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18.1 Therefore, let what has been said here by the Lord be a common maxim for all of life, and especially for those who approach God through virginity, namely, not to look to one single good deed while being unguarded against its opposites, but to find the good for themselves from every quarter, so that through all things safety may be present in life. For neither does a soldier, having fortified some parts with weapons, risk his remaining naked body. For what is the gain to him of partial arming, if he receives the fatal blow on his naked parts? And who would call that man well-formed, of whom some feature contributing to his good form has been cut off by some misfortune? For the shame concerning what is lacking has destroyed also the grace of what is sound. And if he is ridiculous, as the Gospel somewhere says, who attempted the building of the tower, but established his zeal in foundations and did not reach the end, what else do we learn from this parable than to be zealous to reach the end of every high purpose, perfecting the work of God by the varied superstructures of the commandments? For neither is the whole building of the tower a single stone, nor does one commandment bring the perfection of the soul to the required measure, but the foundation must certainly be laid, and, as the Apostle says, "the structure of gold and precious stones must be placed upon it." For thus are the works of the commandments named according to the prophet who said, "I have loved your commandments more than gold and much precious stone." Therefore, let the pursuit of virginity be laid as a kind of foundation for the virtuous life, and let all the works of virtue be built upon this foundation. For if one believes this to be exceedingly precious and befitting of God, as indeed it is and is believed to be, but if one's whole life does not accord with this right action, but is defiled by the remaining disorder of the soul, this is that "jewel in a swine's snout" or the pearl trampled under the feet of swine. But so much for these things. 18.2 But if anyone considers it of no importance that his life is not harmonized by fitting things, let him be instructed concerning this principle by observing the things in his own house. For it seems to me that just as in his own dwelling the master of the house will not tolerate seeing unfitting and unseemly things in the house, either an overturned bed or a table full of filth, or the precious vessels cast aside in some dirty places, while those things that are for the more menial services are set out before the eyes of those entering, but having arranged everything in a seemly manner and in proper order and having assigned to each its suitable place, he confidently receives his guests, as he will incur no shame if it becomes plain how things are in his house; so I think must also the housemaster and steward of our tabernacle, I mean the mind, arrange all things in us well and use each of the soul's faculties, which the Creator fashioned for us as certain instruments or vessels, properly and for the good. And if no one will condemn the account as some kind of nonsense and idle talk, it will be told in detail how one might manage his life for his benefit, using what is at his disposal. 18.3 We say, therefore, that one must have desire established in a pure part of the soul, just as one who has selected some votive offering or first-fruit of his own goods and has dedicated it, keeps it once and for all untouched and pure, nowhere being defiled by the filth of this life. But anger and wrath and hatred, like certain gate-keeping dogs, should be vigilant for the resistance of sin alone

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18.1 Οὐκοῦν ὅπερ ἐνταῦθα εἴρηται παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου, κοινὸν ἔστω

