not repay here in this perishable life;

or rather, even here he does render a hundredfold.

For tell me: did not Paul leave here a knife? did not Peter leave a reed and a hook? did not Matthew leave the tax-office? and was not the whole world thrown open to them, rather than to kings? did not all men lay their possessions at their feet?

did they not make them stewards and lords? did they not commit their very souls into their hands? did they not hang their whole selves upon their counsel? did they not enroll themselves as their slaves? And do we not even now see many such things happening? For often men of small and mean origin, handling but a mattock and not even provided with the barest necessary food, bearing only the name of monk, have appeared greater than all and have been honored even by kings.

But are these small things? Nay, consider that these are but an appendage;

the principal is stored up for the time to come.

Despise riches, if you would have riches;

if you would be rich, become poor.

For such are the paradoxes of God;

he does not wish you to become rich by your own diligence, but by his grace.

Do you take thought for spiritual things, that you may learn also my power;

flee the servitude and the yoke that come from riches.

As long as you cling to them, you are poor;

but when once you have despised them, you become doubly rich—both in that these things flow to you from every side, and in that you have need of nothing which the many crave.

For it is not the possessing of much that marks the rich man, but the not needing much.

So that, as long as he is in need, the king differs nothing from the poor man;

for this is poverty—the being in need of others.

So that the king too, by this reasoning, is poor, inasmuch as he stands in need of his subjects.

But it is not so with the Crucified;

for he needs nothing; his hands suffice him for his sustenance.

'For these hands,' he says, 'have ministered to my necessities, and to those who were with me.'

This was said by him who declared, 'As having nothing, yet possessing all things;'

he who was thought to be a god by those who dwelt in Lystra.

If you would obtain the things in this world, seek heaven;

if you would enjoy even the things here, despise them.

'For seek first,' he says, 'the kingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be added unto you.'

Why do you marvel at trifles? why do you gape after things not worth a word? how long will you be needy? how long a beggar? Look up to heaven, consider the riches that are there, laugh at the gold, learn what use it is, how great it is.

Its enjoyment lasts only to the present, only to this perishable life—as much as a grain of sand;

or rather, as much as a drop is to the measureless deep, so much is the present life to the things to come.

This is not possession, it is use; it is no true ownership;

for how can it be, when, as you breathe out your life, willing or unwilling, others take all your goods, and they again give them to others, and those in turn to yet others? For we are all but sojourners, and the master of the house is perhaps rather the mere tenant of the house;

for often, when the former has died, the latter has remained, enjoying the house the more.

But even that former owner had his wage;

for he built, and toiled, and made repairs.

Lordship is but words;

for in very deed we are all lords of what belongs to others.

Those things alone are ours which we send on before us thither;

but the things here are not ours, but belong to the living;

nay rather, they forsook us even while we yet lived.

Those things alone are ours which are the good works of the soul—almsgiving and love toward men.

These outward things are so called even among those who are outside the faith;

Let us therefore make these things part of our inward possessions.

For it is not possible to depart carrying our riches with us; but it is possible to depart carrying our almsgiving with us.

Rather, let us even send them on ahead of us, that they may prepare for us a tabernacle in the eternal dwellings.

Riches (chremata) are so called from the fact that they are for use (kechresthai), not from our being their masters.

And these possessions themselves are but a use, not a lordship.

For tell me: of how many masters has each field belonged, and of how many will it yet belong? There is also a most wise proverb spoken (for we ought not to despise even the common proverbs, if they contain anything wise):

'O field,' it says, 'of how many hast thou been, and of how many wilt thou be?' This too we must say with regard to houses, and this too with regard to riches.

Virtue alone accompanies us on the journey and passes over into the life yonder.

Let us at last loose ourselves from the longing for riches and quench it, that we may kindle in ourselves the desire for the things above.

These two loves cannot possess one soul at the same time.

'For either,' it says, 'he will love the one and hate the other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other.'

Tell me, when thou seest a man attended by many followers, swaggering through the marketplace, clothed in silken garments, mounted on a horse, holding his neck stiff and high—be not struck with amazement, but laugh;

for just as, when thou seest children playing at being rulers, thou laughest, so also in this case.

This differs in nothing from that; nay rather, that is even the more delightful, seeing that it proceeds from childish age with much simplicity.

There it is both laughter and pleasure;

but here this man is ridiculous, and full of unseemliness.

Give glory to God that He hath delivered thee from this parade and this puffed-up pride.

For if thou wilt, thou who goest on foot upon the ground shalt be higher than he who sits upon the chariot.

How so? Because he indeed is raised a little from the earth in body, but in soul he is fixed fast to it;

'For my strength,' it says, 'hath cleaved unto my flesh;'

but thou in thy mind walkest in heaven.

But he has many followers swaggering about him? And in what is he honoured more than his horse? What is worse than this senselessness—to drive men away, that the beast may pass by with room to spare? But is riding a horse a dignified thing? Why, even slaves share in it.

And there are some who have so much vanity that, though needing it in nothing, they cause men to follow behind them.

What then is more senseless than these men? They wish to be conspicuous by means of horses and costly garments and followers.

What is more worthless than this glory which is made up of horses and household slaves? Art thou virtuous? Then make use of none of these things;

have thine adornment as thine own, and do not deck thyself out by the presence of another.

These things even the wicked and the vile and the boorish, and all who share in wealth, are able to have.

Even mimes and dancers are carried upon horses, and have a servant running before them;

but nevertheless they are mimes and dancers, and have not become dignified by reason of the horses and the followers.

For when none of the good things of the soul are present in such a man, these things, if added from without, are in vain and to no purpose;

and just as upon a weak wall or a decayed body, whatever one puts round about it remains unpleasant and rotten;

so also here: the soul gains no profit at all from things external, but remains just what it is, even if one hangs upon it ten thousand pieces of gold.

Let us then not be fluttered with excitement over these things; let us withdraw ourselves from the things that are temporary, and lay hold of the greater things, the spiritual things, the things that make us truly worthy of reverence, that we may also attain the good things to come, and what follows.