John Chrysostom, On Virginity

useful? And what will prevent the entire human race from being annihilated, with death consuming and cutting it down each day, and this argument not allowing others to rise up in place of those who fall? For if we should all emulate this noble thing and not touch a woman, all things will perish: cities, houses, fields, arts, animals, and plants. For just as when the general falls, the good order of the army must be broken, so too when man, the ruler of all things on earth, is annihilated by not marrying, none of the remaining things will continue in the same security and good order, and this noble commandment will fill the world with countless evils. But if these were the words of enemies and unbelievers only, I would have made little account of them. But since many of those who seem to belong to the church utter these things, having fallen short of the labors for virginity through weakness of will, and wishing to obscure their own laziness by decrying the practice and declaring it superfluous, so that they might not seem to have failed in these contests through negligence but through a right judgment of reasoning, come, let us leave aside the enemies— “For the natural man does not accept the things of the spirit; for they are foolishness to him” —and let us teach those who pretend to be with us both things: that the practice is neither superfluous, but very useful and necessary, and that such an accusation is not without penalty for them, but will bring them as much danger as the reward and praise to those who succeed in it. For when this entire world was completed and all things were prepared for our rest and use, God formed man, for whom He also made the world. And having been formed, he remained in paradise, and there was no mention of marriage. He needed a helper to be made for him, and she was made, and not even then did marriage seem to be necessary. But it was not seen anywhere, but they remained without it, living as if in heaven in paradise and delighting in communion with God. And desire for intercourse and conception and labor pains and childbirth and every kind of corruption were banished from their soul. And just as a transparent stream proceeds from a pure spring, so were they adorned with virginity in that place. And at that time the whole earth was devoid of men, this which these caretakers of the world now fear, who diligently care for the things of others, but cannot bear to think of their own, and who fear for the common race of men, lest it might fail, while each neglects his own soul as if it belonged to another, and this though they are about to be required to give a strict account for it, even for the smallest things, but will not submit to any accounting at all for the scarcity of men. There were no cities then, nor arts, nor houses; for you are concerned about these things not just by chance, but these things did not exist then, and yet nothing either hindered or interrupted that blessed life, one much better than this. But when they disobeyed God and became earth and ash, they lost, along with that blessed way of life, also the beauty of virginity, and with God, it also left them and departed. For as long as they were unconquered by the devil and revered their own Master, virginity also remained, adorning them more than the diadem and golden robes adorn kings. But when they became captives and took off this royal robe and laid aside their heavenly adornment, and received the corruption from death and the curse and the pain and the toilsome life, then marriage also enters with these things, this mortal and servile garment. “For he who is married,” he says, “is concerned about the things of the world.” Do you see from where marriage had its beginning? From where did it seem to be necessary? From disobedience, from the curse, from death. For where there is death, there is marriage; but where this is not, it does not follow. But virginity does not have this consequence, but is always useful, always noble and blessed, both before death and

χρησιμευούσῃ; Τί δὲ κωλύσει τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἅπαν ἀφανισθῆναι γένος, τοῦ μὲν θανάτου καθ' ἑκάστην αὐτὸ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐπινεμομένου καὶ κόπτοντος, τοῦ δὲ λόγου τούτου οὐκ ἐῶντος ἀντὶ τῶν πιπτόντων ἑτέρους ἀνίστασθαι; Εἰ γὰρ τὸ καλὸν τοῦτο ζηλώσαιμεν ἅπαντες καὶ μὴ ἁψαίμεθα γυναικός, πάντα οἰχήσεται καὶ πόλεις καὶ οἰκίαι καὶ ἀγροὶ καὶ τέχναι καὶ ζῷα καὶ φυτά. Καθάπερ γὰρ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ πεσόντος πᾶσα ἀνάγκη τοῦ στρατεύματος διασπασθῆναι τὴν εὐταξίαν, οὕτω τοῦ πάντων τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς βασιλεύοντος ἀνθρώπου διὰ τοῦ μὴ γαμεῖν ἀφανισθέντος οὐδὲν τῶν λοιπῶν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀσφαλείας καὶ εὐταξίας διαμενεῖ καὶ τὸ καλὸν τοῦτο παράγγελμα μυρίων ἐμπλήσει τὴν οἰκουμένην κακῶν. Ἐγὼ δέ, εἰ μὲν τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ ἀπίστων ἦν ταῦτα μόνον τὰ ῥήματα, βραχὺν ἂν αὐτῶν ἐποιησάμην λόγον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τῶν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν δοκούντων συντελεῖν πολλοὶ ταῦτα φθέγγονται, δι' ἀσθένειαν μὲν προαιρέσεως ἀπολειφθέντες τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς παρθενίας ἱδρώτων, τῷ δὲ τὸ πρᾶγμα κακίζειν καὶ περιττὸν ἀποφαίνειν βουλόμενοι συσκιάζειν τὴν ἑαυτῶν ῥαθυμίαν, ἵνα μὴ δοκῶσι δι' ὀλιγωρίαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ κρίσιν ὀρθὴν λογισμῶν τῶν ἀγώνων ὑστερηκέναι τούτων, φέρε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀφέντες- «Ψυχικὸς γὰρ ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος· μωρία γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐστι» -τοὺς προσποιουμένους εἶναι μεθ' ἡμῶν, διδάξωμεν ἀμφότερα, ὡς οὔτε τὸ πρᾶγμα περιττόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα χρήσιμον καὶ ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν οὔτε αὐτοῖς ἀζήμιος ἡ τοιαύτη κατηγορία, ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον αὐτοῖς οἴσει τὸν κίνδυνον ὅσον τοῖς κατορθοῦσι τὸν μισθὸν καὶ τὸν ἔπαινον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ σύμπας οὗτος κόσμος ἀπήρτιστο καὶ πάντα ηὐτρέπιστο τὰ πρὸς ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ χρῆσιν τὴν ἡμετέραν, ἔπλασε τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὁ Θεὸς δι' ὃν καὶ τὸν κόσμον ἐποίησε. Πλασθεὶς δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἔμεινεν ἐν παραδείσῳ καὶ γάμου λόγος οὐδεὶς ἦν. Ἐδέησεν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι καὶ βοηθόν, καὶ ἐγένετο, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ὁ γάμος ἀναγκαῖος εἶναι ἐδόκει. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐφαίνετό που, ἀλλ' ἔμενον ἐκεῖνοι τούτου χωρὶς καθάπερ ἐν οὐρανῷ τῷ παραδείσῳ διαιτώμενοι καὶ ἐντρυφῶντες τῇ πρὸς Θεὸν ὁμιλίᾳ. Μίξεως δὲ ἐπιθυμία καὶ σύλληψις καὶ ὠδῖνες καὶ τόκοι καὶ πᾶν εἶδος φθορᾶς ἐξώριστο τῆς ἐκείνων ψυχῆς. Ὥσπερ δὲ ῥεῖθρον διειδὲς ἐκ καθαρᾶς πηγῆς προϊόν, οὕτως ἦσαν ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ χωρίῳ τῇ παρθενίᾳ κοσμούμενοι. Καὶ πᾶσα τότε ἡ γῆ ἔρημος ἦν ἀνθρώπων, τοῦτο ὃ νῦν δεδοίκασιν οὗτοι οἱ τῆς οἰκουμένης μεριμνηταί, οἱ τὰ μὲν ἑτέρων σπουδαίως μεριμνῶντες, τὰ δὲ ἑαυτῶν οὐδὲ ἐννοεῖν ἀνεχόμενοι καὶ ὑπὲρ μὲν τοῦ κοινοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων δεδοικότες γένους μή ποτε ἐπιλείπῃ, τῆς δὲ ἰδίας ἕκαστος ὡς ἀλλοτρίας οὕτως ἀμελοῦντες ψυχῆς καὶ ταῦτα μέλλοντες ὑπὲρ μὲν ταύτης καὶ τῶν μικροτάτων ἕνεκεν ἀκριβεῖς ἀπαιτεῖσθαι τὰς εὐθύνας, ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὀλιγότητος οὐδὲ τὸν τυχόντα λόγον ὑφέξειν. Οὐκ ἦσαν τότε πόλεις οὐδὲ τέχναι οὐδὲ οἰκίαι· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τούτων ὑμῖν οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχε μέλει, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν τότε ταῦτα καὶ ὅμως τὴν μακαρίαν ἐκείνην ζωὴν καὶ πολλῷ ταύτης ἀμείνω οὐδὲν οὔτε ἐνεπόδιζεν οὔτε ἐνέκοπτεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ παρήκουσαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἐγένοντο γῆ καὶ σποδός, ἀπώλεσαν μετὰ τῆς μακαρίας ἐκείνης διαγωγῆς καὶ τὸ τῆς παρθενίας κάλλος, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ αὐτὴ καταλιποῦσα αὐτοὺς ἀνεχώρησεν. Ἕως μὲν γὰρ ἦσαν ἀνάλωτοι τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ δεσπότην ᾐδοῦντο τὸν αὑτῶν, παρέμενε καὶ ἡ παρθενία κοσμοῦσα αὐτοὺς μᾶλλον ἢ τοὺς βασιλεῖς τὸ διάδημα καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια τὰ χρυσᾶ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ αἰχμάλωτοι γενόμενοι τὴν βασιλικὴν ταύτην ἀπεδύσαντο στολὴν καὶ τὸν οὐράνιον ἀπέθεντο κόσμον, ἐδέξαντο δὲ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ θανάτου φθορὰν καὶ τὴν ἀρὰν καὶ τὴν ὀδύνην καὶ τὸν ἐπίπονον βίον, τότε καὶ ὁ γάμος ἐπεισέρχεται μετὰ τούτων τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτο καὶ δουλικὸν ἱμάτιον. «Ὁ γὰρ γαμήσας, φησί, μεριμνᾷ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου.» Ὁρᾷς πόθεν ἔσχε τὴν ἀρχὴν ὁ γάμος; Πόθεν ἀναγκαῖος ἔδοξεν εἶναι; Ἀπὸ τῆς παρακοῆς, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρᾶς, ἀπὸ τοῦ θανάτου. Ὅπου γὰρ θάνατος, ἐκεῖ γάμος· τούτου δὲ οὐκ ὄντος οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἕπεται. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡ παρθενία ταύτην ἔχει τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἀλλ' ἀεὶ χρήσιμον, ἀεὶ καλὸν καὶ μακάριον καὶ πρὸ τοῦ θανάτου καὶ