The concept of widowhood in the church

The early Church shows its vitality in the knowledge of its pastors of the truth of their mission, which is centered on presenting the divine potential to humanity, and revealing the power of this potential that can work in every member.

The Apostle Paul’s letters focus on revealing the possibility of the work of Christ dwelling within us. He even prays to God for his flock with this goal: “That the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened, that you may know what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty strength” (Ephesians 1:18-19).

Pastors who focus on merely comforting the afflicted, comforting the grieving, or satisfying the needs of individuals, condemn their children to inactivity, atrophy, and then death, because they have not revealed to them the power that dwells within them that is able to work within them so that they may be satisfied and overflow to others.

These shepherds did not understand that the Church is active, and her Bridegroom is a worker. Therefore, the children of Jesus must be workers, otherwise they will become like the slave who took his talent from his master and did not squander it, but hid it and did not trade in it... They are inactive members and a heavy burden on themselves and on the entire Church. The member who is without work dies and is corrupted, and so are the members around him.

The mission of the Church is to guide each of its members, children and the elderly, young men and women, men and women, the sick and the disabled, widows and married people, the poor and the rich, leaders and subordinates, priests and lay people...to guide them to their mission and help them realize the possibility of God’s work in them so that they may work with God’s grace for the edification of themselves and others.

The youth who has fallen under the weight of violent lust… the Church does not despise him, nor does it make light of him. Rather, it is not satisfied with his return to a life of purity, but it must reveal the truth that the more hideous his fall is, the greater his resurrection will be. The more he destroys himself, the more he builds himself and others who have fallen like him. Because the more violent lust is, this is a declaration of the possibility of activity and love that lies within him, but it is misdirected. Such a person is destroyed by the pastor who asks him to simply abstain from evil, because the Church does not accept the suppression of her children and does not stop at passivity, but rather believes in transcendence and direction. So such a person is first told to love God, so lust will dissipate, or in other words, lust will dissolve in love.

This is what John Chrysostom did in his guidance to the fallen monk Tadros. (1) When he clearly declared to him that as much as he fell, there would be a greater resurrection, and God would raise up many through him.

As for widows - who are the subject of our discussion - we might think that the Church’s message towards them is focused on comforting them in their misfortune, taking into account their circumstances and caring for their psychological and material needs.

I say with shame that this is the view of many fathers whom we consider loving workers, but in reality it is a rigid view that pushes the category of widows towards death. Because widowhood is not a calamity that pastors work to comfort those who have befallen them, but rather it is a blessing, strength and a new possibility, through which widows have been freed from the slavery of husbands [Father Tadros means here that widows have been lifted from the responsibility of marriage, as the man also falls under the slavery of marriage like the wife, meaning that he also cares for what is his wife. Every husband must care for his partner in life], so that their souls may set free with greater freedom in worshipping and serving the Lord.

The message of the shepherds to them is to reveal their insights into the true Bridegroom, Jesus, so that they may love Him more... and be driven in deep love to worship and bear witness to Him.

Widows should not see themselves as a distressed group seeking everyone’s sympathy and kindness, and thus live with broken hearts. Rather, they are a group that occupies the third rank after the clergy and the celibate, and they have their own great work and mission in the Church. In this way, their morale is raised, and the Church benefits from them and their service.

Indeed, the secret of our weakness today lies in our narrow view of the category of ministers – priests and church education ministers – as the only category working in the church. This concept is enough to doom us to stagnation. The church in its vitality does not know stagnation, “He who does not gather with me scatters.” Children in schools, who can attract them to Jesus except their brothers, children who believe in practical faith? Young people, who can win them to Jesus except young people who have the true image of Jesus? Women, in their visits to each other, are able to work on each other’s spiritual growth. Even the sick can win the souls of those who visit them… Even the elderly have their work in the church.

This is what was revealed in this letter of John Chrysostom to a young widow who had recently married, whose husband was about to be appointed governor of a province.

First and foremost, it reveals the wisdom and knowledge of the early church pastors. John Chrysostom begins the epistle with a broken heart, sharing her pain and sorrow, acknowledging the harshness of the experience. But he moves her from feelings of pain to the concept of true widowhood, as if to say to her: Blessed are you because your fellowship with Jesus is now becoming more profound, and blessed are you because He cares for you as one of His special ones, even as His bride. Blessed are you because you have become more honorable by being a widow working in the church. As for glory, the Lord has taken your high-ranking husband, so that Jesus may become your bridegroom, and in eternal life you will meet your husband in a deep and eternal spiritual union.

