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to be ignorant of it. For this reason it was also forbidden to the first-formed humans not to receive, along with the good, the knowledge of opposites as well, but to abstain from "the knowledge of good and evil," and to enjoy the good pure and unmixed and without participation in evil; which is nothing other, at least according to my argument, than to be with God alone and to have this unceasing and continual delight, and not to mix with the enjoyment of the good things that pull towards the opposite. And if one must dare to say it, perhaps in this way someone might be snatched away again from this world, which "lies in wickedness," into paradise, where Paul also, having been there, both heard and saw the unspeakable and unseen things, which it is not lawful for a man to speak.

13.2 But since paradise is a dwelling place of the living, not receiving those who have been made dead through sin, and we are carnal and mortal, sold to sin, how is it possible for one who is held by the dominion of death to be "in the land of the living"? What way and what device might one find, so as to be outside this authority? But the teaching of the gospel is certainly sufficient for this too. Therefore we heard the Lord saying to Nicodemus, that "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." We know that the flesh is subject to death because of sin, but the Spirit of God is incorruptible and life-giving and immortal. 13.3 Therefore, just as with the birth according to the flesh there is certainly conjoined the power that dissolves what is born, so clearly also the Spirit deposits the life-giving power in those born through it. What then emerges from what has been said? that we, having turned away from the life according to the flesh, which death certainly follows, should seek such a life, which no longer draws the consequence of death; and this is the life in virginity. And that these things are true will be more manifest when a few things are added. For who does not know that the work of bodily union is the construction of mortal bodies, but from communion with the Spirit, life and incorruptibility are added to those who are joined, instead of children? And it is well to say the apostolic word on this, that "she is saved through this childbearing," the mother of such children rejoicing, as in the divine hymns the psalmist praised, saying: "He who makes the barren woman to dwell in a house as a mother rejoicing over her children." For truly the virgin mother rejoices, she who bears immortal children through the Spirit, being named barren by the prophet on account of her chastity.

14.t Chapter 14. That virginity is stronger than death's

dominion. 14.1 Therefore such a life is to be preferred by those at least who have sense, which

is stronger than the dominion of death. For bodily childbearing—and let no one be vexed by the argument—becomes for humans an occasion not so much of life but of death; for from birth corruption has its beginning, from which those who have ceased through virginity have established within themselves the limit of death, having prevented it from proceeding further through them, and having established themselves as a kind of boundary of death and life, they have stopped its forward momentum. If, therefore, death is not able to pass beyond virginity, but ends and is dissolved in it, it is clearly demonstrated that virginity is stronger than death, and a body that has not ministered to the

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ἀγνοῆσαι. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀπερρήθη τοῖς πρωτοπλάστοις τὸ μὴ μετὰ τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐναντίων γνῶσιν λαβεῖν, ἀλλ' ἀποσχέσθαι μὲν «τοῦ γνωστοῦ καλοῦ τε καὶ πονηροῦ», καθαρὸν δὲ καὶ ἀμιγὲς καὶ ἀμέτοχον τοῦ κακοῦ τὸ ἀγαθὸν καρποῦσθαι· ὅπερ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐστίν, ὥς γε ὁ ἐμὸς λόγος, ἢ μετὰ τοῦ θεοῦ εἶναι μόνου καὶ ταύτην ἄπαυστον ἔχειν καὶ διηνεκῆ τὴν τρυφὴν καὶ μὴ συγκαταμιγνύειν τῇ ἀπολαύσει τοῦ καλοῦ τὰ πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον ἀφέλκοντα. Καὶ εἰ χρὴ τολμήσαντα εἰπεῖν, τάχα οὕτως ἄν τις ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, ὃς «ἐν τῷ πονηρῷ κεῖται», ἁρπαγείη πάλιν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον, ἐν ᾧ καὶ Παῦλος γενόμενος ἤκουσέ τε καὶ εἶδε τὰ ἄρρητα καὶ ἀθέατα, ἃ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλῆσαι.

