Слово V, в котором рассказывается о том, что христианам не следует наряжаться, пользоваться благовониями, краситься и смотреть на других с любопытством

“A wise man fears and shuns evil, but a fool is irritable and presumptuous” (Prov. 14:16). These words were spoken by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Solomon, the author of Proverbs, wanting to teach us that wise people tend to avoid and prevent the causes of evil, so as not to suffer from the consequences, to beware of the roots, so as not to get entangled in the branches, to bypass small [evils], so as not to fall into greater ones. Stupid people tend to do the exact opposite, for, relying on themselves, they neglect the causes of evil and then suffer the consequences, despise the little and become slaves of the greater. And no matter how many times they neglect little things, the same number of times they are neglected and themselves fall under its yoke. As the author of Proverbs says, “Whoever neglects the word hurts himself; but whoever fears the commandment will be rewarded” (Proverbs 13:13). Many Christians and Christian women may not strive for debauchery and adultery, but they love to dress up, anoint themselves with perfumes and cosmetics, and then look with curiosity at who has put on the best makeup. From these desires they move on to the next and ultimately fall into depravity and adultery: from the voluntary they move to the involuntary, from the desired to the unwanted. Great is the art of the devil to seduce and destroy Christian souls. The unclean one sneaks up on Christians unnoticed and whispers to them: “There is nothing wrong with decorating clothes, rubbing incense, using aromas, cosmetics and looking at other people with curiosity.” He does this with the intention of seducing and driving him into debauchery, adultery, or some other dirty deed. Thus, the first is the cause, and debauchery and adultery are its consequences and results. The first is the roots, the second is the branches; the first is insignificant, the second is great; the first is called a straight road leading to the second, while the second is a cliff, the end of which is in hell: “There are ways that seem straight to a man; but their end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12). Therefore, brothers, I decided today to expose before you this great, soul-harming deception of the devil, which most people do not feel, and to show you that it is not appropriate for Christians to use all that is said above. Listen and you will understand! What vices do jewelry lead to? Firstly, the thinnest and most delicate dresses, elegant shoes and hats make a person languid, lethargic and relaxed. At the same time, the soul relaxes. She loses her masculinity and noble way of thinking. Like the body, the soul is inclined towards pleasures and carnal lusts. This causes a man, even if he is ugly, homely and of advanced age, to have a desire for pleasure, although previously he might have been indifferent to them. Not only is the fashionista himself seduced, but women, at the sight of such a dressed-up rooster, also begin to be imbued with lust for him. And if he is also handsome and young, then their attraction doubles and triples. One glance is enough for women's hearts to be struck by the arrows of numerous desires. Everything that is said about fashionistas fully applies to the weaker sex, which, undoubtedly, lights up with passion for a man when they look at the daughters of Eve. I will say more: scientists believe that in men there is an active principle, and in women it is passive. Therefore, the female body itself has the property of attracting men to itself, and often just one type of sandal is enough, as it is written about Judith and Holofernes: “Her sandals delighted his gaze” (Judith. 16:9). Jewelry on a person is a bait for fornication So, it is quite obvious that elegant clothes in themselves cause carnal pleasure. If some men insidiously use them to hook a woman, and use the weaker sex to catch a man with the same bait, as many (if not all) men and women do today, then all these outfits and decorations are nothing more than bait for fornication and adultery. And men and women who take advantage of all this declare themselves, even when they are silent, that they are fornicators and harlots, adulterers and adulteresses. My words confirm the commands of the holy apostles, who say that husbands should not decorate their appearance, they should not grow, weave, dye or style their hair, but only cut it a little. It also does not suit them to wear elegant clothes and shoes, or gold rings, so as not to seduce their neighbors, just as they should not cut their beards, so as not to change the human appearance, which corresponds to his nature, to an unnatural one. This is what the Law commands: “Do not spoil the edges of your beard” (Lev. 19:27). To these instructions the holy apostles add: All these are signs of dissolute behavior (Apostolic Constitutions. Book 1, Chapter 3). On the other hand, Scripture clearly shows that wives who wear makeup and dress immodestly are like corrupt women. After all, they do this only to lure men into debauchery. Thus, Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah, put on makeup like a harlot in order to seduce her father-in-law: “And she took off the garment of her widowhood, covered herself with a veil, and covered herself, and sat down at the gate of Aenaim” (Gen. 38:14). Based on her clothing and jewelry, Judas mistook her for a harlot and united with her. Judith also, putting on jewelry on her head, arms and legs, made her entire appearance seductive to the eyes of not only Holofernes, but also everyone who saw her: “And she decorated herself to deceive the eyes of men who would see her” (Judith. 10, 4). So Jezebel dressed herself up and began to look out the window to lure King Jehu: “And Jehu arrived at Jezreel. Jezebel, having received the news, painted her face and adorned her head, and looked out of the window” (2 Kings 9:30). Esther also put on jewelry to seduce Artaxerxes: “When the king saw Queen Esther... she found mercy in his eyes” (Esther 5:1) 63. What passions do incense evoke? The second thing that needs to be said is about rubbing with various incense and the use of aromas, which also kindle carnal feelings, soften the soul and give rise to passions. And many men use aromatic substances to catch women in their networks, who are then persuaded to cohabitate. That is why the divine apostles advise men to leave their baits: “Do not anoint yourself with incense, lest you attract to yourself those women who are thus caught and ensnared” (Apostolic Constitutions. Book 1, Chapter 1). Likewise, women who rub themselves with ointments and wear perfume have no other purpose than to attract men to carnal pleasures. So, both men and women who use aromatic ointments and rubs are real fornicators and harlots. The wise Solomon talks about a depraved wife who, to attract men, sprinkled her bed with delicate saffron and filled the house with the fragrance of cinnamon and invited men. “I perfumed my bedroom,” she said, “with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon” (Proverbs 7:17). And Judith, in order to arouse lust in Holofernes, as is narrated in the Holy Scriptures, “smeared herself with precious myrrh” (Judith. 10:3). In the book of Esther we read that according to the law, the wives of King Artaxerxes were first required to anoint themselves with myrrh oil for six months, and then for another six months with other aromatic means, and only after that they entered into his presence. The days of rubbing them lasted for so long: six months with myrrh 64 oil and six months with aromas and other women’s rubbings (Esth. 2:12). The third thing worth mentioning is the cosmetics used by men, who straighten or braid their hair and pluck their beards, and also by women, who, in turn, take great care of their hair, dyeing their eyebrows with black antimony, applying whitewash to their faces and doing many similar tricks in order to look more attractive and beautiful. Don't you agree that, I repeat, all these methods aimed at obtaining pleasure are obscene and lead to corruption and adultery? That is why Jezebel is condemned as a harlot, because she tinted her eyes with antimony and used other cosmetics in question. Therefore, King Jehu said to Jehoram, the son of Jezebel: “What peace is there with the fornication of your mother Jezebel, and with her many sorceries?” (2 Kings 9:22). Jeremiah accuses the city of Jerusalem, comparing it to a prodigal woman wearing makeup: “And you, who are desolate, what will you do? Although you dress in purple, although you adorn yourself with golden clothes, although you paint your eyes with colors, you adorn yourself in vain: your lovers have despised you, they are looking for your soul.” (Jer.4, 30). The prophet Ezekiel condemns Jerusalem, comparing it to a harlot who strives for everything that another nation has, washes herself and puts on makeup: “And behold, they came, and you washed for them, darkened your eyes and adorned yourself with clothes... but they came to her as one comes to a harlot’s wife” (Ezekiel 23:40, 44). Curious looks lead to debauchery Fourth. Curious glances lead to debauchery and adultery. The Lord was the first to say about this: “Whoever looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Behind Him were the divine apostles, who established the following: “Do not use foul language, do not be curious, do not get drunk, for from this come fornication and adultery” (Apostolic Decrees. Book 7, Chapter 6). Do you understand now, my Christian brothers, why clothes, jewelry, incense, perfume, cosmetics and curious looks are unworthy deeds, characteristic of cowardly people, the cause of depraved