# On the saying "Let a widow be enrolled"

- Author: [John Chrysostom](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/john-chrysostom/)
- Latin title: *In illud: Vidua eligatur*
- Date: ca. 392-397 (disputed)
- Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Graeca 51 (Paris)

- Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator
- Editions and translations: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Graeca 61 (Paris, 1862)
- Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/chrysostom-vidua-eligatur/
- Passages: 5

## Section 1

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/chrysostom-vidua-eligatur/1/#p-1
- Source: PG 51:321
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Chrysostom opens his homily on 1 Tim 5:9 by linking it to his earlier sermon on the dead and teaching that widowhood is not a misfortune but a dignity, since the widow has Christ as companion.

### Greek text

Εἰς καιρὸν ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος ᾠκονόμησεν ἡ χάρις ταύτην τῆς ἀποστολιχῆς ἐπιστολῆς ἀναγνωσθῆναι τὴν περιχοπὴν, ἣν ἠκούσατε σήμερον" ἔχει γάρ τινα πρὸς τὰ πρώην εἰρημένα ἃ συγγένειαν καὶ ἀχολουθίαν πολλὴν, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐν τοῖς ῥήμασιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τοῖς νοήμασι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ πρώην ἀναγνωσθὲν τοῦτο ἦν" Περὶ δὲ τῶν κεχοιμημένων οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ὧδειλφοί" καὶ πολλὰ περὶ ἀναστάσεως ἐλέχθη τότε, «ὸ γενναίως τὰ τοιαῦτα φέρειν πάθη, καὶ εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ λαμδάνοντι τοὺς προσέχοντας ἡμῖν Θεῷ. Σήμερον τὸ ἀναγνωσθὲν τοῦτό ἐστι’ Χήρα καταιλεγέσθω μὴ ἐλάττων ἐτῶν ἑξήχοντα γεγονυῖα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀπὸ θανάτου χηρεία γίνεται, καὶ τοῦτο μάλιστά ἐστι τὸ τὴν ὀδύνην ἐπιτεῖνον, καὶ διεγεῖρον τὸ πένθος, μεμνημένοι τῶν πρώην εἰρημένων, ἃ τοὺς πενθοῦντας παραχαλοῦντες εἰρήχαμεν, καὶ ταῦτα μετὰ πάσης ὑποδεξάμενοι τῆς σπουδῆς μετ᾽ ἐχείνων εἰς τὰ τἀμιεῖα «ἧς διανοίας ἀπόθεσθε. Τὸ γὰρ τῆς χηρείας ὄνομα δοχεῖ μὲν εἶναι συμφορᾶς ὄνομα, οὐχ ἔστι δὲ, ἀλλ᾽ ἀξίωμα, καὶ τιμὴ, καὶ δόξα μεγίστη" οὐχ ὄνειδος, ἀλλὰ στέφανος. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἄνδρα οὐχ ἔχει συνοιχοῦντα ἡ χήρα, ἀλλὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ἔχει συνοιχοῦντα, τὸν πάντα ἀποχρονόμενον τὰ ἐπιόντα δεινά. ᾿Αρχεῖ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς ἑπιούσαις ἐπηρείαις τῆς χήρας, εἰσελθεῖν καὶ γόνυ χλῖναι, καὶ στενάξαι πιχρὸν, καὶ δά- ᾿ ζόντων τὴν ἐπιδουλήν’ τὰ γὰρ ὅπλα τῆς χήρας [519] διὰ τούτων οὐχ ἀνθρωπίνην ἐπήρειαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ Ἣν καὶ δαιμονικὰς ἐφόδους ἀποχρούσασθαι δύναται. Ἢ χήρα τῶν μὲν βιωτιχῶν ἀπήλλαχται πραγμάτων, πρὸς δὲ τὸν οὐρανὸν ὁδεύει λοιπόν: καὶ ἣν περὶ τὸν ἄνδρα ἐπεδείχνυτο σπουδὴν καὶ θεραπείαν, «αὑτὴν εἰς τὰ πνευματιχὰ πράγματα ἀναλῶσαι. δυνήσεται. Εἰ δὲ λέγοις, ὅτι τὸ παλαιὸν συμφορὰ ἦν τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἐχεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμι, ὅτι καὶ ὁ θάνατος κατάρα ἦν“ ἀλλὰ γέγονε τιμὴ καὶ ἀξίωμα τοῖς γενναίως αὐτὸν φέρουσιν ἐπιόντα. Οὕτω γοῦν οἱ μάρτυρες στεφανοῦνται" τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἡ χήρα πρὸς ἀξίωμα μέτεισι μέγα.

### English translation (Claude)

Opportunely has the grace of the Spirit arranged that this passage of the apostolic letter, which you heard today, should be read; for it has much kinship and connection with what was said the other day, if not in the words, at least in the thoughts. For what was read the other day was this: “But concerning those who have fallen asleep, I do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers”; and much was said then about the resurrection, about bearing such sufferings nobly, and about giving thanks to God who takes those who belong to us. Today what was read is this: “Let a widow be enrolled not less than sixty years old.” Since, then, widowhood comes from death, and this above all is what sharpens the pain and rouses grief, remember what was said the other day, which we said in consoling those who mourn, and, receiving these things too with all eagerness, lay them up with those in the storerooms of your mind. For the name of widowhood seems to be a name of misfortune, but it is not; it is a dignity, an honour, and the greatest glory; not a reproach, but a crown. For even if the widow does not have a husband living with her, she has Christ living with her, who drives away all the terrible things that come upon her. For it is enough, in the abuses that come upon a widow, to go in, bend the knee, groan bitterly, and shed tears, and … the plot of those who … For through these the weapons of the widow can drive back not only human abuse but even the assaults of demons. The widow is freed from the affairs of this life and journeys thereafter toward heaven; and the zeal and service she showed toward her husband she will be able to spend on spiritual things. And if you should say that of old the thing was a misfortune, I would say this: that death too was a curse, but it has become an honour and a dignity to those who bear it nobly when it comes. So the martyrs, at any rate, are crowned; in the same way the widow too passes to a great dignity.