13.2 Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ὁ μὲν παράδεισος ζώντων ἐστὶν οἰκητή ριον τοὺς διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας νεκρωθέντας οὐ προσδεχό μενος, ἡμεῖς δὲ σάρκινοι καὶ θνητοί, πεπραμένοι τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, πῶς ἔστιν «ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τῶν ζώντων» γενέσθαι τὸν τῇ δυναστείᾳ τοῦ θανάτου κρατούμενον; Ποῖον τρόπον καὶ ποίαν ἐπίνοιαν ἐξεύροι τις ἄν, ὅπως ἔξω τῆς ἐξουσίας ταύτης γενήσεται; Ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ πάντως καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ἡ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ὑφήγησις. Οὐκοῦν ἠκούσαμεν τοῦ κυρίου πρὸς τὸν Νικόδημον λέγοντος, ὅτι «Τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς σάρξ ἐστι· τὸ δὲ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος πνεῦμά ἐστιν.» Οἴδαμεν δὲ τὴν μὲν σάρκα θανάτῳ διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν οὖσαν ὑπόδικον, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἄφθαρτον καὶ ζωοποιὸν καὶ ἀθάνατον. 13.3 Ὥσπερ τοίνυν τῇ κατὰ σάρκα γενέσει συναπόκειται πάντως καὶ ἡ διαλύουσα δύναμις τὸ γεννώμενον, οὕτω δηλαδὴ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῖς δι' αὐτοῦ γεννωμένοις τὴν ζωοποιὸν ἐναποτίθεται δύναμιν. Τί οὖν ἀνακύπτει διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων; ἀποστάντας ἡμᾶς τῆς κατὰ σάρκα ζωῆς, ᾗ πάντως ἐπακολουθεῖ καὶ ὁ θάνατος, τοιοῦτον ἐπιζητῆσαι βίον, ὃς οὐκέτι τοῦ θανάτου τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἐφέλκεται· οὗτος δέ ἐστιν ὁ ἐν παρθενίᾳ βίος. Καὶ ὡς ἀληθῆ ταῦτα μικρῶν προστεθέντων ἔσται καταφανέστερα. Τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδεν, ὅτι τῆς μὲν σωματικῆς συναφείας τὸ ἔργον σωμάτων θνητῶν ἐστι κατασκευή, τῆς δὲ πρὸς τὸ πνεῦμα κοινωνίας ζωὴ καὶ ἀφθαρσία τοῖς συναφθεῖσιν ἀντὶ τέκνων προσγί νεται; Καὶ καλῶς ἐστι τὸ ἀποστολικὸν εἰπεῖν ἐπὶ τούτῳ ὅτι «σῴζεται διὰ τῆς τεκνογονίας» ταύτης ἡ τῶν τοιούτων τέκνων μήτηρ εὐφραινομένη, καθὼς ἐν θείοις ὕμνοις ὁ ψαλμῳδὸς ἀνευφήμησεν εἰπών· «Ὁ κατοικίζων στεῖραν ἐν οἴκῳ μητέρα ἐπὶ τέκνοις εὐφραινομένην.» Εὐφραίνεται γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἡ παρθένος μήτηρ, ἡ τὰ ἀθάνατα τέκνα κυοφοροῦσα διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, στεῖρα διὰ τὴν σωφρο σύνην ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου ὠνομασμένη.

14.t Κεφάλαιον ιδʹ Ὅτι ἡ παρθενία κρείττων τῆς τοῦ θανάτου

δυναστείας ἐστίν. 14.1 Οὐκοῦν ὁ τοιοῦτος βίος προτιμητέος τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσιν, ὃς

κρείττων τῆς τοῦ θανάτου δυναστείας ἐστίν. Ἡ γὰρ σωματικὴ παιδοποιία-καὶ μηδεὶς δυσχεράνῃ τὸν λόγον-οὐ μᾶλλον ζωῆς ἀλλὰ θανάτου τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀφορμὴ γίνεται· ἀπὸ γὰρ γενέσεως ἡ φθορὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχει, ἧς οἱ παυσάμενοι διὰ τῆς παρθενίας ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἔστησαν τὴν τοῦ θανάτου περιγραφήν, περαιτέρω προελθεῖν αὐτὸν δι' ἑαυτῶν κωλύσαντες, καὶ ὥσπερ τι μεθόριον θανάτου καὶ ζωῆς ἑαυτοὺς στήσαντες ἐπέσχον αὐτὸν τῆς ἐπὶ πρόσω φορᾶς. Εἰ οὖν οὐ δύναται παρελθεῖν τὴν παρθενίαν ὁ θάνατος, ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτῇ καταλήγει καὶ καταλύε, σαφῶς ἀποδείκνυται τὸ κρεῖττον εἶναι τοῦ θανάτου τὴν παρθενίαν, καὶ καλῶς ἄφθορον ὀνομάζεται σῶμα τὸ μὴ ὑπουργῆσαν τῇ τοῦ