95

is a superfluity of pleasure; of which the foreskin is a type. And the Sabbath is the rest from sin. So both are one thing and thus both, being fulfilled at the same time by spiritual men, do not work even the slightest transgression. Moreover, it must be known that the number seven signifies all the present time, as the most wise Solomon says: “Give a portion to seven, and also to eight.” And the prophet David, singing of the eighth day, sang of the future state after the resurrection from the dead. Therefore, the law, by commanding to keep the seventh day as a rest from bodily things and to be engaged in spiritual things, mystically indicated for all time to the true Israel, who has a mind that sees God, to offer himself to God and to be above bodily things. 97 On Virginity The carnal revile virginity, and the pleasure-lovers bring forward as evidence, “Cursed is every one who does not raise up seed in Israel.” But we, taking courage in God the Word who was incarnate of a virgin, say that virginity was from above and from the beginning implanted in the nature of men; for man was fashioned from virgin earth, Eve was created from Adam alone, in paradise virginity was practiced. For so says the divine Scripture, that “they were both naked, Adam and Eve, and were not ashamed.” But when they transgressed, “they knew that they were naked,” and being ashamed they sewed for themselves loincloths. And after the transgression, “for dust you are and to dust you shall return,” when through the transgression death entered into the world, then “Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and gave birth.” Therefore, marriage was devised so that the race might not be worn out and consumed by death, so that through childbearing the race of men might be preserved. But they may say: What then does “male and female” mean, and “increase and multiply”? To which we will say that “increase and multiply” does not in every case signify multiplication through marital union. For God was able to multiply the race in another way, if they had kept the commandment inviolate to the end. But God, knowing in His foreknowledge, “who knows all things before their coming into being,” that they were about to be in transgression and be condemned to death, in anticipation made male and female and commanded them to increase and multiply. Let us then go down the road and see the glories of virginity; and the same can be said of purity. Noah, being commanded to enter the ark and entrusted to preserve the seed of the world, is thus commanded: “Enter,” He says, “you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives.” He separated them from their wives, so that with purity they might escape the sea and that universal shipwreck. However, after the cessation of the flood: “Go forth,” He says, “you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives.” Behold, again marriage is permitted for the sake of multiplication. Then Elijah, the fiery-breathed driver of sin and heaven-walker, did he not embrace celibacy and was he not witnessed for by his ascension beyond human limits? Who shut up the heavens? Who raised the dead? Who parted the Jordan? Was it not the virgin Elijah? And Elisha, his disciple, did he not, having shown equal virtue, ask for and inherit a double portion of the grace of the spirit? And what of the three young men? Did they not, by practicing virginity, become stronger than fire, their bodies through virginity becoming inconsumable by the fire? Was it not Daniel, whose body, tempered by virginity, the teeth of beasts were not able to bite into? When God was about to appear to the Israelites, did he not command them to purify their bodies? Did not the priests, purifying themselves, thus enter the holy of holies and offer the sacrifices? Did not the law proclaim purity a great vow? Therefore, one must take the legal commandment in a more spiritual sense. For there is a spiritual seed, conceived through love and fear of God in the womb of the soul, which travails and brings forth a spirit of salvation. And thus must also be understood, “blessed is he who has seed in

95

περίττωμα ἡδονῆς ἐστιν· ἧς τύπος ἡ ἀκροβυστία. Σάββατον δὲ ἡ ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατάπαυσις. Ὥστε ἀμφότερα ἓν τυγχάνουσι καὶ οὕτως ἀμφότερα ἅμα ὑπὸ τῶν πνευματικῶν τελούμενα, οὐδὲ τὴν τυχοῦσαν παρανομίαν ἐργάζονται. Ἔτι δὲ ἰστέον, ὅτι ὁ ἑπτὰ ἀριθμὸς πάντα τὸν παρόντα χρόνον δηλοῖ, ὥς φησιν ὁ σοφώτατος Σολομῶν· «∆οῦναι μερίδα τοῖς ἑπτὰ καί γε τοῖς ὀκτώ». Καὶ ὁ θεηγόρος ∆αυὶδ περὶ τῆς ὀγδόης ψάλλων περὶ τῆς μελλούσης μετὰ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν καταστάσεως ἔψαλλε. Τὴν ἑβδόμην οὖν ἡμέραν ἀργίαν ἄγειν ἐκ τῶν σωματικῶν, τοῖς δὲ πνευματικοῖς ἐνασχολεῖσθαι προστάσσων ὁ νόμος μυστικῶς πάντα τὸν χρόνον τῷ ἀληθινῷ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ νοῦν ὁρῶντα θεὸν ἔχοντι ὑπέφηνε τῷ θεῷ ἑαυτὸν προσάγειν καὶ ὑπεράνω τῶν σωματικῶν γίνεσθαι. 97 Περὶ παρθενίασ Κακίζουσιν οἱ σαρκικοὶ τὴν παρθενίαν, καὶ εἰς μαρτυρίαν προβάλλονται οἱ φιλήδονοι τὸ «ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς, ὃς οὐκ ἐγείρει σπέρμα ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ». Ἡμεῖς δέ φαμεν τῷ ἐκ παρθένου σαρκωθέντι θεῷ λόγῳ θαρρήσαντες, ὡς ἡ παρθενία ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐφυτεύθη τῇ φύσει τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ἐκ παρθένου γὰρ γῆς ὁ ἄνθρωπος πεπλαστούργηται, ἐκ μόνου Ἀδὰμ ἡ Εὔα ἔκτισται, ἐν παραδείσῳ παρθενία ἐπολιτεύετο. Φησὶ γοῦν ἡ θεία γραφή, ὅτι «γυμνοὶ ἦσαν, ὅ τε Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἡ Εὔα, καὶ οὐκ ᾐσχύνοντο». Ἡνίκα δὲ παρέβησαν, «ἔγνωσαν, ὅτι γυμνοὶ ἦσαν», καὶ αἰσχυνθέντες ἔρραψαν ἑαυτοῖς περιζώματα. Καὶ μετὰ τὴν παράβασιν, «ὅτι γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ», ὅτε διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως θάνατος εἰς τὸν κόσμον εἰσῆλθε, τότε «ἔγνω Ἀδὰμ Εὔαν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ συνέλαβε καὶ ἐγέννησεν». Ὥστε διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐκτριβῆναι καὶ ἀναλωθῆναι τὸ γένος ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου ὁ γάμος ἐπινενόηται, ὡς ἂν διὰ τῆς παιδοποιίας τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων διασῴζηται. Ἀλλ' ἐροῦσι τυχόν· Τί οὖν τὸ «ἄρρεν καὶ θῆλυ» βούλεται καὶ τὸ «αὐξάνεσθε καὶ πληθύνεσθε»; Πρὸς ὃ λέξομεν, ὅτι τὸ μὲν «αὐξάνεσθε καὶ πληθύνεσθε» οὐ πάντως τὸν διὰ γαμικῆς συναφείας πληθυσμὸν δηλοῖ. Ἐδύνατο γὰρ ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἑτέρῳ τρόπῳ τὸ γένος πληθῦναι, εἰ τὴν ἐντολὴν μέχρι τέλους ἐτήρησαν ἀπαραχάρακτον. Ἀλλ' εἰδὼς ὁ θεὸς τῇ προγνώσει αὐτοῦ, «ὁ πάντα εἰδὼς πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν», ὡς μέλλουσιν ἐν παραβάσει γίνεσθαι καὶ θανάτῳ κατακρίνεσθαι, προλαβὼν ἐποίησε τὸ ἄρρεν καὶ θῆλυ καὶ αὐξάνεσθαι καὶ πληθύνεσθαι προσέταξεν. Ὁδῷ τοίνυν κατέλθωμεν καὶ ἴδωμεν τὰ τῆς παρθενίας αὐχήματα· ταὐτὸν δὲ καὶ ἁγνείας εἰπεῖν. Νῶε εἰς τὴν κιβωτὸν εἰσελθεῖν προστασσόμενος καὶ κόσμου σπέρμα φυλάττειν ἐγχειριζόμενος οὕτω προστάττεται· «Εἴσελθε σύ», φησί, «καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου καὶ ἡ γυνή σου καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τῶν υἱῶν σου». ∆ιεῖλεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῶν γυναικῶν, ὡς ἂν μετὰ τῆς ἁγνείας τὸ πέλαγος καὶ τὸ παγκόσμιον ἐκεῖνο ναυάγιον διαδράσαιεν. Μετὰ μέντοι τὴν τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ κατάπαυσιν· «Ἔξελθε σύ», φησί, «καὶ ἡ γυνή σου καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τῶν υἱῶν σου». Ἰδοὺ πάλιν διὰ τὸν πληθυσμὸν ὁ γάμος συγκεχώρηται. Εἶτα Ἡλίας, ὁ πυρίπνους ἁμαρτηλάτης καὶ οὐρανοφοίτης, οὐκ ἀγαμίαν ἠσπάζετο καὶ τῷ ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπους ἐμαρτυρήθη μετεωρίσματι; Τίς οὐρανοὺς ἔκλεισε; Τίς νεκροὺς ἤγειρε; Τίς Ἰορδάνην ἔτεμεν; Οὐχ ὁ παρθένος Ἡλίας; Ἐλισσαῖος δέ, ὁ τούτου φοιτητής, οὐ τὴν ἴσην ἀρετὴν ἐπιδειξάμενος ἐν διπλασίῳ τὴν χάριν τοῦ πνεύματος αἰτήσας ἐκληρονόμησε; Τί δὲ οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες; Οὐ παρθενίαν ἀσκήσαντες πυρὸς κρείττους γεγόνασι διὰ τῆς παρθενίας τῶν σωμάτων ἀναλώτων τῷ πυρὶ γεγονότων; Οὐ ∆ανιήλ, οὗ τῷ σώματι παρθενίᾳ στομωθέντι θηρῶν ὀδόντες ἐμπαρεῖναι οὐκ ἴσχυσαν; Οὐ μέλλων τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις ὁ θεὸς ὀπτάνεσθαι ἁγνίζειν τὸ σῶμα προσέταττεν; Οὐχὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς ἑαυτοὺς ἁγνίζοντες οὕτω τῶν ἀδύτων ἐπέβαινον καὶ τὰς θυσίας προσῆγον; Οὐχ ὁ νόμος μεγάλην εὐχὴν τὴν ἁγνείαν ἀνηγόρευσε; Χρὴ τοιγαροῦν ἐπὶ τὸ πνευματικώτερον λαμβάνειν τὸ νομικὸν πρόσταγμα. Ἔστι γὰρ σπέρμα πνευματικὸν δι' ἀγάπης καὶ φόβου θεοῦ συλλαμβανόμενον ἐν τῇ ψυχικῇ γαστρὶ ὠδινούσῃ καὶ τικτούσῃ πνεῦμα σωτηρίας. Οὕτω δὲ ἐκληπτέον καὶ τὸ «μακάριος, ὃς ἔχει σπέρμα ἐν