life and adultery and all other impurity? Turn away and hate it all for the love of God, and then stop resorting to such things. After all, they are alien and unusual for Christians. Since it is appropriate for all of us to decorate a person from the inside, and not from the outside, to dress up the soul, and not the body, and not with decaying and momentary outfits, but with incorruptible and eternal ones, and not with bodily and earthly, but with spiritual and heavenly ones. Jewelry should accompany the valuable clothing of love, purity, meekness, humility and other virtues consistent with the divine gifts of the Holy Spirit, good and chaste morals befitting Christians. Since Christians are children of the Heavenly Father, their attire must correspond to the heavenly, divine, incorruptible. As Solomon said, “the adornment of young men is wisdom” (Proverbs 20:29) 66. Like Christian husbands and wives, it is not becoming to dress up in expensive dresses and should be adorned not with gold and pearls and an elaborate hairstyle, but with the clothing of piety and meekness, with modesty, prudence and good deeds. “I desire,” says the Apostle Paul, “that women also adorn themselves in decent apparel, with modesty and chastity, not with braided hair, gold, pearls, or costly clothing, but with good works, as becomes women devoting themselves to godliness” (1 Tim. 2:9-10). Since they are the brides and daughters of the heavenly king Christ, they should also have outfits that adorn the soul, spiritual, divine, related to the inner life. According to David, “all the glory of the King’s daughter is within” (Ps. 44:14). The Supreme Apostle Peter believes that women should adorn themselves from the inside and with the beauty of the heart with a meek, silent and humble spirit. Such beauty is precious to God, who tests the hearts of people: “Let your adornment not be the outward appearance of braided hair, or gold jewelry, or finery in clothing, but the hidden person of the heart, in the imperishable beauty of a meek and quiet spirit, which is of great price in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:3-4). The seven evils come from women's clothing Where are those ignorant women now who are completely devoted to dressing up? Where now will you find the ignoble Eves who are in the grip of the demon of passion for expensive clothes, precious jewelry and pearl necklaces, gold bracelets, luxuriously decorated belts, expensive sandals and other body ornaments? Where are they? Come out! I want to take a look at you. Shameless and arrogant women! What is this mania that controls you? Don’t you understand, unfortunate ones, that your unbridled desire for clothes is from the devil, who is trying to destroy your souls? Don't you realize that by passionately desiring rich clothes and indecent body decorations, you bring upon yourself many great troubles and punishments? Firstly, because you fill your soul and body with conceit, you become extremely stupid, like foolish children, since your passion for clothes is like childish whims. Secondly, because you waste your wealth immoderately and deprive your children of necessary property through useless jewelry. Thirdly, you leave your poor brothers without help: when you have the opportunity to give them from your fortune and provide assistance, which they desperately need, you spend money on buying empty clothes. Fourthly, because you harass and upset your husbands and parents when you persuade them to buy expensive dresses and jewelry, and they, having no funds, to please you, wretches, go and borrow and pay for it. As Basil the Great says, “no one who fulfills the desires of women will have wealth, even such as a deep river... when they want to have myrrh brought from the barbarians, like oil from the market, sea flowers, shells, sea feathers, and in greater quantities than sheep’s wool. And gold, serving as a setting for precious stones, forms a decoration on their foreheads, then on their necks, then in their belts, or binds their arms and legs. For gold-loving women are pleased to wear shackles on their hands, as long as they are bound by gold. Therefore, when should a man who serves women’s wishes take care of the soul? Just as fragile ships sink from storms and bad weather, so the weak souls of their cohabitants perish from the bad inclinations of wives” (Conversation to those who are getting rich). Fifthly, because of this passion, you become traitors to modesty and honor in order to attract the love of men looking at you, dressed up and made up, and by this you harm not only your soul, but also the souls of those unfortunate ones. Sixth, you become a bad example for other women who see you and also begin to annoy their husbands, forcing them to buy the same expensive outfits. Seventh and last: it is your demonic fury and passion for decoration that forces many unfortunate women to sell their honor, lead a depraved life and commit adultery just in order to acquire beautiful clothes and not look worse than others. That's it, crazy women. These are the pitiful fruits of the outfits you purchased! This is the stinking fruit of your ornaments! These are the seven chains of your vice of violent lust! If you had thought carefully about your desires, you would have preferred to wear clothes made of burlap, darned and torn things, rather than be the cause of so many sins because of your expensive dresses. I'll add a few more words. If your aspirations were not aimed at leading you into the depths of vices and misfortunes with your outfits, then you would rather walk naked, like the Venerable Mary, than plunge so many souls into hell. If you were prudent and knowledgeable, you would understand what misfortunes come from your decorations, and you would be saddened by the perishing of your own souls, you would feel sorry for the husbands and parents who complain every day, cry and groan, because they do not have time to decorate you. Also have pity on your children and the beggars, whom you deprive of help because of your outfits. Beware of the punishment that will befall those who deliberately seduce other people: a millstone will be hung around their necks and they will be thrown into the depths of the sea. Thus says the Lord: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:6). And finally, think and regret the death and punishment of so many souls of husbands who, looking at you, dressed up and painted, are tempted and commit adultery in their hearts, as the Lord said (see: Matt. 5:28). Finally, repent and give up your reckless passion for jewelry and hate these outfits from your heart, since they are a trick, a hook, a net and a snare of the devil, with which he misleads, catches and hunts the souls of people who look and are tempted and kills them 67 . It is necessary to adorn the soul, not the body, and the true adornment is virtue By dressing and adorning yourself, do you think that you are adorning and adorning a true person? What ignorance! Your true and main person is not that visible body. “Man is not what is visible,” explains Basil the Great, “but an invisible soul and an inner mental (or intelligible) man” 68. This is how it really is, since the soul gives life, feeds, moves the body, and gives it the opportunity to feel. Without a soul, the body is dead, motionless and insensitive. Therefore, when you strive to dress up, you are doing nothing more than dressing up one dumb and insensitive statue, blind and deaf, in the same way as the ancient idolaters decorated soulless idols, according to the testimony of Jeremiah: “For the statutes of nations are empty: they cut down a tree from the forest, dress it with the hands of a carpenter with an ax, cover it with silver and gold” ( Jer.3:3-4). Therefore, give up your desire to decorate the outer and false man with clothes and turn to the soul and the true, inner man and adorn him with virtues. After all, it is truly great ignorance to dress up a smoldering body, which is here today and gone tomorrow, and leave the soul, which is immortal, completely naked. The divine John Chrysostom also reproaches you: “Why do you adorn the body, neglecting the soul and remaining in uncleanness? Why do you give up your soul to such fornication, which devours the body, for this gold bears an ugly, shameful and vile fruit? Where does such stupidity come from? Place these decorations inside and adorn your soul with necklaces” (Conversation 69 on the Gospel of John). Do you want to look beautiful and beautiful? Be content with the beauty that the Creator has endowed you with, and do not resort to artificial decorations, because by doing so you strive to be perfect and wise, regardless of God, and in spite of Him you want to improve the supposed imperfection of His creation. Chrysostom reproaches you for this: “Do you want to look beautiful and graceful? Keep the appearance and form given to you by the Creator. Why are you laden with gold as if you are going to correct God’s creation?” (Discourse 10 on Colossians). If you want to look beautiful, put on mercy, prudence, humility and other virtues, and this outfit of virtue will be more valuable than gold, pearls and other precious stones. Such an outfit makes a beautiful woman even more beautiful, an ugly one - attractive, and without such an outfit, even a very attractive one looks truly ugly and disgusting. As the golden pen of John writes, “Do you want to look beautiful? Put on mercy and philanthropy, become prudent and modest. It's more valuable than gold. These qualities make the beautiful one more beautiful, and transform the awkward one and make it graceful... no one can call a crafty wife and a beautiful one beautiful” (Ibid.). What kind of jewelry makes women beautiful, stately and healthy? In a nutshell, I would say this. If you