δόγμα τοῦ βίου παντός, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπὶ τῶν διὰ παρθενίας τῷ θεῷ προσιόντων, τὸ μὴ πρὸς ἕν τι κατόρ θωμα βλέποντας τῶν ἐναντίων ἀφυλάκτως ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ πανταχόθεν ἑαυτοῖς τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐξευρίσκειν, ὡς ἂν διὰ πάντων τὸ ἀσφαλὲς ὑπάρχοι τῷ βίῳ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ στρατιώτης μέρη τινὰ τοῖς ὅπλοις φραξάμενος γυμνῷ κινδυνεύει τῷ λοιπῷ σώματι. Τί γὰρ κέρδος αὐτῷ τῆς ἐπὶ μέρους ὁπλί σεως, εἰ κατὰ τῶν γυμνῶν τὴν καιρίαν δέξεται; Τίς δ' ἂν εὔμορφον ὀνομάσειεν ἐκεῖνον, ᾧ τῶν εἰς εὐμορφίαν τι συντελούντων ἔκ τινος συμφορᾶς περικέκοπται; Ἡ γὰρ περὶ τὸ λεῖπον αἰσχύνη καὶ τὴν τοῦ ὑγιαίνοντος χάριν διελυμήνατο. Εἰ δὲ καταγέλαστός ἐστι, καθώς φησί που τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ὁ ἐγχειρήσας μὲν τῇ τοῦ πύργου οἰκοδομῇ, ἐν θεμελίοις δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σπουδὴν στήσας καὶ τοῦ τέλους οὐκ ἐφικόμενος, τί ἄλλο ἐκ τῆς παραβολῆς ταύτης μανθά νομεν ἢ τὸ πάσης ὑψηλῆς προθέσεως ἐπὶ τὸ πέρας φθάνειν ἐσπουδακέναι, ταῖς ποικίλαις τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐποικοδομαῖς τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ τελειοῦντας; Οὔτε γὰρ λίθος εἷς ἡ πᾶσα τοῦ πύργου οἰκοδομή ἐστιν οὔτε ἐντολὴ μία πρὸς τὸ ἐπιζητούμενον μέτρον ἄγει τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς τελειότητα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν θεμέλιον ὑποβεβλῆσθαι δεῖ πάντως καί, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, «τὴν ἐκ χρυσίου καὶ λίθων τιμίων οἰκοδομὴν ἐπιθέσθαι». Οὕτω γὰρ τὰ ἔργα τῶν ἐντολῶν ὀνομάζεται κατὰ τὸν εἰπόντα προφήτην ὅτι «Ἠγάπησα τὰς ἐντολάς σου ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον πολύν». Ὑποκείσθω τοίνυν ἀντὶ θεμελίου τινὸς τῷ κατ' ἀρετὴν βίῳ ἡ περὶ τὴν παρθενίαν σπουδή, ἐποικοδομείσθω δὲ τῷ θεμελίῳ τούτῳ πάντα τὰ ἔργα τῆς ἀρετῆς. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ σφόδρα τοῦτο τίμιον καὶ θεοπρεπὲς εἶναι πιστεύε, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἔστι καὶ πεπίστευται, ἀλλ' εἰ μὴ καὶ ὅλος ὁ βίος τούτῳ συμβαίνοι τῷ κατορθώματι, ἐπιμολύ νοιτο δὲ τῇ λοιπῇ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀταξίᾳ, τοῦτο ἐκεῖνό ἐστι «τὸ ἐνώτιον τὸ ἐν τῇ ῥινὶ τῆς ὑὸς» ἢ ὁ μαργαρίτης ὁ ἐν τοῖς ποσὶ τῶν χοίρων καταπατούμενος. Ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων τοσαῦτα. 18.2 Εἰ δέ τις παρ' οὐδὲν ποιεῖται τὸ μὴ συνηρμόσθαι τινὶ διὰ τῶν καταλλήλων τὸν βίον, τὰ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ ἑαυτοῦ θεασάμενος παιδευθήτω περὶ τοῦ δόγματος. ∆οκεῖ γάρ μοι, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῆς ἰδίας οἰκήσεως ὁ τοῦ οἴκου δεσπότης οὐ καταδέξεται ἀπρεπῆ καὶ ἀσχήμονα τὰ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ βλέπειν, ἢ κλίνην ἀνατετραμμένην ἢ πλήρη κόπρου τὴν τράπεζαν ἢ τὰ μὲν τίμια τῶν σκευῶν ἐν ῥυπαροῖς τισι τόποις ἀπερ ριμμένα, ὅσα δὲ πρὸς τὰς ἀτιμοτέρας ὑπηρεσίας ἐστίν, ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς προκείμενα τῶν εἰσιόντων, ἀλλὰ πάντα εὐσχη μόνως καὶ κατὰ τάξιν τὴν πρέπουσαν διαθεὶς καὶ ἑκάστῳ τὴν ἁρμόζουσαν ἀποδοὺς χώραν, θαρρῶν δέχεται τοὺς ἐπι ξενουμένους, ὡς οὐδεμίαν αἰσχύνην ὀφλήσων εἰ φανερὸν γένοιτο ὅπως αὐτῷ τὰ κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν ἔχει· οὕτως οἶμαι χρῆναι καὶ τὸν τοῦ σκηνώματος ἡμῶν οἰκοδεσπότην καὶ οἰκονόμον, τὸν νοῦν λέγω, πάντα τὰ ἐν ἡμῖν εὖ διατίθεσθαι ἑκάστῃ τε τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεων, ἃς ἀντὶ ὀργάνων τινῶν ἢ σκευῶν ὁ δημιουργὸς ἡμῖν ἐτεκτήνατο, οἰκείως καὶ πρὸς τὸ καλὸν κεχρῆσθαι. Εἰ δὲ μὴ φλυαρίαν τινὰ καὶ ἀδολεσχίαν τοῦ λόγου τις καταγνώσεται, εἰρήσεται καὶ καθ' ἕκαστον ὅπως ἂν τοῖς παροῦσιν αὐτῷ χρώμενος πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον αὐτῷ τὸν βίον οἰκονομήσειε. 18.3 Φαμὲν τοίνυν τὴν μὲν ἐπιθυμίαν δεῖν ἐν καθαρῷ τῆς ψυχῆς ἱδρυμένην ἔχειν, ὥσπερ τι ἀνάθημα ἢ ἀπαρχὴν τῶν ἰδίων ἀγαθῶν ἐξελόντα ἀφιερώσαντά τε αὐτὴν ἅπαξ ἀνέπαφον καὶ καθαρὰν διαφυλάσσειν, μηδαμοῦ τῇ κατὰ τὸν βίον ῥυπαρίᾳ μολυνομένην. Τὸν δὲ θυμὸν καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ τὸ μῖσος καθάπερ κύνας τινὰς πυλωροὺς πρὸς μόνην ἐγρηγορέναι τὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀντίστασιν