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when it is not done by agreement, it happened that one unable to persevere would fall into fornication, he forbids continence without agreement, and says: "The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does." You exist, he says, under each other’s authority. You cannot do what you wish, without the one who pulls the yoke with you. And strengthening the law, he added: "Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a set time, so that you may devote yourselves to fasting and prayer, and come together again." And he has called deprivation the cessation of intercourse that occurs against one’s will. For when one practices continence, he considers the other party to be deprived of fellowship. And he also teaches for what reason he commanded them to come together again after prayer and fasting; for he added: "So that Satan may not tempt you." And showing that he takes the occasions for the war from us, he necessarily added: "Because of your lack of self-control." For, he says, while you are struggling, he will in no way prevail. Then, urging to better things, he says: "But this I say by way of concession, not of command. For I wish that all men were as I myself am, in continence. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another." But if the thrice-blessed Paul called marriage with chastity a gift of God, the lawless laws of the ill-named heretics are manifest. And the following is of the same thought: "To the married," he says, "I give this command—not I but the Lord: a wife should not separate from her husband; but if she does separate, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband; and a husband should not leave his wife." So far 83.541 is he from forbidding marriage, that he even holds together by the Lord's laws that which is being torn apart. For it is not I, he says, who write this law, but the Lord God, who in the Gospels added to the divine commands, and declared that the separated woman should remain unmarried, by this compelling her to return to her husband. And indeed, both to those who have unbelieving husbands, and to those joined to unbelieving wives, he commands not to dissolve the marriage. "For if," he says, "any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she consents to live with him, he should not leave her. And if a woman has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she should not leave him." But if he did not dissolve the marriage that does not have agreement in faith, it is clear that he knows marriage to be lawful, and not unlawful. 26. —Concerning second marriage. And why do I speak of first marriage? He also legislated a second union. "For I say," he said, "to the unmarried and to widows: it is good for them if they remain as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn." And by burning, he named not the troubling of desire, but the defeat. And after a little, he confirms the law; and he speaks thus: "A wife is bound by law for as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord; that is, chastely and lawfully, to a pious and faithful man." And he counsels concerning continence: "But she is more blessed if she remains as she is, according to my judgment." And by what follows he shows the trustworthiness of the law: "For I think," he said, "that I also have the Spirit of God." I do not legislate using human reasonings, but by becoming an instrument of the divine Spirit. And it is necessary to note that he did not say the continent woman is blessed, but more blessed, by this teaching that she who embraces a second marriage is not entirely bereft of blessedness, if indeed she should accept the yoke according to the established law. And writing to the Romans, both of law and of grace

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συμφώνως οὐ γιγνομένου, εἰς πορνείαν συνέβαινεν ἐκπεσεῖν τὸν καρτερεῖν οὐ δυνάμενον, ἀπαγορεύει τὴν δίχα συμφωνίας ἐγκράτειαν, καί φησιν· "Ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος οὐκ ἐξουσιάζει, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀνὴρ, καὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος οὐκ ἐξου σιάζει, ἀλλ' ἡ γυνή." Ὑπὸ τὴν ἀλλήλων, φησὶν, ἐξουσίαν τελεῖτε. Οὐ δύνασαι δρᾷν ὃ βούλει, δίχα τοῦ συνέλκοντος τὸν ζυγόν. Καὶ κρατύνων τὸν νόμον, ἐπήγαγε· "Μὴ ἀποστερεῖτε ἀλλήλους, εἰ μή τι ἂν ἐκ συμφώνου πρὸς καιρὸν, ἵνα σχολάζητε τῇ νηστείᾳ καὶ τῇ προσευχῇ, καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ συνέρχεσθε." Στέρησιν δὲ κέκληκε, τὴν παρὰ γνώμην γιγνομένην παῦλαν τῆς ὁμιλίας. Θατέρου γὰρ ἐγκρατευομένου θάτερον νομίζει μέρος ἀποστε ρεῖσθαι τῆς κοινωνίας. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ καὶ τίνος ἕνεκα μετὰ τὴν προσευχὴν καὶ τὴν νηστείαν συνελθεῖν πάλιν ἐκέλευσεν· ἐπήγαγε γάρ· "Ἵνα μὴ πειράζῃ ὑμᾶς ὁ Σατανᾶς." Καὶ δεικνὺς ὡς ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐκεῖνος τοῦ πολέ μου λαμβάνει τὰς ἀφορμὰς, ἀναγκαίως προστέθεικε· "∆ιὰ τὴν ἀκρασίαν ὑμῶν." Ὑμῶν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀγω νιζομένων, οὐδαμῶς ἐκεῖνος ἰσχύσει. Εἶτα προτρέπων ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττονα. φησί· "Τοῦτο δὲ λέγω κατὰ συγ γνώμην, οὐ κατ' ἐπιταγήν. Θέλω γὰρ πάντας ἀνθρώ πους εἶναι, ὡς καὶ ἐμαυτὸν, ἐν ἐγκρατείᾳ, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος ἴδιον χάρισμα ἔχει ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὃς μὲν οὕτως, ὃς δὲ οὕτως." Εἰ δὲ ὁ τρισμακάριος Παῦλος Θεοῦ χάρισμα τὸν μετὰ σωφροσύνης ὠνόμασε γάμον, δῆλοι τῶν δυσωνύμων αἱρετικῶν οἱ παράνομοι νόμοι. Καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ τῆς αὐτῆς ἔχεται διανοίας· "Τοῖς δὲ γεγαμηκόσι, φησὶ, παραγγέλλω οὐκ ἐγὼ, ἀλλ' ὁ Κύριος, γυναῖκα ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς μὴ χωρισθῆναι· ἐὰν δὲ καὶ χωρισθῇ, μενέτω ἄγαμος, ἢ τῷ ἀνδρὶ καταλλα γήτω· καὶ ἄνδρα γυναῖκα μὴ ἀφιέναι." Τοσοῦτον 83.541 ἀπέχει τοῦ κωλύσαι τὸν γάμον, ὅτι καὶ τὸν διασπώ μενον δεσποτικοῖς νόμοις συνέχει. Οὐ γὰρ ἐγὼ, φησὶ, τοῦτον τὸν νόμον γράφω, ἀλλ' ὁ ∆εσπότης Θεὸς, ὃς ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις προστέθεικε τοῖς θείοις, καὶ τὴν χωρισθεῖσαν δὲ μεῖναι ἄγαμον διηγόρευσε, ταύτῃ βιαζόμενος ἀνελθεῖν πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα. Καὶ μὴν καὶ ταῖς ἀπίστους ἐχούσαις ἄνδρας, καὶ τοὺς ἀπίστοις γυναιξὶ συνημμένους, παραγγέλλει μὴ διαλύσαι τὸν γάμον. "Εἴ τις γὰρ, φησὶν, 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." Εἰ δὲ τὸν οὐκ ἔχοντα τὴν τῆς πίστεως συμφωνίαν οὐ διέλυσε γάμον, δῆλον ὅτι τὸν γάμον ἔννομον, ἀλλ' οὐ παράνομον οἶδεν. Κςϛʹ. -Περὶ δευτέρου γάμου. Καὶ τί λέγω τὸν πρῶτον γάμον; καὶ δευτέραν ἐνομοθέτησε συνάφειαν. "Λέγω γὰρ, ἔφη, τοῖς ἀγά μοις, καὶ ταῖς χήραις· καλὸν αὐτοῖς ἐστιν ἐὰν μεί νωσιν ὡς κἀγώ· εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐγκρατεύονται, γαμησά τωσαν· κρεῖσσον γάρ ἐστι γαμῆσαι, ἢ πυροῦ σθαι." Πύρωσιν δὲ, οὐ τὴν ἐνόχλησιν τῆς ἐπιθυ μίας, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἧτταν ὠνόμασε. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα δὲ βεβαιοῖ τὸν νόμον· λέγει δὲ οὕτως· "Γυνὴ δέδεται νόμῳ ἐφ' ὅσον χρόνον ζῇ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς· ἐὰν δὲ καὶ κοιμηθῇ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς, ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν ᾧ θέλει γα μηθῆναι, μόνον ἐν Κυρίῳ· τουτέστι σωφρόνως τε καὶ ἐννόμως, εὐσεβεῖ ἀνδρὶ καὶ πιστῷ." Καὶ περὶ ἐγκρατείας συμβουλεύει· "Μακαριωτέρα δέ ἐστιν, ἐὰν οὕτως μείνῃ, κατὰ τὴν ἐμὴν γνώμην." Καὶ τῇ ἐπαγωγῇ δείκνυσι τοῦ νόμου τὸ ἀξιόπιστον· "∆οκῶ γὰρ, ἔφη, κἀγὼ Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἔχειν." Οὐ τοῖς λογι σμοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις κεχρημένος νομοθετῶ, ἀλλ' ὄρ γανον τοῦ θείου γιγνόμενος Πνεύματος. Ἐπιση μήνασθαι δὲ χρὴ, ὡς οὐ μακαρίαν, ἀλλὰ μακαριωτέ ραν εἶπε τὴν ἐγκρατευομένην, ταύτῃ διδάσκων, ὡς καὶ ἡ τὸν δεύτερον γάμον ἀσπαζομένη, οὐ παντά πασι τῆς μακαριότητος ἔρημος, εἴπερ ἄρα κατὰ τὸν κείμενον νόμον δέξαιτο τὸν ζυγόν. Καὶ Ῥωμαίοις δὲ γράφων, καὶ νόμου καὶ χάριτος