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and of a spiritual life in the flesh and of a heavenly citizenship on earth. Remember the tranquil days and enlightened nights and spiritual songs and melodious psalmody and holy prayers and the chaste bed and temperate table and virginal procession. Where for you is that venerable habit, where is that modest character and simple garment befitting a virgin and the beautiful blush from modesty, and the comely pallor blooming from continence and vigils and shining more gracefully than any healthy complexion? How many times in prayers to keep your virginity unstained did you perhaps pour out tears? How many letters did you write to the saints, through which you asked them to pray for you, not that you might attain a human marriage, or rather this dishonorable corruption, but that you might not fall away from the Lord Jesus? How many gifts from the Bridegroom did you receive? What need is there even to speak of the honors through Him from His own? The living together with virgins? The processions with them? The receptions from virgins? The encomiums for virginity? The virginal blessings? The letters as to a virgin? But now, having received a little breeze of the aerial spirit, which is now at work in the sons of disobedience, you have become a denier of all those things, and that precious and fought-for possession you have exchanged for a brief pleasure, which for a time soothes your throat, but afterwards you will find it more bitter than gall. 46.3 At these things who would not mourn and say: "How has the faithful city Sion become a harlot?" And how would not the Lord Himself cry out to one of those now walking in the spirit of Jeremiah: "Have you seen what the virgin of Israel has done to me? I betrothed her to myself in faith and in incorruption, in righteousness and in judgment and in mercy and in compassion, as through Hosea the prophet I promised her. But she loved strangers and, while I her husband live, she is called an adulteress and is not afraid, having become another man's." And what then of the bridgeroom's attendant, the divine and blessed Paul, both that ancient one and this new one, under whom as mediator and teacher you left your mother's house and were joined to the Lord? Would not each one, greatly distressed by so great an evil, say: "For the fear which I feared has come upon me, and that which I dreaded has met me; for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ"? And I was always afraid lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your thoughts might be corrupted. For this very reason, I tried always with countless incantations to suppress the tumult of the passions, and with countless safeguards to preserve the bride of the Lord, and I always set forth the life of the unmarried, because only the unmarried woman cares for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy in body and in spirit; and I explained the dignity of virginity, and, calling you the temple of God, I gave as it were a wing to your eagerness, lightening you towards Jesus, and with the fear of the terrible I helped you not to fall, saying: "If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him." And indeed I also added the security from prayers, if somehow your whole body and soul and spirit might be kept blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. But indeed I have labored in vain in all these things for you, and the end of those sweet toils has turned out bitter for me, and it is necessary to groan again over her in whom I ought to rejoice. For behold, you have been deceived by the serpent more bitterly than Eve. And not only your thoughts have been corrupted, but with them also your very body; and that dreadful thing, which I hesitate to speak and cannot keep silent (for it is like a burning fire in my bones, and I am weary on all sides and cannot bear it), having taken the members of Christ you have made them members of a harlot. This alone among all evils is incomparable, this is a new audacity in life. "For pass over, he says, to the isles of Chittim, and see; and send to Kedar, and consider diligently if such things have happened, if the nations will change their gods, and they are not gods." But the virgin has exchanged her glory for her shame. Was amazed the

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καὶ πνευ ματικῆς ἐν σαρκὶ ζωῆς καὶ οὐρανίου ἐπὶ γῆς πολιτεύ ματος. Μνήσθητι ἡμερῶν ἀθορύβων καὶ νυκτῶν πεφωτισ μένων καὶ ᾠδῶν πνευματικῶν καὶ ψαλμῳδίας εὐήχου καὶ προσευχῶν ἁγίων καὶ ἁγνῆς κοίτης καὶ ἐγκρατοῦς τρα πέζης καὶ παρθενικῆς προόδου. Ποῦ μέν σοι τὸ σεμνὸν ἐκεῖνο σχῆμα, ποῦ δὲ τὸ κόσμιον ἦθος καὶ ἐσθὴς λιτὴ καὶ παρθένῳ πρέπουσα καὶ καλὸν μὲν τὸ ἐξ αἰδοῦς ἐρύθημα, εὐπρεπὴς δὲ ἡ ἐξ ἐγκρατείας καὶ ἀγρυπνίας ἐπανθοῦσα ὠχρότης καὶ πάσης εὐχροίας χαριέστερον ἐπιλάμπουσα; Ποσάκις ἐν προσευχαῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ τηρῆσαι τὴν παρθενίαν ἄσπιλον ἴσως ἐξέχεας δάκρυα; Πόσα δὲ γράμματα πρὸς τοὺς ἁγίους ἐχάραξας, δι' ὧν ἠξίους ὑπερεύχεσθαί σου, οὐχ ἵνα γάμου ἀνθρωπίνου, μᾶλλον δὲ τῆς ἀτίμου ταύ της φθορᾶς ἐπιτύχῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ μὴ ἐκπέσῃς; Πόσα δὲ δῶρα τοῦ Νυμφίου ἐδέξω; Τί δεῖ καὶ λέγειν τὰς δι' Ἐκεῖνον παρὰ τῶν Ἐκείνου τιμάς; Τὰς μετὰ παρθένων συμβιώσεις; Τὰς σὺν ἐκείναις προόδους; Τὰς παρὰ παρθένων δεξιώσεις; Τὰ ἐπὶ παρθενίᾳ ἐγκώμια; Τὰς παρθενικὰς εὐλογίας; Τὰ ὡς πρὸς παρθένον γράμ ματα; Ἀλλὰ νῦν ὀλίγην αὔραν δεξαμένη τοῦ ἀερίου πνεύ ματος, τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας, πάντων ἐκείνων ἔξαρνος γέγονας, καὶ τὸ τίμιον ἐκεῖνο καὶ περιμάχητον κτῆμα βραχείας ἡδονῆς ἀντικατηλλάξω, ἣ πρὸς καιρὸν λιπαίνει σὸν φάρυγγα, ὕστερον μέντοι πικρό τερον χολῆς εὑρήσεις. 46.3 Ἐπὶ τούτοις τίς οὐκ ἂν πενθήσας εἴποι· «Πῶς ἐγένετο πόρνη πόλις πιστὴ Σιών;» Πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἀποφθέγξαιτο πρός τινα τῶν νῦν ἐν πνεύματι Ἱερεμίου περιπατούντων· «Εἶδες ἃ ἐποίησέ μοι ἡ παρθένος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ; Ἐγὼ ἐμνηστευσάμην αὐτὴν ἐμαυτῷ ἐν πίστει καὶ ἀφθαρσίᾳ, ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἐν κρίματι καὶ ἐν ἐλέει καὶ οἰκτιρμοῖς, καθὼς διὰ Ὠσηὲ τοῦ προφήτου αὐτῇ ἐπηγγει λάμην. Αὐτὴ δὲ ἠγαπήκει ἀλλοτρίους καί, ζῶντος ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἀνδρός, μοιχαλὶς χρηματίζει καὶ οὐ φοβεῖται γενομένη ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ.» Τί δὲ ἄρα ὁ νυμφαγωγός, ὁ θεῖος καὶ μακάριος Παῦλος, ὅ τε ἀρχαῖος ἐκεῖνος καὶ ὁ νέος οὗτος, ὑφ' ᾧ μεσίτῃ καὶ διδασκάλῳ τὸν μητρῷον οἶκον καταλι ποῦσα τῷ Κυρίῳ συνήφθης; Ἆρα οὐκ ἂν εἴποι τῷ τοσούτῳ κακῷ περιπαθήσας ἑκάτερος· «Φόβος γὰρ ὃν ἐφοβούμην ἦλθέ μοι καὶ ὃν ἐδεδοίκειν συνήντησέ μοι· ἐγὼ μὲν γάρ σε ἡρμοσάμην ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ παρθένον ἁγνὴν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χρι στῷ»; Καὶ ἐφοβούμην ἀεὶ μή πως, ὡς ὁ ὄφις ἐξηπάτη σεν Εὔαν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτοῦ, οὕτω φθαρῇ ποτε τὰ νοήματά σου. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο μυρίαις μὲν ἐπῳδαῖς ἐπειρώ μην ἀεὶ καταστέλλειν τῶν παθῶν τὸν τάραχον, μυρίαις δὲ φυλακαῖς συντηρεῖν τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν νύμφην, καὶ τὸν βίον ἀεὶ τῆς ἀγάμου διεξῄειν, ὅτι δὴ μόνη ἡ ἄγαμος μεριμνᾷ τὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἵν' ᾖ ἁγία τῷ σώματι καὶ τῷ πνεύματι· καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα τῆς παρθενίας ὑφηγούμην, καί, ναόν σε Θεοῦ προσαγορεύων, οἱονεὶ πτερὸν ἐδίδουν τῇ προθυμίᾳ πρὸς Ἰησοῦν ἀνακουφίζων, καὶ τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ δεινοῦ πρὸς τὸ μὴ πεσεῖν ἐβοήθουν λέγων· «Εἴ τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φθεί ρει, φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ Θεός.» Καὶ δὴ καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῶν εὐχῶν προσετίθουν ἀσφάλειαν, εἴ πως ὁλόκληρόν σοι τὸ σῶμα καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἀμέμπτως ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τηρηθείη. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ εἰκῆ ταῦταπάντα κεκοπίακα εἰς σέ, καί μοι πικρὸν ἐξέβη τῶν γλυ κέων ἐκείνων πόνων τὸ πέρας, καὶ στένειν ἀνάγκη πάλιν ἐφ' ᾗ ἔδει με χαίρειν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἠπάτησαι μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ ὄφεως τῆς Εὔας πικρότερον. Ἔφθαρται δέ σοι οὐ τὰ νοήματα μόνον, ἀλλὰ γὰρ σὺν ἐκείνοις καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ σῶμα· καὶ τὸ φρικῶδες ἐκεῖνο, ὃ καὶ εἰπεῖν ὀκνῶ καὶ σιωπᾶν οὐ δύναμαι (ἔστι γὰρ ὡς πῦρ καιόμενον ἐν τοῖς ὀστέοις μου, καὶ παρεῖμαι πάντοθεν καὶ οὐ δύναμαι φέρειν), ἄρασα τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ πεποίηκας πόρνης μέλη. Τοῦτο μόνον ἐν πᾶσι κακὸν ἀσύγκριτον, τοῦτο καινὸν ἐν βίῳ τὸ τόλμημα. «Ὅτι διέλθετε, φησί, νήσους Χεττιεὶμ καὶ ἴδετε· καὶ εἰς Κηδὰρ ἀποστείλατε καὶ νοήσατε σφόδρα εἰ γέγονε τοιαῦτα, εἰ ἀλλάξονται ἔθνη θεοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐκ εἰσὶ θεοί.» Ἡ δὲ παρθένος ἠλλάξατο τὴν δόξαν ἐν τῇ αἰσχύνῃ αὐτῆς. Ἐξέστη ὁ