John Chrysostom, On Virginity

having emulated the impiety of Pharaoh, they were not drowned like him, but the sea of Gehenna awaits them. For not even those who call their brothers fools have yet paid the penalty; for there their punishment is stored up. Do not, therefore, think that the decrees of God are only words. For this reason, He has also brought some of them to fulfillment, as in the case of Sapphira, in the case of her husband, in the case of Carmi, in the case of Aaron, and in many other cases, so that those who disbelieve His words, being shamed into belief by the facts, might cease deceiving themselves that they will not pay the penalty, and might learn that the goodness of God consists in giving a reprieve to sinners, not in not punishing at all those who persist in their sins. It was possible, then, to say even more, showing how much fire those who despise the good of virginity gather for themselves. But for the sensible, these things are sufficient, while for those who are incorrigible and mad, not even much more than this will be able to turn them from their madness. Therefore, leaving this part of the argument, let us turn the whole of it to the sensible, returning again to the blessed Paul. "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me," he says, "It is good for a man not to touch a woman." Let both be ashamed now, both those who disparage marriage and those who exalt it beyond its worth. For the blessed Paul silences both, both through these words and through what follows.

25 That marriage is necessary for the weak. Marriage is good because it preserves a man in self-control and does not allow him, having fallen into fornication, to perish. Therefore, do not slander it. For it has great profit in not allowing the members of Christ to become members of a harlot, not permitting the holy temple to become profane and unclean. For this reason it is good, because it supports and raises up the one who is about to fall. But what is this to the one who is standing, to the one who does not need its help? For here the thing is no longer useful nor necessary, but even an impediment to virtue, not only by placing many hindrances, but also by cutting off the greater part of the praises.

26 That one who is able to be a virgin and marries does himself the greatest injustice. For one who fences with arms a man who is able to fight naked and win has not only not helped him, but has also done him the ultimate injustice, depriving him of the wonder and the glorious crowns. For he did not allow all his strength to be seen, nor his trophy to become very famous. And in the case of marriage, the loss is even greater; for it deprives one not only of the glory from the many, but also of the rewards laid up for the virgin. For these reasons, "It is good for a man not to touch a woman." Why then do you permit touching? "But because of fornications, let every man have his own wife." I am afraid, he says, to lead you up to the height of virginity, lest you fall down into the abyss of fornication. Your wing has not yet become light enough for me to lift you to that summit. And yet they themselves have chosen the contests and have leaped at the good of virginity. Why then do you fear and tremble, O blessed Paul? Because these men, he might perhaps say, have this eagerness because they are ignorant of the matter, but experience and having already engaged in this battle makes me more hesitant to advise others.

27 That virginity is a great thing and the cause of great goods. I know the violence of the matter, I know the intensity of these struggles, I know the heaviness of the war. There is need of a soul that is contentious, forceful, and desperate against the desires. For one must walk on hot coals and not be burned, walk on a sword and not be struck. For the strength of desire is as great as that of fire and iron. And if a soul is not so prepared and does not turn back from its pains, it will quickly destroy itself. We need, therefore, a mind of adamant, never

τὴν τοῦ Φαραὼ ζηλώσαντες ἀσέβειαν οὐ κατεποντίσθησαν ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος, ἀλλὰ μένει τὸ τῆς γεέννης αὐτοὺς πέλαγος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἀποκαλοῦντες μωροὺς ἤδη τὴν δίκην ἔδωκαν· ἐκεῖ γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἡ κόλασις τεταμίευται. Μὴ τοίνυν τὰς ἀποφάσεις τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥήματα εἶναι νομίζετε μόνον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐνίας αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ ἔργον προήγαγεν, οἷον ἐπὶ τῆς Σαπφείρας, ἐπὶ τοῦ ταύτης ἀνδρός, ἐπὶ τοῦ Χαρμί, ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀαρών, καὶ ἐφ' ἑτέρων δὲ πολλῶν, ἵνα οἱ τοῖς λόγοις ἀπιστοῦντες αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων πίστιν δυσωπηθέντες παύσωνται λοιπὸν ἀπατῶντες ἑαυτοὺς ὡς οὐ δώσοντες δίκην καὶ μαθῶσιν ὅτι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ χρηστὸν ἐν τῷ διδόναι προθεσμίαν τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, οὐκ ἐν τῷ μηδ' ὅλως κολάζειν τοὺς ἐπιμένοντας τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασίν ἐστιν. Ἐνῆν μὲν οὖν καὶ πλείονα λέγειν δεικνύντας ὅσον ἑαυτοῖς συνάγουσι πῦρ οἱ τὸ τῆς παρθενίας ἐξευτελίζοντες καλόν. Ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν σωφρονοῦσιν ἀρκεῖ καὶ ταῦτα, τοὺς δὲ ἀδιορθώτως ἔχοντας καὶ μαινομένους οὐδὲ πολλῷ τούτων πλείονα τῆς μανίας αὐτοὺς ἀποστῆσαι δυνήσεται. ∆ιὸ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ἀφέντες τοῦ λόγου πρὸς τοὺς σωφρονοῦντας αὐτὸν ἅπαντα τρέψωμεν, πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν μακάριον Παῦλον ἐπανελθόντες. «Περὶ δὲ ὧν ἐγράψατέ μοι», φησί, «καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι.» Αἰσχυνέσθωσαν ἀμφότεροι νῦν καὶ οἱ τὸν γάμον κακίζοντες καὶ οἱ παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν αὐτὸν ἐπαίροντες. Ἀμφοτέρους γὰρ ὁ μακάριος ἐπιστομίζει Παῦλος καὶ διὰ τούτων καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐφεξῆς κειμένων.

25 Ὅτι τοῖς ἀσθενοῦσιν ἀναγκαῖον ὁ γάμος. Καλὸν ὁ γάμος ὅτι ἐν σωφροσύνῃ τὸν ἄνδρα διατηρεῖ καὶ οὐκ ἀφίησιν εἰς πορνείαν κατακυλισθέντα ἀποθανεῖν. Μὴ τοίνυν αὐτὸν διαβάλῃς. Πολὺ γὰρ ἔχει τὸ κέρδος οὐκ ἐῶν τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ μέλη γενέσθαι πόρνης, οὐ συγχωρῶν τὸν ἅγιον ναὸν γίνεσθαι βέβηλον καὶ ἀκάθαρτον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καλὸν ὅτι βαστάζει καὶ ἀνορθοῖ τὸν καταπίπτειν μέλλοντα. Ἀλλὰ τί τοῦτο πρὸς τὸν ἑστῶτα, πρὸς τὸν οὐ δεόμενον τῆς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ βοηθείας; Ἐνταῦθα γὰρ οὐκέτι χρήσιμον τὸ πρᾶγμα οὐδὲ ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐμπόδιον ἀρετῆς οὐ μόνον τῷ πολλὰ τιθέναι κωλύματα ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ τὸ πλέον τῶν ἐγκωμίων ὑποτέμνεσθαι μέρος.

26 Ὅτι τὰ μέγιστα ἀδικεῖ ἑαυτὸν ὁ δυνάμενος παρθενεύειν καὶ γαμῶν. Τὸν γὰρ δυνάμενον γυμνὸν μάχεσθαι καὶ νικᾶν ὁ περιφράττων ὅπλοις οὐ μόνον οὐκ ὤνησεν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀδικίαν ἠδίκησε τοῦ θαύματος ἀποστερήσας αὐτὸν καὶ τῶν λαμπρῶν στεφάνων. Οὐ γὰρ εἴασεν αὐτοῦ ἅπασαν φανῆναι τὴν ἰσχὺν οὐδὲ σφόδρα περιβόητον αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι τὸ τρόπαιον. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ γάμου καὶ μείζων ἡ ζημία· οὐ γὰρ δόξης μόνον τῆς παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ἀλλὰ καὶ μισθῶν ἀποστερεῖ τῶν τῇ παρθένῳ κειμένων. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα «Καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι.» Τί οὖν ἅπτεσθαι συγχωρεῖς; «∆ιὰ δὲ τὰς πορνείας ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἐχέτω.» Φοβοῦμαί σε, φησίν, εἰς τὸ τῆς παρθενίας ὕψος ἀναγαγεῖν μὴ καταπέσῃς εἰς τὸ τῆς πορνείας βάραθρον. Οὔπω σοι κοῦφον γέγονε τὸ πτερὸν ἵνα πρὸς ἐκείνην ἐπάρω σε τὴν κορυφήν. Καίτοι γε αὐτοὶ τὰ τῶν ἄθλων εἵλοντο καὶ τῷ τῆς παρθενίας ἐπεπήδησαν καλῷ. Τί τοίνυν φοβῇ καὶ τρέμεις, ὦ μακάριε Παῦλε; Ὅτι οὗτοι μέν, ἴσως ἂν εἶπε, τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀγνοοῦντες ταύτην ἔχουσι τὴν προθυμίαν, ἐμὲ δὲ ἡ πεῖρα καὶ τὸ ἤδη ταύτης ἧφθαι τῆς μάχης καὶ πρὸς τὸ συμβουλεύειν ἑτέροις ὀκνηρότερον ποιεῖ.

27 Ὅτι μέγα ἡ παρθενία καὶ μεγάλων πρόξενος ἀγαθῶν. Οἶδα τὴν βίαν τοῦ πράγματος, οἶδα τῶν ἀγωνισμάτων τούτων τὸν τόνον, οἶδα τοῦ πολέμου τὸ βαρύ. Φιλονείκου τινὸς καὶ βιαίας καὶ ἀπονενοημένης κατὰ τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν δεῖ ψυχῆς. Ἐπὶ γὰρ ἀνθράκων δεῖ περιπατεῖν καὶ μὴ κατακαίεσθαι, ἐπὶ ξίφους βαδίζειν καὶ μὴ πλήττεσθαι. Τοσαύτη γὰρ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἡ ἰσχὺς ὅση καὶ πυρὸς καὶ σιδήρου. Κἂν μὴ οὕτω τύχῃ παρεσκευασμένη ψυχὴ μηδὲ ἐπιστρέφεσθαι πρὸς τὰς ἐκείνης ἀλγηδόνας, ταχέως ἑαυτὴν ἀπολεῖ. ∆εῖ τοίνυν ἡμῖν ἀδαμαντίνης διανοίας, μηδέποτε