Homilies on First Timothy 8

'I desire, then, that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and disputing;'

'in like manner also that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with reverence and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array, but—as befits women who profess godliness—through good works.'

'When you pray,' says Christ, 'do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the corners of the streets,'

'that they may be seen by men.'

'Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.'

'But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut the doors, pray to your Father who is in secret, and he himself will reward you openly.'

What, then, does Paul mean by saying, 'I desire that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and disputing'? But this is not contrary to those words—by no means—but rather in full harmony with them.

How, and in what manner? But first we must say what 'Enter into your inner room' means, and why in the world he commands this, if one must pray in every place, and whether one must not pray in the church, and whether not in any other part of the house, but only in the inner room.

What, then, is being said? Showing here the freedom from vainglory, Christ says: not 'secretly' simply, but 'perform your prayers in a hidden manner.'

For just as when he says, 'Let not your left hand know what your right hand does,' he is not speaking simply about hands, but sets forth the surpassing measure of flight from vainglory, so also here he hints at this.

He did not, then, confine prayer to a place, but enjoined this one thing only—freedom from vainglory.

But Paul says these things by way of contrast with the Jewish prayer:

'In every place lifting up holy hands;'

which for the Jews was not lawful.

For it was not permitted to draw near to God elsewhere, and to sacrifice and perform the acts of worship, but those who ran together from every part of the world to one place had to perform all the rites of holy service in the temple.

As a counterweight to these things he brings in his exhortation.

And having freed us from that necessity, he says, 'Our matters are not such as the Jewish ones.'

For just as he commands prayers to be made for all (for Christ also died for all, and 'for all,' he says, 'I proclaim these things'), so also it is good to pray everywhere;

But henceforth let our attention be fixed not upon the place, but upon the manner of the prayer.

'Pray everywhere,' he says, 'and everywhere lift up holy hands.'

And what does 'holy' mean? Pure.

And what does 'pure' mean? Not hands washed with water, but hands kept clean from greed, from murders, from rapine, and from blows.

Without wrath and disputing.

What then does this mean? Who indeed, when praying, grows angry? That is to say, without the remembrance of wrongs.

Let the mind of the one who prays be pure, delivered from every passion.

Let no one approach God with enmity.

Let no one approach with distaste and doubting.

What is meant by 'without doubting'? Let us give heed.

Surely we ought not at all to be in doubt that we shall be heard.

'For whatsoever ye shall ask,' He says, 'believing, ye shall receive.'

And again, 'When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any.'

This is what is meant by 'without wrath and disputing.'

'And how,' one asks, 'shall I be able to believe that I shall obtain my request?' If thou ask nothing contrary to those things which He is ready to give;

if thou ask nothing unworthy of the King, nothing pertaining to this life, but all things spiritual; if thou draw near without wrath, with clean hands, with holy hands.

Holy are those hands which work deeds of mercy.

If thou draw near in this manner, thou shalt by all means obtain thy request.

'For if ye,' He says, 'being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven?' By 'disputing' He means doubtfulness.

'In like manner also I will,' he says, 'that the women approach God without wrath, without disputing, having holy hands, not following after their own lusts, not seizing what belongs to others, not defrauding.'

For what, though she herself does not seize, yet works this through her husband? But of the women Paul asks something more.

And what is this? It is that 'with modesty and sobriety,' he says, 'in seemly apparel they adorn themselves, not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, but as becometh women professing godliness through good works.'

What does he mean by 'apparel'? That is, that the garment be well drawn together on every side, decorously, not fussily;

for the former is seemly, but the latter unseemly.

What sayest thou? Thou drawest near beseeching God, and thou art decked about

with gold and braidings? Didst thou come to dance? or to take part in a wedding? or hast thou come to a procession? There the gold, there the braidings, there the costly garments have their season;

but now there is no need of these things.

Thou camest to entreat, to make supplication for thy sins, to intercede for the offences whereby thou hast offended, beseeching the Master, seeking to render Him propitious;

why dost thou deck thyself out? These are not the guise of one who supplicates.

How canst thou groan? how canst thou weep? how canst thou pray with earnestness, clothed in such a guise? Even if thou dost weep, thy tears will be a laughingstock to those who behold;

for she who weeps ought not to wear gold;

since it is a stage-show and a piece of hypocrisy.

For how is it not a stage-show, when from that very mind out of which such extravagance and vainglory were born, from that same mind tears also are poured forth? Strip off all that hypocrisy;

These things belong to the mimes and the dancers who pass their days upon the stage;

but to a decorous woman none of these things is becoming.

'With modesty,' he says, 'and sobriety.'

Therefore imitate not the harlots;

for by this guise those women draw to themselves their many lovers, and from this many have oftentimes incurred an evil suspicion, and have gained nothing from this adorning;

for through this reputation they have injured many.

For just as the woman who has committed fornication, even though she have the reputation of being chaste, has gained nothing from that reputation, since He who judges the hidden things will then bring all to light;

so neither the chaste woman, if she contrive by her guise to gain the reputation of adultery, has gained anything from her chastity;

for through this reputation many have been injured.

'What then am I to suffer,' she says, 'if another suspect me?' Thou givest the occasion by thy guise, by thy glance, by thy movements.

For this reason Paul discourses at length concerning dress, at length concerning modesty.

But if he took away those things which are mere tokens of wealth—gold, pearls, costly garments—how much more those things which belong to over-refinement, such as cosmetic paints, the pencilling of the eyes, an affected gait, a mincing voice, a moist eye brimful of all wantonness, the studied draping of the mantle and of the tunic, a too-elaborate girdle, and daintily fitted sandals? For all these things he hinted at by saying, 'in seemly apparel,' and by saying, 'with modesty;'

for these things belong to shamelessness and unseemliness;

for the word brings its reproof more nakedly, not that it may wound, nor that it may grieve, but that it may strip away from the flock everything that is foreign to it.

If he forbids these things to women who have husbands, to those who live in luxury, to those who are wealthy, how much more to those who have taken up the profession of virginity.

'And what virgin,' one asks, 'puts on gold? and who puts on braidings?' So great is the over-refinement of the plain guise, that these things are as nothing compared with those.

For it is possible even through cheap garments to adorn oneself more than those who are decked with gold.

For when the tunic is of a very deep blue, and is drawn in about the breast by the girdle with great precision, like those dancers upon the stage, so that it neither spreads out in breadth as though swollen, nor is compressed into scantiness, but is midway between the two, and has about the bosom many folds—of how many silken robes is this not more capable of alluring? And what, when the sandal glistens exceedingly in its very blackness, tapering to a point, and imitating the gracefulness found in paintings, so that it scarcely bears up the sole of the foot at all? And what, when thou dost not indeed beautify thy face with cosmetics, but dost wash it with much precision and leisure, and dost stretch the veil, whiter by far than thy face, along with the forehead, and then dost put the mantle over it above, so that the black may be set off against the white? What might one say concerning those countless rollings of the eyes? concerning the binding of the breast-band, now hidden, now uncovered in its binding? For this too they oftentimes uncover, so that

the precise fitting of the girdle may be displayed, while the whole mantle is drawn about the head.

And their hands, like the tragic actors, they clothe with such precision that one would think the covering had rather grown fast upon them.

What might one say of the gait, and of the other artifices that are able to captivate the beholders more than any gold? Let us fear, beloved, lest we also hear what the prophet said to the women of the Hebrews who were busied about the outward adorning;

'Instead of a girdle thou shalt gird thyself with a rope, and instead of the adorning of thy head thou shalt have baldness.'

So that these things are more enticing than gold, inasmuch as many other things too have been devised with a view to this—to be seen and to lead captive the beholders.

It is no small sin, but even an exceedingly great one, able to provoke God, able to bring ruin upon all the labour of virginity.

Why dost thou draw men to be thy lovers? He will then judge thee for adultery.

Why dost thou not adorn thyself with the adorning that is pleasing to Him, that is dear to Him—modesty, sobriety, decorum, chaste apparel? This other kind is something harlot-like and shameful.

We can no longer distinguish the harlots from the virgins.

See to what unseemliness they have brought themselves.

The virgin ought to be unadorned by artifice, arrayed with simplicity and without contrivance;

but this one employs a thousand contrivances for the sake of outward display.

Cease from this madness, O woman; transfer such zeal to the soul, to the inward comeliness;

for this outward adorning that is put on does not suffer the inner man to become beautiful.

He who is busied about this despises the inner man, just as he who despises this shows all his zeal about the inner man.

Tell me not, 'Alas, I wear a threadbare garment, a cheap sandal, a worthless veil;

what adorning is there in these?' Deceive not thyself.

It is possible, as I said, to adorn oneself more greatly through these than through those—especially through threadbare garments, or through those moulded to the body and finely shaped to a shameless figure, and glistening brightly.

And what wilt thou say to God, who knows the mind with which thou doest these things? 'But I do it not that I may commit fornication.' Then for what? That I may be admired? And art thou not ashamed, nor dost thou blush, wishing to be admired in these things? 'But it is merely,' she says, 'that I put these things on, not even for this end.'

God knows the things you utter toward us.

For is it to me that you give account? It is to Him who is present at all that is done, who examines these things even then, to Him before whom all things are naked and laid bare.

For this reason we too say these things now, so that we may not make you liable to those reckonings.

Let us fear lest He reproach you also with what He spoke through the prophet to the women of the Jews: They came forth to be seen by me, mincing and at the same time playing with their feet.

You have undertaken a great contest, where there is need of struggle, not of adornment; you must box, not play the wanton.

Do you not see the boxers, the athletes? Are they concerned with their gait and their appearance? By no means;

but, letting all these things go, throwing on a garment drenched with oil, they look to one thing only: to strike, and not to be struck.

The devil stands gnashing his teeth, wishing to bring you down from every side;

and are you occupied about this satanic world? I do not wish to say anything about the voice—how many make even this their study—about perfumes and the rest of that wantonness.

For these reasons the women of the world laugh at us.

The dignity of virginity has been destroyed;

no one honors a virgin as she ought to be honored;

for they have brought it about that they themselves are dishonored.

Ought they not, as though they had come from heaven, to be thus looked upon with wonder in the Church of God? But now they are despised because of themselves, not because of the prudent ones.

For when she who has a husband and children and presides over a household sees you, who ought to be crucified, pursuing this world more than herself, how will she not deride you? How will she not despise you? Do you see how great is the diligence, how great the pains?

By your frugality you surpass her who is adorned with costly things, being more beautiful than she who is decked with gold.

The things that befit you, you do not seek; the things that do not befit you, those you pursue—when you ought to pursue good works.

For this reason virgins are more dishonored than the women of the world;

for they do not show forth works worthy of virginity.

These things we have said not to all—or rather to all: to those who are liable, that they may be chaste; to those who are not liable, that they may make the others chaste.

But see to it that the rebuke does not have to come to deeds.

For we have spoken not that we may grieve you, but that we may set you right, that we may boast in you.

May it be granted to us all to do the things that seem good to God, and to live to His glory, so that we may also attain the promised good things, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom, together with the Father and the

Holy Spirit be glory, might, and honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.