6

I, but I admire those who have enrolled themselves for this contest, but I do not accuse those who remain outside the struggle. For an accusation would then be justly made when someone inclines towards an acknowledged evil. But he who has the lesser good, but does not attain the greater, is deprived of being praised with that one and admired, but he would not be justly accused. How then do I forbid marriage when I do not accuse those who marry? I forbid fornicating and committing adultery, but never marrying. And those who dare to do those things I punish and drive from the full body of the church, but those who do this, if they are chaste, I continually praise. For in this way there are two gains: one, not to slander the creation of God, and a second, not to diminish the dignity of virginity but to show it to be much more venerable.

10

That he who disparages marriage does injustice to virginity. For he who disparages marriage also undermines the glory of virginity; but he who praises this enhances the wonder of that and makes it more brilliant. For that which appears beautiful by comparison with what is worse would not be very beautiful; but that which is better than acknowledged goods, this is what is exceedingly beautiful, which we show virginity to be. Therefore, just as those who disparage marriage damage its praises, so he who frees it from slander has praised not it more than virginity. For in the case of bodies, we say that not those which are better than maimed ones, but those which are better than complete ones having no blemish, are beautiful. Is marriage good? Therefore virginity is wonderful for this reason, that it is better than what is good, and so much better as the pilot is than the sailors and the general than the soldiers. But just as on a ship, if you take away the rowers you have sunk the vessel, and in a war, if you remove the soldiers you have handed the general over to the enemy in bonds, so also here, if you cast marriage out of the best order, you have betrayed the glory of virginity and brought it to extreme harm. Is virginity good? I agree too. But is it better than marriage? I agree with this also; if you wish, I will also add how much better it is: as much as heaven is than earth, as much as angels are than men, and if I must say something forcefully, even more. For angels, though they neither marry nor are given in marriage, yet they are not entwined with flesh and blood, nor do they have their abodes on the earth, nor do they endure a crowd of desires, nor do they need food and drink, nor can a sweet melody soften them, nor can a brilliant sight bend them, nor anything else of that sort. But just as it is possible to see the sky clear at steady midday when no cloud is disturbing it, so also their natures must remain translucent and brilliant, with no desire disturbing them.

11

That virginity makes those who truly pursue it angels out of men. But the human race, being inferior in nature to those blessed ones, does violence to its own strength and strives through zeal to be made equal to them according to its ability. How then? Angels do not marry nor are they given in marriage, nor does the virgin. They stand by continually and minister to God; this also the virgin does. For this reason Paul also removed them from all cares, for the sake of devoted and undistracted service. And if they are not able to ascend to heaven for the time being as they do, since the flesh drags them down, yet even in this they have great consolation, receiving the Lord of the heavens himself, if they are holy in body and in spirit. Have you seen the dignity of virginity? How it makes those who pass their time on earth live in like manner to those who dwell in the heavens? It does not allow those who are clothed in a body to be inferior to the incorporeal powers, being human, it leads them to the same zeal as the angels. But none of these things is for you who so great a matter

6

ἐγώ, ἀλλὰ θαυμάζω μὲν τοὺς εἰς τοῦτον ἀπογραψαμένους τὸν ἀγῶνα, οὐ κατηγορῶ δὲ τῶν ἔξω τῆς ἀθλήσεως μενόντων. Κατηγορία γὰρ τότε ἂν γένοιτο δικαίως ὅταν τις πρὸς τὸ ὡμολογημένον ῥέψῃ κακόν. Ὁ δὲ τὸ ἔλαττον μὲν ἔχων ἀγαθόν, τοῦ μείζονος δὲ οὐκ ἐφικνούμενος τοῦ μὲν ἐπαινεῖσθαι μετ' ἐκείνου καὶ θαυμάζεσθαι ἀπεστέρηται, κατηγορεῖσθαι δὲ οὐκ ἂν εἴη δίκαιος. Πῶς οὖν κωλύω γαμεῖν τῶν γαμούντων μὴ κατηγορῶν; Πορνεύειν κωλύω καὶ μοιχεύειν, γαμεῖν δὲ οὐδέποτε. Καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐκεῖνα τολμῶντας κολάζω καὶ τοῦ πληρώματος ἀπελαύνω τῆς ἐκκλησίας, τοὺς δὲ τοῦτο ποιοῦντας, εἰ σωφρονοῦσι, καὶ ἐπαινῶν διατελῶ. Οὕτω γὰρ δύο γίνεται τὰ κέρδη· ἓν μὲν τὸ μὴ διαβάλλειν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δημιουργίαν, δεύτερον δὲ τὸ μὴ καθαιρεῖν τὸ τῆς παρθενίας ἀξίωμα ἀλλὰ πολλῷ σεμνοτέραν ἀποφαίνειν αὐτήν.

10 Ὅτι ὁ τὸν γάμον κακίζων τὴν παρθενίαν ἀδικεῖ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὸν γάμον κακίζων καὶ τὴν τῆς παρθενίας ὑποτέμνεται δόξαν· ὁ δὲ τοῦτον ἐπαινῶν μᾶλλον ἐκείνης ἐπαίρει τὸ θαῦμα καὶ λαμπρότερον ποιεῖ. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῇ πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον παραθέσει φαινόμενον καλὸν οὐκ ἂν εἴη σφόδρα καλόν· τὸ δὲ τῶν ὁμολογουμένων ἀγαθῶν ἄμεινον, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς καλόν, ὅπερ τὴν παρθενίαν ἀποδείκνυμεν οὖσαν ἡμεῖς. Ὥσπερ οὖν οἱ τὸν γάμον κακίζοντες τοῖς ταύτης ἐγκωμίοις λυμαίνονται, οὕτως ὁ διαβολῆς ἀπαλλάττων αὐτὸν οὐ τοῦτον μᾶλλον ἢ τὴν παρθενίαν ἐπῄνεσε. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν σωμάτων οὐχ ὅσα τῶν πεπηρωμένων ἀλλ' ὅσα τῶν ἀρτίων καὶ μηδεμίαν λώβην ἐχόντων ἐστὶν ἀμείνω, ταῦτα ὡραῖά φαμεν εἶναι. Καλὸν ὁ γάμος; Οὐκοῦν διὰ τοῦτο ἡ παρθενία θαυμαστὸν ὅτι καλοῦ κρείττων ἐστὶ καὶ τοσούτῳ κρείττων ὅσῳ τῶν ναυτῶν ὁ κυβερνήτης καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ὁ στρατηγός. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ πλοίου τοὺς ἐρέττοντας ἂν ἀφέλῃς τὸ σκάφος κατέδυσας, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ πολέμου τοὺς στρατιώτας ἂν ἀποστήσῃς παρέδωκας δεδεμένον τοῖς πολεμίοις τὸν στρατηγόν, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἂν τῆς ἀρίστης τάξεως ἐκβάλῃς τὸν γάμον, τῆς παρθενίας τὴν δόξαν προύδωκας καὶ εἰς ἔσχατον ἤγαγες κακόν. Καλὸν ἡ παρθενία; Σύμφημι κἀγώ. Ἀλλὰ τοῦ γάμου κρείττων; Καὶ τοῦτο συνομολογῶ· εἰ βούλει, καὶ τὸ ὅσον κρείττων προτίθημι ὅσον γῆς ὁ οὐρανός, ὅσον τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ ἄγγελοι, εἰ δὲ χρή τι καὶ βιασάμενον εἰπεῖν, καὶ πλέον. Ἄγγελοι μὲν γὰρ εἰ καὶ μὴ γαμοῦσιν μηδὲ γαμίζονται, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰσὶ συμπεπλεγμένοι σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔχουσι τὰς διατριβὰς οὐδὲ ὄχλον ἐπιθυμιῶν ἀνέχονται, οὐδὲ σίτου δέονται καὶ ποτοῦ οὐδὲ μέλος αὐτοὺς ἡδὺ μαλάξαι δύναται οὐδὲ ὄψις ἐπικάμψαι λαμπρὰ οὐδὲ ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδέν· ἀλλὰ καθάπερ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ σταθερᾷ μηδενὸς ἐνοχλοῦντος νέφους ἔστιν ἰδεῖν καθαρόν, οὕτω καὶ τὰς ἐκείνων φύσεις οὐδεμιᾶς ἐνοχλούσης ἐπιθυμίας μένειν ἀνάγκη διαυγεῖς καὶ λαμπράς.

11 Ὅτι ἡ παρθενία τοὺς ὄντως αὐτὴν μετιόντας ἀγγέλους ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ποιεῖ. Τὸ δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος τῶν μακαρίων ἐκείνων τῇ φύσει λειπόμενον βιάζεται τὴν οἰκείαν ἰσχὺν καὶ φιλονεικεῖ διὰ τῆς σπουδῆς κατὰ δύναμιν ἐξισωθῆναι ἐκείνοις. Πῶς οὖν; Οὐ γαμοῦσιν οὐδὲ γαμίζονται ἄγγελοι, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἡ παρθένος. Παρεστήκασιν διὰ παντὸς καὶ λειτουργοῦσιν τῷ Θεῷ· τοῦτο καὶ ἡ παρθένος. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλος αὐτὰς πάντων ἀπέστησε τῶν φροντίδων διὰ τὸ εὐπρόσεδρον καὶ ἀπερίσπαστον. Εἰ δὲ μὴ δύνανται εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβῆναι τέως καθάπερ ἐκεῖνοι, τῆς σαρκὸς καθελκούσης αὐτάς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τούτῳ πολλὴν ἔχουσι τὴν παραμυθίαν αὐτὸν τὸν τῶν οὐρανῶν ὑποδεχόμεναι δεσπότην ἂν ὦσιν ἅγιαι τῷ σώματι καὶ τῷ πνεύματι. Εἶδες τῆς παρθενίας τὸ ἀξίωμα; Πῶς τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς διατρίβοντας τοῖς ἐν οὐρανοῖς διαιτωμένοις ὁμοίως πολιτεύεσθαι ποιεῖ; Τοὺς σῶμα περικειμένους τῶν ἀσωμάτων οὐκ ἀφίησι λείπεσθαι δυνάμεων, ἀνθρώπους ὄντας εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν τῶν ἀγγέλων ἄγει ζῆλον. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων πρὸς ὑμᾶς τοὺς τοσοῦτον πρᾶγμα