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are recorded to have been born when life was then at its beginning and being established, but our own affairs are driving towards the end. 1.9.4 Wherefore, for them it was a matter of concern to increase their successors for the sake of a large population, as the human race was at that time growing and multiplying and advancing to its prime; but for us this is not of great concern, as our affairs are already declining and ceasing and driving to the very end, since the consummation of this life is expressly said by the evangelical teaching to be "at the doors," and the renewal and regeneration of another age, which is about to arrive, is proclaimed. 1.9.5 This, then, is one explanation; a second might be of this kind. For the ancients, who pursued a relaxed and free life, there was nothing to hinder their presiding over a household and children along with their leisure for divine matters, since they were able to worship God without distraction with their very wives, children, and households, and were in no way drawn away by external things from their purpose toward better things; but in our case, countless external things happen to drag us down, sweep us into strange cares, and turn us away from our zeal for things pleasing to God. 1.9.6 At any rate, the word of the evangelical teaching presents this as the reason for the restriction of marriages, saying: "But this I say, brethren, the time is short. From now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who weep as though they did not weep, and those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, and those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not using it to the full. For the form of this world is passing away. But I want you to be without care. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but he who has married is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and is divided. 1.9.7 And the unmarried woman and the virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord, that she may please the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit; but she who has married is anxious about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. And this I say for your own benefit, not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for the sake of what is seemly and for constant attendance on the Lord without distraction." 1.9.8 At any rate, in these words he expressly presents the reason for abstinence from marriage, having blamed the folly of the times and of external affairs, none of which happened to the ancients. And there might be a third reason besides these, according to which the ancient friends of God made the greatest effort for child-rearing. 1.9.9 When the rest of mankind had progressed into evil habits, having fallen into a savage, inhuman, and beastly life, and having slipped into a completely impious and godless way, a very few, countable in number, who were left, according to what we have said before, withdrew from the life of the many and from the common society of the rest of mankind. 1.9.10 Separated, therefore, from the other nations, and living by themselves, they established a strange polity and a philosophical and truly godly life, one unmixed with other men. 1.9.11 So that, therefore, a living seed of their own fear of God might be preserved from themselves for those who came after, and that the piety that was in them might not fail and perish at the same time as the death of the men, they reasonably took thought for procreation and child-rearing, so that they might become teachers and instructors of their own children, considering it an important thing to leave behind for posterity successors of their piety and heirs of their own virtue. 1.9.12 From them, countless prophets and righteous men, and our Savior and Lord himself, and his disciples and apostles have appeared from their succession. 1.9.13 But if some wicked men also came from them, just as chaff grows up with the wheat, yet one must not blame those who sowed nor those who raised them; since we know that even some of the Savior's disciples went astray by a transgression of their own free will. 1.9.14 The reason, therefore, for the procreation of the ancient men beloved of God has been stated, which one can no longer say has a place in our day, when with God's help through the evangelical

