E01903: Basil of Caesarea in his Homily 14, On the drunkards, delivered in the 370s, reproaches women of his congregation for drinking and dancing at the shrines of martyrs around Kaisareia/Caesarea of Cappadocia (central Asia Minor) on Easter Sunday. Written in Greek at Caesarea.

Basil of Caesarea, Holimy 14, On the drunkards (In ebriosos) (CPG 2858)

[......] Γυναῖκες ἀκόλαστοι, ἐπιλαθόμεναι τοῦ φόβου τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦ πυρὸς τοῦ αἰωνίου καταφρονήσασαι, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τοιαύτῃ, ὅτε αὐτὰς ἐχρῆν διὰ τὴν ἀνάμνησιν τῆς ἀναστάσεως καθῆσθαι ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις, καὶ ἔννοιαν λαμβάνειν τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης, καθ’ ἣν ἀνοιγήσονται μὲν οἱ οὐρανοὶ, ἐπιφανήσεται δὲ ἡμῖν ὁ κριτὴς ἐξ οὐρανῶν, καὶ σάλπιγγες Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν, καὶ κρίσις δικαία, καὶ ἀντίδοσις ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ· ἀντὶ τοῦ ταῦτα ἔχειν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς, καὶ καθαίρειν μὲν ἑαυτῶν τὰς καρδίας ἀπὸ πονηρῶν ἐνθυμήσεων, ἐξαλείφειν δὲ τοῖς δάκρυσι τὰ προημαρτημένα, ἑτοιμάζεσθαι δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀπάντησιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ τὴν μεγάλην ἡμέραν τῆς ἐπιφανείας αὐτοῦ, ἀποσεισάμεναι τὸν ζυγὸν τῆς δουλείας τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ῥίψασαι ἀπὸ τῶν κεφαλῶν τὰ τῆς εὐσχημοσύνης καλύμματα, καταφρονήσασαι τοῦ Θεοῦ, καταφρονήσασαι τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ, καταναισχυντήσασαι πάσης ἄῤῥενος ὄψεως, σοβοῦσαι τὰς κόμας, σύρουσαι τοὺς χιτῶνας, καὶ τοῖς ποσὶν ἅμα παίζουσαι, ὀφθαλμῷ ἀσελγεῖ, γέλωτι ἐκκεχυμένῳ πρὸς ὄρχησιν ἐκμανεῖσαι, πᾶσαν νέων ἀκολασίαν ἐφ’ ἑαυτὰς προσκαλούμεναι, ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τῆς πόλεως μαρτυρίοις χοροὺς συστησάμεναι, ἐργαστήριον τῆς οἰκείας αὐτῶν ἀσχημοσύνης τοὺς ἡγιασμένους τόπους πεποίηνται. Ἐμίαναν μὲν τὸν ἀέρα τοῖς ᾄσμασι τοῖς πορνικοῖς, ἐμίαναν δὲ τὴν γῆν τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις ποσὶν, ἣν ἐν ταῖς ὀρχήσεσι κατεκρότησαν, θέατρον ἑαυταῖς νεανίσκων ὄχλον περιστησάμεναι, σοβάδες ὄντως καὶ παράφοροι παντελῶς, μανίας οὐδεμίαν ὑπερβολὴν ἀπολείπουσαι. Ταῦτα πῶς μὲν σιωπήσω; πῶς δὲ κατ’ ἀξίαν ὀδύρωμαι; Οἶνος ἡμῖν τῶν ψυχῶν τούτων τὴν ζημίαν ἐποίησεν· οἶνος, τὸ παρὰ Θεοῦ δῶρον εἰς παραμυθίαν τῆς ἀσθενείας δεδομένον τοῖς σωφρονοῦσιν· ὅπλον δὲ νῦν γενόμενον ἀκολασίας τοῖς ἀσελγαίνουσιν [......].

‘[......] Dissolute women who forgot about the fear of God and disdained the eternal fire on such a day, when they should have stayed at home on account of remembering the Resurrection, and should have contemplated that day when the heavens will open and the Judge will appear to us from heaven, and there will be trumpets of God, and resurrection of the dead, and just judgement, and reward for everyone according to his work! Instead of keeping these things in their thoughts, cleansing their own hearts from evil thoughts, wiping off their past sins by their tears, and preparing themselves to meet Christ on the great day of His epiphany, they shook off the yoke of Christ’s service, and threw off the covers of decency from their heads. They scorned God, scorned his angels, and embarrassed every male person’s eyes by shaking their hair, dragging their tunics and playing with their legs. With lustful eyes and unconstrained laughter, they were excited to dancing, inviting onto themselves all sorts of licentiousness from the young. Setting up dancing parties at the martyrs’ shrines [martyria] outside the city, they turned the hallowed sites into factories of their own indecency. They defiled the air with their whorish songs, defiled the ground with their dirty feet, hitting it in their dances, exposing themselves to the spectacle of the mob of the youngsters, rocking and shaking around, and missing no excess of madness. How can I keep silent about these things? How can I deplore them as they deserve? It was wine that caused to us this spiritual damage. Wine! The gift given from God to the prudent for consolation in infirmity, but now turned into a weapon of licentiousness for the lewd [.......].’

Text: Migne, Patrologia Graeca 31, 447-448.
Translation: E. Rizos