And withal being idle they learn to go about from house to house: and are not only idle, but tattlers also and busy bodies, speaking things which they ought not.
αμα δε και αργαι μανθανουσιν περιερχομεναι τας οικιας ου μονον δε αργαι αλλα και φλυαροι και περιεργοι λαλουσαι τα μη δεοντα
11 Church Fathers comment on this verse
“Besides, being idle, they learn.” Therefore he commands not only men to work, but also women, because idleness teaches every evil. They are subject, he says, not only to this fault, but also to other sins. If it is improper for a woman to go about from house to house, much more is it improper for a virgin.
“They are not only idle,” he says, “but also talkative, curious, speaking what they ought not.”
“Besides, being idle, they learn to go about from house to house.” Besides the condemnation already mentioned for sins, they are guilty of something else: they become accustomed to idleness because they go about from house to house. Idleness teaches every evil. Therefore idleness is improper not only for men, but also for women.
“And they are not only idle, but also talkative, curious, speaking what they ought not.” Justly so. For when they go from house to house, they do nothing other than carry gossip from one woman to another, from this one to that one. By prying into everything, they necessarily fall into curiosity. By telling everyone about everything, they fall into talkativeness.
Avoid as a plague those maidens and widows who wander idly but zealously through the houses of matrons and, having lost all shame, surpass parasites in freeloading. “Evil company corrupts good morals” (1 Cor 15:33). They have no further concern except the belly and what lies nearest the belly.
They advise and speak in this manner: my little one, enjoy your estate and live while you are alive. Are you really saving everything for your heirs? Given over to sensuality and drunkenness, they are ready to suggest any evil. They soften even firm souls into sensuality.
He has shown the reasons why he does not include them in the list of widows. The statement “they grow wanton” means that, while using Church assistance and satisfying bodily needs without care, they live in idleness. Idleness brings wicked thoughts after it.
“At the same time they learn to be idle.”
That is, to be idle. But how do they learn to be idle?
“Going about from house to house.”
Through youth and impetuosity, they go about to other people’s houses.
“And not only idle, but also talkative and curious.”
That is, they learn to be such.
“Speaking what they ought not.”
They converse about unworthy subjects and pry into what they should not know at all.
An attempt at premature stillness brings inevitable and destructive consequences. A bold, self-confident ascetic, darkened and bound by ignorance, will not find food for his soul in stillness. From this he will certainly fall into despondency.
Among those who live in stillness, despondency acts with special force and harm. It hands them over to the attraction of many deceitful thoughts and fantasies.
The food of those who live in stillness is the grace-filled and enlightening consolation given by the revelation of the mystery of Christ's Cross. It is a gift from above, not a knowledge that properly belongs to human nature.
It is impossible to replace the spiritual with the psychic. If someone strives to replace it, he will take falsehood for truth, in a hypocritical image of truth.
The fruit of falsehood is disorder, as is also the fruit of despondency. Yet the disorder caused by falsehood differs from the disorder born of despondency.
The first appears in self-deception, in a lofty opinion of oneself, and in boasting of supposed virtues and gifts. It appears in contempt and judgment of one's neighbors. It ends in pride, delusion, and frenzy of mind.
Sometimes it ends in falling into fleshly passions, and sometimes in suicide. Most often it ends in demonic possession and damage to the mind, which are usually called insanity.
The second appears in idleness, laziness, and the abandonment of one's cell. It appears in a disposition toward diversion through conversations, frequent outings, wanderings, and turning to earthly wisdom and learning.
When the psychic reason is revived according to the property of the old Adam, faith is rejected. God's providence is hidden from the eyes of the mind. Man, as though eternal on earth, rushes wholly toward the earthly alone.
He gradually falls into a state below nature, passionate and fleshly. In relation to true life, Christ, this is the death of the soul.
Whoever has fallen into disorder of both kinds, and especially the first, for the most part becomes wholly incapable of ascetic life. Yet humility heals even such diseases as are incurable in themselves, said John Climacus.
“At the same time they learn to be idle, going about from house to house.” Living in abundance and spending time in idleness, young widows fall, besides the desire to marry already indicated, into other dangerous vices: talkativeness and empty curiosity.
"For when they grow wanton against Christ," that is, "when they fall into luxury in opposition to Christ," "they desire to marry, having condemnation, because they have rejected the first faith" (1 Tim 5:11-12).
Is it a sin for widows to marry? By no means. The Apostle himself says below, in verse 14: "I desire that younger widows marry and bear children."
The Apostle calls sin the widows' betrayal of their vow, the vow of unmarried widowhood. By faith he means this very vow of celibacy.
"For when they accept the resolve to remain widows for Christ, they enter into a covenant with Christ, that they are betrothed to Him forever. But when they incline toward marriage with a man, they break this covenant. For this they are subject to condemnation" (Oecumenius, Theophylact).
The Apostle portrays young widows in unfavorable traits. Without occupying themselves with work, they wander into other people's houses, spread every sort of rumor, search them out, give themselves to chatter, and seek husbands.