want to be truly beautiful, try to wear clothes that enhance your entire being. Instead of headscarves, let there be right faith and piety; replace earrings with obedience and obedience to God and His commandments, as well as obedience to your husbands. This is what Supreme Peter advises you: “So once upon a time the holy women who trusted in God adorned themselves by submitting to their husbands. How Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him master” (1 Pet. 3:5). Instead of wearing necklaces around your neck, bow with respect. Instead of bandages and jewelry on your chest, wear in your heart and constantly repeat the name of Jesus Christ: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.” In the same way, keep pure and beautiful thoughts, avoid shameful conversations and crafty calculations. Instead of rich clothing, maintain prudence and chastity. Instead of bracelets - virtues and good deeds. Instead of rings - unanimity and trust in husbands. Instead of belts, let there be abstinence, self-control and curbing of passions. Instead of fine shoes, let there be humility, so that you consider yourself lower than everyone else. This is true decoration. These are the main valuable garments of Christian women, in which a woman, even without clothes, will be the most beautiful of all, resplendent with God’s glory. Thus Eve, being naked in paradise, was clothed in the robe of divine glory. And vice versa, a woman who does not have such attire, even if she appears in luxurious attire, will be more ashamed than naked. Here is what the golden lips of John say about this: “The Egyptian woman was once adorned and clothed, but she turned out to be naked and ugly, because she had no prudence... Eve was also naked, but clothed with the glory of God, and when she put on the robe of sin, she became ugly” (Conversation 10 on the Epistle to the Colossians). Women wearing such jewelry not only become beautiful, but also brave, 69 and not only brave, but also healthy, without any physical defect. Such were Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Bilhah, Zilpah and other ancient righteous wives who served and worked, obeyed their husbands and did men's work. The sweet-tongued lips of John Chrysostom say the following words about them: “After all, along with the virtue of soul and body, the virgins of ancient times were healthy, because their mothers did not raise them the way they are now: with constant bathing, rubbing incense, delicate clothes and thousands of other ways they spoil them and make them pampered. They raised the virgins in strictness, which is why their bodies flourished in due time; and their flowering was natural, and not artificially created, so they enjoyed health, purity and amazing beauty, without experiencing a single painful disturbance in their body" (Conversation 3 on marriage.) Women wearing makeup should not enter God's church Wives should avoid jewelry at all times, but especially when they go to God's church. After all, this is the place and time of prayer, the time of tears, the time of lamentation, and sobs and decorations are completely opposite and irreconcilable. That is why the divine Chrysostom constantly denounces women who commit violations of order: “What can you say? You come to pray to God and surround and entwine yourself with gold... How can you groan? How can you cry? How will you pray earnestly like this?” (Conversation 8 on 1 Timothy). Truly I tell you that women who enter the church, made up, in cosmetics, jewelry and dresses, receive the curse about which the prophet David speaks: “And let his prayer become sin.” Ps. 108, 7). After all, in dresses she does not receive God’s mercy for her sins, but angers Him even more. Why women should wear covered clothes To what has been said I will add one more thing. It is not appropriate for wives to dress up or put on makeup, especially when they go to church. I will also say that they should not walk with their heads uncovered, but it is appropriate to cover not only their heads, but also their faces when they leave the house, and especially when they enter the church of God. And that praying with a covered head is pious and holy is known from the sermon of the Apostle Paul, who shows that covering the heads of wives brings glory to their husbands and honor to their guardian angels: “A wife is the glory of her husband... therefore a wife should have on her head a sign of authority over her, for the angels” (1 Cor. 11:7-10). Just as it is pious and holy for wives to cover their heads during prayer, so it is good and holy for them, I believe, to cover their faces. This cover will be the cause of six wonderful deeds. Firstly, it will instill in them modesty, bashfulness and prudence. Secondly, it will bring honor and a good name to their husbands. Thirdly, with this covering they will give glory to Christ, as with their covered head. Fourthly, they will glorify their holy guardian angels. Fifthly, by covering their faces, they will not seduce men looking at them, but will free them from carnal desire. And finally, sixth and last. If it happens that a woman is ugly, then by covering her face, she will hide her shortcomings. And everyone will consider her pretty, which will be very pleasant for her 70. Do not think that there is any innovation in women covering their faces when leaving the house. This is a very ancient custom, to which the holy and righteous wives of the forefathers obeyed: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and others. In the book of Genesis we read that Tamar came to Judah with a veil over her face, so he did not recognize her. Of course, she would not have done this if such a custom did not exist (see: Gen. 38:15). Susanna also covered her face at the trial: “Susanna was very tender and beautiful in face, and these wicked people ordered her face to be uncovered, since it was covered, in order to be satisfied with her beauty” (Dan. 13:31-32). In our time, this order flourishes only among Jewish and Ottoman women, who, when leaving home and going on the road, cover their faces. Is it not a great shame that the wives of the wicked and pagans imitate the beautiful and holy custom of the ancient righteous women, but the wives of Christians do not want to imitate it? Isn’t it a shame and dishonor that women who do not know the true faith and piety leave the house with their faces covered, so as not to seduce men who are looking at them, and Christian women, not at all ashamed, walk with their faces uncovered and bare breasts in order to seduce and destroy the souls of men? The divine Paul truly said beautifully that the pagans, who do not know the Law, by nature fulfill its rules. At the same time, Christian women know both the Law and the Holy Gospel, but they do not want to fulfill the Law and act like lawless people. For this they receive a more severe punishment than the pagans: “Those who, not having the law, sinned, are outside the law and will perish; and those who have sinned under the law will be condemned by the law... for when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what is lawful, then, not having the law, they are a law to themselves” (Rom. 2:12-14). That is why I ask you, my sisters in the Lord, Christian women, accept and adhere to this wonderful custom, when leaving home, and especially in God’s church, cover your face so as not to be a temptation for men looking at you. Because especially women, when reading the Holy Bible, should cover their bodily nakedness in order to show inner heartfelt reverence. This is what sacred Chrysostom says: “We bow down and wash our hands when we want to take the Bible... And the wife, even if she were a pure virgin, puts on a veil, shows an example of inner reverence... You see that the herald also expresses inner reverence in external form” (Conversation 53 on the Gospel of John). I believe that more should be clothed on wives who read the Holy Bible and, especially, who enter the church of God: then their outer covering reveals the inner fear of God of the soul. So listen to what I want to warn you about. On the day of judgment, Jewish and Ottoman women will accuse you, because they, not having the true faith and teaching, still covered their faces, and you, believers, instructed by Scripture to be pure and prudent, go out onto the road uncovered, thereby bringing down many souls to hell. Why using herbs that cause infertility in order to maintain an attractive appearance is a great evil Here I am reminded of two more devilish and satanic things that some women do. Some eat certain deadly herbs and can never give birth to a child. They do this in order to always look pretty, so that their beauty does not fade either from the pains of birth or from breastfeeding. Others, having given birth to two or three children, also use deadly herbs to become sterile, with the same purpose of maintaining attractiveness. O you who anger God! O vicious ones! Oh, blasphemers! Truly the devil's work is what they do! Truly a terrible and mortal sin is what they commit! They kill not one, not two or three people, but all the children who could be born to them according to the necessary sequence and the law of nature established by God. Therefore, these women who voluntarily killed, according to the 1st rule of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, according to the 21st rule of the Council in Ankara and according to the 2nd and 8th rules of Basil the Great, are characterized as murderers, and are excommunicated from communion for ten years, according to the 21st rule of the Council in Ankara and the 2nd rule of Basil the Great. And what else do these vicious women show, if not that they are ready for open debauchery and adultery, that, while always remaining attractive, they want to drag men into their devilish carnal networks? God punishes with infertility as a curse, and gives fertility and many children as a blessing and happiness. He speaks about this in Exodus: “There will be no premature births or shameless people in your land” (Exodus 23:26). We read about this in Deuteronomy: “There will be neither barren nor barren, either among you or among your livestock” (Deut. 7:14). And these evil blessings and happiness given from God turn into curses and misfortunes. Many other women, queens, wives of rich rulers and their husbands, do not have children due to infertility by nature, which happens by God's Providence. What does He Himself say through Isaiah: “Or, having given the power to give birth, shall I shut up the womb? says your God” (Isaiah 66:9). That is why the unfortunate strive to acquire a child in any way; for this they do not spare either gold or their very life. This is also revealed in the Holy Scriptures in the words of the barren Rachel addressed to Jacob: “Give me children, and if not, I die” (Gen. 30.1). Other women so want to have children, but these ignorant and reckless little women 71, being fertile, having the opportunity, like a prolific vine, to give birth to many children, make themselves infertile, kill the beautiful fruit of their womb, voluntarily kill many of their own children and for this they chew deadly herbs that make them infertile. Oh, lack of fear of God! Oh, what a terrible punishment these miserable women will receive if they do not repent and stop doing these devilish and satanic things! Why men shouldn't wear jewelry. And why is it not appropriate for priests to decorate themselves? From the above, I think it is obvious that it is alien, inappropriate and unacceptable for the Christian way of life for women to wear luxurious clothes. This is especially true for men. If these decorations and outfits are unacceptable for women, a weak and infirm race, who by nature loves jewelry: “Does a maiden forget her jewelry and a bride her outfit?” (Jer. 2:32), then how unacceptable are they for men who belong to a determined, courageous race and by nature disdainful of decoration? Men who adorn themselves are truly not men, but effeminate and effeminate creatures falsely bearing this name. Basil the Great said well about such: “Therefore I affirm that we should consider being and being called a dandy just as shameful as living indecently and plotting against someone else’s marriage bed” (Conversation to the young men...). In the same way, if decorated clothing is prohibited for ordinary men, then to a much greater extent they are prohibited for priests and clergy. After all, these men should be an excellent example for the people in everything, and it is their duty to wear pious and modest clothing. Therefore, the Seventh Ecumenical Council says that initially the clergy wore pious clothes, not silk, not variegated or multi-colored, because all these are signs of arrogance and worldly splendor, which should be far from the clergy. Listen to the words from the sixteenth canon of the Holy Council: “All luxury and adornment of the body are alien to the priestly rank and state... from ancient times, every sacred man was content with non-luxurious and modest attire: for everything that is accepted not for needs, but for decoration, is subject to accusation of vanity, as Basil the Great says. But multi-colored clothes made of silk fabrics were not worn, and excrements of a different color were not placed on the edges of the clothes; for they heard from the God-voiced tongue: “For those who dress in soft garments in kings’ houses are” (Matthew 11:8).” Monks are not supposed to decorate themselves, this is characteristic only of pagans If the decoration of clothes is forbidden for clergy and priests, how much more, and incomparably more, is it forbidden for monks and monks who have renounced the world and everything in the world, who have put to death everything worldly and carnal, living an inner, hidden life in Christ? And simply put, body decoration is not characteristic of Christians, but is characteristic of Hellenes 72, Ottomans, Jews and other pagans alien to the faith. Their sons and daughters are decorated and dressed like statues in a church. That is why the prophet David prays to God to free him from their hands: “Deliver me and save me from the hand of the sons of foreigners, whose lips speak vain things and whose right hand is the right hand of lies. Let our sons be like overgrown plants in their youth; our daughters are like skillfully carved pillars in palaces” (Ps. 143:11-12). Christians tend to put on the radiant, beautiful and shining garment, which we put on in holy Baptism, which is Jesus Christ and life, purity and grace in Christ: “as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). If this is the adornment of Christians, then demons fear them, and people feel reverence before them, as the eloquent Chrysostom beautifully said: “If you put on Christ, then the demons will fear you; and if it’s gold, then even people will laugh at you; and if you put on Christ, people will respect you” (Conversation 10 on the Epistle to the Colossians). The use of cosmetics is prohibited for Christians Everything that I said about decorated garments, I will also say about cosmetics, namely, about eyeliner, rubbing, rouge, eyelash dyes, artful hairstyles and beard shapes, as well as mannerisms of speech, graceful gait, lustful glances, unholy gestures, pleasurable poses and other satanic tricks. It is absolutely clear that all this is unacceptable for Christian women and is forbidden to Christians in the same way as decorating clothes, and I would say, even more forbidden. Where does this come from? Firstly, this is prohibited according to the eighth chapter of the first book of the Apostolic Decrees: “Do not paint the face given to you by God, for there is nothing in you that needs decoration, because everything that God has created is very good (Gen. 1:13), and immeasurable decoration of what is good dishonors the gift of the artist” (Apostolic Decrees. Book 1, Chapter 8). Secondly, from the warning words of the apostles Peter and Paul. For if they warn women against rich clothing, gold and pearl jewelry, which are only signs of wealth, how much more do they prohibit the use of cosmetics, which in themselves are corrupting, devilish and satanic? The divine Chrysostom explains this: “And if he, that is, Paul, rejects what serves as a sign of wealth, namely gold, pearls and costly vestments, then doesn’t he much more reject what serves as a sign of excessive vanity - rubbing, tinting the eyes, a cutesy gait, an effeminate voice, a languid look, full of all sorts of fornication... because all this is characteristic of shamelessness” (Conversation 8 on 1 Timothy). And if the divine apostles forbid ointments and other cosmetics for married women, how much more do they forbid them for virgins, according to the same Chrysostom: “If this is forbidden to married, pampered and rich wives, then how much more so for virgins” (Ibid.). The Divine Gregory condemns the use of cosmetics Where are these shameless women who use cosmetics to deceive the eyes of other people, trying to appear beautiful to them? Let them listen to how Gregory the Theologian exposes them, saying: O foolish women, stop making your head like a high tower, throwing a scarf over it and putting on a wig from someone else's hair that does not belong to you. Stop painting your faces with blush, whitewash, antimony and other colors, because they are the image of God, God’s creation, and you, instead of having your natural face that God gave you, wear other people’s masks and faces, because of which you are no longer people, but rather a parody of people: “Do not build, women, towers of false hair on your heads, do not flaunt tender neck; do not cover God’s face with vile colors and do not wear masks instead of a face” (For women who love dresses). Cosmetic beauty is deceptive So, as St. says. Gregory, if nature has given you beauty and you are naturally beautiful, do not disfigure your natural beauty with artificial paints, rubbings, etc., do not distort or make deceptive the beauty that God has given you. Otherwise, by trying in various ways to appear beautiful, you testify that you are ugly by nature. If you are truly ugly, do not add a second ugliness to your face and do not become even uglier with the help of deceptive and man-made paints. This is the deceptive beauty that poor, depraved women buy for a few coins, the deceptive beauty that falls to the ground soon after you wash your face, the deceptive beauty that is destroyed by a drop of rain or a single tear or drop of sweat. What am I saying? You only have to laugh once, and all this beauty falls from your cheeks to the ground, and at the same time you turn from beautiful to ugly, two-faced, and thus disgrace yourself and make those who look at you laugh. “If nature has given you beauty, do not cover it up with polishes, but keep it pure for your spouses alone, and do not turn greedy eyes on strangers; because the heart follows the eyes improperly. And if at birth you did not receive the gift of beauty, then avoid the second ugliness, that is, do not borrow beauty from your hands - beauty that is exposed as a fraud by streams of tears, fear that moistens the cheeks, and is destroyed by a drop of dew. Now your cheeks shine and are full of charms; but suddenly (to great laughter) they appear two-colored, in some places dark and in others white marble” (Ibid.). St. Gregory adds to this that although it is possible for women to deceive men using cosmetics so that they consider them beautiful, they should not change their face and the appearance given by God by human and artificial, or better yet, by