ined Paulinus the Eustathian as bishop, there were three bishops of Antioch at the same time: Meletius, Paulinus, and Euzoius. And since afterward, when the Arian ones were failing A in their parts, there was no Arian bishop, Meletius and Paulinus remained bishops, and with the schism continuing, both parties tore each other apart with quarrels, taunts, and insults. Chrysostom undoubtedly deplores these things; he follows them up with shed tears, as if this were the greatest calamity of all, and he shrinks from such misery as if it were present. This, certainly, can only be understood of the Church of Antioch.
Another indication, and no light one, by which it may be proven that the homilies were delivered at Antioch, is that he frequently praises monks living a harsh and holy life in the mountains; which you will scarcely find in the Constantinopolitan homilies. Indeed, he often attacks the monks near Constantinople severely, as those who had departed not a little from their ancient institution of life; but B if I remember rightly, he nowhere says that there were monks in the mountains near Constantinople. Here, however, he celebrates them everywhere with encomia, and in the twenty-first homily, he mentions a certain admirable monk named Julian, who, when he entered cities—which was a very rare occurrence—was received with a marvelous gathering of everyone and a large crowd of people.
He often attacks the wicked customs of the Antiochenes, as we have seen elsewhere, especially those things which flowed from heathens and idolaters, such as prognostications and incantations (col. 48), and also fate and metempsychosis (col. 92). They said that all things were governed by no providence; others asserted with impunity that God was a body. Regarding the omens and presages of which he speaks, they are worth relating here: "Their soul," he says, "is full of many terrors. For instance, if this person or that is the first I meet when I go out of the house, I must necessarily encounter innumerable evils. Again, if a wretched slave, while giving me my shoes, first offers the left one, heavy calamities and insults are signified. I myself, when going out, proceeded with my left foot first: this too is a sign of calamities. And these, indeed, are the evils at home: but when I have gone outside, if my right eye twitches below, this is an indication of tears. Women, too, when the shuttles resound, striking against the straight wood of the loom, or when they are parting the threads with a comb, take this for a sign. Again, when they strike the woof with the comb, and do it more vehemently, then the shuttles above, due to the intense blow, produce a noise as they strike against the straight wood of the frame; they take this for a sign, and other C innumerable things worthy to be mocked. And if an ass brays, and if a rooster crows, and if anyone sneezes, and anything else at all, they are like ten thousand men bound in chains, as I said, like those who are held in darkness; they are suspicious of all things, and are more servile than numberless slaves."
In the twentieth homily, where he puts forth many illustrious things worth reading about the instruction of a wife, he vehemently attacks the luxury and pride of the Antiochenes, many of whom, though men of a lower sort who had prepared great wealth for themselves, went out burdened with gold with their wives, in a carriage yoked with white mules, accompanied by flocks of servants and bands of eunuchs. He inveighs most sharply against those who had introduced nuptial ceremonies unworthy of Christians; he denounces dancing and revelry, impudent songs, and other things that would dishonor the marriage bed. He also inveighs harshly against their wives, who were so cruel to their maidservants and handmaids that they would have them bound and stripped, and would beat them most severely before the eyes of their husbands (col. 110), calling them Thessalians, a word which in Aristophanes signifies sorceresses and deceitful women.
Thus he assailed the Antiochenes who used their wealth too intemperately; he also assailed not a few who hungered for the goods of others. But we must now come to other things. In the eighth homily D...