They are ready to abandon the faith, as has already happened with some. By this they have given themselves over to Satan and have given believers and unbelievers occasion for condemnation.
To prevent all these improprieties, the Apostle commands Timothy not to include such young widows among the church widows. Instead, he is to help them enter marriage.
Then, in bearing and raising children, they will find the work common to all women. Thus they will avoid every occasion for reproach, especially from the opponents of the faith: Jews, Gentiles, and heretics.
These heretics preached harmful celibacy, partly from error and partly with vile aims. They easily achieved those aims among young widows.
"The young widows themselves gave occasion for this ordinance concerning them," says Theophylact. "They did not endure widowhood. In accepting such a resolve, to remain widows for Christ, they enter into a covenant with Him. By it they are betrothed to Him forever.
But when they incline toward marriage, they break this covenant and are subject to condemnation. Being conquered by desires for pleasures and having grown cold toward widowhood, they only pretend to keep away from marriage. In reality they desire it.
As a result, with coarse arrogance and insensibility, they grow wanton and turn their eyes away from Christ as Bridegroom."
"It is clear that they chose widowhood lightly, without careful thought," says John Chrysostom.
"It would of course have been better if they had not turned away from Christ and had not broken their vow. But since some slip into this, let them rather not enter into a covenant with Christ. Let them not vow to dedicate themselves to Him, but marry again" (Oecumenius).
"For in this case God is not rejected, and they themselves do not learn to be idle. But lest you think that the Apostle gives them license to live as they please, he added: 'to give no occasion to the adversary for reproach.'
He rejects these widows because he does not want them to commit adultery. He does not want them to be idle, inquisitive without need, or to say what they ought not. He does not want the devil to find in them an occasion for condemnation.
If this were not the case, he would not have rejected them."
Then Timothy must use caution in choosing deaconesses. They had to assist presbyters at the baptism of women and perform various works of Christian love for women and children. This was not entirely suitable for deacons.
The widow chosen for this difficult office must be at least sixty years old. Only of such a woman can one be assured that she will not marry again, but will devote herself to her work with all her heart.
The reason why the Apostle requires that a deaconess be a woman married only once was certainly the same as the reason priests and deacons must be husbands of one wife.
Young widows seeking the office of deaconess should be refused. Under the influence of passions awakened again, they forget their promise to remain unmarried and to serve Christ.
By this they bring condemnation upon themselves as having betrayed the trust they formerly enjoyed from the Church, "because they have rejected the first faith."
To guard the Church from unworthy deaconesses, such as already existed even in the Apostle's time among certain young widows tempted by the devil, the Apostle finally commands care for widows.
This care is to be given not only by close relatives, but by their acquaintances in general. Then, such is the Apostle's thought, young widows will have no need to seek means of livelihood in the diaconate.
The true widow, who has sincerely loved widowhood, assigns herself to a solitary and strict life. Attending to herself, she remains in prayers and labors.
The inward contentment drawn from such a life confirms her in it more and more. It serves her as support and defense against temptations.
But the widow who has not considered all this, and has lightly resolved upon widowhood, soon grows weary of it and cold toward it. When this happens, the works of widowhood no longer come to mind.
To sit in solitude, pray, and labor becomes tedious. The need for diversions arises, and she begins going from house to house. With this, talkativeness, curiosity, and improper speech necessarily become attached.
This is the second reason why young widows must be refused. The Apostle speaks as though saying: even if one of them does not desire to enter a second marriage after vowing not to do so, another danger remains.
If she does not strictly undertake the works of widowhood, solitude, labor, and prayer, as is naturally to be expected from the young, she will soon become an idle wanderer. She will become talkative and inquisitive, to the scandal of all, both her own and outsiders.
This alone is enough to require greater caution concerning them.
Chrysostom says: "They are subject not only to this fault, the breaking of the vow, but also to other sins, idleness and wandering from house to house. What profit is there when they renounce care for husbands but do not take care for God?
Then they will certainly become idle, talkative, and inquisitive without need. For whoever does not attend to his own affairs will necessarily attend to another's. Likewise, the one who attends to his own will not speak about another's affairs, nor will he have any concern for them.
Nothing is so unbecoming to a woman as to search out another's affairs in every way. Yet this is not true only of a woman, but also of a man. It is the greatest sign of shamelessness and insolence."
According to Theodoret, the occasion or starting point for such a deviation of young widows from seemly conduct may be church support itself.
"Using the Church's assistance and satisfying bodily needs without care, they live in idleness. And idleness brings evil thoughts with it."
After the thoughts, conduct itself loses its seemliness. From idleness they go from house to house, and become babblers, that is, talkative, φλυαροι, and meddlers, that is, inquisitive, περιεργοι.
This is all the more blameworthy if they cover themselves with the title of widowhood. "Honoring widowhood, the well-to-do receive them into their homes. They learn what is pleasant for them to hear, gather it from other houses, and bring it to them.
For this they receive gifts from them. In this way they learn to live more by gossip than by the labor of their hands" (Ambrosiaster).
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 21 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS