91

to be led astray from your doctrines. But he says, Yes, O woman; all these things are just as you have said. For it is permitted for those who wish to partake in marriage; but not for those who have once promised to live in virginity for Christ. For I, since I was cleansed by the font of divine baptism, have arranged to present myself pure to Christ from the failings of my youth and ignorance; and how shall I dare to break what has been confessed to God? And the woman said again: Let this be your will, as you wish. But fulfill another small 464 and insignificant desire of mine, if indeed 464 in truth you wish to save my soul. Lie with me this night only, and make me revel in your beauty, and you yourself be filled with my loveliness. And I give you my word, that at dawn I will become a Christian and flee all worship of my gods. And you will have not only pardon on account of this dispensation, but also a reward of gifts from your God on account of my salvation; for joy, your Scripture says, is in heaven over one sinner who repents. If, then, there is joy in heaven for the conversion of a sinner, is not a great reward owed to the agent of the conversion? Yes, it is so, and do not doubt. Did not the leaders of your religion, the apostles, also do many things by dispensation, at times transgressing a commandment for the sake of a greater commandment? Is it not said that Paul circumcised Timothy, for the sake of a better dispensation? And yet circumcision is considered unlawful for Christians; but nevertheless he did not refuse to do this. And you will find many such things in your Scriptures. If, therefore, in truth, as you say, you seek to save my soul, fulfill this small desire of mine. And I, who was seeking to be joined to you in the full communion of marriage, since this is not pleasing to you, no longer compel you, doing all that is pleasing to you; for the rest, do not you utterly abhor me; but, by obeying me this once, you will save me, rescuing me from the superstitious 466 error, and for the future you will do what you have resolved throughout your whole life. Thus she spoke (for she had the one who prompted her, to whom she secretly lent her ears; and the thief was experienced in the Scriptures, who was truly the creator and teacher of wickedness), saying such things, therefore, and fawning, and weaving nets and snares around him on the right and on the left, she began to shake the tower of his soul, to loosen the tension of his resolve, and to make his mind softer. But the sower of wickedness and enemy of the just, seeing his heart shaken and becoming full of joy, immediately calls to the spirits of wickedness who had come with him, See, he cries, how this maiden hastens to accomplish what we were not able to accomplish. Come, therefore, let us now fall upon him strongly; for we will not find another time so opportune to fulfill the will of the one who sent us. Having plotted these things, the deceitful one with his own dogs falls upon the soldier of Christ, having troubled all the powers of his soul, and having inspired a terrible love for the maiden, and having kindled in him a most vehement fire of desire. But he, seeing himself strongly inflamed and being taken captive to sin, and his thoughts dressing the proposed deed with the maiden’s salvation and conversion to God as bait on a hook, and troubling him with the enemy's suggestion that it is not a sin to lie with a woman 468 once for the salvation of a soul, groaning deeply and faint in the perplexity of his soul, he immediately strains himself to prayer, and pouring forth streams of tears abundantly from his eyes he cried out to him who is able to save those who trust in him: In you, O Lord, have I hoped; let me never be put to shame,

91

τῶν δογμάτων ὑμῶν ἀποπλανᾶσθαι. Ὁ δέ, Ναί, φησίν, ὦ γύναι· οὕτως ἔχει ταῦτα πάντα καθὼς εἴρηκας. ἐφεῖται γὰρ τοῖς βουλομένοις γάμῳ κοινωνεῖν· ἀλλ' οὐ τοῖς ἅπαξ ἐπαγγελλομένοις τῷ Χριστῷ παρθενεύειν. ἐγὼ γάρ, ἐξότε τῷ λουτρῷ ἐκαθαρίσθην τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος, τῶν τῆς νεότητος καὶ ἀγνοίας μου πταισμάτων καθαρὸν ἐμαυτὸν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ συνεταξάμην· καὶ πῶς τὰ ὡμολογημένα Θεῷ διαλῦσαι τολμήσω; Ἔφη δὲ αὖθις ἡ γυνή· Ἔστω καὶ τοῦτό σου τὸ θέλημα, καθὼς βούλοιο. ἄλλην δὲ μικράν τινα 464 καὶ οὐδαμινὴν πλήρωσον ἐπιθυμίαν μου, εἴπερ 464 ὄντως ἐν ἀληθείᾳ τὴν ψυχήν μου θέλεις σῶσαι. συγγενοῦ μοι ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ καὶ μόνον, καὶ τοῦ σοῦ κατατρυφῆσαί με κάλλους ποίησον, τῆς ἐμῆς τε αὐτὸς ἐμπλήσθητι ὡραιότητος. καὶ λόγον σοι δίδωμι, ἅμα πρωῒ Χριστιανὴν γενέσθαι καὶ πᾶσαν ἐκφυγεῖν τὴν τῶν θεῶν μου λατρείαν. καὶ ἔσται σοι οὐ μόνον συγγνώμη ἕνεκεν τῆς οἰκονομίας ταύτης, ἀλλὰ καὶ δωρεῶν ἀντάμειψις παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ σου ἕνεκα τῆς ἐμῆς σωτηρίας· Χαρὰ γάρ, φησὶν ἡ Γραφή σου, γίνεται ἐν οὐρανῷ ἐφ' ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι. εἰ οὖν χαρὰ γίνεται ἐν οὐρανῷ δι' ἐπιστροφὴν ἁμαρτωλοῦ, τῷ προξένῳ τῆς ἐπιστροφῆς οὐ μέγας ἐποφείλεται μισθός; ναί, οὕτως ἔχει, καὶ μὴ ἀμφίβαλλε. οὐ πολλὰ δὲ καὶ οἱ ἀρχηγοὶ τῆς θρησκείας ὑμῶν ἀπόστολοι κατ' οἰκονομίαν ἐποίουν, παραβαίνοντες ἔσθ' ὅτε ἐντολὴν ἕνεκα μείζονος ἐντολῆς; οὐ τὸν Παῦλον λέγεται περιτεμεῖν τὸν Τιμόθεον, ἕνεκα κρείττονος οἰκονομίας; καίτοι παράνομον Χριστιανοῖς ἡ περιτομὴ λελόγισται· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκεῖνος οὐ παρῃτήσατο τοῦτο ποιῆσαι. καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἐν ταῖς Γραφαῖς σου εὑρήσεις. εἰ οὖν κατὰ ἀλήθειαν, καθὼς λέγεις, σῶσαί μου τὴν ψυχὴν ζητεῖς, τὴν μικράν μου ταύτην ἐπιθυμίαν πλήρωσον. καὶ ἐγὼ μὲν τελείᾳ σοι κοινωνίᾳ γάμου συναφθῆναι ζητοῦσα, ἐπεί σοι οὐ καταθύμιόν ἐστι τοῦτο, οὐκ ἔτι σε καταναγκάζω, τὰ ἀρεστά σοι πάντα ποιοῦσα· λοιπὸν καὶ αὐτὸς μὴ πάντη βδελύξῃ· ἀλλ', ὑπακούσας μου τὸ ἅπαξ τοῦτο, σώσεις με, τῆς δεισιδαίμονος 466 πλάνης ῥυσάμενος, τὰ δεδογμένα δέ σοι εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς ποιήσεις διὰ βίου παντός. Οὕτω λέγουσα (καὶ γὰρ εἶχε τὸν εἰσηγούμενον, ᾧ καὶ τὰ ὦτα ὑπεῖχεν αὕτη κρυφίως· καὶ Γραφῶν ἔμπειρος ὁ λῃστὴς ἦν, ὁ τῆς κακίας ὄντως δημιουργὸς καὶ διδάσκαλος), τοιαῦτα τοιγαροῦν λέγουσα καὶ ὑποσαίνουσα, δίκτυά τε καὶ παγίδας ἐκ δεξιῶν τε καὶ ἐξ εὐωνύμων αὐτῷ περιπλέκουσα, τὸν πύργον αὐτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς διασαλεύειν ἤρχετο, τὸν τόνον τε ὑποχαλᾶν αὐτοῦ τῆς προθέσεως, καὶ τὴν γνώμην μαλακωτέραν ποιεῖν. ὁ δὲ σπορεὺς τῆς κακίας καὶ τῶν δικαίων ἐχθρός, σαλευομένην αὐτοῦ τὴν καρδίαν ἰδὼν χαρᾶς ἔμπλεως γεγονὼς φωνεῖ παρευθὺ τὰ σὺν αὐτῷ παραγενόμενα τῆς πονηρίας πνεύματα, Ὁρᾶτε, κράζων, ὅπως ἡ κόρη αὕτη διανῦσαι ἐπείγεται ἃ οὐκ ἠδυνήθημεν ἡμεῖς ἀνῦσαι. δεῦτε οὖν, ἰσχυρῶς νῦν ἐπιπέσωμεν αὐτῷ· οὐχ εὑρήσομεν γὰρ ἄλλον καιρὸν οὑτωσὶ ἐπιτήδειον τὸ θέλημα πληρῶσαι τοῦ πέμψαντος ἡμᾶς. ταῦτα συλλαλήσας ὁ δολιόφρων τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ κυσίν, ἐπεμβαίνουσι τῷ Χριστοῦ στρατιώτῃ, πάσας αὐτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς τὰς δυνάμεις ταράξαντες, καὶ δεινὸν ἔρωτα τῆς κόρης ὑποθέμενοι, πῦρ τε σφοδρότατον ἐπιθυμίας ἐκκαύσαντες ἐν αὐτῷ. Ὁρῶν δὲ ἑαυτὸν ἐκεῖνος ἰσχυρῶς φλεγόμενον καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν αἰχμαλωτιζόμενον, καὶ τοὺς λογισμοὺς αὐτοῦ τὴν σωτηρίαν τῆς κόρης καὶ πρὸς Θεὸν ἐπιστροφήν, ὡς ἀγκίστρῳ δέλεαρ, τῇ προκειμένῃ πράξει περιτιθεμένους, καὶ ὀχλοῦντας αὐτῷ τῇ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ ὑποβολῇ μὴ ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι τὸ ἐπὶ σωτηρία ψυχῆς ἅπαξ γυναικὶ 468 συγγενέσθαι, στενάξας ἐν ἀπορίᾳ ψυχῆς βύθιον τι καὶ τετηκός, ἑαυτὸν εὐθὺς πρὸς εὐχὴν συντείνει, καὶ ὀχετοὺς δακρύων ἐξ ὀφθαλμῶν δαψιλῶς προχέων ἐβόα πρὸς τὸν δυνάμενον σώζειν τοὺς ἐπ' αὐτῷ πεποιθότας· Ἐπὶ σοί, Κύριε, ἤλπισα· μὴ καταισχυνθείην εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα,