55

CHAP. 7. "Now concerning the things whereof you wrote to me." Having corrected the more difficult charges, one being the

division of the Church, a second that of the fornicator, a third that of the greedy person, he now uses a milder discourse, and places in between an exhortation and counsel concerning marriage and virginity. "It is good for a man not to touch a woman; but because of fornications, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to the wife her due benevolence; and likewise also the wife to the husband. The wife has not power over her own body, but the husband. And likewise also the husband has not power over his own body, but the wife." If you seek what is good, he says, and exceedingly excellent, it is better not to associate with a woman at all. But if you seek what is safe and helps your weakness, associate in marriage. "Do not deprive one another, except it be with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting." Let the wife not be continent, he says, against the husband's will, nor the husband, if the wife is unwilling. And why so? Because great evils are born from this continence, and fornications, and adulteries, and the overturning of households have often arisen from this. "And to prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. But I speak this by permission." He here speaks of prayer with greater earnestness. "Not by commandment. But I would that all men were even as I myself." In continence, clearly. He does this in many places, when he exhorts concerning difficult matters. "But every man has his proper gift from God; one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows: It is good for them if they abide even as I." Since he strongly accused them by saying, "for your incontinency," he again comforted them, saying they have a gift from God. "But if they cannot contain, let them marry." He does not compel the one who does not attain to continence, fearing lest a transgression occur. "For it is better to marry than to burn. And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband. But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and 95.624 let not the husband put away his wife. But to the rest speak I, not Christ." He showed how great. the tyranny of desire is. What he says is this. If you endure much violence and burning, be released from toils and sweats, lest you also be turned aside. "If any brother has a wife that believes not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which has a husband that believes not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him." He who before grace has an unbelieving wife, he does not command to put her away after grace; but he who has already received grace he forbids to take an unbelieving wife. "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. Else were your children unclean; but now they are holy." Lest the wife should fear that she becomes unclean through the union, he says this; for it is one body, but it does not become unclean. For the cleanness of the wife overcomes the uncleanness of the husband, and the cleanness of the husband overcomes the uncleanness of the unbelieving wife. "But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases." For instance, if he commands you to sacrifice and to share with him in his impiety because of the marriage, or to depart, it is better for the marriage to be dissolved than piety. "But God has called us to peace. He says this, that they may not have wars every day concerning the matter. "For what do you know, O wife, whether you shall save your husband? or what do you know, O man, whether you shall save your wife? But as God has distributed to every man, as the Lord has called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches." Remain and stay, he says, and advise, and persuade. For no teacher will be able to have such strength as a wife. "Was anyone called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. In

55

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ζʹ. «Περὶ δὲ ὧν ἐγράψατέ μοι.» ∆ιορθώσας τὰ χαλεπώτερα ἐγκλήματα, ἓν μὲν τὸ

διασπᾶσθαι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, δεύτερον δὲ τὸ τοῦ πεπορνευκότος, τρίτον τὸ τοῦ πλεονέκτου, χρῆται λοιπὸν ἡμερωτέρῳ λόγῳ, καὶ μεταξὺ τίθησι παραίνεσιν καὶ συμβουλὴν τὴν περὶ τοῦ γάμου καὶ τῆς παρθενίας. «Καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι· διὰ δὲ τὰ πορνείας ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἐχέτω, καὶ ἑκάστη τὸν ἴδιον ἄνδρα ἐχέτω· τῇ γυναικὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ τὴν ὀφειλομένην εὔνοιαν ἀποδιδότω· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ τῷ ἀνδρί. Ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος οὐκ ἐξουσιάζει, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀνήρ. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος οὐκ ἐξουσιάζει, ἀλλ' ἡ γυνή.» Εἰ μὲν τὸ καλὸν ζητεῖς, φησὶ, καὶ σφόδρα ὑπερέχον, βέλτιον μηδὲ ὅλως, ὁμιλεῖν γυναικί. Εἰ δὲ τὸ ἀσφαλὲς καὶ βοηθοῦν σου τῇ ἀσθενεία, ὁμίλει γάμῳ. «Μὴ ἀποστερεῖτε ἀλλήλους, εἰ μή τι ἂν ἐκ συμφώνου πρὸς καιρὸν, ἵνα σχολάσητε τῇ νηστείᾳ.» Μὴ ἐγκρατευέσθω ἡ γυνὴ, φησὶν, τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἄκοντος, μηδὲ ὁ ἀνὴρ, τῆς γυναικὸς μὴ βουλομένης. Καὶ τί δήποτε; Ὅτι μεγάλα ἐκ τῆς ἐγκρατείας ταύτης τίκτεται τὰ κακὰ, καὶ πορνεῖαι, καὶ μοιχεῖαι, καὶ οἴκων ἀνατροπαὶ πολλάκις ἐντεῦθεν ἐγένοντο. «Καὶ τῇ προσευχῇ· καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τῷ αὐτῷ συνέρχησθε, ἵνα μὴ ἐπιχειρῇ πειράζειν ὑμᾶς ὁ Σατανᾶς διὰ τὴν ἀκρασίαν ὑμῶν. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγω κατὰ συγγνώμην.» Τὴν μετὰ πλείονος σπουδῆς προσευχὴν ἐνταῦθα λέγει. «Οὐ κατ' ἐπιταγήν· θέλω δὲ πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἶναι ὡς καὶ ἐμαυτόν.» Ἐν ἐγκρατείᾳ δηλονότι. Πολλαχοῦ δὲ τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ὅταν περὶ δυσκόλων παραινεῖ πραγμάτων. «Ἀλλ' ἕκαστος ἴδιον χάρισμα ἔχει ἐκ Θεοῦ· ὃς μὲν οὕτως· ὃς δὲ οὕτως. Λέγω δὲ τοῖς ἀγάμοις καὶ ταῖς χήραις· καλὸν αὐτοῖς, ἵνα μένωσιν ὡς κἀγώ.» Ἐπειδὴ σφόδρα αὐτῶν κατηγόρησεν εἰπὼν, διὰ τὴν ἀκρασίαν ὑμῶν, πάλιν αὐτοὺς παρεμυθήσατο, εἰπὼν ἔχειν χάρισμα ἐκ Θεοῦ. «Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐγκρατεύονται, γαμησάτωσαν.» Οὐκ ἀναγκάζει τὸν μὴ φθάνοντα εἰς τὴν ἐγκράτειαν, δεδοικὼς μὴ παράπτωμα γένηται. «Κρεῖσσον γάρ ἐστι γαμεῖν ἢ πυροῦσθαι. Τοῖς δὲ γεγαμηκόσι παραγγέλλω, οὐκ ἐγὼ, ἀλλ' ὁ Κύριος, γυναῖκα, ἀνδρὸς μὴ χωρισθῆναι. Ἐὰν δὲ χωρισθῇ, μενέτω ἄγαμος, ἢ τῷ ἀνδρὶ καταλλαγήτω· καὶ 95.624 ἄνδρα γυναῖκα μὴ ἀφιέναι. Τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς λέγω, οὐχ ὁ Χριστός.» Ἐνέφηνεν ὅση. τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἡ τυραννίς. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν. Εἰ πολλὴν ὑπομένεις βίαν καὶ πύρωσιν, ἀπαλλάγηθι πόνων καὶ ἱδρώτων, μήποτε καὶ παρατραπῇς. «Εἴ τις ἀδελφὸς γυναῖκα ἔχει ἄπιστον, καὶ αὐτὴ συνευδοκεῖ οἰκεῖν μετ' αὐτοῦ, μὴ ἀφιέτω αὐτήν. Καὶ γυνὴ εἴ τις ἔχει ἄνδρα ἄπιστον, καὶ αὐτὸς συνευδοκεῖ οἰκεῖν μετ' αὐτῆς, μὴ ἀφιέτω αὐτόν.» Τὸν πρὸ τῆς χάριτος ἔχοντα ἄπιστον γυναῖκα, οὐ κελεύει ἀφιέναι μετὰ τὴν χάριν· τὸν δὲ ἤδη τὴν χάριν δεξάμενον κωλύει ἄπιστον λαμβάνειν γυναῖκα. «Ἡγίασται γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ ἄπιστος ἐν τῇ γυναικὶ, καὶ ἡγίασται ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἄπιστος ἐν τῷ ἀνδρί. Ἐπεὶ ἄρα τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν ἀκάθαρτά ἐστιν, νῦν δὲ ἅγιά ἐστιν.» Ἵνα μὴ φοβῆται ἡ γυνὴ ὡς ἀκάθαρτος γινομένη διὰ τὴν μίξιν, τοῦτό φησιν· ἓν μὲν γὰρ σῶμά ἐστιν, ἀλλ' οὐ γίνεται ἀκάθαρτον. Νικᾷ γὰρ ἡ καθαριότης τῆς γυναικὸς τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, καὶ νικᾷ ἡ καθαριότης τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὸ ἀκάθαρτον τῆς ἀπίστου γυναικός. «Εἰ δὲ ὁ ἄπιστος χωρίζεται, χωριζέσθω. Οὐ δεδούλωται ὁ ἀδελφὸς, ἢ ἡ ἀδελφὴ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις.» Οἷον εἰ κελεύει σοι θύειν καὶ κοινωνεῖν αὐτῷ τῆς ἀσεβείας διὰ τοῦ γάμου, ἢ ἀναχωρεῖν, βέλτιον ἀνασπασθῆναι τὸν γάμον, ἢ τὴν εὐσέβειαν. «Ἐν δὲ εἰρήνῃ κέκληκεν ὑμᾶς ὁ Θεός. Τοῦτό φησιν, ἵνα μὴ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν πολεμοὺς ἔχωσιν περὶ τοῦ πράγματος. «Τί γὰρ οἶδας, γύναι, εἰ τὸν ἄνδρα σώσεις; ἢ τί οἶδας, ἄνερ, εἰ τὴν γυναῖκα σώσεις; εἰ μὴ ἑκάστῳ ὡς ἐμέρισεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἕκαστον ὡς κέκληκεν ὁ Κύριος, οὕτως περιπατείτω, καὶ οὕτως ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις πάσαις διατάσσομαι.» Μένε καὶ παράμενε, φησὶ, καὶ συμβούλευε, καὶ πεῖθε. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ οὕτω διδάσκαλος ἰσχύσαι δυνήσεται, ὡς γυνή. «Περιτετμημένος τις ἐκλήθη; μὴ ἐπισπάσθω. Ἐν