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a maiden nourished on milk and kept in her chamber, and deemed worthy of so much care and rearing by her parents, when she comes to the age of marriage, suddenly in the twinkling of an eye, forgets both her mother's birth pangs and all the other care and custom and the bond of love and simply everything, and transfers her whole mind to him whom she had never seen except on that evening, and so great then becomes the change of affairs that he is everything to her, and she considers him father and mother and bridegroom and whatever one might say, and not even a memory remains of those who raised her for so many years, and so great is their union that they are no longer two but one. 1.13 And foreseeing this very thing with prophetic eyes, the first-formed man said: “She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of her Man. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” One might say the same also about the man, that he too, forgetting his parents and his father's house, unites and joins himself to her who is joined to him on that evening. And that holy scripture might show us the precision of the union, it did not say that he will be united to his wife, but he will be joined to his wife. And it was not content with this but added: “And the two shall become one flesh.” For this reason Christ also, citing this testimony, said: “So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” So great, he says, is the union and the joining that the two are one flesh. Tell me, what reason will be able to discover this, what mind to comprehend what happens? Did not this blessed teacher of the world say well that it is a mystery? And he did not simply say mystery but: “This mystery is great.” 1.14 If, therefore, in perceptible matters it is a mystery and a great mystery, what could one say worthily about this spiritual marriage? But observe precisely, then, how since all things here are spiritual, the things that happen are accomplished in a way opposite to the perceptible things. For in the case of perceptible marriage, no one would ever consent to take someone as a wife before first examining her beauty and the comeliness of her body, and not only this but also, before these things, the abundance of her wealth.

1.15 But here there is nothing of the sort. Why? Because the things being accomplished are spiritual, and our Bridegroom, moved by love for humanity, hastens to the salvation of our souls. For even if someone is formless, or ugly to look at, or poor with the utmost poverty, or of low birth, or a slave, or cast out, or having a bodily defect, or bearing burdens of sins, he is not meticulous nor overly curious nor does he demand an accounting; for it is a gift and generosity and a master's grace, and he seeks only one thing from us, the forgetting of past things and gratitude after these things. 1.16 Have you seen the excess of grace? Have you seen to what sort of bridegroom those who obey the call are joined? But let us see, if it seems good, the next things concerning this spiritual marriage. For just as in perceptible marriages dowry documents are drawn up and bridal gifts are given, and some things the man brings forward, and others the woman who is about to be joined, it was fitting that something of this sort should also happen here. For it is necessary to transfer the mind from bodily things to the more divine and spiritual things. What then are the dowry documents here? What else but obedience and the covenants that are to be made with the bridegroom. And what are the bridal gifts that the bridegroom brings forward before the wedding? Hear the blessed Paul showing us this and saying thus: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify her

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γαλακτοτροφηθεῖσα καὶ θαλαμευομένη κόρη καὶ τοσαύτης παρὰ τῶν τεκόντων ἐπιμελείας καὶ ἀνατροφῆς ἀξιωθεῖσα, ἐπειδὰν εἰς ὥραν ἔλθῃ γάμου, ἀθρόον ἐν μιᾷ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ καὶ τῶν ὠδίνων ἐπιλανθάνεται τῶν μητρικῶν καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἁπάσης θεραπείας καὶ συνηθείας καὶ τοῦ δεσμοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ πάντων ἁπαξαπλῶς καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτῆς τὴν γνώμην μεθίστησι πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ὃν οὐδέποτε ἐθεάσατο πλὴν ἐκείνης τῆς ἑσπέρας καὶ τοσαύτη λοιπὸν γίνεται τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ μεταβολὴ ὡς ἐκεῖνον αὐτῇ πάντα εἶναι καὶ νομίζειν καὶ πατέρα καὶ μητέρα καὶ νυμφίον καὶ ὅσα ἂν εἴποι τις καὶ οὐδὲ μνήμη τις γίνεται τῶν ἐν τοσούτοις ἔτεσιν ἀναθρεψαμένων, τοσαύτη δὲ αὐτῶν γίνεται ἡ συνάφεια ὡς μηδὲ δύο εἶναι λοιπὸν ἀλλὰ ἕν. 1.13 Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ προφητικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς προορῶν ὁ πρωτόπλαστος ἔλεγεν· «Αὕτη κληθήσεται γυνὴ ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς ἐλήφθη αὕτη· ἀντὶ τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ προσκολληθήσεται πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν.» Τὸ αὐτὸ ἄν τις εἴποι καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὅτι κἀκεῖνος τῶν γεννησαμένων ἐπιλαθόμενος καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρικοῦ ἑνοῖ καὶ προσκολλᾷ ἑαυτὸν τῇ κατὰ τὴν ἑσπέραν ἐκείνην αὐτῷ συναπτομένῃ. Καὶ ἵνα δείξῃ ἡμῖν ἡ θεία γραφὴ τῆς συνηθείας τὴν ἀκρίβειαν, οὐκ εἶπεν ὅτι ἑνωθήσεται τῇ γυναικί, ἀλλὰ προσκολληθήσεται πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ. Καὶ οὐδὲ τούτῳ ἠρκέσθη ἀλλὰ προσέθηκε· «Καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν.» ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν μαρτυρίαν ταύτην παράγων ἔλεγεν· «Ὥστε οὐκέτι εἰσὶ δύο ἀλλὰ σὰρξ μία.» Τοσαύτη, φησί, γίνεται ἡ ἕνωσις καὶ ἡ συνάφεια ὡς τοὺς δύο μίαν εἶναι σάρκα. Εἰπέ μοι, ποῖος λογισμὸς τοῦτο εὑρεῖν δυνήσεται, ποία διάνοια ἐφικέσθαι τοῦ γινομένου; Οὐ καλῶς ἔλεγεν ὁ μακάριος οὗτος ὁ τῆς οἰκουμένης διδάσκαλος ὅτι μυστήριόν ἐστι; Καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν μυστήριον ἀλλά· «Τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο μέγα ἐστίν.» 1.14 Εἰ τοίνυν ἐπὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν πραγμάτων μυστήριον καὶ μέγα μυστήριόν ἐστι, τί ἄν τις εἴποι κατ' ἀξίαν ἐπὶ τοῦ πνευματικοῦ τούτου γάμου; Ὅρα δὲ λοιπὸν ἀκριβῶς πῶς ἐπειδὴ πάντα πνευματικά ἐστι τὰ ἐνταῦθα, ἀπεναντίας τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς ἐπιτελεῖται τὰ γινόμενα. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ γάμου τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ οὐκ ἄν τίς ποτε καταδέξοιτο ἀγαγέσθαι πρότερόν τινα εἰς γυναῖκα μὴ τὴν εὐμορφίαν αὐτῆς περιεργασάμενος καὶ τοῦ σώματος τὴν ὥραν, καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τούτων τῶν χρημάτων τὴν εὐπορίαν.

1.15 Ἐνταῦθα δὲ τοιοῦτον οὐδέν. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἐπειδὴ πνευματικά ἐστι τὰ τελούμενα καὶ ὁ νυμφίος ὁ ἡμέτερος ἀπὸ φιλανθρωπίας ὁρμώμενος ἐπιτρέχει τῇ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν. Κἂν γὰρ ἄμορφος ᾖ τις, κἂν αἰσχρὸς ὀφθῆναι, κἂν πένης πενίαν τὴν ἐσχάτην, κἂν ἀγένης, κἂν δοῦλος, κἂν ἀπερριμμένος, κἂν λώβην σώματος ἔχων, κἂν φορτία ἁμαρτημάτων ἐπιφερόμενος, οὐδὲν ἀκριβολογεῖται οὐδὲ περιεργάζεται οὐδὲ εὐθύνας ἀπαιτεῖ· δωρεὰ γάρ ἐστι καὶ φιλοτιμία καὶ χάρις δεσποτικὴ καὶ ἓν μόνον ἐπιζητεῖ παρ' ἡμῶν, τὴν λήθην τῶν παρελθόντων καὶ τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα εὐγνωμοσύνην. 1.16 Εἶδες χάριτος ὑπερβολήν; Εἶδες οἵῳ νυμφίῳ ἁρμόζονται οἱ τῇ κλήσει πειθόμενοι; Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν εἰ δοκεῖ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς τούτου τοῦ γάμου τοῦ πνευματικοῦ. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν γάμων προικῷα συντελεῖται γραμματεῖα καὶ ἕδνα δίδοται καὶ τὰ μὲν ὁ ἀνὴρ προσάγει, τὰ δὲ ἡ μέλλουσα συνάπτεσθαι, εἰκότως καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοιοῦτόν τι γίνεσθαι ἐχρῆν. ∆εῖ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν σωματικῶν ἐπὶ τὰ θειότερα καὶ πνευματικὰ μετάγειν τὴν διάνοιαν. Τίνα οὖν ἐστιν ἐνταῦθα τὰ προικῷα γραμματεῖα; Τί δὲ ἕτερον ἀλλ' ἢ ὑπακοὴ καὶ αἱ συνθῆκαι αἱ μέλλουσαι πρὸς τὸν νυμφίον συντελεῖσθαι. Καὶ τίνα τὰ ἕδνα ἅπερ ὁ νυμφίος πρὸ τῶν γάμων προσάγει; Ἄκουε τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου τοῦτο δεικνύντος ἡμῖν καὶ λέγοντος οὕτως· «Οἱ ἄνδρες ἀγαπᾶτε τὰς γυναῖκας καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ ἑαυτὸν παρέδωκεν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ἵνα αὐτὴν ἁγιάσῃ