diabolical means: “Even if you have the cunning to hide something from your spouse, although it is inconvenient to cover the image of God with a mortal mask...” (Ibid.). What God Himself says to those women who use cosmetics Therefore, it follows that God will be angry on the day of Judgment, looking at you, who have a completely different appearance and face that he gave you, will become furious with His Spirit and will say to each of you; “Away, most shameless woman, flee from My face, so that I do not see you, get out of My Kingdom, I don’t know who you are. You are not My creation, for it was not I who gave you such a face, but Satan and the devil. Beast-like and shameless, I did not give you your appearance with blush, but created you in My image and likeness. And how can I let you into My Kingdom, whom I made in My image, if you yourself have become an idol of the devil thanks to rouge, whitewash and antimony?” Be careful that the angry God does not say to you like this: “Answer, creature alien to me! Who and where is this creator from? I didn’t paint a dog, but I created My own image. How can I see an idol instead of the image that is dear to Me?” (Ibid.). How Chrysostom denounces women who use cosmetics. Why did women in ancient times not use cosmetics? These are the accusatory words of our great father Gregory. And the divine John Chrysostom, denouncing women who put on makeup, says: even Leah, the wife of the patriarch Jacob, although she was not naturally beautiful, although she was not as loved by her husband as her sister Rachel, although she was raised by the pagans in idolatry, despite all the reasons justifying her, did not dare to apply cosmetics to her face and disfigure her natural appearance, but kept it intact. But how can you, a faithful Christian, having Christ as your head, dare to do this and give your face such a satanic appearance? How did you not think that your rouged face was cleansed by holy baptism? How have you not thought that the very lips that you are now painting are cleansed by the Blood of the Lord Christ, of which you partake? Think that you have been united with Christ the Lord, Who rejoices not in the outer beauty of the body, but in the inner beauty of the soul, and He loves only that. Therefore, O woman, turn away from the madness of jewelry and cosmetics. “So Leah, the wife of the Patriarch Jacob, not being beautiful, did not think about any embellishments and, despite the fact that she was unpretty and not very loved by her husband, did not think about such things at all and did not spoil her face, but always preserved its features unchanged, although she was raised by pagans. And you, faithful one, having Christ as your head, use Satan’s trick for us! Remember the water that washed your face, the sacrifice that adorned your lips, the blood that stained your tongue! If you imagine all this, then no matter how great your attachment to jewelry, you will not dare and will not want to lay these dust and ashes on yourself. Know that you have been united with Christ, and move away from this ugliness; Such decorations upset him; He desires a different beauty - the beauty of the soul, which he loves very much. The prophet instructs you to acquire such beauty, saying: “And the King will desire your beauty (Ps. 44:12)” (Conversation 30 on the Gospel of Matthew). Women do not have a single worthy reason to justify the use of cosmetics Why is there much to say? You women have not a single excusable reason to justify the use of cosmetics to decorate your faces. If you are beautiful by nature, then jewelry is unnecessary for you 73. So, if you are ugly, this makes you even more ugly, for Ecclesiastes says: “What is crooked cannot be made straight” (Eccl. 1:15). And again: “Look at the action of God: for who can straighten what He has made crooked?” (Eccl.7:13). If you want to become even more attractive to your husbands, you will find that, on the contrary, you only upset them and displease them. If you are already an old woman and want to appear younger with the help of blush, you will find that the wrinkles on your faces, gray hair and sparse teeth will still indicate your old age. If in the end you still want to paint your faces - oh, unfortunate ones! All this will only make you ashamed and embarrassed, hiding from the gaze of people, especially men and women like you, who have learned that you have resorted to this. Here are the words of the same Chrysostom: “You want to please your husband, but this saddens him even more, and it gives both him and others the opportunity to condemn you. You want to appear young, but this will most likely make you old. You desire praise, but it brings you disgrace” (Conversation 30 on the Gospel of Matthew). Why is the passion for dressing up childish? Obviously, Christians and Christian women are not inclined to condemn the decoration of clothes, but it would be worth at least encouraging them a little to despise them. This is what I want to say: just as small children and babies, due to their lack of intelligence, rejoice and have fun at bagels, fried peas and other similar cheap treats, something similar that should be condemned happens to people of a conscious age, when they, as if falling into infancy and losing their minds, rejoice and have fun at decorated clothes, which wise and conscientious people despise as something cheap and unworthy. And truly, O man, how can you not be ashamed, you, whom God created intelligent, the king of dumb animals, how are you not ashamed that you adorn yourself and rejoice in the skins of oxen, hares, wolves, deer, foxes, how are you not ashamed that you rejoice in the threads and products of the womb of spinner worms? Isn’t it a shame for you to rejoice in skins and colors that, in your opinion, are more magnificent and beautiful than wildflowers, which exist today and are thrown into the oven tomorrow, according to the word of the Lord? Are you not ashamed, O woman, honored by the likeness of God, to adorn yourself with gold and silver, the dirt of the earth? Isn’t it a shame to decorate yourself with pearls, which, according to nature researchers, are the eggs of sea mollusks? Aren’t you ashamed to burden yourself with such a burden of stones and pebbles, which even that same pagan poet Homer considered not as happiness and blessing, but as misfortune and curse, and you consider all this as decoration? As the wise Synesius says: “They carry stone clothing, the Homeric curse, on themselves” (Tale of the Kingdom). Simply put, aren’t you ashamed, Christians and Christian women, who were created for heaven and of whom the whole world is unworthy, as the Apostle Paul says (Heb. 11:38), aren’t you ashamed, I say, to be so partial and so greedy for the decorations of clothes that are earthly, corruptible, unworthy and subject to corruption? Therefore, Basil the Great very wisely said that you should not wear shiny and decorated clothes, so that you are not considered an empty person who has fallen into childishness, and are not condemned. “Have you seen some proud man, dressed in colorful clothes, with a sparkling ring on his hand, with a precious stone - the subject of his pride? If this is not so, be afraid, but if this person is dust from the earth, despise him” (Conversation 11 on the Sixth Day). And the divine Chrysostom says: “It is common for a lazy and careless soul to admire magnificent clothes, but an exalted soul, feeling true beauty, despises all these soft clothes. She desires artlessness, but prefers the most beautiful pious chastity to everything” (Ascetic Rules. Chapter 30). How many evils do prying glances bring? We have already said that Christians should not decorate themselves, use incense and cosmetics, neither men nor women. Now we will say that Christians should not look at bodily beauty with curiosity. For because of curious glances at beautiful faces, their hearts are struck by passion and lust, and they not only fall into fornication and adultery in their thoughts, looking with lust, as the Lord says (see: Matt. 5:28), but ultimately they commit fornication and adultery in practice. Therefore, the wise Sirach says: “Turn your eye away from a beautiful woman and do not gaze at someone else’s beauty: many have gone astray through a woman’s beauty: from her love burns like fire (Sir.9:8-9). And everyone knows the following parable: “When people began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God (those from Seth) saw the daughters of men (those from Cain) that they were beautiful, and they took them to be wives whomever they chose” (Gen. 6:1-2). Samson also saw a foreign woman in Timnath, fell in love with her and suffered from her the evil that happened later (see: Judges 14:1). Also, David, seeing Bathsheba bathing, fell into adultery and murder (see: 2 Samuel 11:2). Simply put, there are countless examples of people falling into fornication and adultery because of immodest views, and almost innumerable examples of those who even today indulge in carnal passions, the initial reason being the immodesty and curiosity of the looks of their eyes. This prompted the divine Isidore Pelusiot to write the following: “Since love is born from sight, therefore Christ indicated that those who allow! shameless glances are an adulterer, not only by action, but also by the thought preparatory to the action” (Letter 154). And Saint Isidore also writes: “The Savior threatened punishment even for shamelessly looking at someone else’s beauty, protecting us from acts and great helplessness, so that beauty would not penetrate inside through the eyes, enslave the mind and, having previously mastered the movements of the soul, would not convince the mind to succumb to passion. If she is not pacified, she will produce double, if not countless, evils” (Letter 181). And the divine Chrysostom was forced to say that those who look with curiosity at the beauty of a woman would be better off going blind altogether: “It would be better for these unfortunates to be blind than to use their eyes for this” (Word on Election). How a Christian Should Conduct When Conversing with a Woman Likewise, Gregory the Theologian says: “The law says: do not commit adultery. But do not have lust, do not kindle passions with curious and attentive views” (Word 45). Therefore, all Christians who fear God and love chastity and the salvation of their souls should not raise their eyes to the faces of women, as well as men, even if they are crones and old men, as the divine fathers, called desert men, advise: if there is a need to talk with a woman, it is necessary to lower your eyes down and thereby protect yourself from looking at her, and so talk with her. One must run from conversations with nuns and from looking at them, as if from fire and a devil’s trap. This is what Saint Isaac advises monks and Christians to do: “If you are forced to talk to women, turn your face away from their sight and talk to them like that. And move away from nuns, from meeting and talking with them and from seeing them, as from fire and as from the snare of the devil” (Homily 9). Those who do not look at women are freed from lust As we said above, just as many people fall into carnal passion due to the fact that they indulge in looking at women, so, on the contrary, those who turn their eyes away from them and do not want to look at them become free from lust. The entire face of the holy fathers, who fled into the desert and did not want to look at female beauty, were safely freed from carnal lust, and often those of the pagans who did not want to look at beautiful women remained free from carnal pleasures. How to look and think about a woman without falling into passion For this reason, the great king Alexander, having defeated Darius with his entire family, hearing his friends say that Darius’s wife was the most beautiful of the women of Asia, ordered not to bring her to him, so as not to look at her, and Basil the Great reports that Alexander did not want to see the daughters of Darius, also of very outstanding beauty (Conversation 22. To the young men...). For the same reason, Scipio the Elder did not want captives captured by soldiers in war to be brought to him. For the same reason, Cyrus, king of the Persians, did not want to look at the face of Panthia, the wife of Abradate, king of Susa, surpassing all women in beauty, as the divine Jerome writes. For the same reason, Scipio Africanus, the Roman commander, refused to look at Spanish women. For the same reason, the prophet and king David himself, although he fell into carnal passion due to the intemperance of his eyes, nevertheless became sober and for this reason he called on God to turn away his eyes, so as not to look at vain and corruptible beauty: “Turn away my eyes, so as not to see vanity” (Ps. 119:37). So, know that in a war with the flesh, the easiest way to defeat it is not to look at all, even to completely avoid the face that tempts it. That is why the Apostle Paul very precisely said: do not stand and fight, but “flee fornication” (1 Cor. 6:18). And if you ever happen to look at a beautiful woman and even desire her, what should you do to avoid impure passion? The Divine Chrysostom advises not to look at her a second time, but to occupy your mind with reading Holy Scripture, daily worries, caring for the poor, caring for those who are treated unfairly, prayer and preparation for the hour of death, Judgment and punishment. He says this: “So, if, when looking at a beautiful woman, you feel passion for her, then don’t look at her anymore - and you will be freed (from passion). “But how can I,” you say, “not look at her, being carried away by passion?” Engage in other useful subjects that attract the soul, read books, take care of your needs, intercede, defend the offended, pray, think about the future century - direct your soul to these subjects” (Conversation 7 on 2 Corinthians). He also advises not to think about the external bloom and beauty of the face, but to turn your mind from the beautiful skin visible on the surface and think about what is underneath it, which is impossible to look at without disgust. For under it, if the skin is removed, there is a skull, blood-red, all covered in blood, ugly and terrible to look at: “So here, too, look not at the color, but penetrate deeper with your thoughts, and, ignoring the beauty of the skin, think about what lies underneath it” (Ibid.). How can some men and women respond to this? We, they say, do not decorate ourselves for fornication or adultery, use incense, cosmetics, or look at others with curiosity, without having any bad purposes, no, we do all this simply out of habit. We will answer such people in three ways, in accordance with the divine Chrysostom. First, God looks at hearts and does not judge by appearances and knows whether you are telling the truth or pretending and deceiving. However, having one thing in your heart and saying something completely different with your lips, on the day of Judgment you will answer before God whether you are really doing all this without bad goals, saying: “But you are not doing this for the sake of debauchery. So for what? To excite surprise? And aren’t you ashamed and don’t blush when you want to excite surprise in this way? But, you will say, I put on this dress just like that, and not for this reason at all. God knows what you are saying to us. Will you give me an account? He who is present in everything will be judged by Him” (Conversation 8 on 1 Timothy). Secondly, we will answer them this way. Suppose, men and women who adorn themselves, you do all this without a bad and prodigal purpose, but you still should not do this at all. Because, let it be so, you, a man, dressed up and perfumed yourself without the purpose of fornication or adultery, but that unfortunate woman who sees you dressed up, perfumed and made up, is carried away and falls into lust for you and because of this lust commits fornication and adultery with you. Therefore, you become the author of her sin and destruction and inherit condemnation with her, for you have seduced the soul of this unfortunate woman. I tell you that many times you will be forced to fall into fornication with that woman who was attracted to you because of your jewelry, looking at her, for she constantly follows you, and although initially you did not decorate yourself with the purpose of fornication, later you will certainly fall into fornication because of this. And this is confirmed by the divine apostles, saying in their Decrees: “... do not dress up in order to catch someone else. For if you, being forced by her, sinned against her, then eternal death will come from God to you, and you will be severely punished. And even if you did not commit an abomination, but, pushing your wife away, renounced her, then here too you sinned, although you did not do the deed, but only with your outfit caught the woman to desire you: for you did that through this she had the desire to commit adultery with you...”, and again: “... if she was amazed in thought and was seduced by you, she was wounded in her heart so that she began to love you because you, a handsome young man, are dressed up - you, as the one who became the culprit of her temptation, turn out to be guilty of her fall from grace and the heir of grief” (Apostolic Decrees. Book 1, Chapter 3). In the same way, let us assume that you, a wife, who adorns yourself, anoints yourself with oils and ointments, is chaste and does all this without the goal of fornication. However, men who see you fragrant and adorned are struck in the heart and fall into fornication and adultery against you, and you become the author of this sin and fornication. For you, even being chaste, give rise to being considered a whore and treated like a whore, and your chastity will not help you, which is confirmed, firstly, by the divine apostles: “And even if you did these abominations not in order to sin, but only in order to dress up, then even in this case you will not escape punishment later if you incline someone to be carried away to desire you, and not You will be careful not to fall into sin yourself, or to plunge others into temptation” (Ibid.). Secondly, the divine Chrysostom says: “...so a chaste woman, if she manages to acquire the reputation of (a woman of) bad behavior with her attire, will not receive any benefit from her chastity. But why will I suffer, another will say, if another begins to suspect me? You give reason for this with your outfit, your gaze, your movements” (Conversation 8 on 1st Epistle to Timothy). But even if they do not fall into lust, seeing you decorated, they will still be forced to say this: “This woman who decorated herself is like a harlot and a bad woman and uses jewelry to make men lust for herself.” We can say the same about those who look with curiosity. Even if you look at someone else’s beauty without any temptation for yourself, your brother, seeing how you open-mouthedly examine the beauty of men and women, will be tempted by you, considering that you are a fornicator and a shameless person, and thus he and the soul of this unfortunate person sin, for which Christ died, as the Apostle Paul says, and you become the cause of sin and death of this person, because you give a reason for it. Thirdly, let us finally answer those who claim that they use jewelry, incense and the like without a bad and obscene purpose, that you, brothers, who say this, do not understand your own heart at all, do not see your passions, which the heart hides deep inside itself, but look at everything only with a sensual