As for your soul being troubled and fearing for your possessions, seek to transfer them to heaven, where you will find them in heaven with your husband. The Lord is able to govern the shepherds for the edification of the souls of all.

Father Tadros Yacoub

This book is translated by the Coptic Church: This means that we do not agree with everything that was stated in the comments of the translator or the preparer, and sometimes we disagree with it. Please alert us if there is something like this or something that is not understood... To read the text in English, please click here

A great disaster..!!

We all agree that you are suffering a terrible calamity, and that the sword has been drawn from above over a vital part (your husband)... something that no one can deny, even if he is a man of harsh words and a hard heart.

And since those who are struck with grief should not spend their whole lives in weeping and lamenting, but should treat their wounds lest by their neglect their tears increase their wounds and the fires of their grief be inflamed, it is right that we listen to words of consolation, holding back the fountain of our tears for a time, and turning aside those who seek our consolation.

Therefore, I refrained from disturbing you when your grief was at its most intense, when the thunderbolt struck you, waiting a while to allow you to be filled with grief. But now that you can look through the light mist, and open your ears to those who seek to comfort you, I want to support your maids' words to you with a little participation on my part.

For when the tempest is violent, and the winds of sorrow are strong, he who advises another to desist from sorrow, will rather excite him to greater sorrow, and cause him to hate (his advisor), and the words of the advisor will be to him like fuel to kindle the fires of sorrow, besides looking upon the advisor as a cruel and foolish man. But when the troubled waters begin to calm down, and God has calmed the waves, then we may spread the forts of new ships without fear. For in a moderate storm experience can be of use; but when the onslaught of the winds is violent, experience is of no avail.

For this reason, I had before kept silence, but now I have ventured to break my silence, because I have heard from your uncle that a man may begin to talk to you by regaining his courage, as some of your honorable maids have ventured to open conversation with you on this matter, and also the women who are your relatives who live outside your dwelling as if they were prepared to do this work.

Now that you have allowed them to speak to you, I have great hope and certainty that you will not despise my words but will listen to me carefully.

Jesus is your bridegroom !!

In any circumstance a woman is more sensitive to pain, especially if she is young, widowed prematurely, inexperienced in many works, and has many responsibilities, especially if her early life was full of luxury and joy and wealth, then the evil is doubled. If such a woman does not receive help from above, any passing thought can destroy her.

Now I offer this (message) as the first and greatest testimony of God’s care for you, so that you may not be swallowed up by grief, nor destroyed by your natural thoughts, when these troubles suddenly work to grieve you. For you do not need a human hand, but the hand of the Almighty, whose understanding is limitless, and the wisdom that has been discovered, “the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3), for it is said, “He has torn us, and will heal us” (Hos. 6:2), “He will smite us, and bind up our wounds, and will heal us.”

You were honored to have your blessed husband with you, and you were the object of his care and jealousy. You were truly what you expected from a husband.

Now that God has taken your husband to Himself, He takes his place in relation to you. I do not say this on my own authority, but the blessed prophet says, “He sustains the fatherless and the widow” (Ps. 146:9). And in another place He says, “He is a father to the fatherless and a judge to the widows” (Ps. 68:5). Thus we find God jealously caring for this class of humanity, as He has expressed in many expressions.

Are you ashamed to be called a "widow"?

Perhaps repeating the name “widow” too often weakens your spirit and confuses your mind, as you become afflicted while you are in the prime of your life.

First of all, I want to discuss this and prove to you that the title “widow” is not a title of misfortune but a title of dignity. Yes, it is a title of great dignity. Do not take the false notions of the world as a testimony to hold fast to, but hold fast to the advice of blessed Paul, and even to the advice of Christ, for the apostle speaks through Christ, for he says, “Christ speaking in me” (2 Corinthians 13:3).

The Apostle said, “Let a widow be enrolled if she is not under sixty years old,” and also, “But I reject the younger widows” (1 Timothy 5:9, 11). With both phrases, he intended to point out to us the seriousness of the matter.

