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we submit ourselves to the yoke. But after these things, having discussed those living with unbelievers, and having gone through precisely all the laws concerning marriage, and having inserted the discourse concerning servants and having sufficiently consoled them that their spiritual nobility is not diminished by this slavery, he then moves on to the discourse on virginity, which he was long in labor with and hastened to sow, but has now brought forth, not having endured to keep silent about it even in the discourses concerning marriage. For though briefly and in a scattered way, he nevertheless wove it into that exhortation; and by this most excellent method having prepared their ears and smoothed their minds, he prepares an excellent entrance for his discourse. So, after the exhortation to the servants -"You were bought," he says, "with a price; do not become slaves of men"-, having reminded us of the Lord's benefit and by this having roused the minds of all and raised them toward heaven, thus he introduces the discourses on virginity, saying these words: "Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one who has been shown mercy by the Lord to be trustworthy." And yet, concerning the believers joined to unbelievers, though having no commandment, you legislated with great authority, writing thus: "But to the rest I say, not the Lord: if any brother has an unbelieving wife and she is content to live with him, let him not send her away." Why then do you not also do the same concerning virgins, making a declaration? Because concerning this Christ clearly commanded, forbidding the matter to come to the necessity of a command. For the saying, "He who is able to accept it, let him accept it," is of one making the hearer master of the choice. Therefore, when discussing continence, "I wish," he says, "that all men were even as I myself am" in continence. And again: "I say to the unmarried and the widows, that it is good for them if they remain as I am." But in the discourses on virginity he nowhere brought himself forward. For this reason he also speaks very gently and with much reservation; for the matter had not been achieved by him; "I have no commandment," he says. First, having set out the choice and having made the hearer well-disposed, thus he introduces the counsel. For since the name of virginity, when spoken, immediately indicates great labor, for this reason he did not run straight to the exhortation but, having first attended to the disciple with the choice of the command and having made his soul easy to rein and tame, thus he makes the proposal. You have heard "virginity," a name of many labors and sweats. Do not be afraid; the matter is not a command, nor does it bring the necessity of a commandment but it rewards those who willingly and with intention receive it with its own good things, placing the bright and blossoming crown upon their head, while those who refuse it and are unwilling to accept it, it neither punishes nor forces them to do this against their will. But not only in this way did he make the discourse inoffensive and pleasant, but also by saying the grace of the matter was not his own but Christ's. For he did not say: concerning virgins I do not command, but "I have no commandment," as if he were to say, if I, moved by human reasonings, were advising these things, one ought not to be confident; but since this has seemed good to God, the pledge of security is safe. I have been deprived of the authority to command such things, but if you wish to hear as from a fellow servant, "I give an opinion," he says, "as one who has been shown mercy by the Lord to be trustworthy." And it is worthwhile here to marvel at the blessed one's great resourcefulness and understanding, and how, being constrained by two necessary and contrary things—both to establish his own person so that his counsel might be readily received and to say nothing great about himself because he was outside of this virtue—he accomplished both in brief. For by saying "as one who has been shown mercy," he in a way commends himself, but by not doing this from a more brilliant aspect, he humbles and restrains himself again.

