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and resolving the confusion arising from the perplexity. Again, those who are conscious of no evil in themselves but pride themselves on their right actions, if they suffer any such thing, knowing the doctrine of the resurrection and understanding those rewards, know that what happens are contests and occasions for countless crowns. But he, though righteous and knowing nothing about the resurrection, was for this reason especially tossed on the waves, not knowing the cause of what he was suffering, and was pricked by this perplexity more than by the worms and the pains. And that you may learn that these things are so, when the philanthropic God deigned to tell him the cause of these contests, that 'These things were permitted so that you might be revealed as righteous,' he breathed again as if he had not suffered any of those painful things, and this is clear from what he then uttered. But nevertheless, even before learning the cause, he was in pain, but he bore it nobly, and after losing everything he uttered that wondrous voice: 'The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; as it seemed good to the Lord, so it has come to pass; blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.' 8.9 But it seems that, possessed by love for the man, I have been driven further away from the proposed subject; therefore, adding a few things, I will take up the subjects before us again. This man, therefore, so great and of such stature, who trampled upon so many necessities of nature, did not dare even himself to enter this contest, but both enjoyed a wife and became the father of so many children. So great is the difficulty of virginity, so lofty and great are its contests and difficult its toils, and requiring much vigor. But nevertheless, many of those who have stripped for this contest have not overcome that passion for adornment in the wearing of their clothes, but have been captured and subdued even more than worldly women. For do not tell me this, that they do not wear gold, nor are they clothed in silken and gold-embroidered garments, nor do they have necklaces set with precious stones. For this is the most difficult thing of all, and what shows with excess their disease and the tyranny of their passion, that they have been able and have striven and have forced themselves through cheap garments to surpass the adornment of those who wear gold and silken garments, and to appear more lovely than them from this, pursuing, as they themselves think, an indifferent matter, but as the nature of the thing shows, one that is destructive and harmful and has a deep pit. Therefore, you must proclaim with countless mouths on account of this subject that what has become difficult to overcome for virgins, this is so easy and simple for her who lives in widowhood, as the truth of the matter itself has shown. For I admire not only the unspeakable simplicity of her dress, which surpasses even the beggars, but especially also the unstudied manner, the artlessness of her garments, of her footwear, of her gait, all of which are colors of virtue, portraying outwardly the philosophy laid up in her soul. 'For the adornment of a man,' it says, 'and the laughter of his teeth and the gait of his foot, will report what concerns him.' For if you had not with excess cast to the ground and trampled upon the earthly reasonings of worldly display, you would not have leapt to such a degree of contempt for them, you would not have so completely conquered and driven away this most grievous sin. But let no one condemn my word for excess, if I called this a most grievous sin. For if in the case of worldly and Hebrew women, and at that time, the offense brought such great punishment, in the case of those who ought to have their citizenship in heaven and to imitate an angelic life and live in grace, what pardon could this same thing have when dared with greater excess? For when you see a virgin

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καὶ λύοντες τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπορίᾳ ταραχήν. Πάλιν οἱ μηδὲν ἑαυτοῖς συνειδότες ἀλλὰ κατορθώμασι κομῶντες, ἂν πάθωσί τι τοιοῦτον, τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως εἰδότες λόγον καὶ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς ἐννοῦντες ἐκείνας, οἴδασιν ὅτι ἆθλοι τὰ συμβαίνοντα καὶ μυρίων στεφάνων ὑποθέσεις. Οὗτος δὲ καὶ δίκαιος ὢν καὶ περὶ ἀναστάσεως ἐπιστάμενος οὐδέν, ταύτῃ μάλιστα ἐκλυδωνίζετο οὐκ εἰδὼς τὴν αἰτίαν ὧν ἔπασχε καὶ τῶν σκωλήκων καὶ τῶν ὀδυνῶν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀπορίας ταύτης μᾶλλον κεντούμενος. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ταῦθ' οὕτως ἔχει, ὅτε κατηξίωσεν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος θεὸς εἰπεῖν αὐτῷ τῶν ἀγώνων τούτων τὴν αἰτίαν ὅτι «Ἵνα δίκαιος ἀναφανῇς ταῦτα συνεχωρήθη», οὕτως ἀνέπνευσεν ὡς μηδὲ πεπονθώς τι τῶν λυπηρῶν ἐκείνων καὶ τοῦτο ἐξ ὧν τότε ἐφθέγξατο δῆλον. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ πρὶν ἢ μαθεῖν τὴν αἰτίαν, ὠδυνᾶτο μέν, ἔφερε δὲ γενναίως καὶ μετὰ τὸ πάντα ἀποβαλεῖν τὴν θαυμασίαν ἐκείνην ἀφῆκε φωνήν· «Ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλετο· ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν οὕτως καὶ ἐγένετο· εἴη τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου εὐλογημένον εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας.» 8.9 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἔοικα ὑπὸ τοῦ ἔρωτος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς κατεχόμενος πορρωτέρω τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐληλακέναι τῆς προκειμένης· διὸ ὀλίγα προσθεὶς ἅψομαι τῶν προκειμένων πάλιν. Οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ τοσοῦτος καὶ τηλικοῦτος ἀνήρ, ὁ τοσαύτας ἀνάγκας φύσεως καταπατήσας, οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν οὐδὲ αὐτὸς εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα τοῦτον καθεῖναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναικὸς ἀπέλαυσε καὶ πατὴρ ἐγένετο παίδων τοσούτων. Τοσαύτη τῆς παρθενίας ἡ δυσκολία, οὕτως ὑψηλοὶ καὶ μεγάλοι αὐτῆς οἱ ἀγῶνες καὶ χαλεποὶ οἱ ἱδρῶτες καὶ πολλῆς δεόμενοι τῆς εὐτονίας. Ἀλλ' ὅμως πολλαὶ τῶν πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα τοῦτον ἀποδυσαμένων ἐκεῖνο οὐ κατηγωνίσαντο τὸ πάθος τὸ τοῦ καλλωπισμοῦ τῆς περιβολῆς τῶν ἱματίων, ἁλλ' ἑάλωσαν καὶ ἐχειρώθησαν καὶ βιωτικῶν γυναικῶν μᾶλλον. Μὴ γάρ μοι τοῦτο λέγε ὅτι χρυσίον οὐ περίκειται, οὐδὲ σηρικὰ καὶ χρυσόπαστα περιβέβληνται ἱμάτια, οὐδὲ περιδέραια λιθοκόλλητα ἔχουσι. Τὸ γὰρ χαλεπώτερον μάλιστα πάντων τοῦτό ἐστι καὶ ὃ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς δείκνυσιν αὐτῶν τὸ νόσημα, καὶ τοῦ πάθους τὴν τυραννίδα, ὅτι ἴσχυσαν καὶ ἐφιλονείκησαν καὶ ἐβιάσαντο δι' εὐτελῶν ἱματίων ἐκείνων ὑπερακοντίσαι τὸν καλλωπισμὸν τῶν τὰ χρυσᾶ περικειμένων καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια τὰ σηρικὰ καὶ ἐπέραστοι μᾶλλον ἐντεῦθεν αὐτῶν φανῆναι, ὡς μὲν αὐταὶ νομίζουσιν, ἀδιάφορον μετιοῦσαι πρᾶγμα, ὡς δὲ ἡ τοῦ πράγματος φύσις δείκνυσιν, ὀλέθριον καὶ βλαβερὸν καὶ βαθὺ τὸ βάραθρον ἔχον. ∆ιὸ μυρίοις στόμασιν ἀνακηρύττειν σε χρὴ ταύτης ἕνεκεν τῆς ὑποθέσεως ὅ τι παρθένοις γέγονε δυσκαταγώνιστον, τοῦτο τῇ ἐν χηρείᾳ ζώσῃ οὕτω ῥᾴδιον καὶ εὔκολον, ὡς αὐτὴ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔδειξεν ἡ ἀλήθεια. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὴν εὐτέλειαν θαυμάζω τῆς περιβολῆς μόνον τὴν ἄφατον καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς προσαιτοῦντας ὑπερακοντίζουσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἀσχημάτιστον μάλιστα, τὸ ἀνεπιτήδευτον τῶν περιβλημάτων, τῶν ὑποδημάτων, τῆς βαδίσεως ἅπερ ἅπαντα χρώματά ἐστιν ἀρετῆς, τὴν ἐναποκειμένην τῇ ψυχῇ φιλοσοφίαν ἔξωθεν διαζωγραφοῦντα. «Στολισμὸς γὰρ ἀνδρός, φησίν, καὶ γέλως ὀδόντων καὶ βῆμα ποδὸς ἀναγγελεῖ τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ.» Εἰ γὰρ μὴ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς τοὺς γεώδεις τῆς βιωτικῆς φαντασίας λογισμοὺς χαμαὶ ἔρριψας καὶ κατεπάτησας, οὐκ ἂν εἰς τοσοῦτον ἐξεπήδησας ὑπεροψίας αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἂν οὕτω κατὰ κράτος τὴν χαλεπωτάτην ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην ἐνίκησάς τε καὶ ἀπήλασας. Ἀλλὰ μηδεὶς ὑπερβολὴν καταγινωσκέτω τοῦ λόγου, εἰ χαλεπωτάτην ταύτην ἁμαρτίαν ἐκάλεσα. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν βιωτικῶν καὶ Ἑβραίων γυναικῶν καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ τοσαύτην ἔφερε τὴν κόλασιν τὸ πλημμέλημα, ἐπὶ τῶν ὀφειλουσῶν τὸ πολίτευμα ἔχειν ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἀγγελικὸν μιμεῖσθαι βίον καὶ ἐν χάριτι πολιτευομένων, τίνα ἂν σχοίη συγγνώμην τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τολμώμενον μετὰ πλείονος τῆς ὑπερβολῆς; Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃς παρθένον