and external gaze and only at the external side of things. That is why you are careless and do not understand, as a result of what passions and for what reasons you become excited and worried, and then get sick. And you don’t know why you feel sick, for some get sick because they are fat, others because they are crazy, and others because they are foolish. After all, if you were to turn the attention of your mind to the inner man and examine the thoughts and movements of your hearts, you would definitely not say that you decorate yourself, use incense and all that other stuff absolutely without bad and prodigal goals. And is it possible that people who are subject to passions, people who have blood-filled veins, air-filled tendons, nerves and bones, fat flesh full of bones, voluptuous people who eat and drink, indulging in the lusts of the flesh - is it possible to say that such people dress up in beautiful clothes, use countless incense, cosmetics and look at female beauty with lust and shamelessness without so that secretly, in their hearts, they do not sin and indulge in lustful thoughts? Truly I tell you that it would be easier to raise the dead than not to indulge in fornication, using all of the above. I affirm all this in agreement with the divine Jerome, who said that for some, not hanging out with women and not talking about women is as strange a thing as resurrecting the dead. Therefore, with the warmth of my heart, I beg you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, leave all these excuses that the devil uses to destroy your souls, and throw away all these garments, perfumes and cosmetics, the beginning of which is exaltation and arrogance. After all, those who do this do it out of arrogance, as the prophet Isaiah said: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with their necks lifted up and their eyes deceiving, and they walk with a majestic step and rattle with the chains on their feet” (Is. 3:16-17). So, I say that the beginning of all this is pride, and the end is fornication, adultery and carnal uncleanness, and a component of this is vanity and vanity; Therefore, Solomon said what he thought about all this in the following words: “Vanity of vanities and all vanity” (Eccl. 1:2). How is it impossible to see that all these ornaments of clothes, fragrant ointments and everything that we talked about are just vanity of vanities? Fear those penances that were determined by the holy Ecumenical Councils for all of the above, and those terrible punishments that God gives to all those who indulge in everything that was said, and turn away from this madness. What penance is imposed on those who paint? The Holy Sixth Ecumenical Council prescribes penance to be imposed on those men and women who straighten or braid their hair, and if they do not correct themselves, to excommunicate them. The 96th canon of this Council speaks about this: “Those who have put on Christ through baptism have vowed to imitate His life in the flesh. Therefore, for the sake of the hair on the head, to the detriment of those who see with artificial weaving, disposing and removing and thus the unconfirmed souls seducing the fathers, we heal with decent penance... And if anyone acts contrary to this rule, let him be excommunicated” 74 . The Holy Seventh Ecumenical Council imposes penance on bishops and clergy who dress in bright clothes and anoint themselves with incense. This is stated in the 16th rule of this Council: “Bishops or clergy who adorn themselves with light and magnificent clothes, let them correct themselves. If they remain in this, subject them to penance,” this also applies to those who use fragrant ointments. Their penance is excommunication from the priesthood for one week, according to the 27th rule of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. What lesson do people who like to wear makeup learn? God does not leave men and women who adorn themselves and use incense and cosmetics unpunished, sometimes with slavery and sometimes with death. This is how God frightens the rich women of Jerusalem through Isaiah, so that they will be ashamed and exchange their jewelry and perfumes for stench, expensive belts for ropes, hair ornaments for bald spots, and instead of purple clothes they put on holes in burlap clothes: “The Lord will strip the crowns of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will expose their shame; on that day the Lord will take away beautiful clothes... and instead of incense there will be a stench, and instead of a belt there will be a rope, and instead of curled hair there will be baldness, and instead of a wide cap there will be narrow sackcloth” (Is. 3:17-23). And the prophet Jeremiah weeps about the men of Jerusalem, converted into slaves, first adorned with purple fragrant cloaks, and then wearing stinking poor clothes: “Those brought up in scarlet huddle with dung” (Lamentations 4:3). And he also says: “And I will stop the voice of joy from them... the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp” (Jer. 25:10). Here Jezebel was punished with death, and a dishonorable death, for dressing up and painting her face. King Jehu saw her dressed up, looking out of the window to look at him, and ordered her to be thrown down, and the blood splashed on the walls and on the horses, and they trampled her. And the dogs devoured all her flesh, and nothing remained but the skull and the bones of her hands and feet. And her remains were not buried, they remained on the ground like dung: “And the corpse of Jezebel will be in the land of Jezreel, like dung in a field, so that no one will say: this is Jezebel” (2 Kings 9:3). Do you hear, men who love to decorate themselves, what punishments are you subjected to? Do you, wives who paint your faces with cosmetics, hear what share you will accept? Do you really want to become a new Jezebel and accept the same shameful death? What do you, foolish men and ignorant wives, do when you dress up the body, rub fragrant oil on clay and dirt, this unclean and stinking body? Is this a body that has its origin in decay and stench? The body, which during life is a storehouse of food, after death becomes extremely fetid, so much so that it is incomparable with anything in the world. Oh, how great is ignorance! To tell the truth, what you are doing confirms some simple sayings: carrying water in a sieve, pouring water into a leaky pot or weaving a rope out of sand and others. So, wake up! And don't chase trifles! Those who like to wear makeup don’t know what Christian repentance is The whole life of a Christian, my brothers, is a life of repentance, a life of sorrow and tears. Repentance and sorrow are completely foreign to those who think about decorating with clothes, rubbing with fragrant oil or using cosmetics. Repentance and tears are characterized by clothing made of coarse fabric, ashes and suffering of the body. So David, for the sake of repentance, dressed in sackcloth: “And I put on myself sackcloth instead of clothing” (Ps. 68:12). And Ahab, when he lamented and repented of the word that he heard from the prophet Elijah, wore a hair shirt and fasted: “Having heard all these words, Ahab tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted” (1 Kings 21:27). And the Ninevites, when they repented, dressed in sackcloth and sprinkled themselves with ashes: “the king rose from his throne, and took off his royal vestments, and put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes... the people were covered in sackcloth” (Jonah 3:6-8). Christ wore poor clothes Oh! After all, Christians must do the same today and, through a life of repentance, get rid of the captivity into which they have fallen. And seeing the sorrows and misfortunes that every person experiences under the tyrannical yoke of slavery, they should, as wise people, seek not luxury and ornaments, but rather desire to be dressed in poor clothes of sackcloth, sit on the ashes, mourn and lament the evil they have done, hoping to appease the Holy God with their sufferings and move His mercy to free them from this tyranny. Thus, an enslaved person and a decorating person are opposite persons and incompatible with each other. And I also want to say that the decorations of Christians outrage their hostile tyrants, who become embittered and try even more to despotically rule over them. But if Christians do not want to wear sackcloth, as the life of repentance and the life of a captive requires, then let them at least wear pious clothes, modest clothes, inexpensive and poor clothes, as befits Christians, disciples of Christ. That is why Christ Himself, our sweetest Teacher, the Head and Finisher of our salvation, wore similar humble and poor clothes during His life. After all, the above-mentioned woven chiton, which was the only modest garment of the Lord, was usually worn by the poor Galileans, as Isidore Pelusiot says in a letter to a certain person: “But who does not know the low value of the clothing that the poor Galileans used, who especially liked such a garment, woven with some skill?” (Letter 74). And in conclusion of the same letter: “Therefore, if you desire those (blessings), imitate our God Jesus with the low value of clothing, because luxury in clothing is a sign of local delicacy, and not of heavenly luminosity” (Ibid.). In conclusion, I will capture my speech with one entertaining story told by the divine Gregory of Nyssa in a speech to Armonius, in which he talks about what it means to be a Christian. As he tells it, there was one man in Alexandria, a circus performer by profession, who trained bears, monkeys and other similar animals, taught them to dance so that they would gather spectators, and they would admire, be delighted and laugh. He had a monkey dressed in a sparkling dress, its head adorned with a human mask, and it danced and flirted with such art that those who saw it were delighted and even wondered if it was really a person. And then one day, in order to make the audience laugh and show that this was a monkey and not a person, he threw the artist a handful of almonds and other delicacies, especially loved by monkeys. The animal, seeing all this, forgot that it was portraying a magnificently dressed man, remembered its own nature and immediately rushed to the almonds. But since there was a mask on her face that prevented her from eating nuts, the circus performer tore the mask she was wearing and her luxurious clothes. And the audience, seeing how quickly the actress changed her appearance and turned from a human into an ordinary monkey, burst into uncontrollable laughter. “The monkey, as soon as he saw the almonds scattered in front of the stage, not paying attention to anything, forgetting the dancing, the applause, and the elegant clothes, ran up to him and began to collect by the handful what he found; and so that the mask would not interfere with the mouth, she tried to throw it off, tearing the deceptively accepted image with her claws, so that instead of praise and surprise, she suddenly aroused laughter among the spectators when, from behind the fragments of the mask, her ugly and funny appearance appeared” (Armonius. About what the name and title “Christian” means). Oh! I fear that something similar will happen to those men and women who put on elegant attire, because after death they will throw off all the attractiveness of their clothes, along with all the vanity of visible ornaments, and on the day of Judgment they will appear in a worldwide spectacle bound and deprived of all beauty, and those who see them naked and deprived of their former beauty will ridicule them as madmen and fools, because they tried to adorn their bodies in temporary life alien and external decorations, but left their souls naked from virtues and good deeds, which are the true decoration of a Christian. And the Righteous and Terrible Judge will convict them and say to each of them: friend, why did you come here without the attire appropriate for marriage and My Kingdom? "Friend! How did you come here not wearing wedding clothes?” (Matthew 22:12). You decorated your body, and why didn’t you decorate your soul? You spent the time of your life taking care of your body and decorating it, so why didn’t you spend the slightest time taking care of your soul and decorating it? After all, you are a Christian, so why are you not dressed in clothing appropriate for Christians, namely, in imitation of My life and good deeds? So take him by the hands and feet and throw him into outer darkness. “Then the king said to the servants: Having tied his hands and feet, take him and throw him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 22:13). Oh, miserable misfortune! Oh, eternal condemnation and punishment! So that you do not suffer the same, my fellow Christians and my Christian sisters, leave the vain adornment of the mortal body, intended as food for worms, and divide the funds that you wanted to spend on beautiful clothes into charity for the poor, so that with their help you can only acquire the Kingdom of Heaven. Take care only to adorn your immortal and priceless soul, as the Apostle Paul says: “Therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering” (Col. 3:12). “Let us therefore put away the works of darkness and put on the weapons of light” (Rom. 13:12). “Let us, being sons of the day, be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation” (1 Thess. 5:8). Therefore, you possess beautiful and elegant clothes, like your body, only until death, in order to throw them off like that monkey, and therefore reject them as alien and temporary, and covet those other clothes and take them with you after death, as decent and befitting Christians. And having them, you will enter into the joy of the Lord and the Kingdom, clothed in garments truly fitting for that heavenly marriage that will happen to us all in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion, with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen. Therefore, the divine Isidore Pelusiot denounces as a harlot that woman who paints herself and wears jewelry in order to seduce men. He says this: “If a proud woman, painted and dressed up, attracts those who look at her with her appearance, without even catching the seduced one in her net, she receives punishment as if she had caught it. Since she had already prepared the poison, mixed it into the wine, poured it into the cup, but she just couldn’t find anyone willing to drink it. After all, many are condemned not only by the final result, but on the basis of the actions committed” (Letter 1654 to Heron the Presbyter). – Note. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. Myrrh and myrrh are different names for the same incense: the aromatic gum of myrtle arabic. This substance was used for embalming the dead, as incense for burning during religious activities, and also as an aromatic ointment and incense that was used to anoint the body. – Note. lane At St. Nicodemus here has the word “ϱιψοφθαλμοϲ” - in fact, “casting glances around, to the sides, back and forth”; perhaps “looking with curiosity”; therefore, the second part of the statement: “ουδε ϱιψοφθαλμοϲ” can be translated: “don’t look with curiosity” or “don’t be curious.” – Note. lane Here is a Russian translation made from the Septuagint, which was used by St. Nicodemus, since the Russian Synodal translation: “The glory of the young men is their strength,” made from the Hebrew (Masoretic) text, does not convey the thought expressed by the author. – Note. lane The above is confirmed by the story cited by the divine Isidore Pelusiot. He talks about a beautiful, rare beauty girl who fell in love with a certain young man who was not distinguished by moral behavior, a womanizer. He began to do everything possible to satisfy his desire. And this maiden, when she found out that this young man was suffering so much from attraction to her, found a way and means to both preserve her purity and cool down the lust of that unfortunate man. What kind of remedy was this? She cut off all the hair on her head, mixed the ash with water and smeared this mixture all over her face and then called him, telling him to come in to her. When he entered, she said to him: “Unfortunate one, do you love this ugly one?!” He, seeing her, who was such a pitiful sight that evoked disgust rather than love, returned to himself. He sobered up from his intoxication and not only extinguished the heat of this lust, but subsequently passionately fell in love with prudence and virginity. This God-loving and most prudent virgin should be imitated by the women of our time and not only exclude cosmetics and jewelry, but also hide their natural beauty, so as not to become the cause of the death of the souls of their neighbors (letter 553 to Perak the presbyter). – Note. St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. Source not identified. – Note. ed. ανδϱείαι – verbatim: “courageous.” – Note. lane This is the reasoning of St. Nicodemus should be considered a private theological opinion, since neither in the canons and rules of the church, nor in the works of the holy fathers is there a requirement to cover the face of Christian women, even in relation to monastics. – Note. lane ӏο γυναιον – a neuter word used in relation to a woman, contemptuous. "sissy" – Note. lane Hellenes in the Epistles of St. Paul and further in the Christian tradition are called pagans in general and followers of the Greek and Roman religions. – Note. lane It is appropriate to quote here the story that Paul tells. It tells the story of one lady, beautiful and comely, named Philomathia (lit.: “love of knowledge.” - Note). This mistress had a slave who, when the mistress asked, covered her face with whitewash. answered, not without flattery, but still truthfully: “I don’t want to do this, because whitening your face is the same as whitening ivory.” When the mistress demanded water to wash her hands, the maid replied: “You don’t need this, because your hands are so soft that they can be used to purify the water, and not to wash them with it.” Then the mistress ordered her clothes and jewelry to be brought, wanting to decorate herself. To this the slave said: “Adornments are unnecessary for you, for you are a much greater adornment for decorations and outfits. how you decorate yourself with them.” Do you see that even ignoble women and slaves consider bathing and decoration unnecessary for naturally beautiful maidens? Therefore, Saint Isidore Pelusiot praises the ancients, who believed that jewelry was characteristic of dissolute women, but not of prudent ones. He says: “I greatly admire ancient Sparta, where prudent women were forbidden to adorn themselves. They believed that jewelry was more appropriate for hetaeras, who, like traps and nets for the beast, go out with them to catch dissolute youths” (Letter 1485 to Ophelia Scholasticus). – Note. St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. Аφοϱιϲεσθω - “let him be excommunicated”; form of the imperative mood from аφοϱιϲω - to separate, to dissociate, to excommunicate. In the field of church law, this verb is a term meaning for clergy temporary excommunication from ministry or temporary excommunication from Communion; in relation to the laity, it means: 1) complete excommunication from the Church (for example, heretics); 2) temporary excommunication from participation in worship and Communion for various periods (for example, those who took part in pagan sacrifices). See: A Patristic Greek Lexicon / Ed. Lampe G.W.H. Oxford, 1961. P. 279. – Note. lane You might be interested in: