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excess. Therefore, it is a mark of incontinence not to be able to abstain from fornication, unless one holds to his wife constantly and enjoys intercourse. What then might those say here who consider virginity to be superfluous? For the more this is intensified, the greater praise it has. But marriage, when one has used it to excess, is then most of all deprived of all praise. “For,” he says, “this I say by way of concession, not of command.” And where there is concession, praise would have no place. But also when discussing virgins he says, “I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion.” Did he then perhaps push the matter aside? Far from it. For in the case of virginity he gives an opinion, but here a concession. And he commands neither, not for the same reason, but here, so that someone wishing to rise up from incontinence may not be hindered as if bound by the necessity of a command; and there, so that someone unable to rise up to virginity may not be condemned as one who disobeys a precept. ‘I do not command to be a virgin,’ he says, ‘for I fear the difficulty of the matter.’ ‘I do not command to come together with your wife continually; for I do not wish to be a lawgiver for incontinence.’ I said, ‘Come together,’ preventing a fall to a lower level, not impeding a more forward zeal. Therefore it is not his primary will to make use of a wife constantly, but the incontinence of the more slothful legislated this. For if you wish to learn Paul's will, hear what it is: “I wish,” he says, “that all men were even as I myself” in continence. Therefore if you wish all to be in continence, you wish no one to be in marriage. For indeed I do not for this reason hinder those who wish it, nor do I find fault, but I pray and desire all to be even as I myself, but I also allow that on account of fornication. For this reason also I said at the beginning, “It is good for a man not to touch a woman.”

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That he necessarily set himself as an example of continence. But for what reason does he here mention himself, saying, “But I wish that all men were even as I myself?” And yet if this had not been added, “But each has his own gift,” he would have escaped the charge of boasting. For what reason then did he add, “even as I myself”? Not exalting himself; for this is he who surpassed the apostles in labors for the sake of the proclamation, yet considered himself unworthy even of the apostolic title. For having said that “I am the least of the apostles,” as though he had uttered something greater than his worth, he quickly corrects himself, saying, “who am not worthy to be called an apostle.” For what reason then is it added to the exhortation here? Not simply or by chance, but he knew that disciples are then especially led into the zeal for good things, when they have examples from their teachers. Just as, then, he who philosophizes in words only, without deeds, benefits the hearer nothing great, so he who can show that the counsel has first been accomplished by himself, by this especially above all things persuades the hearer. In addition to this, he also shows himself to be free of envy and pride; for he wishes this exceptional thing to be common to his disciples, seeking to have nothing more than they, but wishing in all things to make them equal to himself. I can also state a third reason. What then is this? The matter seemed to be difficult and not in keeping with the ease of the many. Wishing therefore to show it to be very easy, he puts forward the one who has accomplished it, so that they might not consider it excessively toilsome but, looking to their leader, might with confidence themselves also set out on the same road. This he also does elsewhere. For when discoursing to the Galatians and hastening to release them from the fear of the law, because of which they were resorting to the old custom, observing many of the things from there, what does he say? “Become as I am, for I also am as you are.” What he says is something like this: you could not say, he says, that having turned now from the Gentiles and not knowing the fear from the transgression of the law, you philosophize on all these things to us without risk. For I too, he says, as you, served this

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ὑπερβολήν. Οὐκοῦν ἀκρασίας τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι πορνείας ἀπέχεσθαι, εἰ μὴ διὰ παντός τις ἔχοιτο τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ τῆς μίξεως ἀπολαύοι. Τί οὖν ἂν εἴποιεν ἐνταῦθα οἱ τὴν παρθενίαν περιττὸν εἶναι τιθέμενοι; Αὕτη μὲν γὰρ ὅσῳ ἂν ἐπιταθῇ τοσούτῳ μεῖζον ἔχει τὸ ἐγκώμιον. Ὁ δὲ γάμος ὅταν αὐτῷ τις κατακόρως κεχρημένος ᾖ, τότε μάλιστα ἐπαίνου παντὸς ἀπεστέρηται. «Τοῦτο», γάρ φησι, «λέγω κατὰ συγγνώμην οὐ κατ' ἐπιτάγην.» Ἔνθα δὲ ἂν ᾖ συγγνώμη, χώραν ἔπαινος οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι. Ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν παρθένων διαλεγόμενός φησιν· «Ἐπιταγὴν κυρίου οὐκ ἔχω, γνώμην δὲ δίδωμι.» Μήποτε οὖν ἆρα τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐξέωσεν; Ἄπαγε. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς παρθένου γνώμην δίδωσιν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ συγγνώμην. Ἐπιτάττει δὲ οὐδέτερον οὐ διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίαν, ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα μὲν ἵνα μή τις ἀναβῆναι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀκρασίας βουλόμενος κωλύηται ὡς ἐπιτάγματος ἀνάγκῃ δεδεμένος· ἐκεῖ δὲ ἵνα μή τις ἀναβῆναι πρὸς τὴν παρθενίαν ἀδυνατῶν κατακρίνηται ὡς προστάγματος παρακούων. Οὐκ ἐπιτάττω παρθενεύειν, φησί· δέδοικα γὰρ τοῦ πράγματος τὸ δυσκατόρθωτον. Οὐκ ἐπιτάττω συνεχῶς συνέρχεσθαι τῇ γυναικί· ἀκρασίας γὰρ οὐ βούλομαι εἶναι νομοθέτης. Εἶπον, συνέρχεσθε, κάτω καταβῆναι κωλύων, οὐ τὴν προσωτέρω προθυμίαν ἐμποδίζων. Οὐκ ἄρα αὐτοῦ βούλημα προηγούμενόν ἐστι τὸ χρῆσθαι διὰ παντὸς γυναικί, ἀλλ' ἡ τῶν ῥαθυμοτέρων τοῦτο ἐνομοθέτησεν ἀκρασία. Ἐπεὶ εἰ τὸ Παύλου βούλημα θέλεις μαθεῖν, ἄκουσον ποῖόν ἐστι· «Θέλω», φησί, «πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἶναι ὡς καὶ ἐμαυτὸν» ἐν ἐγκρατείᾳ. Οὐκοῦν εἰ πάντας θέλεις ἐν ἐγκρατείᾳ εἶναι, οὐδένα θέλεις εἶναι ἐν γάμῳ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐ μὴν διὰ τοῦτο κωλύω τοῖς βουλομένοις οὐδὲ αἰτιῶμαι ἀλλ' εὔχομαι μὲν καὶ ποθῶ πάντας εἶναι ὡς καὶ ἐμαυτόν, συγχωρῶ δὲ κἀκεῖνο διὰ τὰς πορνείας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀρχόμενος εἶπον· «Καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι.»

35 Ὅτι ἀναγκαίως ἔθηκεν εἰς τὸ τῆς ἐγκρατείας ὑπόδειγμα. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ἐνταῦθα ἑαυτοῦ μέμνηται λέγων· «Θέλω δὲ πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἶναι ὡς καὶ ἐμαυτόν;» Καίτοι εἰ μὴ τοῦτο προσέκειτο· «Ἀλλ' ἕκαστος ἴδιον ἔχει χάρισμα», τὴν περιαυτολογίαν ἐξέφυγεν ἄν. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν προσέθηκεν· «Ὡς καὶ ἐμαυτόν;» Οὐκ ἐπαίρων ἑαυτόν· οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πλεονεκτήσας μὲν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ κηρύγματος πόνοις, ἀνάξιον δὲ καὶ τῆς προσηγορίας ἀποστολικῆς ἑαυτὸν εἶναι νομίζων. Εἰπὼν γὰρ ὅτι «Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐλάχιστος τῶν ἀποστόλων», ὥσπερ τι τῆς ἀξίας αὐτοῦ μεῖζον φθεγξάμενος ἐπιλαμβάνεται ταχέως ἑαυτοῦ λέγων· «Ὃς οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς καλεῖσθαι ἀπόστολος.» Τίνος οὖν ἔνεκεν ἐνταῦθα τῇ παραινέσει πρόσκειται; Οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλ' ᾔδει τοὺς μαθητὰς τότε μάλιστα εἰς τὸν τῶν καλῶν ἐναγομένους ζῆλον, ὅταν παρὰ τῶν διδασκάλων ἔχωσι τὰ παραδείγματα. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ χωρὶς ἔργων ἐν τοῖς λόγοις μόνοις φιλοσοφῶν οὐδὲν ὀνίνησι μέγα τὸν ἀκροατήν, οὕτως ὁ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ πρώτου κατορθωθεῖσαν ἔχων δεῖξαι τὴν συμβουλήν, ταύτῃ μάλιστα πάντων ἐπάγεται τὸν ἀκούοντα. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ φθόνου καὶ τύφου καθαρεύοντα δείκνυσιν ἑαυτόν· τὸ γὰρ ἐξαίρετον τοῦτο κοινὸν εἶναι βούλεται τῶν μαθητῶν, οὐδὲν αὐτῶν πλέον ἔχειν ζητῶν ἀλλ' ἐν ἅπασιν αὐτοὺς ἐξισοῦν ἑαυτῷ θέλων. Ἔχω καὶ τρίτην αἰτίαν εἰπεῖν. Ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; ∆ύσκολον εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐδόκει καὶ οὐ κατὰ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν εὐκολίαν. Βουλόμενος οὖν αὐτὸ δεῖξαι ῥᾷστον, τὸν ἠνυκότα εἰς μέσον τίθησιν, ἵνα μὴ σφόδρα ἐπίπονον εἶναι αὐτὸ νομίζωσιν ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν ἡγησάμενον ἰδόντες μετὰ τοῦ θαρρεῖν καὶ αὐτοὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπιβαίνωσιν ὁδοῦ. Τοῦτο καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ ποιεῖ. Τοῖς Γαλάταις γὰρ διαλεγόμενος καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου φόβον ἐκλῦσαι σπεύδων, δι' ὃν ἐπὶ τὴν παλαίαν κατεφέροντο συνήθειαν πολλὰ τῶν ἐκεῖ φυλάττοντες, τί φησί; «Γίνεσθε ὡς ἐγώ, ὅτι κἀγὼ ὡς ὑμεῖς.» Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιτε, φησίν, εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐπιστρέψας νῦν καὶ τὸν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ νόμου παραβάσεως οὐκ εἰδὼς φόβον, ἀκινδύνως ἅπαντα ταῦτα φιλοσοφεῖς πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Καὶ γὰρ ἐγώ, φησίν, ὡς ὑμεῖς ἐδούλευσα ταύτην τὴν