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One might approve of the Corinthians here because having never received any counsel from their teacher about virginity, they themselves anticipated and ask him, thereby already showing the progress that had come to them from grace. For under the old covenant marriage was not doubtful; for not only all the rest but also Levites and high priests and the great high priest himself made much of marriage.

13 Why did the Corinthians write to him about virginity, but he himself had not advised them about this before? Whence then did they come to the question? They saw this keenly and well, that they needed greater virtue, since they had also been deemed worthy of a greater gift. But it is worthwhile to examine that too, why he never introduced this counsel to them. For if they had heard any such thing, they would not have written again asking about such matters. For here too one can perceive the depth of Paul's wisdom. For he did not simply or randomly omit advice on so great a matter, but he waited for them first to come to the desire and to receive some notion of this matter, so that having taken their souls already made familiar with virginity, he might usefully sow the words concerning these things, since the disposition of the hearers concerning the matter provided great ease for the reception of the advice; and in another way also it shows the greatness of the matter and its great importance. For if this were not so, he would not have awaited their eagerness, but he himself would have anticipated and introduced it, even if not as a command, nor as a commandment, but as an exhortation and counsel. But he, by not enduring to do even this first, made it clear to us that virginity requires many toils and a great struggle. And here too he acted thus, imitating our common master. For He too discussed virginity when his disciples asked him. For when they said, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry," then he said: "There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." For when the thing being achieved is great and for this reason is not even confined to the necessity of a command, then it is necessary to await the eagerness of those who are about to achieve it, by contriving in them in some other and unsuspected way the willing and the desiring; just as Christ also did. For he did not cast them into the desire for virginity by words about virginity, but having spoken only about marriage and shown the weightiness of the matter and stopped his discourse at this point, he so wisely managed it that those who had heard nothing about not marrying said of their own accord that "It is better not to marry." For this reason Paul, the imitator of Christ, said: "Now concerning the things about which you wrote to me," all but apologizing to them through these words and saying that I for my part did not dare to lead you to this high peak because of the difficulty of the matter; but since you yourselves anticipated and wrote to me, I make my counsel with confidence, that it is good for a man not to touch a woman. For why, though they wrote about many things, did he nowhere add this? For no other reason than for what I have just said; for so that no one might be vexed at the advice, he reminds them of the letter which they sent. And not even so does he use the advice with vehemence, even though he had received so great an occasion, but even very gently, and in this imitating Christ. For the savior also, after completing his discourse on virginity, added: "He who is able to accept it, let him accept it." What then does he say? "Now concerning the things about which you wrote to me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman."

14 An objection of those who reject virginity and its refutation. But perhaps someone might say: and if it is good not to touch a woman, for what reason did marriage enter into life? Where then will we use a woman, if she is for us neither for marriage nor for childbearing

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Ἀποδέξαιτο ἄν τις ἐνταῦθα τοὺς Κορινθίους ὅτι μηδεμίαν ποτὲ παρὰ τοῦ διδασκάλου δεξάμενοι συμβουλὴν περὶ παρθενίας, αὐτοὶ φθάσαντες ἐρωτῶσιν αὐτόν, ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη δεικνύντες τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς χάριτος ἐπίδοσιν γενομένην αὐτοῖς. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης οὐκ ἦν ὁ γάμος ἀμφίβολος· οὐ γὰρ μόνον οἱ λοιποὶ πάντες ἀλλὰ καὶ Λευῗται καὶ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ μέγας ἀρχιερεὺς πολλὴν ἐποιεῖτο τοῦ γάμου σπουδήν.

