John Chrysostom, On the Corruptors of Virgins

to repentance. To you he came who was lying down; arise, therefore, take up your pallet, and go to your house, that is, to the harbor of repentance. Pay attention no longer, neither with the eyes of the flesh, nor with those of the mind, to that adulterer, the agent of Gehenna and of the sleepless worm. Take up, he says, take up from here; for I do not want you to lie down. Tear apart the contract of sin; wash with tears, not in the pool, but in the church; for God is able to grant you your former dignity. Do not teach the potter how he should mend his own creation. Have you sinned? Be still; do not say: And how is it possible for me to come to my former dignity? do not say this, O virgin; for it is God who justifies, and who is he who condemns? Hear how the Master reproaches despair through Jeremiah the prophet, saying: Is there no balm in Gilead, or is there no physician there? why has the healing of the daughter of my people not gone up?

O compassionate physician! He does not rebuke for the fall, but for the neglect; He did not say, Why were you struck? but, Why were you not healed? He did not say, Why did you fall? but Why did you not rise? But that the Lord wishes to present you more radiant through repentance, hear him saying through Isaiah the prophet: Though your sins 60.743 be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow; though they be as crimson, I will make them white as wool. Nor would the Apostle have suffered untimely pain, if he had not first received the covenants of the Master's goodness; he would not have said, My little children, for whom I am again in labor until Christ be formed in you. For since, he says, you have handed over the soul made in the image of God to the soul-destroying demon, making the members of Christ the members of a prostitute; to such a degree I do not cease mourning and being afflicted, until I see Christ formed in you again, clothed in the beauty of chastity. Do not reject the prize of repentance, I beseech, I pray, and I entreat; be courageous, be purified, anoint yourself spiritually; the Apostle multiplies the exhortation; I am an ambassador for Christ, be reconciled to God. The Apostle begs, that he may call back again her who was betrothed to Christ and had broken the covenants. The philanthropic Master says: I do not bear a grudge for the insult that occurred; my bed has been insulted, my union has been dishonored; but I do not accuse you for any of the things that happened, which you did.

And why did you not resist when the adversary was warring against you? how did you not turn aside his poison-tipped arrows with the sign of my cross? Did I not for this reason dwell in a virgin's womb, so that the nature long ago dishonored through deceit might be honored through virginity? For the enemy took Eve captive when she was a virgin, and through virginity I brought her back into paradise. Have you not heard me saying, that there is no one who has left father or mother or house, and denied all the things of life, who will not receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life? have you not heard me saying through Isaiah the prophet: Those who serve me shall rejoice? did I not through my servant Isaiah himself promise to those who keep the body in purity to inherit many good things, and fruits better than sons and daughters? did she not through virginity hold my head? was not John the son of Zebedee called by me a son of thunder, and a son of my mother, through virginity? how did you not hear my apostle Paul saying, Make no provision for the flesh? Yes, she says, Lord; but have pity on your unworthy handmaid, and do not rebuke me in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. For the ancient enemy, the murderer of men, hurled a poison-tipped arrow at me, and it ran through my heart and my reins and the rest of my senses, and I forgot your fear, and your just retribution; for the fire arising within darkened the eyes of my mind.

εἰς μετάνοιαν. Πρὸς σὲ ἦλθε τὴν κειμένην· ἔγειραι οὖν, ἆρον τὸν κράββατόν σου, καὶ ὕπαγε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου, τουτέστιν, εἰς τὸν τῆς μετανοίας λιμένα. Μηκέτι πρόσχῃς μήτε τοῖς σαρκικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, μήτε τοῖς τῆς διανοίας ἐπὶ τὸν μοιχὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν πρόξενον τῆς γεέννης καὶ τοῦ ἀκοιμήτου σκώληκος. Ἆρον, φησὶν, ἐντεῦθεν ἆρον· οὐ γὰρ βούλομαί σε κεῖσθαι. ∆ιάῤῥηξον τὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας σύμβολον· λοῦσαι τοῖς δάκρυσιν, οὐκ εἰς τὴν κολυμβήθραν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν· δυνατὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς χαρίσασθαί σοι τὸ πρῶτον ἀξίωμα. Μὴ διδάξῃς τὸν κεραμέα, πῶς τὸ ἴδιον διορθώσηται πλάσμα. Ἥμαρτες; Ἡσύχασον· μὴ εἴπῃς· Καὶ πῶς οἷόν τε εἰς τὸ πρῶτόν με ἐλθεῖν ἀξίωμα; μὴ λέγε τοῦτο, ὦ παρθένε· Θεὸς γὰρ ὁ δικαιῶν, καὶ τίς ὁ κατακρίνων; Ἄκουε τοῦ ∆εσπότου πῶς ὀνειδίζει τὴν ἀπόγνωσιν διὰ Ἱερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου λέγων· Μὴ ῥητίνη οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν Γαλαὰδ, ἢ ἰατρὸς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ; διὰ τί οὐκ ἀνέβη ἴασις τῆς θυγατρὸς τοῦ λαοῦ μου;

Ὢ τοῦ συμπαθοῦς ἰατροῦ! οὐκ ἐγκαλεῖ ἐπὶ πταίσματι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῇ ἀμελείᾳ· οὐκ εἶπε, ∆ιὰ τί ἐπλήγης; ἀλλὰ, ∆ιὰ τί οὐκ ἐθεραπεύθης; οὐκ εἶπε, ∆ιὰ τί ἔπεσες; ἀλλὰ ∆ιὰ τί οὐκ ἀνέστης; Ὅτι δέ σε λαμπροτέραν ὁ Κύριος διὰ τῆς μετανοίας παραστῆσαι βούλεται, ἄκουε αὐτοῦ διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρ60.743 τίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ· ἐὰν δὲ ὦσιν ὡς κόκκινον, ὡς ἔριον λευκανῶ. Οὔτε ἂν ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἄκαιρον ἤλγησε πόνον, εἰ μὴ πρότερον τῆς τοῦ ∆εσπότου ἀγαθότητος τὰς συνθήκας ἐδέξατο· οὐκ ἂν ἔλεγε, Τεκνία μου, οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω ἄχρις οὗ μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ γενομένην ψυχὴν τῷ ψυχοφθόρῳ προέδωκας δαίμονι, πόρνης μέλη τὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μέλη ποιήσασα· ἕως τοσούτου οὐ παύομαι πενθῶν καὶ θλιβόμενος, ἕως ἂν πάλιν ἴδω μεμορφωμένον ἐν σοὶ τὸν Χριστὸν, τὸ τῆς σωφροσύνης κάλλος ἐνδεδυμένην. Μὴ ἀποῤῥίψῃς τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς μετανοίας, παρακαλῶ, δέομαι καὶ ἀντιβολῶ· ἄνδρισαι, ἅγνισαι, ἄλειψαι πνευματικῶς· πολυπλασιάζει ὁ Ἀπόστολος τὴν παράκλησιν· ∆ιὰ τὸν Χριστὸν πρεσβεύω, καταλλάγητε τῷ Θεῷ. ∆έεται ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ἵνα τὴν μεμνηστευμένην τῷ Χριστῷ καὶ τὰς συνθήκας λύσασαν πάλιν ἀνακαλέσηται. Ὁ φιλάνθρωπος ∆εσπότης λέγει· Οὐ μνησικακῶ ἐπὶ τῇ ὕβρει τῇ γενομένῃ· ἡ ἐμὴ ἐνύβρισται κοίτη, ἡ ἐμὴ ἠτίμασται συζυγία· ἀλλ' εἰς οὐδὲν τῶν γενομένων ἐγκαλῶ, ὧν ἐποίησας.

∆ιὰ τί δὲ πολεμοῦντος τοῦ ὑπεναντίου μὴ ἀντέστης; πῶς οὐκ ἐτροπώσω τὰ ἰοβόλα αὐτοῦ βέλη τῷ τύπῳ τοῦ σταυροῦ μου; Οὐχὶ ἐγὼ διὰ τοῦτο εἰς παρθενικὴν γαστέρα ἐνῴκησα, ἵνα ἡ ἔκπαλαι διὰ τῆς ἀπάτης ἀτιμασθεῖσα φύσις τιμηθῇ διὰ τῆς παρθενίας; Παρθένον γὰρ τὴν Εὔαν οὖσαν ὁ ἐχθρὸς ᾐχμαλώτευσε, καὶ διὰ παρθενίας πάλιν ταύτην ἐν παραδείσῳ εἰσήγαγον. Οὐκ ἤκουσάς μου λέγοντος, ὅτι οὐδείς ἐστιν, ὃς ἀφῆκε πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ἢ οἰκίαν, καὶ ἀπαρνήσηται πάντα τὰ τοῦ βίου, ὃς οὐ μὴ ἑκατονταπλασίονα λήψηται, καὶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσῃ; οὐκ ἤκουσάς μου διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Οἱ δουλεύοντές μοι εὐφρανθήσονται; οὐχὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ δούλου μου Ἡσαΐου ἐπηγγειλάμην τοῖς ἐν ἁγνείᾳ τηροῦσι τὸ σῶμα κληρονομεῖν ἀγαθὰ πολλὰ, καὶ καρποὺς κρείσσονας υἱῶν καὶ θυγατέρων; οὐχὶ διὰ παρθενίας τὴν κορυφήν μου ἐκράτησεν; οὐχὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ υἱὸς Ζεβεδαίου διὰ παρθενίας παρ' ἐμοῦ υἱὸς βροντῆς ἐκλήθη, καὶ υἱὸς τῆς μητρός μου; πῶς οὐκ ἤκουσας τοῦ ἀποστόλου μου Παύλου λέγοντος, Τῆς σαρκὸς πρόνοιαν μὴ ποιεῖτε; Ναὶ, φησὶ, Κύριε· ἀλλὰ τὴν δούλην σου τὴν ἀναξίαν οἰκτείρησον, καὶ μὴ τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐλέγξῃς με, μηδὲ ἐν ὀργῇ σου παιδεύσῃς με. Ὁ γὰρ ἀρχέκακος καὶ ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἐχθρὸς βέλος ἠκόντισε πρός με ἰοβόλον, καὶ περιέδραμέ μου τὴν καρδίαν καὶ τοὺς νεφροὺς καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ αἰσθητήρια, καὶ ἐπελαθόμην τοῦ φόβου σου, καὶ τῆς δικαίας σου ἀνταποδόσεως· ἠμαύρωσε γάρ μου τοὺς τῆς διανοίας ὀφθαλμοὺς τὸ ἔνδον ἐπιγινόμενον πῦρ.