### Scripture references

- 1 Thess 4:13: quotation, high confidence
- 1 Tim 5:9: quotation, high confidence
- 1 Cor 7:34: echo, low confidence

### Translation notes

- The homily on “Let a widow be enrolled” (1 Tim 5:9). Quotations: 1 Thess 4:13; 1 Tim 5:9. Words are lost in the sentence about the widow's prayer (marked …). κ/χ confusions translated by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Chrysostom, Vid. el. 1 (PG 51:321; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/chrysostom-vidua-eligatur/1).

## Section 2

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/chrysostom-vidua-eligatur/1/#p-2
- Source: PG 51:321
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Chrysostom praises the widow's power of intercession with God and distinguishes poor widows supported by the church, who are helped without conditions, from the enrolled order of widows to which Paul's age limit applies.

### Greek text

Βούλει μαθεῖν ὅσον ἐστὶ χήρα; πῶς ἐστι τιμία τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπέραστος καὶ συνήγορος μεγίστη, καὶ «τοὺς χαταδιχασθέντας, καὶ τοὺς ἀπεγνωσμένους, καὶ τοὺς παῤῥησίαν οὐχ ἔχοντας, καὶ τοὺς ἐκπεπολεμωμένους τῷ Θεῷ καὶ πάσης ἐστερημένους ἀπολογίας φανεῖσα ἑξαρπάζει καὶ χαταλλάττει, καὶ οὐχὶ συγγνώμην αὐτοῖς χομίξει μόνον, οὐδὲ ἀπαλλαγὴν τιμεν» ρίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὴν τὶν παῤῥησίαν καὶ. τὴν λαμπρότητα, καὶ τῶν ἡλιαχῶν ἀχτίνων καθαρωτέρους ἐργάζεται, χἂν ἀπάντων ὦσι χατεῤῥυπωμένοι μᾶλλον ἀνθρώπων; ΓΑχουσον αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγοντος πρὸς Ἰουδαίους" “Ὅταν τὰς χεῖρας ὑμῶν ἐκχτείνητε, ἀποστρέψω τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν" ἂν πληθύνητε τὴν δέησιν, οὐκ εἰσακούσομαι ὑμῶν" αἱ γὰρ χεῖρες ὑμῶν αἵματος πλήρεις. ᾿Αλλ' ὅμως τούτοις τοῖς μιαροῖς, τοῖς ἀνδροφόνοις, τοῖς ἀπαῤγὰρ τὸ εἰπεῖν, Ἀποστρέψω τοὺς ὀφθαιλμοὺύς μον, καὶ οὐχ εἰσαχούσομαι, φησί" Κρίνατε ὀρφανῷ, καὶ δικαιώσατε χήραγν᾽ καὶ δεῦτε, καὶ διαλεχθῶμεν" καὶ ἐὰν ὦσιν ὑμῶν» αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὡς ςοινιχοὶν, τε 56 οἱ πυ δ) Παμοίαπι ἃς δρίϑιδογϑιν δοηιήγιρα, οἱ ἱγὶ ρο! ἰδοίον, δἱ δἤδοι!β ἰη γα ν᾿ α͵δ δυχἑ πὶ δὲϊ χήρα; ποῦ τὴν προστασίαν ἐπιδείχννται τὴν ἑαυτῆς, οὐ παρὰ ἄρχοντι καὶ βασιλεῖ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀλλὰ φαρ᾽ αὐτῷ τῷ τῶν οὐ οανῶν βασιλεῖ; πόσην δύναται καταλῦσαι ὀργὴν, καταλλάξαι τὸν Δεσπότην τοῖς ἀνίατα βαφεῖσαν τῷ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ῥύπῳ τῆς κχηλῖδος ἐχπλῦναι ἐχείνης, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἄχραν ἀγαγεῖν καθαρότητα; Μὴ τοίνυν καταφρονῶμεν χήρας γυναικὸς, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν περὶ αὐτὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ἐπιδείξωμεν. Προστᾶτις ἡμῶν ἐστιν ἡ ὄντως χήρα. Ἄξιον δὲ ἑπιστάντας ἰδεῖν, περὶ ποίας ἐνταῦθα χήρας φησί. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐχεῖναι χῆραι λέγονται, αἱ εἰς εὐτέλειαν ἐσχάτην χαταπεσοῦσαι, καὶ ἐγγεγρὰμμέναι, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐχχλησιαστιχῶν τρεφόμεναι χρηἐἰάτων, καθάπερ οὖν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων. Ἐγένετο γὰρ, φησὶ, γογγυσμὸς μεταξὺ τῶν ᾿Ελληνισεῶν, ὅει παρεθεωροῦντο ἐν τῇ διακονίᾳ τῇ καθημερινῇ μἰ χῆραι αὑτῶν. Οὐχ αὗται δὲ μόνον χῆραι λέγονται, ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖναι, αἱ μηδενὸς μὲν δεόμεναι, ἀλλ᾽ εὐπορίας ἀπολαύουσαι, καὶ οἰχίας προεστῶσαι, τὸν δὲ ἄνδρα ἀποδαλοῦσαι μόνον. Ἴδωμεν οὖν περὶ ποίας χήρας ἐνταῦθά φησι λέγων" Χήρα χατα.λεγέσθω μὴ τῶν ἑτῶν ἑξήκοντα γεγονυῖα’ ἄρα [515] περὶ τῆς διομένης βοηθείας καὶ χρείαν ἐχούσης ἐξ ἐχχλησιαστικῶν τρέφεσθαι χρημάτων, ἣ περὶ τῆς ἀνενδεοῦς καὶ ἐν εὐπορίᾳ ζώσης; Εὔδηλον ὅτι περὶ ταύτης. Περὶ μὲν γὰρ ἐχείνης ὅταν λέγῃ, τῆς λιμῷ διάφθειρομένης, οὐ χρόνον τίθησιν, οὐχ ἀχρίδεγαν ἀπαιτεῖ τρόπων’ ἀλλ᾽ ἁπλῶς, Εἴ τις πιστὸς ἣ πιστὴ, φησὶ, χήρας ἔχει, ἑπαρχείτω αὑταῖς, καὶ μὴ βαρείσθω ἡ ᾿Εκκιλησία. Οὐχ εἶπεν, Ὅταν ἐδήχοντα ἑτῶν γένη- «αι οὐχ εἶπεν, Εἰ ἐξενοδόχησεν 4, εἰ ἁγίων πόδας ἕνιψε" καὶ μάλα εἰχότως. Ἔνθα μὲν γὰρ ἂν πενίαν διορθῶσαι δέοι, οὐχ ἀναμένει χρόνον. Τί γὰρ εἰ πεν- «ἦχοντα ἑτῶν οὖσα λιμῷ διαφθείροιτο; τί δὲ ἐὰν ἐν νεότητι τὸ σῶμα ἀνάπηρος οὖσα τύχοι : χαθευδεῖται ἀναμένουσα τὸ ἐξηχοστὸν ἔτος; ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἀπανθρωπίας τοῦτο ἐσχάτης. Διὰ τοῦτο, ὅταν μὲν λιμὸν παραμυθήσασθαι ᾿δέοι, οὐδὲν περὶ χρόνων καὶ τὴς χατὰ Ψυχὴν ἀρετῆς ἀχριδολογεῖται" ὅταν δὲ μὴ ἧ διορθώδασθαι πενίαν, ἀλλὰ. τιμὴν χατ᾽ ἀξίαν χαρίσασθαι,

### English translation (Claude)

Do you wish to learn how great a thing a widow is? How honoured she is by God, how beloved and how great an advocate, so that those condemned, those despaired of, those without boldness, those at war with God and deprived of every defence, when she appears, she snatches away and reconciles; and she brings them not only pardon nor release from punishment, but also much boldness and brightness, and makes them purer than the sun's rays, even if they are more defiled than all men? Hear God himself saying to the Jews: “When you stretch out your hands, I will turn my eyes from you; if you multiply your prayer, I will not hear you; for your hands are full of blood.” But nevertheless to these defiled men, these murderers, … for having said, “I will turn my eyes away, and I will not hear,” he says: “Judge for the orphan and vindicate the widow; and come, let us reason together; and if your sins are like crimson, …” … [Do you see how great a thing] the widow is? Where she shows her patronage, not before a ruler or king of those on earth, but before the King of the heavens himself? How much wrath she can dissolve, reconciling the Master to those dyed incurably with the filth of sins, washing them of that stain and bringing them to the height of purity? Let us not, then, despise a widowed woman, but show her every care. The true widow is our patroness. But it is worth stopping to see what kind of widows he speaks of here. For those too are called widows who have fallen into the utmost poverty, are enrolled, and are maintained from the church's funds, as in the time of the apostles: “For there arose,” it says, “a grumbling among the Hellenists, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily ministry.” But not these only are called widows, but also those who need nothing, but enjoy abundance and preside over households, and have only lost their husbands. Let us see, then, what kind of widows he speaks of here, saying, “Let a widow be enrolled not less than sixty years old”: is it about the one who needs help and has need to be maintained from the church's funds, or about the one without need and living in abundance? Clearly about the latter. For when he speaks about the former, the one perishing with hunger, he sets no age, he demands no exactness of character; but simply, “If any believing man or woman has widows,” he says, “let them relieve them, and let the church not be burdened.” He did not say, “When she has reached sixty years”; he did not say, “If she has shown hospitality, if she has washed the feet of the saints”; and very naturally. For where poverty must be relieved, he does not wait for age. For what if, being fifty years old, she should perish of hunger? And what if in youth she happened to be maimed in body? Will she sleep on, waiting for her sixtieth year? But that would be the utmost inhumanity. That is why, when hunger must be relieved, he is not at all exact about age and virtue of soul; but when it is not a matter of relieving poverty but of granting an honour according to worth …

### Scripture references

- Isa 1:15: quotation, high confidence
- Isa 1:17–18: quotation, high confidence
- Acts 6:1: quotation, high confidence
- 1 Tim 5:9–10: quotation, high confidence
- 1 Tim 5:16: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- Quotations: Isa 1:15, 17–18; Acts 6:1; 1 Tim 5:9–10, 16. The digital text is damaged: a passage of Migne's Latin translation is garbled into the Greek after the quotation of Isa 1:18, and lines are lost there and in the sentence about “these murderers” (marked …; bracketed words supplied by sense). About 160 Greek lines are lost between this section and the next. κ/χ confusions translated by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Chrysostom, Vid. el. 2 (PG 51:321; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/chrysostom-vidua-eligatur/2).

## Section 3

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/chrysostom-vidua-eligatur/1/#p-3
- Source: PG 51:329
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Chrysostom explains that Paul does not forbid young widows to remain unmarried, but tells Timothy not to enrol them, and wishes only those who would break their pledge to Christ to remarry beforehand.

### Greek text

Καθάπερ γάρ εἰσι παρθένων χοροὶ, οὕτω καὶ χῆρῶν τὸ παλαιὸν ἦσαν χοροὶ, καὶ οὐκ ἐξῆν αὐταῖς ἁπλῶς εἰς τὰς χήρας ἐγγράφεσθαι. Οὐ περὶ ἐχείνης οὖν λέγει τῆς ἐν πενίᾳ ζώσης καὶ δεομένης βοηθείας, ἀλλὰ περὶ ταύτης τῆς ἑλομένης χηρείαν. Τίνος δὲ ἵνιχεν καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτης ἀπαιτεῖ χρόνον; Οἷδεν ὅτι “τυρά τίς ἐστιν ἡ νεότης, καὶ πέλαγος χυμάτων γέμον καὶ πολλὰς ἔχον ἐπαναστάσεις. Ἐπειδὰν οὖν μέλλωσιν ἀπὸ τῆς ἡλιχίας ἀτέλειαν ἔχειν, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν λιμένι διατρίδωσι τῷ γήρᾳ, τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν αὐταῖς σζεπϑεισῶν. μετὰ ἀδείας αὐτὰς εἰς τὸν χορὸν εἰσάγει τοῦτον. Τί οὖν, οὐχὶ πολλαὶ, φησὶ, καὶ μετὰ εἰχοστὸν ἔτος ἀρξάμεναι μέχρι τέλους διέλαμψαν, καὶ τὸν ζυ- Ὑὸν ἤνεγχαν, καὶ ἀποστολιχὸν ἐπεδείξαντο βίον δὲὶ χωλύσομεν οὖν ἐχείνας, εἶπέ μοι, καὶ βουλομένας ἐν χηρείᾳ ζῇν ἀναγκάσομεν δευτέροις ὁμιλῆσαι γάμοις; καὶ ποῦ τοῦτο ἄξιον ἀποστολικῆς γνώμης : τί οὖν ἔστι τὸ λεγόμενον; Προσέχετε μετὰ ἀχριδείας, ἀγαπητοὶ͵ αὐτῇ τῇ σημασίᾳ τῆς λέξεως. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Χῆρα γινέσθω μὴ ἐλάττων ἐτῶν ἑξήκοντα γεγοννῖα, ἀλλὰ, Χήρα καταλεγέσθω" καὶ πάλιν οὗχ εἶπε, Χῆραι νεώτεραι μὴ χαταλεγέσθωσαν, ἀλλὰ, Τὰς γεωτέρας δὲ χήρας παραιτοῦ" πρὸς γὰρ τὸν Τιμόθεον. «αὔτα διαλέγεται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώποον εὐχείρωτοι περὶ χαχηγορίας εἰσὶ, καὶ τὰς γλώττας κατὰ τῶν τῆς Ἐχχλησίας προεστώτων ἢχονήχασι «, βουλόμενος ἑξαρπάσαι τὸν ἄρχοντα τῶν ἐἑγχλημάτων, τούτους τίθησι τοὺς νόμονς, καί φησι" Σὺ παραιτοῦ, καὶ σὺ μὴ χατάλεγε. ᾽λν αὐτὴ βούληται οἴχοθεν καὶ παρ᾽ ἑαυτῆς αἱρεῖσθαι ταῦτα, ποιείτω " σὺ μέντοι μὴ καταδέξῃ μηδέπω, ἵνα μὴ λέγωσιν ὅτι Νεωτέρὰν οὗσαν, γήμασθαι βουλομένην, οἰκίας προστῆναι, ὁ δεῖνα κατηνάγχασε" διὰ τοῦτο ἔπεσε, καὶ ὑπεσχελίσθη. Σὺ μὴ χαταλέξῃς αὐτὴν, ἵνα, χἂν πέσῃ, τῶν ἐγχλημάτων ἧς ἀπηλλαγμένος" χἂν μὴ πέσῃ, μετὰ πλείονος ἀσφαλείας τῷ προσήκοντι χαιρῷ χαταλέξῃς. Εὶ δὲ λέγει, Βούλομαι νεωτέρας χήρας γαμεῖν, τεχνογονεῖν, ἄχουσον ποίας φησὶ νεωτέρας, τὰς μετὰ τὸ [5314] καταστρὴηνιᾶσαι τοῦ Χριστοῦ βουλομένας γα. μεῖν͵ τὰς φλυάρους, τὰς περιέργους, τὰς περιερχομένας τὰς οἰχίας, τὰς λαλούσας τὰ μὴ δέοντα, τὰς ἐχτραπείσας ὀπίσω τοῦ Σατανᾶ.Οὐ γὰρ εἰπὼν ἀπλῶς, Βούλομαι γεωτέρας γαμεῖν, ἐσίγησεν, ἀλλὰ λέγει καὶ ποίας νεωτέρας, καὶ τὰ πτώματα αὐτῶν ἕπεισι. Τοῖα πτώματα; “Ὅταν καταστρηνιάσωσι, φησὶ, τοῦ Χριστοῦ, γαμεῖσθαι θέλουσι, καὶ ἀργαὶ μανθάγουσίι, καὶ περίεργοι, περιερχόμεγαι τὰς οἰκίας,.:λαλοῦσαι τὰ μὴ δέοντα, καὶ ἐξετράπησαων. Τίνος ὀπίσω; Τοῦ Σατανᾶ. Ἔπεὶ οὖν μετὰ τὸ χηρείαν ἐλέσθαι, καὶ ταύτην πᾶσαν ὑπομεῖναι τὴν ἀσχημοσύγὴν, βούλονται γαμῆδαι πάλιν, βέλτιον πρὶν ἔχεσθαι, καὶ τὰς πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν χαταπατῆσαι συνθήχας, ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἐλθεῖν" ὡς εἰ μή τις εἴη τοιαύτη, οὐκ ἐπιτίθησιν ἀνάγχην γάμον δευτέρου.

### English translation (Claude)

… For just as there are choirs of virgins, so of old there were choirs of widows too, and it was not permitted for them simply to be enrolled among the widows. He does not speak, then, about the one living in poverty and needing help, but about the one who has chosen widowhood. And for what reason does he demand an age in her case too? He knows that youth is a kind of fire, a sea full of waves and with many uprisings. When, then, they are about to have exemption because of their age, and are spending their time in old age as in a harbour, their desires having been quenched, he brings them safely into this choir. What then, someone says, have not many, beginning even after their twentieth year, shone brightly to the end, and borne the yoke, and displayed an apostolic life? Shall we then forbid them, tell me, and compel those who wish to live in widowhood to engage in second marriages? And how is this worthy of the apostolic mind? What, then, is the meaning? Attend carefully, beloved, to the very sense of the expression. For he did not say, “Let a widow become one not less than sixty years old,” but, “Let a widow be enrolled”; and again he did not say, “Let younger widows not be enrolled,” but, “But refuse younger widows”; for he is speaking to Timothy. For since many men are easily inclined to slander, and have sharpened their tongues against those who preside over the church, wishing to rescue the ruler from accusations, he lays down these laws and says: You refuse, and you do not enrol. If she herself wishes to choose these things from her own home and by herself, let her do so; but you are not yet to accept her, lest they say, “She was young, wished to marry and to manage a household, and so-and-so compelled her; that is why she fell and was tripped up.” Do not enrol her, so that, even if she falls, you may be free of the accusations; and if she does not fall, you may enrol her at the fitting time with greater safety. And if he says, “I wish the younger widows to marry, to bear children,” hear what younger widows he means: those who, after growing wanton against Christ, wish to marry; the gossips, the busybodies, those who go about from house to house, those who say what they should not, those who have turned aside after Satan. For he did not simply say, “I wish younger widows to marry,” and fall silent, but says also what younger widows, and goes through their falls. What falls? “When they grow wanton,” he says, “against Christ, they wish to marry, and they learn to be idle, and busybodies, going about from house to house, saying what they should not, and they have turned aside.” After whom? “After Satan.” Since, then, after choosing widowhood and enduring all this shame, they wish to marry again, it is better that before they are held fast, and trample on their compacts with Christ, they come to this; so that, if a woman is not such, he lays no necessity of a second marriage.

### Scripture references

- 1 Tim 5:9: quotation, high confidence
- 1 Tim 5:11–15: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- Chrysostom says Paul does not compel young widows to a second marriage; he advises remarriage only for those who would otherwise abandon their pledge. Translated as written. Quotations: 1 Tim 5:9, 11–15. About 160 Greek lines are lost before this section in the digital text (marked … at the start). κ/χ confusions translated by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Chrysostom, Vid. el. 3 (PG 51:329; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/chrysostom-vidua-eligatur/3).

## Section 4

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/chrysostom-vidua-eligatur/1/#p-4
- Source: PG 51:329
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Chrysostom shows that Paul's wish for young widows to remarry is a concession for the weak, like marital relations in 1 Cor 7, and distinguishes the works of widowhood, open to all, from the honour of enrolment after sixty; men too should not remarry.

### Greek text

Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν. Εἰ γὰρ ὡς νόμον τοῦτο τέθειχε κάσαις ταῖς γυναιξὶ τὸ γαμεῖν καὶ οἰχοδεσποτεῖν, περιττῶς ἐχεῖνα ἀπήτει, ἐτεχνοτρόφησεν, εἰ ἁγίων πόδας ἔνιψεν, εἰ δομένοις ἑπήρκεσεν, εἰ παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ ἐπ: δρὸς γεγονυῖα. Εὶ γὰρ πάσας τὰς νεωτέρας χελεύεις γαμεῖσθαι, πῶς δυνήσεταί τις ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς εἶναι γυνή: Ὥστε πρὸς ἐκείνας ὁ λόγος αὐτῷ. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς συνουσίας τῆς κατὰ τὸν γάμον ποιεῖ, Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Μὴ ἀποστερεῖτε ἀ.1λήλους, εἰ μή τι ἂν ἐκ συμκαὶ τῇ προσευχῇ. καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὑτὸ συνἐρχησθε" ἵνα μὴ νομίζῃς τὲ πρᾶγμα νόμον εἶναι, προστίθησι τὴν αἰτίαν ὕστερον λέγων" Ἴνα μὴ πειράζῃ ὑμᾶς ὅ Σατανᾶς. Τοῦτο δὲ.1έγω κατὰ συγγγώμην, οὐκ ἐπιταγὴν, διὰ τὴν ἀχρααίαν ὑμῶν. Ὥσπερ οὖν οὐ πᾶσιν ἐχεῖ ταῦτα διαλέγεται, ἀλλὰ ὁ (οὐ. 148 ἡχόνησαν. τοῖς ἀχρατεστέροις τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ εὐαλώτοις" οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ταῖς εὐχειρώτοις: τῶν γυναικῶν, καὶ μὴ δυναμέναις ἐνεγχεῖν τὸν μετὰ ἀχριδείας βίον πῆς χηρείας, ταύταις παραινεῖ καὶ συμδουλεύει δεύσπερον ἐπεισάγειν νυμφίον. Ἢ γὰρ χηρεία διπλοῦν τι πρᾶγμά ἔστι. Τί κοτέ ἔστι διπλοῦν; "Ἔργων ἐπίδειξις ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τιμῆς ὑπεροχὴ μεγίστης. Καθάπερ οὖν καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ διπλοῦν τι πρᾶγμά ἐστιν ἔχει γὰρ καὶ ἔργα καὶ ἀξίωμα " ἀξίωμα μὲν ἀρχῆς ἡ ἐξουσία, καὶ ἡ παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν θεραπεία, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ εἶναι ἄρχοντα" ἔργα δὲ ἀρχῆς, τὸ βοηθεῖν τοῖς ἀδιχουμένοις, κωλύειν τοὺς ἀδιχοῦντας, προεσίάναι τῶν πόλεων, διανυχκτερεύειν ἐν ταῖς χοιναῖς τῶν πραγμάτων φροντίσι, καὶ μυρία ἕτερα" οὕτω καὶ ἡ χηρεία καὶ ἀξίωμά ἐστι καὶ ἔργον ἀξίωμά ἐστιν, αὐτὸ τὸ χήρα « εἶναι, μέγιστον ὄν, ὡς ἀπεδείξαμεν ἔμπροσθεν " ἔργον ἐστὶ, «ὸ μὴ. δεύτερον ἐπεισάγειν ἄνδρα, ἀλλ᾽ εὐθέσι τῷ προτέρῳ, τὸ τεχνοτροφῆσαι, τὸ ξενοδοχῆσαι, τὸ ἁγίων πόδας νίψαι, τὸ θλιδομένοις ἐπαρχέσαι, τὸ παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ ἐπαχολουθῇσαι. Ὁ τοίνυν Παῦλος περὶ αὐτῶν διαλεγόμενος, τὰ μὲν ἔργα τῆς χήρας ἀφίησιν αὐτὴν πάντα ἐπιτελεῖν εἰς δὲ τὸ ἀξίωμα τῆς χήρας, καὶ τὸν χορὸν, καὶ τὴν τάξιν οὐκ ἀφίησιν αὐτὴν εἰσελθεῖν, ἕως ἄν ἐξηχοστὸν ἔτος παρέλθῃ, μονονουχὶ λέγων" [Ὁ15] Ποιείτω μὲν τὰ τῆς χήρας ἔργα, τῆς δὲ τιμῆς ἀξιούσθω τότε, ὅταν πάντα ἐπιδειξαμένη καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ χρόνου λοιπὸν ἀσφάλειαν ἔχῃ. καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων ἀπόδειξιν, καὶ τὴν ἕξωθεν μαρτυρίαν. Μηδεὶς γυναιξὶ μόνον τὸν λόγον τοῦτον ἐπιτήδειον εἶναι νομιζέτω. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἀνδράσιν ᾿ ἐστὶ χρήσιμος, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ στέργωσι τὰς ἑαυτῶν παιδίοις, μητρυιὰς ἐπεισάγοντες, καὶ τὴν ἀσφάλειαν κἣν ἑαυτῶν ἅπασαν ἀνατρέποντες.

### English translation (Claude)

And that this is true is clear from the following. For if he had laid this down as a law for all women, to marry and to manage households, he would have demanded those other things superfluously: if she has brought up children, if she has washed the feet of the saints, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has devoted herself to every good work … having been the wife of one husband. For if you command all the younger women to marry, how will anyone be able to be the wife of one husband? So his word is directed to those women. So he does too regarding intercourse in marriage. For having said, “Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement … to prayer, and come together again,” lest you think the thing a law, he adds the reason afterwards, saying, “that Satan may not tempt you. But I say this by way of concession, not of command, because of your lack of self-control.” Just as, then, he does not say these things there to all, but to the more incontinent and easily captured of men, so here too he advises and counsels those women who are easily overcome and cannot bear the exact life of widowhood to bring in a second bridegroom. For widowhood is a double thing. What double thing is it? A display of good works, and the eminence of a very great honour. Just as office too is a double thing (for it has both works and dignity: the dignity of office is the authority, the service paid by the many, and being a ruler itself; the works of office are helping the wronged, hindering wrongdoers, presiding over cities, spending nights awake in cares for public affairs, and countless other things), so widowhood too is both a dignity and a work. The dignity is being a widow itself, which is very great, as we showed earlier; the work is not to bring in a second husband, but to keep faith with the first, to bring up children, to show hospitality, to wash the feet of the saints, to relieve the afflicted, to devote oneself to every good work. Paul, then, in speaking about them, lets the widow carry out all the works of a widow; but into the dignity of widowhood, into the choir and the order, he does not let her enter until she has passed her sixtieth year, all but saying: Let her do the works of a widow, but let her be counted worthy of the honour then, when, having displayed everything, she has thereafter both the safety that comes from age and the proof from her works and the testimony from outside. Let no one think that this word is suited to women only. For it is useful to men too, so that they too may cherish their own … children, bringing in stepmothers, and overturning all their own security.

### Scripture references

- 1 Tim 5:9–10: quotation, high confidence
- 1 Tim 5:14: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Cor 7:5–6: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- Chrysostom counts not taking a second husband, “keeping faith with the first”, among the works of widowhood, and applies the same counsel to widowers who bring in stepmothers; translated as written. Quotations: 1 Tim 5:9–10, 14; 1 Cor 7:5–6. Lines are lost at “every good work …”, in the quotation of 1 Cor 7:5, and at the end (“cherish their own …”), where a fragment of Migne's Latin intrudes (marked …). κ/χ confusions translated by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Chrysostom, Vid. el. 4 (PG 51:329; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/chrysostom-vidua-eligatur/4).

## Section 5

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/chrysostom-vidua-eligatur/1/#p-5
- Source: PG 51:331
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Chrysostom insists that the church does not forbid second marriage, which Paul permits, but advises against it for the peace of the household, describing stepmothers' jealousy, and teaches that widowhood without good works is worthless.

### Greek text

Ταῦτα δὲ λέγομεν οὐχὶ νομοθετοῦντες δεύτερον ἀποστρέφεσθαι γάμον, ἀλλὰ παραινοῦντες καὶ σύμδουλεύοντες μετὰ σωφροσύνης ἀρχεῖσθαι τῷ προτέρῳ. “Ἕτερόν ἐστιν παραινεῖν καὶ συμδουλεύειν, ἕτερον νομοθετεῖν, Ὁ μὲν γὰρ παραινῶν καὶ συμδουλεύων, γύριον ἀφίησι τὸν ἀχούοντα τῆς τῶν 'συμδουλευομέτων αἱρέσεως εἶναι" ὁ δὲ νομοθετῶν, ταύτην παραιτεῖται Ρ τὴν ἐξουσίαν αὐτῶν. ᾿Αλλ' ἡ Ἐχχλησία οὐ νομοθετεῖ ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ παραινεῖ μόνον" καὶ γὰρ καὶ δεύτερον ἐπέτρεψε γάμον ὁ Παῦλος, οὕτως εἰπών " Γυνὴ δέδεται γόμῳ, ἐρ᾽ ὅσον χρόνον ζῇ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς ἐὰν δὲ κοιμηθῇ ὁ ἀνὴρ, ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν ᾧ θέλει γαμηθῆναι, μόνον ἐν Κυρίῳ' μαχαριωτέρα δέ ἐστιν, ἐὰν οὕτω μείνῃ. Ὥσπερ οὖν χαλὸν μὲν ὁ γάμος, κρείσσων δὲ ἡ παρθενία " οὕτω χαλὸν μὲν καὶ ὁ δεύτερος γάμος, χρείσσων δὲ αὐτοῦ ὁ πρῶτος καὶ μόνος. Οὐ τοίνυν ἐχδάλλομεν δεύτερον γάμον, οὐδὲ νομοθετοῦμεν ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ παραινοῦμεν, εἴ τις δύναιτο σωφρονεῖν, ἐπὶ τῷ προτέρῳ μένειν. Παραινοῦμὲν δὲ καὶ συμδουλεύομεν καὶ δι᾽ αὐτὴν τῆς οἰχίας τὴν ἀσφάλειαν" μάχης γὰρ πολλάχις καὶ πολέμων χαθημερινῶν ὁ δεύτερος γάμος ἀρχὴ καὶ πρόφασις γέγονε. Πολλάκις γοῦν ἀνὴρ ἐπὶ τραπέζης χαθήμενος, τῆς προτέρας γυναιχὸς ἀναμνησθεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς δευτέρας, ἐδάχρυσεν ἠρέμα " ἡ δὲ εὐθέως ἡγρίανε, χιὶ καθάπερ θηρίον, ὁ πεπήδησε, τῆς φιλοστοργίας αὐτὸν τῆς πρὸς ἐχείνην ἀπαιτοῦσα δίχην " χᾶν ἑπαινέσαι τὴν ἀπελθοῦπαν θελήσῃ, γίνεται πολέμον καὶ μάχης πρόφασις ἢ τῶν ἐγκωμίων ὑπόθεσις. Καὶ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἐχϑροὺς ἀπελθόντας σπενδόμεθα, καὶ μετὰ «ἧς ζωῆς αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς χαταλύομεν ἔχθραν" ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν γυναικῶν τοὐναντίον ἅπαν. Ἣν γὰρ οὐκ εἶδεν, ἧς οὐχ ἤχουσε, παρ᾽ ἧς οὐδὲν ἔπαϑε δεινὸν, ταύτην μισεῖ καὶ ἀποστρέφεται, καὶ οὐδὲ ὁ θάνατος τὸ μῖσος σδέννυσι, Τίς εἶδε, τίς ἤκουσε ζηλοτυπουμένην χόνιν, καὶ πολεμουμένην τέφραν; ς΄, ᾿Αλλ' οὐ μέχρι τούτου τὸ δεινόν’ ἀλλὰ χᾶν γένωνται παῖδες ἐχ τῆς δευτέρας, χᾶν μὴ γένωνται, πόλεμος πάλιν καὶ μάχη. Μὴ γενομένων μὲν γὰρ ὁδυνᾶται μειζόνως, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο, χαϑάπερ πολεμίους καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἡδιχηχότας τοὺς τῆς προτέρας ὁρᾷ, διὰ τῆς ἐκείνων ζωῆς τῆς οἰκείας ἀπαιδίας σαφεστέρᾶν λαμθάνουσα αἴσθησιν. Ἂν δὲ γένωνται, πάλυςε. οὐκ ἔλαττον τὸ δεινόν. Ὃ μὲν γὰρ ἀνὴρ. πολλάκις φιλοστόργως πρὸς τὴν ἀπελθοῦσαν διαχείμενος ἀντἐχεται τούτων, φιλῶν τε ὁμοῦ καὶ ἐλεῶν τῆς ὄρφαν νίας [516] αὐτούς " ἐκείνη δὲ πανταχοῦ τοὺς αὐτῆς προτιμᾶσθαι βούλεται, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐν ἀδελφῶν τάξει, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν οἰκετῶν ἀπεῤῥιμμένων εἶναι βούλεται τούτοὺς" ἅπερ ἅπαντα οἰχίαν ἀνατρέψαι δύναιτ᾽ ἂν, καὶ τῷ γεγαμηκότι ποιῆσαι τὸν βίον ἀδίωτον. Διὰ ταῦτα παραινοῦμεν, εἰ δυνατὸν; σωφρονεῖν, στέργειν τῷ προτέρῳ γάμῳ, καὶ μήτε νυμφίους τὰς γυναξχας,. μῆτε γυναῖκας τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐπεισάγειν, ὥστε μὴ τὴν οἰκίαν ἀνατρέπεσθαι πᾶσαν. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεχεν περὶ χηρείας διαλεγόμενος, οὐχ ἡρχέσθη τῷ προτέρῳ μόνῳ, τῷ εἰπεῖν, Ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς γυγή; ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι χήραν ποιεῖ οὐ τὸ μὴ γαμῇσαι δεύτερον μόνον ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ τὸ χομᾷν ἐν ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς, ἐν ἐλεημοσύνῃ καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ, καὶ ταῖς τῶν ξένων θεραπείαις. Εἰ γὰρ τὰς παρθένους οὐδὲν ὠφέλησεν ἡ παρθενία (καίτοι πολλῷ μείζων χηρείας ἡ παρθενία), ἀλλ᾽ ἀπῆλθον; σδεσθέντος αὐταῖς τοῦ πυρὸς τῶν λαμπάδων, ἢτιμωμέναι, ἐπειδὴ τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης οὐχ ἔσχον ἐπιδεῖξαι χαρπὸν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον αἱ χῆραι. Ἐχείνης γοῦν ἀκούσας τῆς παραδολῆς ὁ Παῦλος, καὶ φοδούμενος ὑπὲρ τούτων, πολλὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ 5 πράγματος ποιεῖται τὴν ἀχριδολογίαν, ἵνα μὴ τῇ μονογαμίᾳ θαῤῥοῦσαι τῆς λοιπῆς ἀρετῆς χαταμελήσωσι" διὰ ποῦτό φησιν, ᾿Εν ἔργοις καλοῖς μαρτυρουμέγη" ὥσπερ γὰρ χαλὸν ἢ παρθενία, χωρὶς δὲ τῶν λοιπῶν ἄχαρπος γέγονε, καὶ τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἀπέχλεισεν " οὕτω καλὸν ἡ χηρεία, χωρὶς δὲ τῆς λοιπῆς ἀρετῆς μάταιόν ἐστι καὶ περιττόν. Διὰ τοῦτο οὐ μέχρι τοῦ μὴ δεύτερον. ἐπεισάγειν ἄνδρα τὴν παραίνεσιν ἔστησεν ὁ Παῦλος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερα πολλῷ πλείονα καὶ μείζονα ἀπαιτεῖ παρὰ τῆς χήρας. Καὶ χαθάπερ οἱ τοὺς στρατιώτας χαταλέγοντες σώματος ζητοῦσιν εὑεξίαν, οὕτω καὶ οὗτος εἰς τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ στρατόπεδον αὐτὴν καταλέγων, ψυχῆς εὐεξίαν ἐξήτησς καὶ εὐτονίαν καὶ τὴν ἐν ἅπασι τοῖ; ἀγαθοῖς ἔργοις σπουδὴν, οὕτω

### English translation (Claude)

We say these things not legislating against turning to a second marriage, but advising and counselling to be content with the first in self-control. It is one thing to advise and counsel, another to legislate. For one who advises and counsels leaves the hearer master of the choice of what is counselled; but one who legislates takes away this power from them. But the church does not legislate these things, but only advises; for Paul too permitted a second marriage, saying thus: “A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if the husband falls asleep, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord; but she is more blessed if she remains as she is.” Just as, then, marriage is good, but virginity better, so a second marriage too is good, but the first and only one better than it. We do not, then, reject a second marriage, nor do we legislate these things, but we advise, if anyone can be self-controlled, to remain with the first. And we advise and counsel also for the very security of the household; for a second marriage has often become the beginning and pretext of fighting and daily wars. Often, at any rate, a husband sitting at table, remembering his first wife in the presence of the second, has wept quietly; and she at once has grown savage and, like a wild beast, leapt up, demanding a penalty from him for his affection toward the other; and if he wishes to praise the departed, the occasion of praise becomes a pretext for war and fighting. And with enemies who have departed we make peace, and with their life we end our enmity toward them too; but with women it is entirely the opposite. For the woman she has not seen, has not heard, from whom she has suffered nothing terrible, her she hates and turns away from, and not even death quenches the hatred. Who has seen, who has heard, of jealousy against dust, of war against ashes? 6. But the evil does not stop there; but whether children are born from the second wife or not, there is war and fighting again. If they are not born, she grieves the more, and for this reason she looks on the children of the first as enemies who have done her the greatest wrongs, getting a clearer sense of her own childlessness from their life. And if they are born, again the evil is no less. For the husband, often affectionately disposed toward the departed, holds to these children, loving them and at the same time pitying them for their orphanhood; but she wishes her own to be preferred everywhere, and wishes these to be not even in the rank of brothers but in that of cast-off servants; all of which could overturn a household and make life unlivable for the man who has married. For these reasons we advise, if possible, to be self-controlled, to be content with the first marriage, and neither for wives to bring in bridegrooms nor for husbands to bring in wives, so that the whole household may not be overturned. And for what reason, speaking about widowhood, was he not content with the first point only, saying, “the wife of one husband”? That you may learn that what makes a widow is not simply not marrying a second time, but flourishing in good works, in almsgiving and love for humankind, and in the care of strangers. For if virginity did not profit the virgins (and yet virginity is much greater than widowhood), but they went away dishonoured, the fire of their lamps quenched, because they had no fruit of love and almsgiving to show, much more the widows. Having heard that parable, at any rate, and fearing for them, Paul is very exact about the matter, lest, trusting in their single marriage, they neglect the rest of virtue; that is why he says, “well attested for good works.” For just as virginity is good, but without the rest has become fruitless and shut them out of the bridal chamber, so widowhood is good, but without the rest of virtue it is vain and superfluous. For this reason Paul did not stop his exhortation at not bringing in a second husband, but demands of the widow other things far more numerous and greater. And just as those who enrol soldiers seek good condition of body, so he too, enrolling her in the army of Christ, sought good condition of soul, vigour, and zeal in all good works, so …

### Scripture references

- 1 Cor 7:39–40: quotation, high confidence
- 1 Tim 5:9–10: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 25:1–13: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Cor 7:38: echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- Chrysostom: a second marriage is good but the first and only one better; the church advises, it does not legislate, against remarriage. Translated as written. Quotations: 1 Cor 7:39–40; 1 Tim 5:9–10; Matt 25:1–13 (the virgins). The homily is incomplete at the end: the last Greek lines are lost in the digital text (marked …). κ/χ confusions translated by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Chrysostom, Vid. el. 5 (PG 51:331; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/chrysostom-vidua-eligatur/5).