13 ∆ιὰ τί ἔγραψαν αὐτῷ Κορίνθιοι περὶ παρθενίας, αὐτὸς δὲ αὐτοῖς πρὸ τούτου οὐ παρῄνεσεν. Πόθεν οὖν ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὴν ἐρώτησιν; Εἶδον τοῦτο ὀξέως ἐκεῖνοι καὶ καλῶς ὅτι μείζονος αὐτοῖς ἔδει τῆς ἀρετῆς, ἐπειδὴ καὶ μείζονος ἠξιώθησαν τῆς δωρεᾶς. Ἄξιον δὲ ἐξετάσαι κἀκεῖνο διὰ τί μηδέποτε αὐτοῖς ταύτην εἰσηγήσατο τὴν συμβουλήν. Οὐ γὰρ ἄν, εἴ γε ἤκουσάν τι τοιοῦτον, πάλιν ἂν ἔγραψαν ὑπὲρ τῶν τοιούτων αὖθις ἐρωτῶντες. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ βάθος τῆς σοφίας ἔστι τοῦ Παύλου κατανοῆσαι. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ εἰκῇ παρῆκε πράγματος τοσούτου παραίνεσιν, ἀλλ' ἀνέμενε πρώτους αὐτοὺς εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ἐλθεῖν καὶ ἔννοιάν τινα περὶ τοῦ πράγματος τούτου λαβεῖν, ἵν' ᾠκειωμένας αὐτῶν ἤδη τῇ παρθενίᾳ λαβὼν τὰς ψυχὰς χρησίμως τοὺς περὶ τούτων κατασπείρῃ λόγους, τῆς τῶν ἀκουόντων περὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα σχέσεως πολλὴν εὐκολίαν πρὸς τὴν τῆς παραινέσεως ὑποδοχὴν παρεχούσης· καὶ ἄλλως δὲ τὸ τοῦ πράγματος δείκνυσι μέγεθος καὶ τὸν ὄγκον πολύν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄν, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, τὴν ἐκείνων ἂν περιέμενε προθυμίαν, ἀλλὰ προλαβὼν αὐτὸς ἂν εἰσηγήσατο, εἰ καὶ μὴ ὡς ἐπίταγμα, μηδὲ ὡς ἐντολὴν ἀλλ' ὡς παραίνεσιν καὶ συμβουλήν. Ὁ δὲ μηδὲ τοῦτο ἀνασχόμενος ποιῆσαι πρῶτος φανερὸν ἡμῖν κατέστησεν ὅτι πολλῶν ἱδρώτων καὶ μεγάλης ἡ παρθενία δεῖται τῆς ἀγωνίας. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὸν κοινὸν ἡμῶν δεσπότην μιμούμενος οὕτως ἐποίησεν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τότε διελέχθη περὶ τῆς παρθενίας ὅτε αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ ἤροντο. Εἰπόντων γὰρ «Εἰ οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ αἰτία τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μετὰ τῆς γυναικός, συμφέρει μὴ γαμῆσαι», τότε ἔφησεν· «Εἰσὶν εὐνοῦχοι οἵτινες εὐνούχισαν ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.» Ὅταν γὰρ μέγα ᾖ τὸ κατορθούμενον καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μηδὲ εἰς ἐντολῆς ἀνάγκην κατακλείηται, τότε τῶν μελλόντων κατορθοῦν τὴν προθυμίαν ἀναμένειν χρὴ ἑτέρῳ τινὶ τρόπῳ καὶ ἀνυπόπτως τὸ θελῆσαι καὶ βουληθῆναι κατασκευάζοντας ἐν αὐτοῖς· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐποίησεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν περὶ παρθενίας λόγων εἰς τὴν τῆς παρθενίας αὐτοὺς ἐπιθυμίαν ἐνέβαλεν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ γάμου μόνον διαλεχθεὶς καὶ τὸ βάρος τοῦ πράγματος δείξας καὶ μέχρι τούτου στήσας τὸν λόγον οὕτως σοφῶς ᾠκονόμησεν ὡς τοὺς μηδὲν περὶ τοῦ μὴ γαμεῖν ἀκούσαντας αὐτοὺς ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν εἰπεῖν ὅτι «Συμφέρει μὴ γαμεῖν.» ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μιμητής· «Περὶ δὲ ὧν ἐγράψατέ μοι», μόνον οὐκ ἀπολογούμενος αὐτοῖς διὰ τούτων καὶ λέγων ὅτι ἐγὼ μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν ὑψηλὴν ταύτην κορυφὴν οὐκ ἐτόλμων ὑμᾶς ἀγαγεῖν διὰ τὸ τοῦ πράγματος δυσκατόρθωτον· ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτοὶ φθάσαντες ἐγράψατέ μοι, μετὰ τοῦ θαρρεῖν ποιοῦμαι τὴν συμβουλὴν ὅτι καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ ὑπὲρ πολλῶν γραψάντων ἐκείνων οὐδαμοῦ τοῦτο προσέθηκε; ∆ι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ διὰ τοῦτο ὅπερ εἶπον νῦν· ἵνα γὰρ μή τις δυσχεραίνῃ τὴν παραίνεσιν, τῶν γραμμάτων αὐτοὺς ὧν ἔπεμψαν ὑπομιμνήσκει. Καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως μετὰ σφοδρότητος κέχρηται τῇ παραινέσει καὶ ταῦτα τοσαύτην λαβὼν ἀφορμήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄγαν ὑφειμένως κἀν τούτῳ μιμούμενος τὸν Χριστόν. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ σωτὴρ μετὰ τὸ πληρῶσαι τὸν περὶ παρθενίας λόγον προσέθηκεν· «Ὁ δυνάμενος χωρεῖν χωρείτω.» Τί οὖν φησι; «Περὶ δὲ ὧν ἐγράψατέ μοι, καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι.»

14 Ἀντίθεσις τῶν τὴν παρθενίαν ἐκβαλλόντων καὶ λύσις. Ἀλλ' ἴσως εἴποι τις ἄν· καὶ εἰ καλὸν γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι, τίνος ἕνεκεν γάμος ἐπεισῆλθε τῷ βίῳ; Ποῦ δὲ λοιπὸν χρησόμεθα τῇ γυναικὶ μήτε εἰς γάμον μήτε εἰς παιδοποιΐαν ἡμῖν