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one would find that men are more admonished by things at their feet. For in good things, these things more greatly encourage, and in painful things, they frighten more severely, because the perception of them is nearer. For these reasons he also spoke this way to the Corinthians and trained the Romans in forbearance from present circumstances. For the weak and wronged soul does not so easily release the poison of its anger when it hears about a kingdom and falls into long-term hopes, as when it expects to receive justice from the one who has wronged it. Therefore, wishing to shake up the root of resentfulness and for the time being to empty out anger, he sets down this which was more persuasive for comforting the wronged person, not depriving him of the honor laid up for him in the time to come, but for the time being hastening to bring him in whatever way into the path of philosophy and to open the doors of reconciliation. For the most difficult thing is to take hold of the beginning of the good work, for after the entrance the labor is no longer so great. But our Lord Jesus Christ does not do this when speaking either about virginity or about forbearance. But there He sets forth the kingdom of heaven; for "there are eunuchs," He says, "who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." But when He exhorted them to pray for their enemies, He said nothing about harm to those who had caused them pain, nor did He mention coals of fire, but leaving all those things to be said to the fainthearted and wretched, He Himself exhorts them from greater things. What things are these? "That you may be," He says, "like your Father who is in heaven." See how great the prize is. For it was Peter who was hearing these things, and James and John, and the rest of the choir of the apostles; for this reason He led them on by spiritual prizes. And Paul would have done this, if his discourse had been to such persons. But since he was speaking to the Corinthians, who were more imperfectly disposed, he at once gives them the fruits of their labors so that they might come more readily to the practice of virtue. For this reason also God, refraining from promising the kingdom of heaven to the Jews, bestowed the good things of the earth. And in place of evil deeds, He threatened not Gehenna but the calamities in this age, famines and plagues and diseases and wars and captivity and other such things. For the more carnal among men are constrained by these things and fear these things more. But of things not seen nor present they take less account. For this reason Paul also dwells more on these things, which were especially able to penetrate their denseness. In addition to this he also wanted to show that while some of the other good things surround us here with many toils, and store up all their fruit for the future time, virginity, in the very act of its accomplishment, pays us no small rewards, freeing us from so many toils and cares. And along with these things he also established a third. What? That the matter should not be considered to be among the impossible things but even among the very possible. And he does this with great abundance, showing that marriage has more difficulties, as if he were saying to someone, "Does this matter seem to you to be troublesome and laborious?" "For this very reason, then, I say that you should pursue it, because it is so easy as to give us far fewer troubles than marriage." "For since I spare you," he says, "and do not wish you to have affliction, for this reason I do not want you to marry." "And what affliction?" someone might perhaps say. "On the contrary, we will find that marriage has much ease and luxury." And first of all, to satisfy desire with all security and to endure no violence from nature, is no small matter in terms of ease. Then, that the rest of one's life is free from dejection and squalor, and is full of cheerfulness and laughter and joy. For with a lavish table and soft clothes and a softer bed, and continual baths, and perfumes and wine no worse than perfume and other

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τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοῖς παρὰ πόδας εὕροι τις ἂν μᾶλλον νουθετουμένους. Ἔν τε γὰρ τοῖς χρηστοῖς ταῦτα μᾶλλον προτρέπει, ἔν τε τοῖς λυπηροῖς μειζόνως φοβεῖ, τῷ τὴν αἴσθησιν ἐγγυτέραν ὑπάρχειν αὐτοῖς. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα καὶ Κορινθίοις οὕτω διελέγετο καὶ Ῥωμαίους ἀπὸ τῶν παρόντων εἰς ἀνεξικακίαν ἐγύμναζεν. Ἡ γὰρ ἀσθενὴς καὶ ἠδικημένη ψυχὴ οὐχ οὕτως εὐκόλως ἀφίησι τῆς ὀργῆς τὸν ἰόν, ὅταν περὶ βασιλείας ἀκούσῃ καὶ εἰς μακρὰς ἐλπίδας ἐμπέσῃ ὡς ὅταν παρὰ τοῦ λελυπηκότος προσδοκήσῃ λήψεσθαι δίκην. Βουλόμενος οὖν διασεῖσαι τῆς μνησικακίας τὴν ῥίζαν καὶ τέως κενῶσαι τὴν ὀργήν, ὃ μᾶλλον ἐπαγωγὸν ἦν πρὸς τὸ παραμυθήσασθαι τὸν ἠδικημένον τοῦτο τίθησιν, οὐκ ἀποστερῶν αὐτὸν τῆς ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι καιρῷ κειμένης τιμῆς, ἀλλὰ τέως αὐτὸν ἐμβιβάσαι σπεύδων οἱῳδήποτε τρόπῳ εἰς τὴν τῆς φιλοσοφίας ὁδὸν καὶ τὰς θύρας ἀνοῖξαι τῆς καταλλαγῆς. Τὸ γὰρ δυσκολώτατον τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐπιλαβέσθαι τοῦ κατορθώματος, μετὰ γὰρ τὴν εἴσοδον οὐκέτι τοσοῦτος ὁ πόνος ἐστίν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς τοῦτο ποιεῖ οὔτε περὶ παρθενίας οὔτε περὶ ἀνεξικακίας διαλεγόμενος. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν τὴν βασιλείαν τίθησι τῶν οὐρανῶν· «Εἰσὶ» γὰρ «εὐνοῦχοι», φησίν, «οἵτινες εὐνούχισαν ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.» Ὅτε δὲ εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν παρεκάλει, οὐδὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν λελυπηκότων βλάβης εἰπών, οὐδὲ τῶν ἀνθράκων μνημονεύσας τοῦ πυρὸς ἀλλὰ πάντα ἐκεῖνα ἀφεὶς πρὸς τοὺς μικροψύχους λέγεσθαι καὶ ταλαιπώρους, αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τῶν μειζόνων αὐτοὺς προτρέπει. Ποίων δὴ τούτων; «Ὅπως γένησθε», φησίν, «ὅμοιοι τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.» Βλέπε πόσον τὸ ἔπαθλον. Πέτρος γὰρ ἦν ὁ ταῦτα ἀκούων καὶ Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννηςκαὶ ὁ λοιπὸς τῶν ἀποστόλων χορός· διὰ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῶν πνευματικῶν αὐτοὺς ἐνῆγεν ἐπάθλων. Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δὲ τοῦτο ἂν ἐποίησεν, εἰ πρός τινας τοιούτους ὁ λόγος ἦν αὐτῷ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πρὸς Κορινθίους τοὺς ἀτελέστερον διακειμένους διελέγετο, ἤδη τῶν πόνων αὐτοῖς δίδωσι τοὺς καρποὺς ἵνα προθυμότερον ἐπὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν ἔλθωσι τῆς ἀρετῆς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰουδαίοις ἀφεὶς ἐπαγγείλασθαι βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν τὰ τῆς γῆς ἐχαρίζετο ἀγαθά. Καὶ ἀντὶ τῶν πονηρῶν δὲ πράξεων οὐ γέενναν ἀλλὰ τὰς ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ συμφορὰς ἠπείλει, λιμοὺς καὶ λοιμοὺς καὶ νόσους καὶ πολέμους καὶ αἰχμαλωσίαν καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα ἕτερα. Τούτοις γὰρ μᾶλλον οἱ σαρκικώτεροι τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατέχονται καὶ ταῦτα μᾶλλον δεδοίκασι. Τῶν δὲ οὐχ ὁρωμένων οὐδὲ παρόντων ἐλάττονα ποιοῦνται λόγον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος τούτοις μᾶλλον ἐνδιατρίβει, ἃ μάλιστα αὐτῶν καθικέσθαι τῆς παχύτητος ἦν ἱκανά. Πρὸς τούτοις δὲ κἀκεῖνο δεῖξαι ἐβούλετο, ὅτι τῶν μὲν ἄλλων ἀγαθῶν ἔνια ἐνταῦθα μὲν ἡμᾶς πόνοις περιβάλλει πολλοῖς, τὸν δὲ καρπὸν ἅπαντα ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι ταμιεύεται χρόνῳ. Ἡ δὲ παρθενία ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ κατορθοῦσθαι οὐ μικρὰς ἡμῖν ἀποδίδωσι τὰς ἀμοιβὰς τοσούτων ἀπαλλάττουσα πόνων καὶ φροντίδων. Μετὰ δὲ τούτων καὶ τρίτον τι συγκατεσκεύασε. Ποῖον; Τὸ μὴ τῶν ἀδυνάτων νομισθῆναι τὸ πρᾶγμα εἶναι ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν σφόδρα δυνατῶν. Ποιεῖ δὲ αὐτὸ ἐκ περιουσίας πολλῆς τὸν γάμον ἀποφαίνων πλείονας ἔχοντα δυσκολίας, ὡς εἰ πρός τινα ἔλεγε, μοχθηρὸν καὶ ἐπίπονόν σοι εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο δοκεῖ; ∆ι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο ἔγωγέ φημι δεῖν αὐτὸ μετιέναι ὅτι οὕτω ῥᾷστόν ἐστιν ὡς πολὺ τοῦ γάμου πράγματα ἡμῖν παρέχειν ἐλάττω. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ φείδομαι, φησίν, ὑμῶν καὶ οὐ βούλομαι θλῖψιν ὑμᾶς ἔχειν, διὰ τοῦτο ὑμᾶς οὐ θέλω γαμεῖν. Καὶ ποίαν θλῖψιν; ἴσως εἴποι τις ἄν. Τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν καὶ ἄνεσιν ἔχοντα πολλὴν καὶ τρυφὴν τὸν γάμον εὑρήσομεν. Καὶ πρῶτον ἁπάντων τὸ μετὰ πάσης ἀδείας τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἀποπληροῦν καὶ μηδεμίαν ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως ὑπομένειν βίαν, οὐ μικρὸν εἰς ῥᾳστώνης λόγον ἐστίν. Ἔπειτα τῷ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην διαγωγὴν ἀπηλλάχθαι κατηφείας καὶ αὐχμοῦ, καὶ μεστὴν εἶναι φαιδρότητος καὶ γέλωτος καὶ χαρᾶς. Καὶ γὰρ τραπέζῃ πολυτελεῖ καὶ μαλακοῖς ἱματίοις καὶ στρωμνῇ μαλακωτέρᾳ, καὶ λουτροῖς διηνεκέσι, καὶ μύροις καὶ οἴνῳ μύρου οὐδὲν χεῖρον διακειμένῳ καὶ ἑτέρᾳ