Homilies on 1 Timothy 10.1–10.3

“If anyone aspires to the office of oversight, he desires a good work. The overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober, self-controlled, orderly, hospitable, apt to teach, not given to wine, gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, managing his own household well, having children in subjection with all dignity.” 1. As he is about to come down to his discourse on the office of oversight, he shows once for all what kind of man the overseer must be. He does not do it as part of his exhortation to Timothy, but as one speaking to all, and through him he gives order to all. And what does he say? “If anyone aspires to the office of oversight,” I do not blame him, he says, for it is a work of protective care. If anyone has this desire, so as to desire not the rule and the authority but the protective care, I do not blame him: “for he desires a good work,” he says. For Moses too desired the work, but not the power; and he desired it so that he heard: “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?” If anyone desires it so, let him desire it; for oversight (episkopē) is so called from overseeing (episkopein) all. “The overseer, then,” he says, “must be above reproach, the husband of one wife.” He does not say this as legislating, as though it were not permitted to become one without this, but restraining excess; since among the Jews it was permitted both to engage in second marriages and to have two wives at the same time. “For marriage is honourable.” But some say that this was said so that he should be the husband of one wife. “Above reproach”: in saying “above reproach” he named every virtue. So if anyone is conscious of some sins in himself, he does not do well to desire a work from which he has excluded himself by his deeds; such a man ought not to rule but to be ruled. For the ruler must be brighter than any lamp and have a spotless life, so that all may look to him and model their own life on his. He does this not simply in using such an exhortation; but since he himself was about to appoint overseers, as he also urged in writing to Titus, and since it was likely that many desired the office, for this reason he gives these charges. “Sober,” he says, that is, clear-sighted, having countless eyes on every side, seeing sharply, and not dulling the eye of the mind. For many things befall that do not allow one to see clearly and as things are: despondencies, cares, a crowd of affairs, and much else flows in from every side. He must therefore be watchful, caring not only for his own affairs but also for those of others; he must be wide awake, fervent in spirit, breathing fire, so to speak, and toil and serve more than a general who goes round his army by night and by day, and have care and concern for all. “Self-controlled, orderly, hospitable.” Since many of those who are ruled also have these (for they too must be equal to the rulers in such things), to show what is distinctive of overseers he added, “apt to teach”; for this is no longer required of the one who is ruled, but it must above all be present in the one entrusted with this rule. “Not given to wine”: he does not mean the drunkard here, but the insolent, the arrogant. “Not a striker”: he does not mean one who does not strike with his hands. What then is “not a striker”? Since there are some who strike the consciences of the brothers unseasonably, it seems to me he hints at these. “Not greedy for gain … gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, managing his own household well, having children in subjection with all dignity.” If, then, one who has married cares for the things of the world, and the overseer must not care for the things of the world, how does he say “the husband of one wife”? Some say that he meant one who remained free from a wife; but if this is not so, it is possible for one who has a wife to be as though he had none. For then he rightly granted this, in view of the nature of the situation as it was at that time. And it is possible to manage it well, if one wishes. For just as wealth brings one into the kingdom of heaven with difficulty, yet in many cases the rich have entered, so too with marriage. But what are you saying, tell me? Discoursing about an overseer he said that he must not be a drunkard but hospitable, when he ought to have said greater things than these. Why did he not say that the overseer must be an angel, subject to no human passion (those great things which Christ spoke, which even those who are ruled must have: to be crucified, and always to have one's life in one's hands; as Christ also said, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep,” and again, “If anyone does not take up his cross and follow after me, he is not worthy of me”), but says, “Not given to wine”? Fine hopes, if the overseer must be exhorted about these things! Why did you not say, “He must already have departed from the earth”? What you commanded to people in the world, you do not command to the overseer. And what did he command them? “Put to death your members that are on the earth”; and again, “He who has died has been justified from sin”; and again, “Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh”; and Christ again says, “If anyone does not renounce all that he has, he is not worthy of me.” Why then has he not said these things? Because it was possible to find few such men, but many overseers were needed, and to be set over each city…

… Since, then, the affairs of the churches were going to be beset, he spoke for this reason of a measured virtue, not that one on high, the lofty one; for to be sober and orderly and self-controlled was within the reach of many. “Having children,” he says, “in subjection with all dignity.” For he must furnish examples from his own home. For who would believe that one who has not subjected his own son will subject a stranger? “Managing his own household well.” Those outside say this too: that a good manager of a household would quickly become a good statesman. For the church is, as it were, a small household; and just as in a household there are children, a wife, servants, and the husband has taken up the rule over all, so too in the church there is nothing else than this: children, women, servants. And if the one who presides over the church has partners in his rule, the husband there too has his wife as partner. But must one here care for the provision for widows and virgins? There too the husband has his slaves and his daughters; and besides, it is easier to rule a household. So one who has not managed these things well, how will he be able to manage the affairs of the church? Then, having said, “If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?”, he says, “Not a new plant.” He does not mean the younger man here, but the newly instructed; for “I planted,” he says, “Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” Wishing to make this one plain, he said this. For what prevented him from saying, “not younger”? Why then, he says, did he himself appoint Timothy, being young? And he testifies to this, saying to him, “Let no one despise your youth.” Because he knew him to have much virtue, great strictness of life; knowing this he says in writing, “From infancy you have learned the sacred writings.” And that he also kept intense fasting the words show: “Use a little wine because of your frequent ailments”; writing to him about this among other things, since he would neither have written so nor given his disciple such charges unless these things had been accomplished by him. Since, then, many from among the Greeks were brought to the dignity of rule as new plants, that is, newly instructed. For if, before becoming a disciple, he quickly became a teacher, he would come to arrogance; if, before learning to be ruled, he became one of the rulers, he would be puffed up. For this reason he added: “lest, being puffed up, he fall into the condemnation of the devil,” that is, into the same condemnation that the devil underwent from his arrogance. “He must also have a good testimony from those outside, so that he does not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.” Well said; for he is going to be reproached by them. Perhaps it was for this reason too that he said, “the husband of one wife,” although saying elsewhere, “I wish all men to be as I myself am,” that is, in continence. So that he might not confine the matter to narrow limits by requiring an exact way of life, he required for this reason a measured virtue. For a leader had to be appointed in each city; for hear him writing to Titus: “that you may appoint presbyters in every city, as I directed you.” But what if he has a good testimony and good repute, but is not such a man? This is very difficult indeed; for it is something to be content with if upright men have upright repute among their enemies. But he did not leave this alone either; for he did not say, “He must have a testimony,” but “He must also have a testimony,” as being with the other things, not this alone. What then, if they speak ill of him at random and out of envy, especially since they are Greeks? This does not happen; for they too respect one who has a life that cannot be laid hold of. How so? he says. Hear him saying about himself, “Through ill report and good report.” For they did not lay hold of their life but of their preaching; for this reason he says, “through ill report.” They were slandered as deceivers and sorcerers because of the preaching. And they did this since they had nothing in their life to lay hold of. For why did no one say of the apostles that they were fornicators and licentious and greedy, but “deceivers,” which concerned only the preaching? Was it not because they had a life beyond reproach? That is plain. Let us also, then, live so, and no one will speak ill of us, even if he is an enemy, even if an unbeliever. For one who has a shining life is respected even by them; for the truth stops the mouths even of enemies. But how does he fall into a snare? By often falling into the same sins as they. For if he is such, the devil quickly sets another snare for him too, and they quickly destroy him. But if … he must have the testimony from enemies, much more that from friends. For that one who leads a blameless life cannot be ill spoken of, hear Christ saying: “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” What then, he says, if he is falsely accused and suffers slander by force of circumstance? This too may happen; but even such a man ought not to be brought into the midst, for the danger is great. He must, then, he says, have a good testimony; for “let your works shine.” Just as no one would call the sun dark, not even the blind man himself, for he is ashamed to fight against the opinions of all, so no one would blame one who is truly good; but the Greeks would often slander them on account of their doctrines, yet they would not lay hold of an upright life, but would admire it with the others…

Let us live, then, so that the name of God is not blasphemed. Let us neither look to human glory nor live so as to get a bad name, but let us honour the right measure in both. “Among whom you shine,” he says, “as lights in the world.” For this reason he left us here, that we might be as lights, that we might be set up as teachers of others, that we might become as leaven, that we might go about with men as angels, as men among little children, as spiritual among the unspiritual, that they may gain, that we may be seeds, that we may bear much fruit. There would be no need of words if our life shone so; no need of teachers if we displayed works. There would be no Greek if we were Christians as we ought to be: if we kept the commandments, if when reviled we blessed, if when ill treated we did good, no one would be so much a beast as not to run to godliness, if these things were done by all. And that you may learn: Paul was one, and he drew so many. If we were all such, how many worlds would we not have drawn? See, the Christians are more numerous than the pagans. And in other crafts one man can teach a hundred boys at once; but here, though the teachers are more numerous and the disciples far more numerous, no one comes over. For those who are taught look to the virtue of the teachers; and when they see that we too desire the same things, aim at the same things, ruling and being honoured, how will they be able to admire Christianity? They see lives open to reproach, earthly souls; we admire money as they do, and much more; we shudder at death as they do, we fear poverty as they do, we are as impatient of sickness as they, we love glory and power as they do; wearing ourselves out for love of money, we serve the times. From what, then, are they to believe? From signs? But these do not happen. From conduct? But it has perished. From love? But nowhere is even a trace of it seen. For this reason we … not only for our own sins but also for the harm done to others … let us show on earth a heavenly way of life; let us say, “Our citizenship is in heaven,” and let us display the contest on earth. But, someone says, there were great men among us. How shall I believe it? says the Greek; for I do not see you doing the same things as they. For if these things must be recounted, we too, he says, have great philosophers, admirable for their life. But show me another Paul and John; but you cannot. How, then, will he not laugh when we argue so? How will he not consent to sit still in ignorance, seeing us practising philosophy not in deeds but in words? For now each of you is ready both to be killed and to kill for a single obol; for a ladle of earth you set up countless lawsuits; for the death of a child you turn everything upside down. I pass over the other things that are worthy of much mourning, such as auguries, omens, divinations, incantations, magic. Truly these are great things, and enough to call down the wrath of God, that even after he sent his own Son we dare such things. What is there to do, then? Nothing else but mourn; for scarcely a small fraction of the world is saved. But those who are perishing rejoice when they hear this, as though they did not undergo it alone but with many. And what joy is this? For they will pay the penalty for that very joy. Do not think that, as here to be partners in misfortunes brings consolation, so it is there too. From where is this clear? I will make it plain. Tell me: if someone were ordered to be burned, and then saw his son burned with him, and the reek rising from the flesh, would he not die? Assuredly; and how, I say. For if those who do not suffer these things, when they see them happen, grow numb and faint, much more will those who are afflicted suffer this. And do not wonder; for hear a wise man saying, “You too have been taken as we were, and you have been counted among us.” For human nature somehow has fellow feeling by nature, and we are crushed by the misfortunes of others. Tell me, then: will a father, seeing his son lying under the same penalty, receive consolation or an addition to his woes? And a husband his wife? And a man another man? Are we not then crushed the more? Yes, he says; but these passions do not exist there. I know it too; but others far harsher: for there will be weeping without consolation then, as all see one another, as all beat their breasts. Tell me, do those in famine receive consolation for their own evils from sharing them with others? And what when a child, or a father, and wife, and descendants undergo the same penalty? And what when we see friends, do we have consolation? There is none, there is none; rather, our woes are intensified. And apart from these, there are evils that, because of their severity, have no consolation from being shared. I mean, for example: let one man lie in fire, and another too; how will they console one another? Tell me, I beg you: if we have ever been in a violent fever, did not everything of consolation fail us? Naturally; for when woes prevail, the soul would no longer have leisure to be consoled. Or do you not see women who have lost their husbands, how many other women they can count who have suffered the same? Yet their grief becomes no less for this. Let us not, then, in this … to repent of our sins and to keep to the good road that leads to heaven, that we may obtain the kingdom of heaven, by the grace and love for humankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, honour, now and always, and to the ages of ages. Amen.