John Chrysostom, On Virginity

another will take it, but only the choir of these saints. Do you then, tell me, still remember flocks and herds and marriages and children? What then, he says, when many of those who have practiced virginity, after their many labors, pray to enter there? But I will say something greater than this, that many of those who have practiced virginity will not even attain to those bosoms, not even the lesser ones, but will go away into Gehenna itself, as the virgins who were shut out from the bride-chamber show. Is marriage then on this account equal to virginity, or even worse? For your example makes it even worse. For if Abraham who was married is in rest and luxury, while those who practiced virginity are in Gehenna, this is what remains to be suspected according to your argument. But these things are not so, they are not so; for not only is virginity not inferior, but it is also much better than marriage. How? Because neither did marriage make Abraham such as he was, nor did virginity destroy those wretched women, but the rest of his soul’s virtue showed the patriarch to be illustrious, and the rest of their life’s wickedness delivered them to the fire. For he, while living in marriage, was zealous to achieve the good things of virginity, I mean decorum and undistracted devotion. But they, though they had chosen virginity, fell into the tempest of life and the worldly affairs found in marriage. What then prevents, he says, even now with marriage and children and possessions and all other things, preserving this undistracted devotion? First, because no one now is like Abraham, not even close by a little. For while being rich and having a wife, he despised wealth more than those who practice poverty, and had more control over pleasure than those who practice virginity. For these are inflamed by desire every day; but he had so extinguished this flame and was bound by no passion, that he not only refrained from his concubine but also cast her out of the house, in order to remove all pretext for strife and contention. But now this is not very easy to find.

83 That the same measure of virtue is not set before us and those in the Old Covenant. And apart from these things, what I was saying at the beginning, this I will also say now, that we and they are not required to have the same measure of virtue. For now it is not possible to be perfect without having sold all things, without having renounced all things, I mean not only possessions and a house, but also one’s own soul. But then there was not yet a display of such exactness. What then? Do we, he says, live more exactly than the patriarch now? We ought to, and have been commanded this, but we do not so live, and for this reason we fall far short of the righteous one. Since that greater contests are set before us is surely clear to everyone. For this reason also Scripture, when admiring Noah, does not do this simply, but with a certain addition. "For Noah," it says, "was a righteous man, perfect in his generation; Noah pleased God." Not simply perfect, but in that time; for there are many modes of perfection defined for different times, and as time advances, what was then perfect later becomes imperfect. For instance: it was once perfect to live according to the law. "For he who does them," it says, "shall live in them," but when Christ came He showed this perfect thing to be imperfect. "For unless," He says, "your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Then only murder seemed to be a terrible thing, but now even anger and reviling alone could send one to Gehenna. Then only adultery was punished, but now even to look at a woman with licentious eyes is not free from punishment. Then only perjury was from the evil one, but now also to swear an oath. "For whatever is more than these," He says, "is from the evil one." Those of that time were required nothing more than to love those who love them; but now this great and wonderful thing is so imperfect, that even after achieving it we have nothing more than the tax collectors.

ἕτερος ἐπιλήψεται ἀλλὰ μόνος ὁ τῶν ἁγίων τούτων χορός. Ἔτ' οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, ποιμνίων μέμνησθε καὶ βουκολίων καὶ γάμων καὶ παίδων; Τί οὖν, φησίν, ὅταν τῶν παρθενευσάντων πολλοὶ μετὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἱδρῶτας εὔχωνται χωρῆσαι ἐκεῖ; Ἐγὼ δὲ τούτου μεῖζον ἐρῶ ὅτι πολλοὶ τῶν παρθενευσάντων οὐδὲ ἐκείνων ἐπιτεύξονται τῶν κόλπων οὐδὲ τῶν ἐλαττόνων ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν γέενναν αὐτὴν ἀπελεύσονται, καὶ δηλοῦσιν αἱ τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἀποκλεισθεῖσαι παρθένοι. Ἆρ' οὖν παρὰ τοῦτο τῆς παρθενίας ἴσος ὁ γάμος ἢ καὶ χείρων; Τὸ γὰρ ὑπόδειγμα τὸ σὸν καὶ χείρονα αὐτὴν ποιεῖ. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ μὲν γεγαμηκὼς Ἀβραὰμ ἐν ἀνέσει καὶ τρυφῇ, οἱ δὲ παρθενεύσαντες ἐν γεέννῃ, τοῦτο ὑπολείπεται κατὰ τὸν ὑμέτερον ὑποπτεῦσαι λόγον. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα, οὐκ ἔστι· οὐ γὰρ μόνον οὐκ ἐλάττων ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ βελτίων ἡ παρθενία τοῦ γάμου. Πῶς; Ὅτι οὔτε τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ὁ γάμος τοιοῦτον ἐποίησεν οὔτε ἡ παρθενία τὰς ἀθλίας ἐκείνας ἀπώλεσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην ἡ λοιπὴ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρετὴ λαμπρὸν ἀπέδειξε καὶ ταύτας ἡ λοιπὴ κακία τοῦ βίου τῷ πυρὶ παρέδωκεν. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐν γάμῳ ζῶν ἐσπούδασε τὰ τῆς παρθενίας κατορθῶσαι καλά, τὸ εὔσχημον λέγω καὶ εὐπρόσεδρον. Αὗται δὲ καὶ παρθενίαν ἑλόμεναι εἰς τὸν τοῦ βίου κλύδωνα καὶ τὰς ἐν τῷ γάμῳ πραγματείας κατέπεσον. Τί οὖν κωλύει, φησί, καὶ νῦν μετὰ τοῦ γάμου καὶ τῶν παίδων καὶ τῶν χρημάτων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων τὸ εὐπρόσεδρον διασῶσαι; Πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι οὐδεὶς κατὰ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ νῦν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ κατὰ μικρὸν ἐγγύς. Καὶ γὰρ τῶν ἀκτημοσύνην ἀσκούντων μᾶλλον ἐκεῖνος χρημάτων κατεφρόνησε πλουτῶν καὶ γυναῖκα ἔχων καὶ ἡδονῆς μᾶλλον τῶν παρθενευόντων ἐκράτει. Οὗτοι μὲν γὰρ καθ' ἑκάστην ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας φλέγονται τὴν ἡμέραν· ἐκεῖνος δὲ οὕτω ταύτην κατεσβέκει τὴν φλόγα καὶ οὐδεμιᾷ συνεδέδετο προσπαθείᾳ, ὡς μὴ μόνον ἀποσχέσθαι τῆς παλλακίδος ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκβαλεῖν αὐτὴν τῆς οἰκίας ὑπὲρ τοῦ μάχης καὶ στάσεως πᾶσαν ὑπόθεσιν ἀνελεῖν. Νῦν δὲ οὐ σφόδρα εὔκολον τοῦτο εὑρεῖν.

83 Ὅτι οὐ τὸ αὐτὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς μέτρον ἡμῖν καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ πρόκειται. Καὶ χωρὶς τούτων δέ, ὅπερ καὶ ἀρχόμενος ἔλεγον, τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ἐρῶ ὅτι οὐ τὸ αὐτὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀπαιτούμεθα μέτρον ἡμεῖς τε κἀκεῖνοι. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι τέλειον εἶναι μὴ πάντα πωλήσαντα, μὴ πᾶσιν ἀποταξάμενον, οὐ χρήμασι λέγω μόνον καὶ οἰκίᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ. Τότε δὲ οὔπω τοσαύτης ἀκριβείας ἐπίδειξις ἦν. Τί οὖν; Ἀκριβέστερον ἡμεῖς, φησί, τοῦ πατριάρχου βιοῦμεν νῦν; Ὠφείλομεν μὲν καὶ τοῦτο ἐπιτετάγμεθα, οὐ βιοῦμεν δέ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πολὺ τοῦ δικαίου ἀπολειπόμεθα. Ἐπεὶ ὅτι γε μείζονα ἡμῖν τὰ σκάμματα πρόκειται, παντί που δῆλόν ἐστι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸν Νῶε θαυμάζουσα ἡ γραφὴ οὐχ ἁπλῶς τοῦτο ποιεῖ ἀλλὰ μετὰ προσθήκης τινός. «Νῶε», γάρ φησι, «δίκαιος, τέλειος ὢν ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ αὐτοῦ, τῷ Θεῷ εὐηρέστησεν.» Οὐχ ἁπλῶς τέλειος ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ τότε καιρῷ· πολλοὶ γὰρ τελειότητος τρόποι κατὰ διαφόρους ὡρισμένοι καιρούς, καὶ τοῦ χρόνου προκόπτοντος τὸ τότε τέλειον ἀτελὲς ὕστερον γίνεται. Οἷόν τι λέγω· τέλειον ἦν ποτε τὸ κατὰ τὸν νόμον βιοῦν. «Ὁ ποιήσας γὰρ αὐτά», φησί, «ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς», ἀλλ' ἐλθὼν ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦτο τὸ τέλειον ἔδειξεν ἀτελές. «Ἐὰν» γὰρ «μὴ περισσεύσῃ», φησίν, «ἡ δικαιοσύνη ὑμῶν πλέον τῶν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.» Τότε φόνος ἐδόκει μόνον εἶναι δεινόν, νῦν δὲ καὶ ὀργὴ καὶ λοιδορία μόνη τῇ γεέννῃ παραπέμψαι δύναιτ' ἄν. Τότε μοιχεία ἐκολάζετο μόνον, νῦν δὲ καὶ τὸ ἀκολάστοις ὀφθαλμοῖς γυναῖκα ἰδεῖν οὐκ ἀπήλλακται τιμωρίας. Τότε ἡ ἐπιορκία μόνη ἦν ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ, νῦν δὲ καὶ τὸ ὀμόσαι. «Τὸ» γὰρ «περισσόν», φησί, «τούτων ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐστιν.» Οὐδὲν πλέον ἀπῃτοῦντο οἱ τότε ἢ τὸ τοὺς φιλοῦντας ἀγαπᾶν· νῦν δὲ τὸ μέγα τοῦτο καὶ θαυμαστὸν οὕτως ἐστὶν ἀτελές, ὡς καὶ μετὰ τὴν κατόρθωσιν αὐτοῦ μηδὲν πλέον ἡμᾶς ἔχειν τῶν τελωνῶν.