When he organized the subject of bishops, he did not specify an age for them, but here he specified an age. Why? Not because widowhood is greater than priesthood, but because widows have serious work. They are surrounded by various jobs, both public and private.As a city that is not fortified is a prey to those who would rob it, so the young widow has many people around her, not only those who would rob her of her money, but also those who would corrupt her chastity. Besides, she is subject to other circumstances similar to her downfall, the carelessness and negligence of her servants in work, her loss of the dignity she once had, her expectation that her peers are still in comfort, and her longing for luxury; all this tempts her to a second marriage.

Some of them do not want to be bound to a man in the law of marriage, and they do this so that they can enjoy the dignity of widowhood.

Widowhood is not shameful, but rather a matter of admiration and honor among men, not only among believers but also among unbelievers.

When I was young I knew that the philosopher (sophist) (2) He who taught me, he who revered the gods more than all men, had shown admiration for my mother before a strong bond had been formed. For, inquiring about me, as was his custom to inquire about all those around him, he was told that I was the son of a widow. He asked how old my mother was and how long she had been a widow. And when he learned that she was forty years old, as I had been twenty years since I lost my father, he was astonished, saying, “Oh God!! What women are these among the Christians!!”

Thus great and honorable is the life of widowhood, not only in our eyes but also in the eyes of those outside the Church.

… The Apostle Paul says, “Let a widow be enrolled if she is not under 18 years of age.”

Sixty years” 1 Timothy 5:9. This great preparation in terms of age is not enough for a woman to be counted among this holy group (widows), but other additional qualities are required: “well-attested to for good works, if she has reared children, given hospitality to strangers, washed the feet of the saints, helped the afflicted, followed every good work” 1 Timothy 5:10.

Oh God! What a test! What a search! How many great virtues does he require in a widow! Describing her with such precision! Which he would not have done had he not been inclined to entrust them with a great work and an honorable position.

He says, “But the younger widows I reject,” and the reason for this is “because when they are proud of Christ, they desire to be married” (1 Timothy 5:11). By saying this he makes us understand that those who have lost their husbands are brides of Christ instead of their husbands. See how he confirms this by explaining the nature of this union calmly and simply. I mean by this his saying, “when they are proud of Christ, they desire to be married,” as if Christ were a noble husband who did not want to dominate them (forcibly), but wanted them to live freely.

And the Apostle, in his discussion of this subject, did not stop at these phrases, as he explained in another place... “But she who was abstaining died while she lived,” “But she who was a widow and was alone has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day” (1 Timothy 5:5, 6).

And he writes to the Corinthians, saying, “But it is more blessed if you remain thus” (1 Corinthians 7:40).

You see what great dignity is given to widows, and this is in the New Testament when the light of virginity also shone clearly. Despite the great splendor of this category (the virgins), it does not overshadow the glories of widowhood, as it shines for all, preserving its value.

When you talk about widowhood from time to time, do not be upset or ashamed of it as something shameful. Because if widowhood were shameful, then virginity would most likely be shameful, but that is not the truth. God forbid!!

Since we all admire women who live chastely while their men are alive, and respect them, do we not admire those who retain the same feelings for their men even after their death, and praise them for this?!

As I was saying, as much as you enjoyed dignity while you were with Blessed Therasius and a position as a natural thing for a wife to receive from her husband, now you have God, the Lord of all, who was your protector before and still protects you, but more jealously than before.

As I have said before, I say again that God plays no small part in caring for you, keeping you safe, not harming you in the midst of such a furnace of anxiety and sorrow, and not burdening you with anything useless.

Now, if God does not allow any destruction of a ship in the midst of calm water, how much more will He protect your soul in a calm atmosphere and lighten the burden of your widowhood and its consequences, which seem to you to be terrifying!!

You will meet Him glorified !!

If it is not the name of “widow” that troubles you, but the loss of such a husband, I agree with you that there are few like that man in the world of men, in his love, nobility, humility, sincerity, wisdom, and piety.

Indeed, if he had perished completely or been completely finished, that would have been a great disaster and a sad thing to say. But if he had only sailed to a quiet harbor and made a journey to God who is truly his King, then we should not be sad but rejoice.

For this death is not death, but a kind of migration and transition from bad to better, from earth to heaven, from among men to angels and archangels, and even with God who is the Lord of angels and archangels. For here on earth, when he served the emperor, he was surrounded by the dangers and plots of the wicked. As his fame increased, the plans of enemies (envious people) were woven around him, and now he has passed to the other world, where we can expect nothing of this.

As much as you grieve that God has taken away a man who was so good and honorable, you should be glad that he has departed to a safer and more honorable place, freed from the dangerous annoyances of this present life, for he is now in great security and tranquility.

If we do not need to know that heaven is much better than earth, then how can we mourn those who have departed from this world to the next world?!

If your husband had been like those who live a shameful life that is not pleasing to God, you should have mourned and wept, not only when he passed away, but even while he was alive here, but as much as he is a friend of God, we ought to rejoice in him, not while he is alive here, but also when he lies at rest.

Since we must do this, listen to what the blessed Apostle says: “I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Phil. 1:23).

But perhaps you long to hear your husband’s voice, enjoy his love that surrounded him, and be with him. You desire the glory that you attain by being with him, the greatness, dignity, security, and other things that, if you are deprived of them, your life becomes dark and miserable.

Well!! The love that he bestowed upon you you can keep with you as it was before because this is the power of love that it embraces, unites and connects not only those who are present together (physically) and those who are close in place and visible, but also those who are far apart from each other by a great distance. Neither the length of time nor the distance of space or anything like that can break or dissipate the love of the soul.

But if you desire to see him face to face, which I know is the object of your longing, keep your bedside in dignity, without any other man touching you, and do your best to imitate him, and then you will surely go some day to meet him there, not to live with him for five years as here, nor twenty years, nor a hundred, but a thousand times over, nay, endless generations, for you are not yet bound by a physical relation, but by a relation in some way that suits your preparation for the inheritance of the place of rest.

For if … Lazarus the stranger was brought to be with Abraham in heaven itself, in his bosom, and many from the east and the west are prepared to sit with him, how much more will you obtain the resting place of the good Thrasius, if you walk like him? And then you will receive him again, not in the passing beauty he had when he departed, but in another kind of glory, in splendor more than the rays of the sun. For this, though it has a great deal of beauty, is passing away. But the bodies of those who please God will be so glorified that our eyes will not be able to see their glory.

The Lord has encouraged us with specific examples and obscure references in both the New and Old Testaments. In the Old Testament, the face of Moses shone with such glory that the Israelites could not look at him, but in the New Testament, the face of Jesus shone much more brightly than the face of Moses.

Tell me. If someone promised you that he would make your husband king over the whole world, on condition that you would leave him for twenty years for his benefit, until he brought him back to you with the crown and purple, and you would be in his rank, would you not have borne separation from him with meekness and self-control? Would you not have rejoiced well at this gift and considered it something worthy of pleading to obtain it?

Well then, that you submit to this, not for an earthly kingdom but a heavenly one, not to receive Him clothed in a golden robe but in an eternal and glorious garment befitting those who dwell in heaven…

You mourn the glory of the world ?!

Perhaps your grief is also for the loss of the peace and security you had in your husband's presence, and perhaps for the longing for the fulfilment of the great hopes of elevation you were waiting for. For I had heard that your husband was soon to be given the office of governor of a province, and this, I think, troubles and annoys you.

I beg you to consider the lives of those who were in higher positions than your husband, and see how their lives came to a pitiful end.

Let me remind you of these. You may know Theodore Siculus. (3) For his fame, as he was one of the great and prominent, he was superior to all in stature, prestige, and the emperor's confidence in him. He had more power in the royal palace than all, but he could not bear this luxury with meekness, but he plotted against the emperor, who imprisoned him and made him miserable. As for his wife, who was not less than her noble husband in education, birth, and all other matters, all her money was confiscated in a moment, and he even lost his freedom.

As she became a slave, she committed herself to a life more pitiful than all slaves…

It is also said of Artemisia, who was the wife of a man of great fame, who also wanted to usurp the throne, and his wife fell like the former wife and even became blind because of the intensity of her despair and the abundance of her tears. And now she seeks someone to take her hand and lead her so that she may knock at the doors of others seeking the necessary sustenance.

And as I mention to you many other families that have gone down the road, I do not know that you are impious or unwise, that you should seek comfort in your misfortune by looking to the misfortunes of others. The only reason I have given you these examples… is that you may learn that human things are nothing, for truly, as the prophet says, “All his beauty is as a flower of the field” (Isaiah 40:6). For the pride and glory of men will be destroyed.

Do you seek wealth? ?

(Chrysostom realized that one of the most important factors that saddened this widow was that she expected that her husband would soon attain the position of head of a province or city. prefect And great hopes were placed before her, in terms of her fame, greatness and wealth, in being his wife… Here is the message of John Chrysostom to reveal to her what Mar Isaac the Syrian said that whoever seeks dignity, it flees from him, but whoever does not run after it, it runs after him and holds on to him. He reminds her that the affairs of the world flee from whoever holds on to them and searches for them anxiously and turbulently. As for whoever works and struggles and does not care about people’s dignity and praise, dignity clings to him more. He also reveals to her the concept of true glory and true wealth that await us in the afterlife… He says:

Riches seem to most people to be a good thing, but when the desire for vain glory is gone, riches are no longer a beloved thing.

However, those who allowed themselves to gain popular glory in the midst of their poverty did not prefer riches, but despised gold when it was offered to them. I think you do not need to learn from me about those men whom you know better than I do, such as Epaminondas. Elapsed Socrates, Aristotle, Demohin, and Crates Krats The first ones (other than Crates) were so poor that they could not attain wealth, but they attained glory in the midst of their poverty. But this man krats He left what he owned. And so they became passionate about chasing that cruel beast (the lust for wealth and money).

So let us not weep. For God has delivered us from this burdensome slavery which is the subject of mockery and severe rebuke, for there is no exaltation in wealth except in the name it bears. And it places its possessor in a position that contradicts his name (rich). And there is no one who does not laugh and mock at him who places his affairs for the mere lust of glory (false).

Only he who does not desire vain glory (i.e. the praise of people) can attain glory and honor. But he who places all his attention on attaining vain glory from the world, and endures much to attain it, does not attain honor; he attains what is the opposite of glory: he becomes the object of ridicule, accusations, contempt, enmity, and hatred.

This is what usually happens not only among men, but even more so among you women.

The woman who lets herself be herself, without affectation in her appearance, walk, or dress, and does not seek dignity from anyone, this woman will be admired by all women, who admire her, praise her, call her holy, and see all goodness in her.

As for the woman who is arrogant with vain glory, women look at her with disgust and aversion and avoid her like a predatory animal, and they heap endless insults and slander on her.

By rejecting human glory, we not only get rid of evils, but also gain other benefits, namely, the gradual training in dissolving our attachment to the earth and turning toward heaven, despising temporal things. For he who does not feel the need for human dignity will accomplish all the good he desires to do with tranquility. Neither affliction nor pleasures can affect him. Afflictions cannot make him despair or crush him, nor pleasures comfort or make him proud. He remains steadfast and unchangeable in every respect, even in turbulent and chaotic circumstances.

This is what I expect of you, that you will quickly and once strip yourself of the world's gain, and set before us an example of heavenly conduct in life. And in a little while you will laugh mockingly at the glory you now mourn, despising its deceit and false glitter.

why are you afraid ?

But if you long for the security you once had in your husband, the protection of your property, and your preservation from the plots of those who desire the misfortune of others; “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you” (Ps. 55:22). It has been said, “Look at the generations of old, and consider: Did anyone trust in the Lord and be put to shame? Or who stood firm on those who tempted him and was forsaken? Or who called on him and he was forsaken?” (Wisdom of Joshua 2:11, 12).

For God, who has calmed this unbearable calamity, giving you now peace, is also the one who will protect you from the evils that beset you. So do not let yourself fall under a blow more severe than the one you are in (by not relying on Him).

By enduring the current hardships with courage, even though you have no experience, it gives you the ability to endure things that happen contrary to your will. God does not allow it!

So ask for heaven and what concerns the afterlife, for nothing can harm you... even the rulers of the world of darkness (demons) themselves cannot harm us unless we harm ourselves. Because even if our body is taken away or torn to pieces, this does not concern us as long as our soul is intact.

Move your belongings ! !

Now, if you want to keep your property safe, and even increase it, I will devise a plan for you and show you the place where no evildoer can enter.

What is this place? Heaven. Send your possessions to your good husband, and no thief, schemer, or other destroyer will be able to break into them. For what we sow in heaven bears a great harvest and abundant produce. This is natural and to be expected of things whose roots are planted in heaven.

If you do this, look what you enjoy?!

First, you will enjoy eternal life, and the things promised to those whom God loves, “what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived.”

Secondly, to be in constant contact with your righteous husband, while relieving yourself of the cares, fears, dangers, arrangements, enmity and hatred, which may beset you here. As long as you are surrounded by these possessions, there is a possibility of those who will attack you, but if you deposit them in heaven, you will have a life of tranquility and peace, filled with the most tranquility and enjoyment of the freedom associated with righteousness.

volatile life ! !

Since your soul is very troubled and distressed, because of your expectation that your husband was about to be governor of a province and that he was taken prematurely, consider first this fact. That though this hope of yours is very soundly founded, it is a human hope. Which often falls to the ground. We see in this life those who have not thought of a thing, and it happens to them. . .

So, even though the opportunity to get this job was very close, as the saying goes, “The cup often falls from the mouth of the drinker.” (4) “And the Bible says, “From lunch to dinner the time changes.” Wisdom of Joshua 26:18.

Thus, he who is king today may die tomorrow. And the same wise man declares, saying, “Many rulers have sat in the dust, but the unmemorable have worn a crown.” Wisdom of Joshua 5:11

There was no absolute certainty that if he had lived he would have obtained this position, because what

The future is not certain, but it leaves us with many doubts.

Because on what basis can you be certain that he will obtain this position, since events may occur other than what was expected, and there is even a possibility that he would have lost the position he held due to illness or a plot against him by those who envy him for his wealth, or due to some other serious disaster.

But let us concede with you - if you like - that certainly if he were alive he would have reached a high position anyway. But as the position increases in importance, its dangers and troubles also increase, and what was not expected is slipped into it. (5).

Let's leave all this aside, assuming that he will pass through the sea of difficulties in complete peace and quiet. But tell me, what is the end of this?!

Isn't his end the same as the end he has reached now? Perhaps he has reached a painful and hateful end.

On the one hand, perhaps his new position (the lure of position) distracts him from his view of heaven and the heavenly things. This is not a trivial matter in the eyes of those who have placed their hope in the afterlife.

On the other hand, although his life would remain pure as it was, the length of time with the necessities of the high position might prevent him from remaining in his pious life as he is now (the fault was not in the position itself, but perhaps he feared those around him who were hypocrites or deceivers, or he feared that he would fall into pride and arrogance which would cause him to lose the purity of his heart, or due to other circumstances specific to the Roman state at that time).

In fact, it is not certain, if he did not suffer many changes, surrendering to laziness (in worship) before he breathed his last.

Now we are confident that by the grace of God he has ascended to the place of rest, because he did not commit anything that would disqualify him from entering the kingdom of heaven. But if he had remained, he might have fallen into many sins, because it is rare for a person to commit such great evils. (6) To walk in the straight path, but to go astray, willingly or unwillingly, as a natural matter…

And since this is the case, we are freed from this expectation of evil, fully convinced that he will appear on the great day in greater splendor, shining beside God (the King), coming with the angels before Christ, and clothed with the garment of his glory.

Unspoken, sitting beside the king as one who rules, acting as one of his great servants.

Therefore, if you cease to weep and lament, and cling to the life he lived, yes, to be exactly like him, so that you may quickly attain to his level of virtue, then you will dwell with him in the same place and be united with him again for all eternity, not in a conjugal union, but in a far higher one. For in the former there is a union of a physical kind, in the latter there is a union of soul to soul more perfect, more joyful, and of a nobler kind.

(1) See the booklet “A Letter from John Chrysostom to a Wretched Fallen” [find it online here]

(2) libanius

(3) This Theodore, according to Ammianus Marcellinus 33, was a citizen of Galilee. Chrysostom probably called him Sicilian because he tried to make himself the tyrant of Sicily. He plotted the treason in 371 AD.

(4) The proverb is difficult to translate literally: “Between the cup and the lip is many a slip.”

(5) We must take into account the circumstances of the Roman state at that time, the frequency of unrest, and the danger of the main centers at that time.

(6) This phrase reveals that the governors at that time were surrounded by a group of evildoers.