The Banquet of the Ten Virgins or Concerning…

 Or,

 Marcella.

 Discourse I.—Marcella.

 Chapter II.—Virginity a Plant from Heaven, Introduced Late The Advancement of Mankind to Perfection, How Arranged.

 Chapter III.—By the Circumcision of Abraham, Marriage with Sisters Forbidden In the Times of the Prophets Polygamy Put a Stop To Conjugal Purity Its

 Chapter IV.—Christ Alone Taught Virginity, Openly Preaching the Kingdom of Heaven The Likeness of God to Be Attained in the Light of the Divine Virtu

 Chapter V.—Christ, by Preserving His Flesh Incorrupt in Virginity, Draws to the Exercise of Virginity The Small Number of Virgins in Proportion to th

 Theophila.

 Discourse II.—Theophila.

 Chapter II.—Generation Something Akin to the First Formation of Eve from the Side and Nature of Adam God the Creator of Men in Ordinary Generation.

 Chapter III.—An Ambiguous Passage of Scripture Not Only the Faithful But Even Prelates Sometimes Illegitimate.

 Chapter IV.—Human Generation, and the Work of God Therein Set Forth.

 Chapter V.—The Holy Father Follows Up the Same Argument.

 Chapter VI.—God Cares Even for Adulterous Births Angels Given to Them as Guardians.

 Chapter VII.—The Rational Soul from God Himself Chastity Not the Only Good, Although the Best and Most Honoured.

 Thaleia.

 Discourse III.—Thaleia.

 Chapter II.—The Digressions of the Apostle Paul The Character of His Doctrine: Nothing in It Contradictory Condemnation of Origen, Who Wrongly Turns

 Chapter III.—Comparison Instituted Between the First and Second Adam.

 Chapter IV.—Some Things Here Hard and Too Slightly Treated, and Apparently Not Sufficiently Brought Out According to the Rule of Theology.

 Chapter V.—A Passage of Jeremiah Examined.

 Chapter VI.—The Whole Number of Spiritual Sheep Man a Second Choir, After the Angels, to the Praise of God The Parable of the Lost Sheep Explained.

 Chapter VII.—The Works of Christ, Proper to God and to Man, the Works of Him Who is One.

 Chapter VIII.—The Bones and Flesh of Wisdom The Side Out of Which the Spiritual Eve is Formed, the Holy Spirit The Woman the Help-Meet of Adam Virg

 Chapter IX.—The Dispensation of Grace in Paul the Apostle.

 Chapter X.—The Doctrine of the Same Apostle Concerning Purity.

 Chapter XI.—The Same Argument.

 Chapter XII.—Paul an Example to Widows, and to Those Who Do Not Live with Their Wives.

 Chapter XIII.—The Doctrine of Paul Concerning Virginity Explained.

 Chapter XIV.—Virginity a Gift of God: the Purpose of Virginity Not Rashly to Be Adopted by Any One.

 Theopatra.

 Discourse IV.—Theopatra.

 Chapter II.—The Protection of Chastity and Virginity Divinely Given to Men, that They May Emerge from the Mire of Vices.

 But not to pass away from our subject, come, let us take in our hands and examine this psalm, which the pure and stainless souls sing to God, saying:

 Chapter IV.—The Author Goes on with the Interpretation of the Same Passage.

 Chapter V.—The Gifts of Virgins, Adorned with Which They are Presented to One Husband, Christ.

 Chapter VI.—Virginity to Be Cultivated and Commended in Every Place and Time.

 Thallousa.

 Discourse V.—Thallousa.

 Chapter II.—Abraham’s Sacrifice of a Heifer Three Years Old, of a Goat, and of a Ram Also Three Years Old: Its Meaning Every Age to Be Consecrated to

 Chapter III.—Far Best to Cultivate Virtue from Boyhood.

 Chapter IV.—Perfect Consecration and Devotion to God: What It is.

 Chapter V.—The Vow of Chastity, and Its Rites in the Law Vines, Christ, and the Devil.

 Chapter VI.—Sikera, a Manufactured and Spurious Wine, Yet Intoxicating Things Which are Akin to Sins are to Be Avoided by a Virgin The Altar of Ince

 Chapter VII.—The Church Intermediate Between the Shadows of the Law and the Realities of Heaven.

 Chapter VIII.—The Double Altar, Widows and Virgins Gold the Symbol of Virginity.

 Agathe.

 Discourse VI.—Agathe.

 If, then, any one will keep this beauty inviolate and unharmed, and such as He who constructed it formed and fashioned it, imitating the eternal and i

 Chapter III.—The Same Endeavour and Effort After Virginity, with a Different Result.

 Chapter IV.—What the Oil in the Lamps Means.

 Chapter V.—The Reward of Virginity.

 Procilla.

 Discourse VII.—Procilla.

 Consider now, O virgins, that, in saying to the bride, “Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse,” He shows the clear eye of the understandin

 Chapter III.—Virgins Being Martyrs First Among the Companions of Christ.

 Now if any one should have a doubt about these things, inasmuch as the points are nowhere fully wrought out, and should still wish more fully to perce

 Chapter V.—The Sixty Queens: Why Sixty, and Why Queens The Excellence of the Saints of the First Age.

 Chapter VI.—The Eighty Concubines, What The Knowledge of the Incarnation Communicated to the Prophets.

 Now he calls by the name of virgins, who belong to a countless assembly, those who, being inferior to the better ones, have practised righteousness, a

 Chapter VIII.—The Human Nature of Christ His One Dove.

 Chapter IX.—The Virgins Immediately After the Queen and Spouse.

 Thekla.

 Discourse VIII.—Thekla.

 Chapter II.—The Lofty Mind and Constancy of the Sacred Virgins The Introduction of Virgins into the Blessed Abodes Before Others.

 Chapter III.—The Lot and Inheritance of Virginity.

 Now, then, O Virgins, daughters of undefiled temperance, let us strive for a life of blessedness and the kingdom of heaven. And do ye unite with those

 Chapter V.—The Woman Who Brings Forth, to Whom the Dragon is Opposed, the Church Her Adornment and Grace.

 Chapter VI.—The Works of the Church, the Bringing Forth of Children in Baptism The Moon in Baptism, the Full Moon of Christ’s Passion.

 Chapter VII.—The Child of the Woman in the Apocalypse Not Christ, But the Faithful Who are Born in the Laver.

 Chapter VIII.—The Faithful in Baptism Males, Configured to Christ The Saints Themselves Christs.

 Chapter IX.—The Son of God, Who Ever Is, is To-Day Begotten in the Minds and Sense of the Faithful.

 Chapter X.—The Dragon, the Devil The Stars Struck from Heaven by the Tail of the Dragon, Heretics The Numbers of the Trinity, that Is, the Persons N

 Chapter XI.—The Woman with the Male Child in the Wilderness the Church The Wilderness Belongs to Virgins and Saints The Perfection of Numbers and My

 Chapter XII.—Virgins are Called to the Imitation of the Church in the Wilderness Overcoming the Dragon.

 Chapter XIII.—The Seven Crowns of the Beast to Be Taken Away by Victorious Chastity The Ten Crowns of the Dragon, the Vices Opposed to the Decalogue

 Chapter XIV.—The Doctrine of Mathematicians Not Wholly to Be Despised, When They are Concerned About the Knowledge of the Stars The Twelve Signs of t

 Chapter XV.—Arguments from the Novelty of Fate and Generation That Golden Age, Early Men Solid Arguments Against the Mathematicians.

 Chapter XVI.—Several Other Things Turned Against the Same Mathematicians.

 Chapter XVII.—The Lust of the Flesh and Spirit: Vice and Virtue.

 Tusiane.

 Discourse IX.—Tusiane.

 Chapter II.—Figure, Image, Truth: Law, Grace, Glory Man Created Immortal: Death Brought in by Destructive Sin.

 Chapter III.—How Each One Ought to Prepare Himself for the Future Resurrection.

 Chapter IV.—The Mind Clearer When Cleansed from Sin The Ornaments of the Mind and the Order of Virtue Charity Deep and Full Chastity the Last Ornam

 Chapter V.—The Mystery of the Tabernacles.

 Domnina.

 Discourse X.—Domnina.

 But lest I should appear to some to be sophistical, and to conjecture these things from mere probabilities, and to babble, I will bring forward to you

 Chapter III.—The Bramble and the Agnos the Symbol of Chastity The Four Gospels, that Is, Teachings or Laws, Instructing to Salvation.

 Chapter IV.—The Law Useless for Salvation The Last Law of Chastity Under the Figure of the Bramble.

 Chapter V.—The Malignity of the Devil as an Imitator in All Things Two Kinds of Fig-Trees and Vines.

 Chapter VI.—The Mystery of the Vision of Zechariah.

 Arete.

 Discourse XI.—Arete.

 Chapter II.—Thekla Singing Decorously a Hymn, the Rest of the Virgins Sing with Her John the Baptist a Martyr to Chastity The Church the Spouse of G

 Chapter III.—Which are the Better, the Continent, or Those Who Delight in Tranquillity of Life? Contests the Peril of Chastity: the Felicity of Tranqu

 Elucidations.

Chapter IX.—The Virgins Immediately After the Queen and Spouse.

Moreover, we must further consider what the Spirit delivers to us in the rest of the psalm, after the enthronization of the manhood assumed by the Word at the right hand of the Father. “The virgins,” He says,210 Ps. xlv. 15, 16. “that be her fellows shall bear her company, and shall be brought unto thee. With joy and gladness shall they be brought, and shall enter into the King’s palace.” Now, here the Spirit seems quite plainly to praise virginity, next, as we have explained, to the Bride of the Lord, who promises that the virgins shall approach second to the Almighty with joy and gladness, guarded and escorted by angels. For so lovely and desirable is in truth the glory of virginity, that, next to the Queen, whom the Lord exalts, and presents in sinless glory to the Father, the choir and order of virgins bear her company, assigned to a place second to that of the Bride. Let these efforts of mine to speak to thee, O Arete, concerning chastity, be engraven on a monument.

And Procilla having thus spoken, Thekla said, It is my turn after her to continue the contest; and I rejoice, since I too have the favouring wisdom of words, perceiving that I am, like a harp, inwardly attuned, and prepared to speak with elegance and propriety.

Arete. I most willingly hail thy readiness, O Thekla, in which I confide to give me fitting discourse, in accordance with thy powers; since thou wilt yield to none in universal philosophy and instruction, instructed by Paul in what is fitting to say of evangelical and divine doctrine.