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μεμαρτυρημένοι ἀρχὴν ἔχοντος τότε καὶ συνισταμένου τοῦ βίου γενέσθαι μνημονεύονται, τὰ δὲ καθ' ἡμᾶς περὶ τέλος ἐλαύνειν. 1.9.4 διὸ τοῖς μὲν σπουδάζεσθαι τὴν τῶν διαδόχων ἐπίδοσιν εἰς πολυανθρωπίαν, αὔξοντος κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ καὶ πληθύοντος εἰς ἀκμήν τε προϊόντος τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους· ἡμῖν δὲ μὴ σφόδρα τι τοῦτο μέλειν, ὡς ἂν ἤδη τῶν πραγμάτων φθινόντων καὶ ἀποληγόντων ἐπὶ πέρας τε ἔσχατον ἐλαυνόντων, διαρρήδην τῆς τοῦ βίου συντελείας πρὸς τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς διδασκαλίας «ἐπὶ θύραις» ἐλαύνειν λεγομένης, ἀνανεώσεώς τε καὶ παλιγγενεσίας αἰῶνος ἑτέρου ὅσον οὔπω μέλλοντος ἐπιστήσεσθαι προκηρυττομένης. 1.9.5 Μία μὲν οὖν ἀπόδοσις αὕτη· δευτέρα δ' ἂν εἴη τοιαύτη. τοῖς μὲν παλαιοῖς ἀνειμένον καὶ ἐλεύθερον μετιοῦσι βίον οὐδὲν ἦν ἐμποδὼν οἴκου καὶ παίδων προΐστασθαι μετὰ τῆς περὶ τὸ θεῖον σχολῆς, αὐταῖς γαμεταῖς καὶ παισὶ καὶ οἴκοις θεοσεβεῖν ἀπερισπάστως δυναμένοις, καὶ μηδαμῶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκτὸς τῆς περὶ τὰ κρείττω προθέσεως ἀποσπωμένοις· τὰ δὲ καθ' ἡμᾶς μυρία τὰ ἐκτὸς καθέλκοντα καὶ εἰς ἀλλοκότους φροντίδας περισύροντα τῆς τε περὶ τὰ θεῷ ἀρεστὰ σπουδῆς ἀφιστάντα τυγχάνει. 1.9.6 τοῦτο γοῦν αἴτιον εἶναι τῆς τῶν γάμων συστολῆς παρίστησιν ὁ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς διδασκαλίας λόγος, φάσκων· «τοῦτο δέ φημι, ἀδελφοί, ὁ καιρὸς συνεσταλμένος ἐστίν. τὸ λοιπὸν ἵνα καὶ οἱ ἔχοντες γυναῖκας ὡς μὴ ἔχοντες ὦσι καὶ οἱ κλαίοντες ὡς μὴ κλαίοντες, καὶ οἱ χαίροντες ὡς μὴ χαίροντες, καὶ οἱ ἀγοράζοντες ὡς μὴ κατέχοντες, καὶ οἱ χρώμενοι τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ ὡς μὴ καταχρώμενοι. παράγει γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου· θέλω δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀμερίμνους εἶναι· ὁ ἄγαμος μεριμνᾷ τὰ τοῦ κυρίου, πῶς ἀρέσῃ τῷ κυρίῳ· ὁ δὲ γαμήσας μεριμνᾷ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου, πῶς ἀρέσῃ τῇ γυναικί, καὶ μεμέρισται. 1.9.7 καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἄγαμος καὶ ἡ παρθένος μεριμνᾷ τὰ τοῦ κυρίου, ἵνα ἀρέσῃ τῷ κυρίῳ, ἵνα ᾖ ἁγία καὶ τῷ σώματι καὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ἡ δὲ γαμήσασα μεριμνᾷ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου, πῶς ἀρέσῃ τῷ ἀνδρί. τοῦτο δὲ πρὸς τὸ ὑμῶν συμφέρον λέγω, οὐχ ἵνα βρόχον ὑμῖν ἐπιβάλω, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ εὔσχημον καὶ εὐπάρεδρον τῷ κυρίῳ ἀπερισπάστως». 1.9.8 διαρρήδην γοῦν ἐν τούτοις τὸ αἴτιον τῆς ἀποχῆς τοῦ γάμου παρίστησιν, τὴν τῶν καιρῶν καὶ τῶν ἐκτὸς πραγμάτων ἀβελτερίαν ἐπιμεμψάμενος, ὧν οὐδὲν τοῖς παλαιοῖς προσέπιπτεν. Καὶ τρίτος δ' ἂν εἴη παρὰ ταῦτα λόγος, καθ' ὃν οἱ πάλαι θεοφιλεῖς παιδοποιίας πλείστην ἐποιοῦντο σπουδήν. 1.9.9 τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς κακοτροπίαν ἐπιδόντων, εἰς ἀνήμερόν τε καὶ ἀπάνθρωπον καὶ θηριώδη βίον ἀποπεπτωκότων, εἴς τε ἀσεβῆ παντελῶς καὶ ἄθεον τρόπον ἀπωλισθηκότων, βραχεῖς σφόδρα καὶ ἀριθμῷ ληπτοὶ περιλειπόμενοι κατὰ τὰ πρόσθεν ἡμῖν εἰρημένα τοῦ τῶν πολλῶν ὑπεξίσταντο βίου καὶ τῆς κοινῆς τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνθρώπων συναναστροφῆς. 1.9.10 κεχωρισμένως δ' οὖν τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν, καὶ κατὰ μόνας βιοῦντες, πολιτείαν ξένην καὶ βίον φιλόσοφον καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς θεοσεβῆ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις ἀνεπίμικτον συνίσταντο. 1.9.11 ἵν' οὖν καὶ τοῖς μετέπειτα τῆς οἰκείας θεοφοβίας ζώπυρον ἐξ αὐτῶν σπέρμα φυλάττοιτο, μηδ' ἐκλίποι καὶ ἀπόλοιτο ἅμα τῇ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τελευτῇ τὰ τῆς κατ' αὐτοὺς εὐσεβείας, εἰκότως παιδοποιίας καὶ παιδοτροφίας πρόνοιαν εἰσῆγον, ὡς ἂν διδάσκαλοι καὶ καθηγηταὶ γένοιντο τῶν ἰδίων παίδων, διαδόχους εὐσεβείας καὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἀρετῆς κληρονόμους τοῖς μετέπειτα καταλιπεῖν σπουδαῖον εἶναι ἡγούμενοι. 1.9.12 ἔνθεν μυρίοι προφῆται καὶ δίκαιοι ἄνδρες αὐτός θ' ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν οἵ τε τούτου μαθηταὶ καὶ ἀπόστολοι ἐκ τῆς αὐτῶν διαδοχῆς ἀναπεφήνασιν. 1.9.13 εἰ δέ τινες καὶ φαῦλοι προῆλθον ἐξ αὐτῶν, ὡς ἅμα σίτῳ καλάμης ὑποφυείσης, ἀλλ' οὔπω τοὺς σπείραντας αἰτιατέον οὐδὲ τοὺς ἀναθρεψαμένους· ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος μαθητῶν ἴσμεν τινὰς ἐξ αὐτεξουσίου παρατροπῆς ἀποσφαλέντας. 1.9.14 Ἡ μὲν οὖν αἰτία τῆς τῶν πάλαι θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν παιδοποιίας ἀνείρηται, ἣν οὐκέτι ἐφ' ἡμῶν χώραν ἔχει λέγειν, ὅτε σὺν θεῷ διὰ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν εὐαγγελικῆς