Homilies on Genesis 4

That sin introduced three modes of servitude;

and addressed to those who listen carelessly, and who do not honour their parents.

You heard yesterday how God made man king and ruler of the beasts, and how he straightway cast him out of the kingdom;

or rather, it was not God, but the man himself who by his disobedience cast himself out of the honour.

For the attaining of the kingdom came of God's love for mankind alone.

For he did not give him this reward for righteous deeds, but adorned him with the honour even before he came into being.

For lest you should say that man, having come into being afterward, and having then accomplished many righteous deeds, thus drew God to give him the dominion over the beasts, God, while yet about to fashion him, discourses concerning his dominion, speaking thus:

'Let us make man according to our image and likeness, and let them rule over the beasts of the earth.'

Before life, the honour; before the creating, the crown; and before he came into being, he is raised to the royal throne.

For human beings honour those who are subject to them only in extreme old age, after many labours and countless dangers, both in peace and in wars;

but God did not act thus; rather, as soon as man had come into being, he brought him to this honour, showing that what took place was not a reward for righteous deeds, but divine grace, and not a debt.

The receiving of the dominion, then, came of God's love for mankind alone;

but the falling away from the dominion came of his own heedlessness.

For just as kings depose from office those who do not obey their commands;

so also God did in the case of man, then deposing him from his dominion.

But it is necessary today to tell how much other honour besides the nature of sin took away, and how many modes of servitude it introduced, binding our nature with manifold bonds of every kind of authority, like some tyrant with fetters of many sorts.

There is, then, a first authority and servitude, according to which men also have mastery over women;

for after the sin the need of this arose.

For before the disobedience she was of equal honour with the man;

for indeed, when God fashioned her, the very words which he used also in the fashioning of the man, these same words he used also in the creating of the woman.

Just as, then, he said concerning that one, 'Let us make man according to our image and likeness,' and did not say, 'Let a man come into being';

so also concerning her he did not say, 'Let a woman come into being,' but here too, 'Let us make for him a helper';

and not simply 'a helper,' but 'according to himself,' again indicating the equality of honour.

For since the irrational creatures introduced much partnership of help toward the need of our life, in order that you might not think that the woman also belonged to the class of slaves, see how he makes the distinction plain.

'He brought the beasts,' Scripture says, 'before Adam, and there was not found a helper like him, according to himself.'

What then? Is the horse not a helper, arrayed alongside us in wars? Is the ox not a helper, drawing the plough and toiling with us in the sowing of seed? Are the ass and the mule not helpers, working together with us in the transporting of goods? But, that you might not say this, for this reason he makes the distinction exact.

For he did not say simply that a helper was not found for him, but that 'there was not found a helper like him.'

So also here: 'Let us make for him a helper'—not simply, but he said, 'Let us make for him a helper according to himself.'

But these things were before the sin;

and after the sin, 'Your turning shall be to your husband, and he shall have mastery over you.'

'I made you,' he says, 'of equal honour;

you did not use your authority well;

you did not bear your freedom—accept your servitude.

You do not know how to rule, and you have shown it through the very experience of the affair;

become one of those who are ruled, and acknowledge your husband as lord.'

'Your turning shall be to your husband, and he shall have mastery over you.'

And behold here the loving-kindness of God.

For lest, upon hearing 'He shall rule over thee,' she should think the lordship a burdensome thing, He first set down the name of loving care, saying, 'Thy turning shall be toward thy husband'—that is, He shall be for thee thy refuge, thy haven, and thy security;

in all the trials that come upon thee, I grant thee to turn to him and to take refuge in him.

And not by this alone, but He also bound them together by natural necessities, as by an unbreakable bond, casting about them the chain that springs from desire.

Hast thou seen how sin brought in subjection, but God, resourceful and wise, turned even this to our advantage? Hear how Paul too speaks concerning this subjection, that thou mayest again learn the harmony of the Old and the New.

'Let a woman,' he says, 'learn in silence with all subjection.'

Hast thou seen that he too subjected the woman to the man? But wait, and thou shalt hear the reason also.

Why 'with all subjection'? 'For I permit not a woman to teach,' he says.

Why? Because once she taught Adam ill.

'Nor to have authority over the man.'

Why so? Because indeed she once exercised authority ill.

'For Adam,' he says, 'was not deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression.'

For this cause He brought her down from the throne of teaching.

For he that knows not how to teach, let him learn, he says;

but if he will not learn, and yet desires to teach, he will destroy both himself and those who learn from him;

which is exactly what then befell in the case of the woman.

But that she has been subjected to the man, and was subjected because of sin, is clear from this;

yet I wish to hear that saying: 'Thy turning shall be toward thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.'

I wish to learn how Paul too discourses concerning this loving care, and mingles lordship with tender affection.

Where then does he do this? Writing to the Corinthians he says:

'Ye husbands, love your wives;'

behold the saying, 'Thy turning shall be toward thy husband.'

'And the wives, that they fear their husbands;'

behold the saying, 'He shall rule over thee.'

Hast thou seen how the lordship is without burden, when the master is a passionate lover of her who serves, when there is fear together with love? For thus the burdensomeness of the servitude is taken away.

So then, disobedience introduced one form of rule.

For do not look merely at this—that God ordered it toward what was fitting—but consider that sin fashioned this very nature of servitude;

and this is also a second kind of servitude, more burdensome than the former, and it too has its beginning and occasion from sin.

For after the flood in the days of Noah, and that common shipwreck of the whole inhabited world and that utter destruction, Ham sinned against him who begot him; and having seen his father uncovered, he uncovered him the more by his accusation before his brothers, and from that time became a servant to his brothers.

For the wickedness of his will corrupted the nobility of his nature;

Now the Scripture puts together countless defenses on behalf of the righteous man; or rather, in a single word it grants him all pardon.

For 'Noah,' it says, 'began to be a husbandman.'

And this word, 'began,' contains much apology for the drunkenness.

For he knew neither how much of the wine he ought to drink, nor how to drink it—whether unmixed or tempered with water—nor when to drink it, whether straightway when it was drawn off from the vats, or after waiting a little while.

So then the Scripture through these things makes its defense on behalf of Noah;

but he that was begotten of him, he that had been saved through him (for on account of the honor due to his father he did not perish together with the rest in the flood), neither looking to nature itself, nor calling to mind his salvation, nor being brought to sobriety by fear, still seeing the

remnants of God's wrath abiding, and the traces of the calamity still appearing, and the fear of what had happened yet at its height, he acted with outrage against him who begot him. On this account a certain wise man also exhorts, saying:

'Glory not in the dishonor of thy father;'

for a father's dishonor is no glory to thee.

But not even this did that man understand;

rather he sinned a sin greater than all pardon and defense.

For this cause he received servitude as the punishment of his sin, and became a servant to his brothers, and yielded up the precedence that came from nature to the wickedness of his own will.

Behold, a second manner of servitude also.

Wilt thou learn a third also? This is more burdensome than the two former ones, and much more fearful.

For since by those we were not brought to sobriety, God tightened the bonds upon us.

What then is this? The rule of magistrates, of authorities;

not such as that over the woman, nor such as that over servants, but far more fearful.

For one may see swords sharpened everywhere, executioners, punishments, tortures, penalties, the authority over death and life.

And that this manner of rule too came to be of necessity because of sin, hear again Paul himself philosophizing concerning this.

'If thou wilt not fear the authority,' he says, 'do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise from it.'

'If thou do that which is evil, be afraid;'

'for he beareth not the sword in vain.'

Seest thou that it is on account of those who do evil that there is both a ruler and a sword? Hear then this again yet more plainly.

'For he is,' he says, 'an avenger to him that does the evil.'

And he said not, 'For he is not a ruler in vain;'

but what? 'For he beareth not the sword in vain.'

He has set the judge over thee armed.

For just as a tender-hearted father hands over to fearful tutors and teachers, out of his goodness, sons who are careless toward him and, because of his fatherly affection, despise him;

so also God, out of His goodness, delivered our nature, which despised Him, to the rulers as to teachers and tutors, that they might turn back its carelessness.

But, if you please, let us see this very thing also from the Old Testament, that it was because of our own wickedness that there came the need of this rule.

One of the prophets, being provoked at unjust deeds, speaks somewhat thus:

'Wilt thou keep silence while the ungodly swallows up the righteous, and make men as the fishes of the sea, and as creeping things that have no ruler?' Therefore for this cause is there a ruler, that we may not be as creeping things;

that we may not, like the fishes, swallow up one another.

For just as medicines are for diseases, so punishments are for sins.

Since that he who lives with virtue has no need of the oversight from that quarter, hear what Paul says:

'If thou wilt not fear the authority, do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise from it.'

'The judge,' he says, 'is a spectator of thee.'

If thou live uprightly, he is not only a spectator, but also one who praises.

And why do I speak of the need that comes from rulers, when those who pursue philosophy are set above even other and greater things? For the laws are rulers of the rulers.

But nevertheless, he who lives with equity has no need even of laws;

And hear this too, when Paul says, 'The law is not laid down for a righteous man.'

But if no law is laid down for him, much more is no ruler set over him.

Behold a third mode of rule, and this one also takes its occasion from sin and wickedness.

How then does Paul say that 'There is no authority except from God'? Because He Himself established it for our benefit.

For sin indeed introduced the need of authority;

but God made use of it for what is profitable to us.

And just as the need for medicines arises from wounds, while the application of the medicines proceeds from the physicians' wisdom,

so also the need for servitude has come about from sin;

but the ordering of it to what is fitting comes from the wisdom of God.

But come, rouse yourselves, and cast off your slothfulness.

For what reason do I say this? We were expounding the Scriptures to you, but you,

turning your eyes away from us, transferred them to the lamps and to the one who was lighting the lamps.

And how great a slothfulness is this, that leaving us aside you attend to that man? I too kindle a fire, the fire that comes from the Scriptures, and upon our tongue there burns the little lamp of teaching.

This light is greater and better than that light;

for we do not kindle a wick soaked in oil, as that man does, but we set aflame souls watered in godliness by the desire of hearing.

Paul too once discoursed in a certain upper room.

But let no one suppose that I am comparing myself to Paul;

rather, I say it so that you may learn how much diligence you ought to show toward the hearing of the word.

Paul, then, was discoursing in an upper room, and evening had come upon them, just as now, and there were lamps in the upper room;

then Eutychus fell down from the window, and yet his fall did not break up the assembly, nor did his death cause the congregation to disperse;

but they were so fastened to the hearing of the divine oracles that they did not even perceive the fall;

but you, though you have seen nothing strange or marvelous, only a man doing his customary things, have shifted your gaze thither.

And of what pardon could this be worthy? Therefore let no one, beloved, count this reproof burdensome;

for it is not out of hatred, but out of care, that we bring the charge.

For 'more trustworthy are the wounds of a friend than the willing kisses of enemies.'

Rouse yourselves therefore, I beseech you, and leaving this fire aside, attend to the light of the divine Scriptures.

For I wish to tell you of yet another mode of rule, one that takes its occasion not from sin, but from nature itself.

What then is this? The rule of parents over their offspring.

For such honor is the recompense of birth pangs.

For this reason a certain wise man also says:

'Serve those who begot you as masters.'

Then he adds also the reason, saying:

'For what will you repay them, as they have given to you?' And yet, what is there that a child cannot repay to a father? He means nothing else than this:

Just as they begot you, you will not be able to beget them.

Since then in this respect we fall short, let us in another way abound in the honors we render them, not only because of the law of nature, but, before nature, because of the fear of God.

For God greatly wills that parents be honored by those they have begotten;

and those who do this He rewards with great blessings and gifts, but those who transgress the law He chastises with great and dreadful evils.

'He that speaks evil of father or mother,' He says, 'let him die the death.'

But to those who honor them He speaks somewhat thus:

'Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you,

and that you may be long-lived upon the earth.'

That which is reckoned the greatest good, a ripe old age and length of life, this He has set as the prize for those who honor them;

and that which seems to be the utmost evil, an untimely death, this He has set as the penalty for those who insult them;

drawing the one to goodwill by the promise of honor, and leading the other, even against their will, away from insolence by the fear of punishment.

For He does not simply command the parricide to be put to death, nor that executioners take him from the court and lead him through the marketplace, nor that his head be cut off outside the city;

but the father himself leads him into the midst of the city, and is believed without any proof at all;

for he who chose to spend money and body and everything whatsoever for the sake of his child would never have become his accuser, unless the excess of the insolence had been very great.

He leads him, then, into the midst of the city, then summons the whole populace, and states the accusation;

and all who hear, each one taking up a stone, thus stone the parricide.

For the lawgiver wills that they be not merely spectators of the punishment, but also participants in carrying it out, so that each one, looking at his own right hand, with which he too cast the stone against the head of the parricide, may have a sufficient reminder toward his own correction.

And not only this, but there is yet another thing

which the lawgiver intimates to us: that he who insults his parents has wronged not them alone, but all men as well.

For this reason he calls all men to share in the punishment, as though all had been insulted, and he sets around him the whole populace and the whole city together, teaching even those who have nothing in common with the wronged to be indignant when parents are insulted, as though the common nature were being outraged, and to drive out such a man like some plague and common disease, not from the city only, but from the light of day itself.

For such a man is an enemy and a common foe of all—of God, of nature, of the laws, and of the common life of us all.

For this reason he commands all to take part together in the slaying, as though working some purification of the city.

May many good things be yours, because with such great pleasure you received the words concerning the parricide, and instead of stones you pelted him with your shouts;

for this is a proof that each one of you has displayed much goodwill toward his own father.

For we are wont to admire those laws especially which punish transgressions, precisely when we are not conscious to ourselves of the transgressions.

For all these things, then, let us give thanks to the man-loving God, who cares for our life, and provides for parents, and takes thought for children, and orders all things for our salvation.

For to Him belongs glory, honor, and worship, together with the Father who is without beginning, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.