10

of my wife; I do not dare, then, to betray what is another's. I do not dare to diminish her dowry, nor do I dare to spend her property, and I am to dare to defile her body? How? I cannot. Say to the harlot: Why do you call me? you will not touch him; for this is not mine, it is another's. For is the body the harlot's? I do not accept the body of a harlot; this is my wife's. Fear Christ, and say that our body is a member of Christ. Let the women also hear this, and let them understand where Christ has called them, that it is always in holiness, and let them say that, The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Consider the wisdom of Paul, what he says.

Since many practice continence, and have respectable and chaste wives, and practice continence contrary to what is right, and this philosophy of theirs becomes a pretext for adultery, for this reason he says: Let each man enjoy his own wife. And he is not ashamed, but enters, and sits upon the bed night and day, and possesses the husband and the wife, and thus joins them, and cries out and exclaims: Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement. You practice continence, and do not wish to sleep with your husband, but he does not enjoy you? He goes away and sins, and then his sin is reckoned to your continence. It is better for him to sleep with you, than with the harlot. Your enjoyment is not forbidden; but hers is forbidden.

If he sleeps with you, it is not a crime; if he sleeps with her, you have lost your members. He therefore sits almost on the bed of the husband and wife, and cries out: Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement. For this reason you took 55.575 a husband, for this reason you also took a wife, so that you might be chaste. Do you wish to be continent? Persuade your husband also, so that there might be two crowns, chastity and harmony; so that there may not be chastity and fighting, so that there may not be peace and war. For when you are continent, but he is inflamed by desire, and Paul says, "Do not commit fornication," he is immediately disturbed, he is tossed by waves. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement. For where there is peace, there are all good things; where there is peace, chastity also shines; where there is harmony, continence is also crowned; but where there is war, even chastity is undermined. Therefore do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement. For Paul surpasses every bridesman, he, the bridesman of the whole world. For this reason he is not ashamed to say: Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled. For his Master also came to a wedding, honoring the marriage by his own presence, and brought gifts.

For he changed the water into wine. Run, therefore, as much as you wish; but when you grow weak, take the remedy of intercourse, so that Satan may not tempt you. Therefore let each man have his own wife. For there are these three: virginity, marriage, fornication. Marriage is in the middle, fornication is below, virginity is above. Virginity has a crown, marriage has moderate praise, fornication has punishment and retribution. See, then, how you practice continence, if you are able to bear the weakness of the body, and do not wish to ascend beyond measure, lest you descend beyond measure.

Just as, then, one who is about to swim, enters in so far as he is able to get out; and when he enters, he considers how far he ought to go out; so you too be chaste only so far as you are able to endure, lest you descend beyond measure. And for all these things let us give thanks to Christ, because to him is the glory and the power, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

10

γυναικός μου· οὐ τολμῶ οὖν τὸ ἀλλότριον προδοῦναι. Τὴν προῖκα αὐτῆς οὐ τολμῶ μειῶσαι, οὐδὲ τὰ πράγματα αὐτῆς τολμῶ δαπανῆσαι, καὶ τὸ σῶμα τολμῆσαι ἔχω μιᾶναι; Πῶς; Οὐ δύναμαι. Εἰπὲ τῇ πόρνῃ· Τί με καλεῖς; οὐκ ἐγγίσεις αὐτῷ· τοῦτο γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν, ἀλλότριόν ἐστι. Μὴ γὰρ τῆς πόρνης ἐστὶ τὸ σῶμα; Ἐγὼ σῶμα πόρνης οὐ δέχομαι· τοῦτο τῆς γυναικός μού ἐστι. Φοβήθητι τὸν Χριστὸν, καὶ εἰπὲ, ὅτι τὸ σῶμα ἡμῶν μέλη Χριστοῦ ἐστιν. Ἀκουέτωσαν τοῦτο καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες, καὶ ἐννοείτωσαν, ποῦ αὐτὰς ἐκάλεσεν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὅτι πάντως ἐν ἁγιασμῷ, καὶ λεγέτωσαν, ὅτι Ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος οὐκ ἐξουσιάζει, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀνήρ. Ἐννόησον τὴν Παύλου σοφίαν τί λέγει.

Ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ ἐγκρατεύονται, καὶ ἔχουσι σεμνὰς καὶ σώφρονας γυναῖκας, καὶ παρὰ τὸ δοκοῦν ἐγκρατεύονται, καὶ γίνε ται ἡ τούτων φιλοσοφία μοιχείας ὑπόθεσις, διὰ τοῦτο λέγει· Ἕκαστος ἀπολαυέτω τῆς ἰδίας γυναικός. Καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνεται, ἀλλ' εἰσέρχεται, καὶ καθέζεται εἰς τὴν εὐνὴν νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν, καὶ κατέχει τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ τὴν γυ ναῖκα, καὶ οὕτω συνάπτει, καὶ κράζει καὶ βοᾷ· Μὴ ἀποστερεῖτε ἀλλήλους, εἰ μή τι ἂν ἐκ συμφώνου. Ἐγκρατεύῃ, καὶ οὐ θέλεις καθευδῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ ἀνδρός σου, ἐκεῖνος δὲ οὐκ ἀπολαύει σου; Ἀπέρχεται καὶ ἁμαρτάνει, καὶ λοιπὸν ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐκείνου τῇ σῇ ἐγκρα τείᾳ λογίζεται. Βέλτιον μετὰ σοῦ αὐτὸν καθεύδειν, ἢ μετὰ τῆς πόρνης. Ἡ ἀπόλαυσίς σου οὐ κεκώλυται· ἡ δὲ ἐκείνης κεκώλυται.

Μετὰ σοῦ ἐὰν καθευδήσῃ, οὐκ ἔστιν ἔγκλημα· μετ' ἐκείνης ἐὰν καθευδήσῃ, ἀπώλεσάς σου τὰ μέλη. Καθέζεται οὖν σχεδὸν εἰς τὴν εὐνὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ τῆς γυναικὸς, καὶ κράζει· Μὴ ἀποστερεῖτε ἀλλή λους, εἰ μή τι ἂν ἐκ συμφώνου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλαβες 55.575 ἄνδρα, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ σὺ ἔλαβες γυναῖκα, ἵνα σωφρονῆτε. Θέλεις ἐγκρατεύεσθαι; Πεῖσον καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα σου, ἵνα δύο ὦσι στέφανοι, σωφροσύνη καὶ ὁμόνοια· ἵνα μὴ ᾖ σωφροσύνη καὶ μάχη, ἵνα μὴ ᾖ εἰρήνη καὶ πόλεμος. Ὅταν γὰρ σὺ ἐγκρατεύῃ, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ὑπὸ ἐπιθυμίας φλέ γηται, λέγει δὲ ὁ Παῦλος, Μὴ πορνεύσῃς, εὐθέως θορυ βεῖται, κυματοῦται. Μὴ ἀποστερῆτε ἀλλήλους, εἰ μή τι ἂν ἐκ συμφώνου. Καὶ γὰρ ὅπου εἰρήνη, ἐκεῖ πάντα τὰ ἀγαθά· ὅπου εἰρήνη, καὶ σοφρωσύνη λάμπει· ὅπου ὁμόνοια, καὶ ἐγκράτεια στεφανοῦται· ὅπου δὲ πόλεμος, καὶ ἡ σωφροσύνη ὑποτέμνεται. Μὴ οὖν ἀποστερεῖτε ἀλλήλους, εἰ μή τι ἂν ἐκ συμφώνου. Καὶ γὰρ πάντα νυμφαγωγὸν νικᾷ Παῦλος, ὁ νυμφαγωγὸς τῆς οἰκουμέ νης. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ αἰσχύνεται λέγων· Τίμιος ὁ γάμος ἐν πᾶσι, καὶ ἡ κοίτη ἀμίαντος. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ ∆εσπότης αὐτοῦ εἰς γάμον παρεγένετο, τῇ ἑαυτοῦ παρουσίᾳ τὸν γάμον τιμῶν, καὶ δῶρα προσήνεγκε.

Τὸ γὰρ ὕδωρ εἰς οἶνον μετέβαλε. ∆ράμε οὖν ὅσον βούλει· ὅταν δὲ ἀτονήσῃς, λάβε φάρμακον τὴν συνουσίαν, ἵνα μὴ πειράσῃ ὑμᾶς ὁ Σατανᾶς. Ἕκαστος οὖν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἐχέτω. Τρία γάρ ἐστι ταῦτα· παρθενία, γάμος, πορνεία. Ὁ γάμος μέσος, ἡ πορνεία κάτω, ἡ παρθενία ἄνω. Παρθενία στέφανον ἔχει, ὁ γάμος ἔπαινον σύμμετρον, πορνεία κόλασιν καὶ τιμωρίαν. Βλέπε οὖν πῶς ἐγκρατεύῃ, εἰ δύνασαι τὴν ἀσθένειαν τοῦ σώματος ἐνέγκαι, καὶ μὴ θέλε ὑπὲρ τὸ μέτρον ἀναβῆναι, ἵνα μὴ ὑπὲρ τὸ μέτρον καταβῇς.

Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ μέλλων κολυμβᾷν, εἰς τοσοῦτον εἰσέρχεται, ὅταν δύναται ἐξελθεῖν· ὅταν δὲ εἰσέρχηται, ἐννοεῖ πόσον ὀφείλει ἐξελθεῖν· οὕτω καὶ σὺ τοσοῦτον σωφρόνησον, ὅσον δύνῃ ὑπομεῖναι, ἵνα μὴ παρὰ τὸ μέτρον καταβῇς. Καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτων ἁπάντων εὐχαριστήσωμεν τῷ Χριστῷ, ὅτι αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.