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ἑαυτοὺς ὑποβάλλομεν τῷ ζυγῷ. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα περὶ τῶν ταῖς ἀπίστοις συνοικούντων διαλεχθεὶς καὶ πᾶσιν ἀκριβῶς τοῖς περὶ τοῦ γάμου νόμοις ὑπεξελθὼν καὶ τὸν περὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν λόγον παρεμβαλὼν καὶ παραμυθησάμενος αὐτοὺς ἱκανῶς μὴ ἐλαττοῦσθαι τῇ δουλείᾳ ταύτῃ τὴν εὐγένειαν αὐτοῖς τὴν πνευματικήν, μέτεισι λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς παρθενίας λόγον ὃν πάλαι μὲν ὤδινε καὶ κατασπεῖραι ἔσπευδεν, ἀπέτεκε δὲ νῦν, οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς περὶ τοῦ γάμου λόγοις ἀποσιωπῆσαι καρτερήσας αὐτόν. Ἐν βραχεῖ μὲν γὰρ καὶ διεσπαρμένως, ἐνύφηνε δὲ αὐτὸν ὅμως κἀκείνῃ τῇ παραινέσει· καὶ τῇ καλλίστῃ ταύτῃ μεθόδῳ προγυμνάσας αὐτῶν τὰς ἀκοάς, καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν προλεάνας, εἴσοδον ἀρίστην τῷ λόγῳ παρασκευάζει. Μετὰ γοῦν τὴν πρὸς τοὺς οἰκέτας παραίνεσιν -»Τιμῆς», γάρ φησιν, «ἠγοράσθητε, μὴ γίνεσθε δοῦλοι ἀνθρώπων»-, τῆς δεσποτικῆς ἡμᾶς ἀναμνήσας εὐεργεσίας καὶ τούτῳ πάντων τὰς διανοίας ἀναστήσας καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἄρας, οὕτω τοὺς περὶ τῆς παρθενίας ἐμβάλλει λόγους, ταῦτα λέγων τὰ ῥήματα· «Περὶ δὲ τῶν παρθένων ἐπιταγὴν κυρίου οὐκ ἔχω, γνώμην δὲ δίδωμι ὡς ἠλεημένος ὑπὸ κυρίου πιστὸς εἶναι.» Καίτοι γε καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πιστῶν τῶν ταῖς ἀπίστοις συνεζευγμένων οὐκ ἔχων ἐπιταγήν, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἐξουσίας ἐνομοθέτεις, οὑτωσὶ γράφων· «Τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς ἐγὼ λέγω, οὐχ ὁ κύριος· εἴ τις ἀδελφὸς γυναῖκα ἔχει ἄπιστον καὶ αὐτὴ συνευδοκεῖ οἰκεῖν μετ' αὐτοῦ, μὴ ἀφιέτω αὐτήν.» Τί οὖν οὐχὶ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν παρθένων τὸ αὐτὸ ποιεῖς ἀποφαινόμενος; Ὅτι περὶ τούτου φανερῶς ὁ Χριστὸς διετάξατο, κωλύων εἰς ἐπιτάγματος ἀνάγκην τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐλθεῖν. Τὸ γὰρ «Ὁ δυνάμενος χωρεῖν χωρείτω», κύριον τὸν ἀκροάτην τῆς αἱρέσεως ποιοῦντός ἐστι. Περὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς ἐγκρατείας διαλεγόμενος, «Θέλω», φησί, «πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἶναι ὡς καὶ ἐμαυτὸν» ἐν ἐγκρατείᾳ. Καὶ πάλιν· «Λέγω δὲ τοῖς ἀγάμοις καὶ ταῖς χήραις, ὅτι καλὸν αὐτοῖς ἐὰν μείνωσιν ὡς κἀγώ.» Ἐν δὲ τοῖς περὶ τῆς παρθενίας λόγοις οὐδαμοῦ παρήγαγεν ἑαυτόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ σφόδρα ὑφειμένως καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς ὑποστολῆς διαλέγεται· οὐ γὰρ αὐτῷ τὸ πρᾶγμα κατώρθωτο· «Ἐπιταγὴν οὐκ ἔχω», φησίν. Πρῶτον τὴν αἵρεσιν θεὶς καὶ τὸν ἀκροάτην εὐγνώμονα καταστήσας, οὕτως ἐπάγει τὴν συμβουλήν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ τῆς παρθενίας ὄνομα πολὺν εὐθέως ἐμφαίνει τὸν πόνον λεχθέν, διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ εὐθέως ἐπὶ τὴν παραίνεσιν ἔδραμεν ἀλλὰ θεραπεύσας πρότερον τῇ τῆς ἐπιταγῆς αἱρέσει τὸν μαθητὴν εὐήνιόν τε καὶ τιθασὸν αὐτοῦ κατασκευάσας τὴν ψυχήν, οὕτω ποιεῖται τὴν εἰσήγησιν. Ἤκουσας παρθενίαν, ὄνομα πολλῶν πόνων καὶ ἱδρώτων. Μὴ δείσῃς· οὐκ ἔστι τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐπίταγμα, οὐδὲ ἐντολῆς ἀνάγκην ἐπάγεται ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν ἑκόντας καὶ μετὰ προαιρέσεως δεχομένους αὐτὴν τοῖς οἰκείοις ἀμείβεται καλοῖς, τὸν φαιδρὸν καὶ εὐανθῆ στέφανον περιτιθεῖσα αὐτῶν τῇ κεφαλῇ, τοὺς δὲ παραιτουμένους αὐτὴν καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλοντας προσίεσθαι οὔτε κολάζει οὔτε ἄκοντας ἀναγκάζει τοῦτο ποιεῖν. Οὐ ταύτῃ δὲ μόνον ἀνεπαχθῆ τὸν λόγον εἰργάσατο καὶ ἡδὺν ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ τὴν χάριν τοῦ πράγματος οὐκ αὐτοῦ φάναι εἶναι ἀλλὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε· περὶ δὲ τῶν παρθένων οὐκ ἐπιτάσσω, ἀλλ' «Ἐπιταγὴν οὐκ ἔχω», ὡς ἂν εἰ ἔλεγεν, εἰ μὲν ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνων λογισμῶν ἐγὼ κινούμενος ταῦτα παρῄνουν, οὐκ ἔδει θαρρεῖν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῷ Θεῷ τοῦτο ἔδοξεν, ἀσφαλὲς τὸ τῆς ἀδείας ἐνέχυρον. Τὴν μὲν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπιτάττειν παρῄρημαι, εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε ἀκούειν ὡς ὁμοδούλου, «Γνώμην δίδωμι», φησίν, «ὡς ἠλεημένος ὑπὸ κυρίου πιστὸς εἶναι». Ἄξιον δὲ ἐνταῦθα θαυμάσαι τοῦ μακαρίου τὴν πολλὴν εὐμηχανίαν καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν καὶ πῶς δύο ἀναγκαίων καὶ ἐναντίων ἀπειλημμένος, τοῦ τε συστῆσαι τὸ ἑαυτοῦ πρόσωπον ὥστε εὐπαράδεκτον γενέσθαι τὴν συμβουλὴν καὶ τοῦ μηδὲν μέγα φθέγξασθαι περὶ ἑαυτοῦ διὰ τὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς ταύτης γεγονέναι ἐκτὸς ἀμφότερα ἐν βραχεῖ κατεσκεύασεν. Τῷ μὲν γὰρ εἰπεῖν «Ὡς ἠλεημένος», συνίστησί πως ἑαυτόν, τῷ δὲ μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ λαμπροτέρου τοῦτο ποιῆσαι μέρους ταπεινοῖ καὶ συστέλλει πάλιν.