Methodius of Olympus,
The Banquet of the Ten Virgins; or Concerning Chastity
⎗←⎅→⎘
All
Text
English
Original
TOC
TOC + English
TOC + Original
The banquet of the ten virgins or concerning…
The banquet of the ten virgins
Chapter iv.—human generation, and the work of god therein set forth.
Chapter v.—the holy father follows up the same argument.
Chapter vi.—god cares even for adulterous births angels given to them as guardians.
Chapter iii.—comparison instituted between the first and second adam.
Chapter v.—a passage of jeremiah examined.
Chapter vii.—the works of christ, proper to god and to man, the works of him who is one.
Chapter ix.—the dispensation of grace in paul the apostle.
Chapter x.—the doctrine of the same apostle concerning purity.
Chapter xi.—the same argument.
Chapter xii.—paul an example to widows, and to those who do not live with their wives.
Chapter xiii.—the doctrine of paul concerning virginity explained.
Chapter xiv.—virginity a gift of god: the purpose of virginity not rashly to be adopted by any one.
Chapter iv.—the author goes on with the interpretation of the same passage.
Chapter v.—the gifts of virgins, adorned with which they are presented to one husband, christ.
Chapter vi.—virginity to be cultivated and commended in every place and time.
Chapter iii.—far best to cultivate virtue from boyhood.
Chapter iv.—perfect consecration and devotion to god: what it is.
Chapter v.—the vow of chastity, and its rites in the law vines, christ, and the devil.
Chapter vii.—the church intermediate between the shadows of the law and the realities of heaven.
Chapter viii.—the double altar, widows and virgins gold the symbol of virginity.
Chapter ii.—the parable of the ten virgins.
Chapter iii.—the same endeavour and effort after virginity, with a different result.
Chapter iv.—what the oil in the lamps means.
Chapter v.—the reward of virginity.
Chapter ii.—the interpretation of that passage of the canticles.
Chapter iii.—virgins being martyrs first among the companions of christ.
Chapter viii.—the human nature of christ his one dove.
Chapter ix.—the virgins immediately after the queen and spouse.
Chapter iii.—the lot and inheritance of virginity.
Chapter viii.—the faithful in baptism males, configured to christ the saints themselves christs.
Chapter ix.—the son of god, who ever is, is to-day begotten in the minds and sense of the faithful.
Chapter xvi.—several other things turned against the same mathematicians.
Chapter xvii.—the lust of the flesh and spirit: vice and virtue.
Chapter iii.—how each one ought to prepare himself for the future resurrection.
Chapter v.—the mystery of the tabernacles.
Chapter ii.—the allegory of the trees demanding a king, in the book of judges, explained.
Chapter iv.—the law useless for salvation the last law of chastity under the figure of the bramble.
Chapter v.—the malignity of the devil as an imitator in all things two kinds of fig-trees and vines.
Chapter V.—Christ, by Preserving His Flesh Incorrupt in Virginity, Draws to the Exercise of Virginity; The Small Number of Virgins in Proportion to the Number of Saints.
What then did the Lord, who is the Truth and the Light, take in hand when He came down from heaven? He preserved the flesh which He had taken upon Him incorrupt in virginity, so that we also, if we would come to the likeness of God and Christ, should endeavour to honour virginity. For the likeness of God is the avoiding of corruption. And that the Word, when He was incarnate, became chief Virgin, in the same way as He was chief Shepherd and chief Prophet of the Church, the Christ-possessed John shows us, saying, in the Book of the Revelation, “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His name and His Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder; and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they who follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth;”31 Rev. xiv. 1–4. showing that the Lord is leader of the choir of virgins. And remark, in addition to this, how very great in the sight of God is the dignity of virginity: “These were redeemed from among men, being the first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault,”32 Rev. xiv. 4, 5. he says, “and they follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.” And he clearly intends by this to teach us that the number of virgins was, from the beginning, restricted to so many, namely, a hundred and forty and four thousand, while the multitude of the other saints is innumerable. For let us consider what he means when discoursing of the rest. “I beheld a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.”33 Rev. vii. 9. It is plain, therefore, as I said, that in the case of the other saints he introduces an unspeakable multitude, while in the case of those who are in a state of virginity he mentions only a very small number, so as to make a strong contrast with those who make up the innumerable number.34 [Compare Cyprian, vol. v. p. 475, this series.]
This, O Arete, is my discourse to you on the subject of virginity. But, if I have omitted anything, let Theophila, who succeeds me, supply the omission.