15

6.2 But it seems to me that the teaching concerning these things would be presented more clearly through an example. For let us suppose some water pouring forth from a spring is divided by chance into different channels. Therefore, as long as it is carried along in this way, it will be suitable for none of the useful purposes of agriculture, since its diffusion into many channels makes the amount in each one small, inactive, and sluggish from weakness; but if someone were to bring together all its disorderly channels and gather into one stream what was previously scattered in many directions, he could use the water, now collected and concentrated, for many things beneficial and useful for life. So it seems to me also with the human mind: if it were poured out everywhere, flowing and being scattered toward whatever is always pleasing to the senses, it would have no power worthy of mention for the journey to the truly good; but if, recalled from all directions and gathered around itself, it were to move, collected and undiffused, toward its own proper and natural activity, there will be nothing to prevent it from being borne upward and from grasping the truth of things that are. For just as water enclosed in a pipe is often carried upward by the force that presses it up, having no way to be poured out, and this despite its natural motion being downward, so too the human mind, when continence like a narrow pipe constricts it from all sides, will somehow be taken up by its nature of being in motion toward the desire for higher things, having nowhere to flow aside. For what is ever-moving, having received its nature from its maker, can never stand still, and being prevented from using its motion for vain things, it is impossible for it not to proceed straight to the truth, being kept from all sides from what is improper. For indeed, on roads with many forks, we see that travelers are most likely not to miss the straight path when they have learned beforehand of the wandering on the other roads and avoid them. Therefore, just as he who has withdrawn from the mistaken paths while traveling keeps himself on the straight one, so our mind by turning away from vanities will recognize the truth in the things that are. It seems, then, that the memory of those great prophets teaches us these things: to not be involved in any of the things pursued in the world, and one of the things pursued is marriage, or rather, it is the beginning and root of the pursuit of vanities.

7.t Chapter 7. That marriage is not among the things condemned.

7.1 But let no one suppose that through these things we set aside the economy of marriage; for we are not ignorant that this too is not alienated from the blessing of God, but since for this an advocate is sufficient, even the common nature of human beings, which implants a spontaneous inclination toward such things in all who come into being through marriage, while virginity in a way goes against nature, it would be superfluous to laboriously compose an exhortation and admonition on behalf of marriage, putting forward its irresistible advocate, I mean pleasure, unless perhaps on account of those who pervert the doctrines of the church there would be need of such arguments, whom the Apostle names as having "their own conscience seared," because having abandoned the guidance of the Spirit, through the "teaching of demons" they engrave certain scars and brands upon their own hearts, abhorring the creations of God as defilements and calling them things that lead to evil and causes of evils and so forth. But 'What

15

6.2 ∆οκεῖ δέ μοι δι' ὑποδείγματος ἐναργέστερον ἂν παρα στῆσαι τὸ περὶ τούτων δόγμα. Ὑποθώμεθα γάρ τι ὕδωρ ἐκ πηγῆς προχεόμενον εἰς διαφόρους ἀπορροὰς κατὰ τὸ συμβὰν διασχίζεσθαι. Οὐκοῦν ἕως ἂν οὕτω φέρηται, εἰς οὐδὲν τῶν πρὸς τὴν γεωργίαν χρησίμων ἐπιτήδειον ἔσται, τῆς εἰς πολλὰ διαχύσεως ὀλίγον τὸ ἐν ἑκάστῳ καὶ ἀδρανὲς καὶ δυσκίνητον ὑπὸ ἀτονίας ποιούσης· εἰ δέ τις πάσας αὐτοῦ τὰς ἀτάκτους ἀπορροὰς συναγάγοι καὶ εἰς ἓν ῥεῖθρον τὸ πολλαχῇ τέως διεσκεδασμένον ἀθροίσειεν, εἰς πολλὰ ἂν τῶν βιωφελῶν καὶ χρησίμων ἀθρόῳ καὶ συντεταμένῳ τῷ ὕδατι χρήσαιτο. Οὕτω μοι δοκεῖ καὶ ὁ νοῦς ὁ ἀνθρώ πινος, εἰ μὲν πανταχοῦ διαχέοιτο πρὸς τὸ ἀρέσκον ἀεὶ τοῖς αἰσθητηρίοις ῥέων καὶ σκεδαννύμενος, μηδεμίαν ἀξιόλο γον δύναμιν σχεῖν πρὸς τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ ὄντως ἀγαθὸν πορείαν· εἰ δὲ πανταχόθεν ἀνακληθεὶς καὶ περὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀθροισθεὶς συνηγμένος καὶ ἀδιάχυτος πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν ἑαυτῷ καὶ κατὰ φύσιν ἐνέργειαν κινοῖτο, οὐδὲν τὸ κωλύον αὐτὸν ἔσται πρὸς τὰ ἄνω φέρεσθαι καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας τῶν ὄντων ἐφάπτεσθαι. Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸ περιεστεγασμένον διὰ σωλῆ νος ὕδωρ ὄρθιον πολλάκις ὑπὸ τῆς ἀναθλιβούσης βίας ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω φέρεται, οὐκ ἔχον ὅπῃ διαχυθῇ, καὶ ταῦτα κατω φεροῦς αὐτῷ τῆς κατὰ φύσιν οὔσης κινήσεως, οὕτω καὶ ὁ νοῦς ὁ ἀνθρώπινος οἷόν τινος σωλῆνος στενοῦ τῆς ἐγκρατείας αὐτὸν πανταχόθεν περισφιγγούσης ἀναλη φθήσεταί πως ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ κινεῖσθαι φύσεως πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὑψηλῶν ἐπιθυμίαν, οὐκ ἔχων ὅπου παραρρυῇ. Οὔτε γὰρ στῆναί ποτε δύναται τὸ ἀεικίνητον ὑπὸ τοῦ πεποιηκότος εἰληφὸς τὴν φύσιν καὶ εἰς τὰ μάταια κεχρῆσθαι τῇ κινήσει κωλυόμενον ἀμήχανον μὴ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν πάν τως εὐθυπορῆσαι, τῷ πανταχόθεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀτόπων ἀπείρ γεσθαι. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς πολυοδίαις οὕτω μάλιστα τοὺς ὁδοιπόρους ὁρῶμεν τῆς εὐθείας οὐχ ἁμαρτάνοντας, ὅταν τὴν ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις ὁδοῖς πλάνην προμαθόντες ἐκκλίνωσιν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ τῶν πεπλανημένων τρίβων ἐν τῷ ὁδεύειν ἀναχωρήσας ἐπὶ τῆς εὐθείας ἑαυτὸν φυλάσσει, οὕτως ἡμῶν ἡ διάνοια τῇ ἀποστροφῇ τῶν ματαίων τὴν ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν ἀλήθειαν ἐπιγνώσεται. Ἔοικεν οὖν ταῦτα παιδεύειν ἡμᾶς ἡ μνήμη τῶν μεγάλων προφητῶν ἐκείνων τὸ μηδενὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ σπουδαζομένων ἐμπλέκεσθαι, ἓν δὲ τῶν σπουδαζομένων ὁ γάμος ἐστί, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀρχὴ καὶ ῥίζα τῆς τῶν ματαίων σπουδῆς.

7.t Κεφάλαιον ζʹ Ὅτι οὐδὲ ὁ γάμος τῶν κατεγνωσμένων ἐστίν.

7.1 Μηδεὶς δὲ διὰ τούτων ἡμᾶς ἀθετεῖν οἰέσθω τὴν οἰκο νομίαν τοῦ

γάμου· οὐ γὰρ ἀγνοοῦμεν ὅτι καὶ οὗτος τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ εὐλογίας οὐκ ἠλλοτρίωται, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τούτου μὲν αὐτάρκης συνήγορος καὶ ἡ κοινὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσις ἐστίν, αὐτόματον τὴν πρὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα ῥοπὴν ἐντιθεῖσα πᾶσι τοῖς διὰ γάμου προϊοῦσιν εἰς γένεσιν, ἀντιβαίνει δέ πως ἡ παρθενία τῇ φύσει, περιττὸν ἂν εἴη προτροπὴν ὑπὲρ γάμου καὶ παραίνεσιν φιλοπόνως συγγράφειν τὴν δυσανταγώνιστον αὐτοῦ προβαλλομένους συνήγορον, τὴν ἡδονὴν λέγω, πλὴν εἰ μὴ τάχα διὰ τοὺς τὰ δόγματα τῆς ἐκκλησίας παραχαράσσοντας τῶν τοιούτων χρεία λόγων ἂν εἴη, οὓς «κεκαυτηριασμένους τὴν ἰδίαν συνείδησιν» ὁ ἀπόστολος ὀνομάζει, ὅτι καταλιπόντες τὴν ὁδηγίαν τοῦ πνεύματος διὰ τῆς τῶν «δαιμόνων διδασκαλίας» οὐλάς τινας καὶ ἐγκαύματα ταῖς καρδίαις ἑαυτῶν ἐγχαράσσουσι, τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ κτίσματα βδελυσσόμενοι ὡς μιάσματα καὶ εἰς κακὸν φέροντα καὶ κακῶν αἴτια καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα προσ αγορεύοντες. Ἀλλὰ «Τί