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commanding, but looking only to this, what sort of person the guide of such a life ought to be, they should choose for themselves for guidance those who are always by the grace of God shown forth for the leadership of a virtuous way of life; for either they will find the one they seek, or they will not be ignorant of what sort of person he ought to be.

p. c The sequence of thoughts is this: 1. That virginity is superior to encomiums. 2. That virginity is an achievement proper to the divine and incorporeal nature. 3. A remembrance of the difficulties from marriage and an indication that the one who wrote the discourse was not unmarried. 4. That all the absurdities of life have their beginning from marriage; in which is also what sort of person he is who has truly renounced the world. 5. That passionlessness of the soul must precede bodily purity. 6. That Elijah and John were zealous for the strictness of this life. 7. That not even marriage is among the things condemned. 8. That it is difficult for one who is divided in soul toward many things to attain the goal. 9. That habit is hard to change in everything. 10. What is truly desirable? 11. How might one come to a conception of what is truly beautiful? 12. That he who has purified himself will behold the divine beauty in himself; in which is also about the cause of evil. 13. That the beginning of the care for oneself is the release from marriage. 14. That virginity is superior to the power of death. 15. That true virginity is seen in every pursuit. 16. That to be in any way outside of virtue has an equal danger. 17. That he who is lacking in even one of the things according to virtue is incomplete with respect to the good. 18. That all the powers of the soul must look toward virtue. 19. A remembrance of Mary the sister of Aaron as having begun this achievement. 20. That it is impossible to serve bodily pleasures and at the same time to reap the joy that is according to God. 21. That one who has chosen to live strictly must be estranged from every form of bodily pleasure. 22. That one must not practice self-control beyond what is necessary and that both fleshiness of the body and immoderate hardship are equally opposed to the soul for perfection. 23. That he who wishes to learn the strictness of this life must be taught by one who has achieved it. Chapter 1. That virginity is superior to encomiums.

1.1 The august form of virginity, which is honorable to all who the

beautiful in purity judge, but it comes only to those, whom the grace of God graciously assists toward this good desire. In itself it has its fitting praise from the name by which it is also called; for 'the incorruptible', spoken of virginity according to the custom of the many, is indicative of the purity in it, so that through the equivalent name it is possible to recognize the excellence of this precious gift, since, though many things are accomplished according to virtue, this alone has been honored with the name of 'the incorruptible'; and if one must also dignify this great gift of God through encomiums, the divine apostle suffices for its praise, having concealed in a few words all extravagance of encomiums, who called her that was adorned through this grace "holy and blameless". For if the achievement of this august virginity is for one to become 1.1 blameless and holy—and these names are properly and primarily taken for the glory of the incorruptible God—, what greater praise of virginity is there than to be shown through these things to deify in a certain way those of the

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κελεύουσα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοῦτο βλέποντες μόνον, οἷον εἶναι προσήκει τὸν τοῦ τοιούτου βίου καθηγητήν, ἐκλέγωνται ἑαυτοῖς εἰς ὁδηγίαν τοὺς ἀεὶ παρὰ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ χάριτος εἰς προστασίαν τῆς κατ' ἀρετὴν πολιτείας ἀναδεικνυμένους· ἢ γὰρ εὑρήσουσι τὸν ζητούμενον ἢ οἷον χρὴ εἶναι οὐκ ἀγνοήσουσιν.

p. c Ἡ δὲ ἀκολουθία τῶν νοημάτων ἐστὶν αὕτη· αʹ. Ὅτι κρείττων ἐγκωμίων ἡ παρθενία ἐστίν. βʹ. Ὅτι ἴδιον τῆς θείας τε καὶ ἀσωμάτου φύσεως κατόρθωμά ἐστιν ἡ παρθενία. γʹ. Μνήμη τῶν ἐκ τοῦ γάμου δυσχερῶν καὶ ἔνδειξις τοῦ τὸν γεγραφότα τὸν λόγον μὴ ἄγαμον εἶναι. δʹ. Ὅτι πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὸν βίον ἄτοπα τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ γάμου ἔχει· ἐν ᾧ καὶ οἷος ὁ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἀπο ταξάμενος τῷ βίῳ ἐστίν. εʹ. Ὅτι προηγεῖσθαι χρὴ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπάθειαν τῆς σωματικῆς καθαρότητος. ʹ. Ὅτι Ἠλίας καὶ Ἰωάννης τῆς ἀκριβείας τοῦ βίουτούτου ἐπεμελήθησαν. ζʹ. Ὅτι οὐδὲ ὁ γάμος τῶν κατεγνωσμένων ἐστίν. ηʹ. Ὅτι δύσκολόν ἐστι τοῦ σκοποῦ τυχεῖν τὸν εἰς πολλὰ τῇ ψυχῇ μεριζόμενον. θʹ. Ὅτι δυσμετάθετον ἐπὶ παντὸς ἡ συνήθεια. ιʹ. Τί τὸ ἀληθῶς ἐπιθυμητόν; ιαʹ. Πῶς ἄν τις ἐν περινοίᾳ γένοιτο τοῦ ὄντως καλοῦ; ιβʹ. Ὅτι ὁ ἑαυτὸν ἐκκαθάρας ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸ θεῖον κάλλος κατόψεται· ἐν ᾧ καὶ περὶ τῆς τοῦ κακοῦ αἰτίας. ιγʹ. Ὅτι ἀρχὴ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιμελείας ἡ ἀπαλλαγὴ τοῦ γάμου ἐστίν. ιδʹ. Ὅτι ἡ παρθενία κρείττων τῆς τοῦ θανάτου δυνα στείας ἐστίν. ιεʹ. Ὅτι ἡ ἀληθὴς παρθενία ἐν παντὶ ἐπιτηδεύματι θεωρεῖται. ιʹ. Ὅτι τὸ ὁπωσοῦν ἔξω γενέσθαι τῆς ἀρετῆς ἴσον κίνδυνον ἔχει. ιζʹ. Ὅτι ἀτελὴς εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν ὁ καὶ ἑνί τινι τῶν κατ' ἀρετὴν ἐλλείπων. ιηʹ. Ὅτι χρὴ πάσας τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις πρὸς ἀρετὴν βλέπειν. ιθʹ. Μνήμη Μαρίας τῆς ἀδελφῆς Ἀαρὼν ὡς ἀρξα μένης τούτου τοῦ κατορθώματος. κʹ. Ὅτι ἀδύνατον ὁμοῦ ταῖς σωματικαῖς ὑπηρετεῖν ἡδοναῖς καὶ τὴν κατὰ θεὸν εὐφροσύνην καρποῦσθαι. καʹ. Ὅτι χρὴ τὸν ἀκριβῶς ζῆν προελόμενον πρὸς πᾶν εἶδος σωματικῆς ἡδονῆς ἀλλοτρίως ἔχειν. κβʹ. Ὅτι οὐ δεῖ πέρα τοῦ δέοντος ἀσκεῖν τὴν ἐγκρά τειαν καὶ ὅτι ὁμοίως ἐναντιοῦται τῇ ψυχῇ πρὸς τελείωσιν ἥ τε πολυσαρκία τοῦ σώματος καὶ ἡ ἄμετρος κακοπάθεια. κγʹ. Ὅτι χρὴ τὸν τὴν ἀκρίβειαν τοῦ βίου τούτου μαθεῖν βουλόμενον παρὰ τοῦ κατορθώσαντος διδάσκεσθαι. Κεφάλαιον αʹ Ὅτι κρείττων ἐγκωμίων ἡ παρθενία ἐστίν.

1.1 Τὸ σεμνὸν τῆς παρθενίας εἶδος, ὃ πᾶσι μὲν τίμιόν ἐστι τοῖς τὸ

καλὸν ἐν καθαρότητι κρίνουσι, παραγίνεται δὲ μόνοις, οἷς ἂν ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ χάρις εὐμενῶς πρὸς τὴν ἀγαθὴν ταύτην ἐπιθυμίαν συναγωνίσηται. Αὐτόθεν μὲν ἔχει τὸν πρέποντα ἔπαινον ἀπὸ τῆς προσηγορίας τῆς συνονομαζο μένης αὐτῇ· τὸ γὰρ ἄφθορον κατὰ τὴν συνήθειαν τῶν πολ λῶν ἐπὶ τῆς παρθενίας λεγόμενον σημαντικόν ἐστι τῆς ἐν αὐτῇ καθαρότητος, ὥστε διὰ τοῦ ἰσοδυναμοῦντος ὀνόματος ἔστιν ἐπιγνῶναι τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τοῦ τιμίου τούτου χαρί σματος, εἴπερ πολλῶν ὄντων τῶν κατ' ἀρετὴν ἐπιτελουμέ νων μόνον τοῦτο τῇ ἐπωνυμίᾳ τοῦ ἀφθάρτου τετίμηται· εἰ δὲ χρὴ καὶ δι' ἐγκωμίων τὴν μεγάλην ταύτην τοῦ θεοῦ δω ρεὰν ἀποσεμνύνειν, ἀρκεῖ πρὸς εὐφημίαν αὐτῆς ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος δι' ὀλίγων ῥημάτων πᾶσαν ἐγκωμίων ὑπερ βολὴν ἀποκρύψας, ὃς «ἁγίαν καὶ ἄμωμον» τὴν κεκοσμη μένην διὰ τῆς χάριτος ταύτης ὠνόμασεν. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ κατόρ θωμα τῆς σεμνῆς ταύτης παρθενίας ἐστὶ τὸ ἄμωμόν τινα 1.1 γενέσθαι καὶ ἅγιον-ταῦτα δὲ τὰ ὀνόματα κυρίως καὶ πρώτως εἰς δόξαν παραλαμβάνεται τοῦ ἀφθάρτου θεοῦ-, τίς μείζων ἔπαινος παρθενίας ἢ τὸ ἀποδειχθῆναι διὰ τούτων θεοποιοῦσαν τρόπον τινὰ τοὺς τῶν