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if one brings her in as a helper in great matters, being capable of only this, not only has she been of no help, but she has also hindered him with cares.

47 How a wife is a helper in spiritual matters. What then shall we say in reply to Paul, he says, when he asks, “For what do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband?” and declares her help necessary even in spiritual matters? I too agree with this. For I do not utterly exclude her from alliance in spiritual matters, God forbid, but I say that she accomplishes these things then, when she does not pursue the things of marriage but, while remaining a woman by nature, she crosses over to the virtue of the blessed men. For not by adorning herself, nor by living luxuriously, nor by demanding revenues of money from her husband, nor by becoming lavish and extravagant, will she be able to win him over in this way; but when, having risen above all present matters and having impressed the apostolic life upon herself, she displays great gentleness, and great modesty, and great contempt for money and forbearance, then she will be able to capture him, when she says, “But having food and clothing, with these we shall be content,” when she philosophizes these things through her deeds and, scorning bodily death, says that the present life is nothing, when she considers all the glory of this life to be a flower of the grass, according to the prophet. For she will be able to save her husband not by living with him as a wife, but by displaying the evangelic life; since many women have also done this apart from marriage. For Priscilla, he says, took Apollos and guided him into the whole way of truth. But if this is not now permitted, it is possible to display the same zeal towards women and to reap the same gain. For, as I have already said, she does not win over her husband because she is a woman, since nothing would have prevented anyone with a believing wife from remaining an unbeliever, if indeed intercourse and cohabitation achieved the matter. But this is not so, it is not so, but to display much philosophy and patience and to scorn the circumstances of marriage and to make this a continual task, this is what causes the soul of the one living with her to be saved; so that if she persists in seeking the things of women, not only would she not help him at all but she would even harm him. But that the matter is, even so, extremely difficult, hear what he says: “For what do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband?” We are accustomed to use this manner of question for things that happen contrary to expectation. But what does he say after this? “Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek release. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife.” Do you see how he continually makes transitions and a great mixing of each exhortation in a short space? For just as in the arguments about marriage he also interjected those about continence in between to rouse the hearer, so also here he again inserts the arguments about marriage to give him rest. He began from virginity and before saying anything about it he immediately took refuge in the argument for marriage. For “I have no command” is from one who is conceding and introducing marriage. Then coming to virginity and saying, “I think that this is good,” since he saw that its name being continually spoken produces much harshness for the smoothness of hearing, he does not use it frequently but although having mentioned a sufficient reason to console for the pains on its behalf—the present distress—not even so did he dare to say 'virginity' again, but what? “It is good for a man to be so.” And he does not even elaborate on the argument but having cut it short and interrupted it before it appeared harsh, he again interjected the arguments about marriage, saying, “Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek release.” Since if this is not so, and he did not wish to construct this consolation here, it would be superfluous for one advising on virginity to philosophize about marriage. Then again he shifts to virginity, and not even now her by her proper

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δυναμένην μόνον ταύτην ἄν τις ἐν τοῖς μεγάλοις ἐπάγηται συνεργὸν οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν ὤνησεν ἀλλὰ καὶ συνεπόδισεν αὐτὸν ταῖς φροντίσι.

47 Πῶς ἐν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς ἡ γυνὴ βοηθός. Τί οὖν ἀντεροῦμεν τῷ Παύλῳ, φησί, λέγοντι· «Τί γὰρ οἶδας, γύναι, εἰ τὸν ἄνδρα σώσεις;» Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν βοήθειαν αὐτῆς ἀναγκαίαν καὶ ἐν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς ἀποφαίνοντι; Καὶ ἐγὼ τοῦτο συνομολογῶ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὴν παντελῶς ἐκκόπτω τῆς ἐν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς συμμαχίας μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ τότε φημὶ ταῦτα αὐτὴν κατορθοῦν, ὅταν μὴ τὰ τοῦ γάμου πράττῃ ἀλλὰ μένουσα τῇ φύσει γυνὴ πρὸς τὴν τῶν μακαρίων ἀνδρῶν ἀρετὴν διαβαίνῃ. Οὐ γὰρ καλλωπιζομένη οὐδὲ τρυφῶσα οὐδὲ προσόδους ἀπαιτοῦσα τὸν ἄνδρα χρημάτων οὐδὲ πολυτελὴς γινομένη καὶ δαπανηρά, οὕτως αὐτὸν δυνήσεται ἐπαγαγέσθαι· ἀλλ' ὅταν ἀνωτέρω γενομένη πάντων τῶν παρόντων πραγμάτων καὶ τὸν ἀποστολικὸν ἐν ἑαυτῇ χαρακτηρίσασα βίον, πολλὴν μὲν τὴν ἐπιείκειαν, πολλὴν δὲ τὴν κοσμιότητα, πολλὴν δὲ τὴν τῶν χρημάτων ὑπεροψίαν καὶ τὴν ἀνεξικακίαν ἐπιδεικνύηται, τότε αὐτὸν δυνήσεται ἑλεῖν, ὅταν λέγῃ· «Ἔχοντες δὲ τροφὰς καὶ σκεπάσματα, τούτοις ἀρκεσθησόμεθα», ὅταν διὰ τῶν ἔργων ταῦτα φιλοσοφῇ καὶ τοῦ σωματικοῦ θανάτου καταγελῶσα μηδὲν εἶναι λέγῃ τὴν παροῦσαν ζωήν, ὅταν πᾶσαν τοῦ βίου τούτου τὴν δόξαν κατὰ τὸν προφήτην ἄνθος εἶναι χόρτου νομίζῃ. Οὐ γὰρ παρὰ τὸ συνεῖναι καθάπερ γυνὴ τούτῳ σῶσαι τὸν ἄνδρα δυνήσεται ἀλλὰ τῷ τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι βίον· ἐπεὶ καὶ γάμου χωρὶς ἐποίησαν τοῦτο πολλαὶ γυναῖκες. Ἡ γὰρ Πρίσκιλλα τὸν Ἀπολλὼ προσλαβομένη, φησί, πρὸς πᾶσαν ἐχειραγώγησε τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν ὁδόν. Εἰ δὲ νῦν τοῦτο οὐκ ἐφεῖται, ἐπὶ τῶν γυναικῶν τὴν αὐτὴν ἔνεστιν ἐπιδείξασθαι σπουδὴν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κέρδος καρπώσασθαι. Καὶ γάρ, ὅπερ ἔφθην εἰπών, οὐδὲ ἐκείνη διὰ τὸ γυνὴ εἶναι τὸν ἄνδρα ἐφέλκεται, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲν ἂν ἐκώλυσε μηδένα τῶν ἐχόντων γυναῖκα πιστὴν ἄπιστον μένειν, εἴ γε ἡ συνουσία καὶ τὸ συνοικεῖν τὸ πρᾶγμα κατώρθου. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο, οὐκ ἔστιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πολλὴν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι τὴν φιλοσοφίαν καὶ τὴν ὑπομονὴν καὶ τῶν τοῦ γάμου περιστάσεων καταγελᾶν καὶ τοῦτο ἔργον τίθεσθαι διηνεκῶς, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ποιοῦν τὴν τοῦ συνοικοῦντος σωθῆναι ψυχήν· ὡς ἐὰν ἐπιμένῃ τὰ τῶν γυναικῶν ἐπιζητοῦσα, οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν ἂν αὐτὸν ὤνησεν ἀλλὰ καὶ κατέβλαψεν. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ οὕτως τῶν σφόδρα δυσκόλων τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστιν, ἄκουσον τί φησι· «Τί γὰρ οἶδας, γύναι, εἰ τὸν ἄνδρα σώσεις;» Τούτῳ δὲ τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς ἐρωτήσεως κεχρῆσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν παραδόξως συμβαινόντων εἰώθαμεν. Τί δὲ μετὰ ταῦτά φησι; «∆έδεσαι γυναικί; Μὴ ζήτει λύσιν· λέλυσαι ἀπὸ γυναικός; Μὴ ζήτει γυναῖκα.» Ὁρᾷς πῶς συνεχῶς ποιεῖται τὰς μεταβάσεις καὶ πολλὴν καὶ δι' ὀλίγου τῆς παραινέσεως ἑκατέρας τὴν μίξιν; Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς περὶ τοῦ γάμου λόγοις καὶ τοὺς τῆς ἐγκρατείας ἐνέβαλε μεταξὺ διεγείρων τὸν ἀκροατήν, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοὺς περὶ τοῦ γάμου λόγους πάλιν ἐντίθησι διαναπαύων αὐτόν. Ἤρξατο ἀπὸ τῆς παρθενίας καὶ πρίν τι περὶ αὐτῆς εἰπεῖν εὐθέως ἐπὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ γάμου λόγον κατέφυγε. Τὸ γὰρ «Ἐπιταγὴν οὐκ ἔχω», τὸν γάμον συγχωροῦντός ἐστι καὶ εἰσάγοντος. Εἶτα ἐπὶ τὴν παρθενίαν ἐλθὼν καὶ εἰπὼν ὅτι «Νομίζω τοῦτο καλὸν ὑπάρχειν», ἐπειδὴ εἶδεν ὅτι συνεχῶς αὐτῆς τὸ ὄνομα λεγόμενον τῇ λειότητι τῆς ἀκοῆς πολλὴν ἐμποιεῖ τὴν τραχύτητα, οὐ τίθησιν αὐτὸ πυκνῶς ἀλλὰ καίτοι αἰτίαν ἱκανὴν δι' αὐτὸ παραμυθήσασθαι τοὺς ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς πόνους, τὴν ἐνεστῶσαν ἀνάγκην εἰπών, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐθάρρησε πάλιν παρθενίαν εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ τί; «Καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ οὕτως εἶναι.» Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐπεξέρχεται τῷ λόγῳ ἀλλὰ διατεμὼν αὐτὸν καὶ διακόψας πρὶν φανῆναι σκληρόν, τοὺς περὶ τοῦ γάμου πάλιν ἐνέβαλε λόγους «∆έδεσαι γυναικί;» λέγων, «μὴ ζήτει λύσιν.» Ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ τοῦτό ἐστι, μηδὲ ταύτην ἐνταῦθα κατασκευάσαι τὴν παραμυθίαν ἐβούλετο, περιττὸν ὑπὲρ παρθενίας συμβουλεύοντα περὶ γάμου φιλοσοφεῖν. Εἶτα πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν παρθενίαν μεθίσταται, καὶ οὐδὲ νῦν αὐτὴν τῇ κυρίᾳ