John Chrysostom, On Joseph and Chastity

the name of slavery. For often an envious mist, coming on, for a little while dims the sun's bright rays, but it does not darken them completely; for it is immediately driven away by the force of the sun's light; likewise, the name of slavery will not extinguish the splendor of my noble birth; for not long after it will be scattered by the ray of my character, and throughout all Egypt the beauty of my noble birth will shine forth. I have been sold to you, I agree, I do not deny it; I have fulfilled the service of slavery that is fitting for you; I have been to you truthful, harmless, blameless, guileless, without offense, beyond reproach; no accusation of disorder has been made against me by you; and now you counsel me to do an unholy thing, and secretly, like a serpent, you whisper to me, thinking to entice me, and with death-bearing threats to bend me to the drama of licentiousness you desire? Be not deceived, woman, pay no mind to my youth; even a new wineskin can carry old wine, and a new 56.589 purse can hold ancient pearls. You see my youthful bloom, but behold my character is grey with age; nature has given me a younger appearance; but the law has made my heart grey with age. Be not deceived, woman, you will not conquer my virtue; you will not conquer Joseph, the son of Jacob, that Jacob who, while still in the womb, grasped the heel, and after this was strong enough to wrestle with an angel; be not deceived, I wrestle the same things as my father. But you think also to flatter me with promises. What such thing, tell me, can you promise me, as is chastity? What kingdom is of equal weight to it, what treasure is of equal value to it? Do you not know that chastity is a heavenly possession, an angelic thing, a gift of God? Keep your promises; your honors are agents of dishonor; your honors, which you promise, are the first-fruits of shame; your gold is a product of the earth, and an expense of rust; but my gold is a product of God, an eternal sprout. But you think the deed will be hidden. Are you ignorant of the unsleeping eye of God, which oversees all things that happen in the darkness? how many angels do you think stand here now? and under how many witnesses do these deeds take place? Consider, woman, your husband, your brothers, your friends, your neighbors, your relatives, those who boast in your modesty; consider the angels present, and either be ashamed before them, or have reverence for the absent men. With what eyes will you look upon your husband, whom you chose to plot against? What arms will you extend to him, whom you wished to kill? With what words will you flatter him, whose bed, as much as was in your power, you defiled? Remember what things you promised him; how you assured him with oaths you would keep the faith of chastity, how you would love him more than yourself. Imitate, woman, the turtledove; for that bird, having mated with one male, no longer mates with another; and if it should happen that its male is caught by a fowler, or consumed by an eagle, it does not mate with another male, but remains ever awaiting the one it desires, and dies in his memory. Let either the fear of God, or the law of the Hebrews, or the reverent way of life of the ancients, teach you, woman. Having said these things, Joseph, seeing her still shamelessly holding onto his garments, and burning more with passion (for loves are then more inflamed toward the desired object, when they are not able to attain it), like a noble athlete, stripping off his garments, and having thrown her down completely with the garments to the ground, naked of the filth, he leapt from the wrestling ground, 56.590 bearing the victory of chastity. And the Egyptian woman held the leaves of disorder, but Joseph bore the fruit of righteousness. There was joy in heaven at the victory of Joseph;

ὄνομα τῆς δουλείας. Καὶ γὰρ ἀχλὺς πολλάκις βάσκανος ἐπελθοῦσα τὰς τοῦ ἡλίου φαιδρὰς ἀκτῖνας πρὸς ὀλίγον ἀμαυροῖ, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς τέλος σκοτίζει· τῇ γὰρ ῥύμῃ τοῦ ἡλιακοῦ φωτὸς εὐθὺς ἐξελαύνεται· ὡσαύτως καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς δουλείας οὐ σβέσει τὴν τῆς εὐγενείας μου αἴγλην· μετ' οὐ πολὺ γὰρ ὑπὸ τῆς ἀκτῖνος τῶν τρόπων μου διαχυθήσεται, καὶ ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἐκλάμψει τὸ τῆς εὐγενείας μου κάλλος. Πέπραμαί σοι, σύμφημι κἀγὼ, οὐκ ἀρνοῦμαι· δουλείας τὴν πρέπουσάν σοι ὑπηρεσίαν ἐξεπλήρωσα· ἀψευδής σοι γέγονα, ἀβλαβὴς, ἄμεμπτος, ἄδολος, ἀπρόσκοπος, ἀκατήγορος· οὐδεμία σοι κατ' ἐμοῦ ἀταξίας κατηγορία γεγένηται· καὶ νῦν συμβουλεύεις μοι ποιῆσαι πρᾶγμα ἀνόσιον, καὶ λαθραίως μοι, ὡς ὄφις, ὑποψιθυρίζεις, οἰομένη με δελεάζειν, καὶ ἀπειλαῖς θανατηφόροις κατακάμπτειν πρὸς τὸ ποθούμενόν σοι τῆς ἀκολασίας δρᾶμα; Μὴ ἀπατῶ, γύναι, μὴ πρόσεχέ μου τῇ νεότητι· δύναται καὶ νέος ἀσκὸς οἶνον φέρειν παλαιὸν, καὶ βαλάν 56.589 τιον καινὸν μαργαρίτας ἀρχαίους βαστάζειν. Νεαρὰν ὁρᾷς μου τὴν χλόην, ἀλλὰ πολιὸν περιβλέπου τὸ ἦθος· νεωτέραν μου τὴν ὄψιν ἡ φύσις παρέσχετο· πολιὰν δέ μου τὴν καρδίαν ὁ νόμος εἰργάσατο. Μὴ ἀπατῶ, γύναι, οὐ νικήσεις μου τὴν ἀρετήν· οὐ νικήσεις Ἰωσὴφ τὸν τοῦ Ἰακὼβ υἱὸν, Ἰακὼβ ἐκείνου τοῦ ἔτι ἐν κοιλίᾳ ὄντος καὶ πτερνίσαντος, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μετὰ ἀγγέλου ἰσχύσαντος παλαῖσαι· μὴ ἀπατῶ, τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ πατρί μου παλαίω. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπαγγελίαις θωπεύειν με νομίζεις. Τί τοιοῦτον, εἰπέ μοι, δύνασαί μοι ἐπαγγείλασθαι, οἷόν ἐστιν ἡ σωφροσύνη; Ποία βασιλεία ἰσόῤῥοπος αὐτῇ ἐστι, ποῖος θησαυρὸς ἰσοστάσιος αὐτῇ ἐστιν; ἀγνοεῖς, ὅτι ἡ σωφροσύνη οὐράνιόν ἐστι κτῆμα, ἀγγελικὸν πρᾶγμα, Θεοῦ χάρισμα; Ἔχε σου τὰς ἐπαγγελίας· αἱ σαὶ τιμαὶ ἀτιμίας εἰσὶ πρόξενοι· αἱ σαὶ τιμαὶ, ἃς ἐπαγγέλλῃ, αἰσχύνης εἰσὶν ἀπαρχαί· ὁ σὸς χρυσὸς γῆς ἐστι γέννημα, καὶ ἰοῦ δαπάνη· ὁ ἐμὸς δὲ χρυσὸς Θεοῦ ἐστι γέννημα, ἀΐδιον βλάστημα. Ἀλλὰ λανθάνειν οἴει τὸ πρᾶγμα. Ἀγνοεῖς τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀκοίμητον ὀφθαλμὸν, τὸν πάντα τὰ ἐν τῷ σκότει γινόμενα ἐφορῶντα πράγματα; πόσους δὲ οἴει νῦν ἐνθάδε ἑστάναι ἀγγέλους; ὑπὸ πόσοις δὲ μάρτυσι γίνεσθαι τὰ πραττόμενα; Ἐννόησον, γύναι, τὸν ἄνδρα σου, τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου, τοὺς φίλους, τοὺς γείτονας, τοὺς συγγενεῖς, τοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ σεμνότητί σου καυχωμένους· ἐννόησον τοὺς παρόντας ἀγγέλους, καὶ ἢ αὐτοὺς αἰσχύνθητι, ἢ τοὺς ἀπόντας ἀνθρώπους αἰδέσθητι. Ποίοις δὲ ὄμμασιν ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνδρα σου ὄψει, ᾧ ἐπιβουλεῦσαι προείλω; ποίας δὲ ἀγκάλας ἁπλώσεις αὐτῷ, ὃν θανατῶσαι ἐθέλησας; ποίοις ῥήμασιν αὐτὸν κολακεύσεις, οὗ τὴν εὐνὴν, τὸ ὅσον ἐπὶ σοὶ, ἐμίανας; Μνήσθητι, ὅσα αὐτῷ ὑπέσχου· πῶς τῆς σωφροσύνης τὴν πίστιν φυλάττειν αὐτῷ, πῶς πλεῖον ἑαυτῆς ἐκεῖνον μεθ' ὅρκων ἀγαπᾷν διεβεβαιοῦ. Μίμησαι, γύναι, τὴν τρυγόνα· ἐκείνη γὰρ ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ μιγεῖσα, ἑτέρῳ οὐκ ἔτι μίγνυται· κἂν συμβῇ τὸν ταύτης ἄῤῥενα ὑπὸ ἰξευτοῦ θηραθῆναι, ἢ ὑπὸ ἀετοῦ ἀναλωθῆναι, ἑτέρῳ ἄῤῥενι οὐκ ἐπιμίγνυται, ἀλλὰ μένει ἐκδεχομένη ἀεὶ τὸν ποθούμενον, καὶ τῇ ἐκείνου μνήμῃ ἐναποθνήσκει. Παιδευσάτω σε, γύναι, ἢ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβος, ἢ ὁ τῶν Ἑβραίων νόμος, ἢ ἡ τῶν ἀρχαίων σεμνὴ πολιτεία. Ταῦτα εἰρηκὼς ὁ Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὴν ἔτι ἀναιδῶς κατέχουσαν αὐτοῦ τῶν ἱματίων, καὶ καιομένην πλεῖον πρὸς τὸν οἶστρον οἱ γὰρ ἔρωτες τότε πλεῖον πρὸς τὸ ποθούμενον ἐξάπτονται, ὅταν αὐτοῦ ἐφικέσθαι μὴ δυνηθῶσιν, ὥσπερ γενναῖος ἀθλητὴς, ἀποδυσάμενος τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ ὅλην αὐτὴν σὺν τοῖς ἱματίοις εἰς τὸ χαμαὶ κενώσας, γυμνὸς τοῦ μύσους ἐκ τοῦ σκάμματος ἐξήλα 56.590 το, τῆς σωφροσύνης τὴν νίκην βαστάζων. Καὶ ἡ μὲν Αἰγυπτία κατεῖχε τὰ φύλλα τῆς ἀταξίας, ὁ δὲ Ἰωσὴφ τὸν καρπὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐβάσταζε. Χαρὰ ἦν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἐπὶ τῇ νίκῃ τοῦ Ἰωσήφ·