John Chrysostom, On Virginity

of a sleeping eye, of much endurance, of strong walls, of walls without and bars, of watchful and brave guards, and before all these things, of the help from above. For «unless the Lord guards the city, in vain they that guard it have watched.» How then shall we draw down this help? When we contribute all things from our side, sound reasoning, much intensity of fasting and vigils, strictness of law, observance of commandments, and the chief of all things, not to trust in ourselves. For even if we happen to have achieved great things, it is necessary always to say that to ourselves: «Unless the Lord builds the house, in vain have they labored who build it.» For «our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.» And we must stand with our thoughts armed by night and by day and be terrible to shameless desires. For should they yield a little, the devil stands with fire in his hands so as to ignite it and burn down the temple of God. Therefore we must be fortified on all sides. For our battle is against the necessity of nature, our zeal is for the way of life of angels, our race is with bodiless powers. Earth and ashes strive to be equal to those who dwell in heaven, and corruption has entered the contest against incorruption. Will anyone then dare to compare marriage and pleasure to so great a matter, tell me? And how is it not exceedingly foolish? Paul, being conscious of all these things, said: «Let every man have his own wife.» For these reasons he was reluctant, for these reasons he did not dare to discourse to them about virginity from the beginning, but he dwells on the words about marriage, wishing to detach them from marriage little by little, and having made the words about continence brief, he mixed them in with those many words, not allowing their hearing to be struck by the harshness of the exhortation. For he who weaves his discourse entirely with heavier things is both burdensome to the hearer and often compels the soul to recoil, unable to bear the weight of what is said. But he who varies it and makes the mixture more from the easy than the difficult things, conceals the weight of the matter and having given rest to the listener, thus persuades and wins him over more, which is what the blessed Paul did. For after saying: «It is good for a man not to touch a woman», he immediately jumped to marriage, saying «Let every man have his own wife»; and the one he left with only a blessing; for he says, «It is good for a man not to touch a woman.» But concerning marriage he both advises and commands and adds a reason: «For because of fornication,» he says. And he seems indeed to be giving a reason for the concession of marriage. But in truth, he covertly raises a eulogy to continence in the pretexts concerning marriage, not openly revealing it in his word, but leaving it to the conscience of the hearers. For he who has learned that he is advised to marry, not because marriage is the best of virtues, but because Paul has condemned so much licentiousness in him that without marriage he is unable to abstain from licentiousness, blushing and being ashamed will hasten quickly to take hold of virginity and to repudiate so great a reputation.

28 That the things said about marriage are an exhortation to virginity. What then does he say after this? «Let the husband render to the wife her due benevolence; and likewise also the wife to the husband.» Then, interpreting it and making it clearer, he adds: «The wife has not power of her own body, but the husband; and likewise also the husband has not power of his own body, but the wife.» And these things seem to be said in favor of marriage. But in truth, just as having wrapped a hook in the usual food, so he casts it into the hearing of his disciples, wishing to lead them out of marriage by the very words concerning marriage. For he who has heard that after marriage he will not be master of himself but will lie under the will of his wife will hasten to be quickly delivered from the

καθεύδοντος ὀφθαλμοῦ, καρτερίας πολλῆς, τειχῶν ἰσχυρῶν, τοίχων ἔξωθεν καὶ μοχλῶν, φυλάκων ἐγρηγορότων καὶ γενναίων, καὶ πρὸ τούτων ἁπάντων τῆς ἄνωθεν ῥοπῆς. «Ἐὰν» γὰρ «μὴ κύριος φυλάξῃ πόλιν, εἰς μάτην ἠγρύπνησαν οἱ φυλάσσοντες αὐτήν.» Πῶς οὖν τὴν ῥοπὴν ἐπισπασόμεθα ταύτην; Ὅταν τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν ἅπαντα εἰσενέγκωμεν, λογισμὸν ὑγιῆ, νηστείας καὶ ἀγρυπνίας πολλὴν τὴν ἐπίτασιν, νομοθεσίας ἀκρίβειαν, ἐντολῶν φυλακὴν καὶ τὸ πάντων κεφάλαιον τὸ μὴ θαρρεῖν ἑαυτοῖς. Κἂν γὰρ μεγάλα κατωρθωκότες τύχωμεν, ἐκεῖνο λέγειν ἀναγκαῖον πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς διὰ παντός· «Ἐὰν μὴ κύριος οἶκον οἰκοδομήσῃ, εἰς μάτην ἐκοπίασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες αὐτόν.» «Οὐ» γάρ «ἐστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἀρχάς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις.» Καὶ δεῖ νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν ὡπλισμένους ἡμᾶς ἑστάναι τοὺς λογισμοὺς καὶ φοβεροὺς εἶναι ταῖς ἀναισχύντοις ἐπιθυμίαις. Ὡς ἂν μικρὸν ἐνδῶσιν, ἕστηκεν ὁ διάβολος πῦρ ἔχων μετὰ χεῖρας ὥστε ἐναφεῖναι καὶ καταφλέξαι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν ναόν. Πάντοθεν οὖν ἡμᾶς ὠχυρῶσθαι χρή. Πρὸς γὰρ φύσεως ἀνάγκην ἡμῖν ἡ μάχη, πρὸς ἀγγέλων πολιτείαν ὁ ζῆλος, μετὰ ἀσωμάτων δυνάμεων ὁ δρόμος. Ἡ γῆ καὶ ὁ σποδὸς τοῖς ἐν οὐρανῷ διατρίβουσιν ἐξισοῦσθαι φιλονεικεῖ καὶ ἡ φθορὰ πρὸς τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν τὴν ἅμιλλαν ἔθετο. Ἔτ' οὖν γάμον καὶ ἡδονὴν τοσούτῳ πράγματι παραβαλεῖν τολμήσει τις, εἰπέ μοι; Καὶ πῶς οὐκ εὔηθες λίαν; Ταῦτα ἅπαντα ὁ Παῦλος συνειδὼς ἔλεγεν· «Ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἐχέτω.» ∆ιὰ ταῦτα ἀνεδύετο, διὰ ταῦτα οὐκ ἐθάρρει διαλεχθῆναι ἐξ ἀρχῆς περὶ παρθενίας αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς περὶ τοῦ γάμου λόγοις ἐνδιατρίβει κατὰ μικρὸν ἀποστῆσαι τοῦ γάμου βουλόμενος αὐτούς, καὶ τοὺς περὶ τῆς ἐγκρατείας λόγους βραχεῖς ποιησάμενος ἐκείνοις πολλοῖς οὖσιν αὐτοὺς ἐγκατέμιξεν, οὐκ ἀφιεὶς πληγῆναι τὴν ἀκοὴν τῷ τῆς παραινέσεως αὐστηρῷ. Ὁ γὰρ ὅλον δι' ὅλου διὰ τῶν βαρυτέρων πλέκων τὸν λόγον ἐπαχθής τέ ἐστι τῷ ἀκούοντι καὶ πολλάκις ἀναγκάζει μετασκιρτῆσαι τὴν ψυχὴν μὴ φέρουσαν τῶν λεγομένων τὸ βάρος. Ὁ δὲ ποικίλλων αὐτὸν καὶ πλείονα ἀπὸ τῶν ῥᾴστων ἢ τῶν δυσκόλων τιθεὶς τὴν μίξιν, τὸ τοῦ πράγματος κλέπτει βαρὺ καὶ διαναπαύσας τὸν ἀκροατὴν οὕτω πείθει καὶ προσάγεται μᾶλλον, ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος ἐποίησεν. Εἰπὼν γάρ· «Καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι», ἀπεπήδησεν ἐπὶ τὸν γάμον εὐθέως, «Ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἐχέτω» λέγων· καὶ τὸ μὲν μακαρίσας μόνον ἀφῆκε· «Καλόν», γάρ φησιν, «ἀνθρώπῳ γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι.» Περὶ δὲ τοῦ γάμου καὶ συμβουλεύει καὶ ἐπιτάττει καὶ αἰτίαν προστίθησι· «∆ιὰ γὰρ τὰς πορνείας», φησί. Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν αἰτιολογεῖν τοῦ γάμου τὴν συγχώρησιν. Τὸ δὲ ἀληθὲς λανθανόντως ἐν ταῖς περὶ τοῦ γάμου προφάσεσιν ἐπαίρει τὸ τῆς ἐγκρατείας ἐγκώμιον, οὐ φανερῶς ἐκκαλύπτων τῷ λόγῳ ἀλλὰ τῷ συνειδότι τῶν ἀκουόντων καταλιμπάνων αὐτό. Ὁ γὰρ μαθὼν ὅτι παραινεῖται γαμεῖν, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ τὸ κράτιστον τῆς ἀρετῆς ὁ γάμος ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοσαύτην αὐτοῦ κατέγνω λαγνείαν ὁ Παῦλος ὡς ἄνευ γάμου μὴ δυναμένου λαγνείας ἀπέχεσθαι, ἐρυθριάσας καὶ αἰσχυνθεὶς σπουδάσει ταχέως ἐπιλαβέσθαι τῆς παρθενίας καὶ τὴν τοσαύτην ἀποκρούσασθαι δόξαν.

28 Ὅτι τὰ περὶ γάμου λεγόμενα παρθενίας ἐστὶ προτρεπτικά. Τί δὴ μετὰ ταῦτά φησιν; «Τῇ γυναικὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ τὴν ὀφειλομένην εὔνοιαν ἀποδιδότω· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ τῷ ἀνδρί.» Εἶτα ἑρμηνεύων αὐτὸ καὶ σαφέστερον ποιῶν ἐπάγει· «Ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος οὐκ ἐξουσιάζει, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀνήρ· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος οὐκ ἐξουσιάζει, ἀλλ' ἡ γυνή.» Καὶ ταῦτα δοκεῖ μὲν ὑπὲρ τοῦ γάμου λέγεσθαι. Τὸ δὲ ἀληθὲς ὥσπερ ἄγκιστρον τῇ συνήθει περιστείλας τροφῇ, οὕτως εἰς τὰς τῶν μαθητῶν ἐνίησιν ἀκοάς, αὐτοῖς τοῖς περὶ τοῦ γάμου λόγοις ἐξαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς τοῦ γάμου βουλόμενος. Ὁ γὰρ ἀκούσας ὅτι μετὰ τὸν γάμον οὐκ ἔσται κύριος ἑαυτοῦ ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ τῆς γυναικὸς κείσεται γνώμῃ ταχέως ἀπαλλαγῆναι σπουδάσει τῆς