The bee is more honored than other animals,
not because she labors,
but because she labors for others.
~ John Chrysostom (347-407)
The Bee
A Living Pencil
Solid joys, deep sorrows, aggressive hope
The bee is more honored than other animals,
not because she labors,
but because she labors for others.
~ John Chrysostom (347-407)
A Living Pencil 
Such a tiny beauty. Funny, but my daughter posted a picture of a moth. Simple elegant beauty surrounds us, along with character qualities to inspire. blessings and love, M in SC
Every bee in the hive, except for the lay-around-and-be-fed queen, is actually male. “She” doesn’t labor for others, “he” does. At least with bees.
Ha! Of COURSE they are “he” bees. Do you think they knew that in the fourth century, though?
So why did Chrysostom pick “she” when he had the choices “he” and “it”? 4th century men weren’t famous for giving the female of any species excessive credit- why is Chrysostom differing here?
What makes the most sense to me is that Chrysostom really thought the bees were females. The Latin word, apis, is feminine in gender.I really don’t know enough about Chrysostom to say. I do know that Jerome was a humbug and a crank, impossible to get along with. It turned out that a few women patiently befriended him and tried to help his socialization problems. I appreciate your questions, again. You make me think and I like that…a lot!