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there, you shall not do, and in their statutes you shall not walk.” So it is likely that this kind of sin was not then practiced among the Gentiles; for which reason the lawgiver had no need for a guard against it, but was content with the unwritten custom for the denunciation of the abomination. How then, having forbidden the greater, did he pass over the lesser in silence? Because it seemed that the example of the patriarch was harming many of the carnal-minded toward cohabiting with living sisters. But what must we do? To speak what is written, or to elaborate on what has been passed over in silence? For instance, that a father and son ought not to use the same courtesan is not written in these laws, but by the Prophet it has been deemed worthy of the greatest accusation. “For a son,” he says, “and a father went in unto the same maid.” How many other kinds of unclean passions the teaching of demons has discovered, but the divine Scripture has passed over in silence, not choosing to defile her own dignity with the names of shameful things, but denounced the uncleannesses with general names? As also the apostle Paul says: “But fornication, and all uncleanness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints,” including under the name of uncleanness both the unmentionable acts of males and those of females. So silence by no means brings license to the pleasure-loving. 160.4 But I say that this matter has not even been passed over in silence, but that the lawgiver has forbidden it very vehemently. For “You shall not approach to any that is near of kin to you, to uncover their nakedness” also includes this kind of relationship. For what could be more nearly related to a man than his own wife, or rather than his own flesh? For they are no longer two, but one flesh. So through the wife the sister passes into the relationship of the husband. For just as he will not take his wife's mother nor his wife's daughter, because neither his own mother nor his own daughter, so neither his wife's sister, because neither his own sister. And conversely, it will not be lawful for the wife to cohabit with the husband's kin. For the rights of kinship are common to both. But I protest to everyone contemplating marriage that the fashion of this world is passing away and the time is short, “so that they that have wives be as though they had none.” But if someone reads to me “Be fruitful, and multiply,” I laugh at him who does not distinguish the seasons of the laws. A second marriage is a consolation for fornication, not a provision for licentiousness. If they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry, he says; but let them not, even while marrying, transgress the law. 160.5 But they do not even look to nature, those whose soul is bleary-eyed from the passion of dishonor, which long ago distinguished the titles of kinship. By what kinship will they address those who are born? Will they call them brothers to one another or cousins? For both will fit them because of the confusion. Do not, O man, make the aunt a stepmother to the infants, nor arm her who ought to cherish them in a mother's place with relentless jealousies. For only the hatred of stepmothers drives enmity even after death. Rather, while other enemies make treaties with the dead, stepmothers begin their hatred after death. The sum of what has been said is this: if he is moved toward marriage by law, the whole world is open; but if his haste is passionate, for this reason let him be the more shut out, “that he might learn to possess his own vessel in sanctification, not in the passion of desire.” The length of the letter restrains me, though I am eager to say more. But I pray either that our counsel may prove stronger than the passion, or that this defilement may not visit our land, but may remain in those places where it has been dared.

161.t TO AMPHILOCHIUS, ORDAINED BISHOP OF ICONIUM

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ἐκεῖ, οὐ ποιήσετε, καὶ τοῖς νομίμοις αὐτῶν οὐ πορεύσεσθε.» Ὥστε τοῦτο εἰκός που τὸ εἶδος τῆς ἁμαρ τίας μὴ ἐμπολιτεύεσθαι τότε παρὰ τοῖς Ἔθνεσι· διὸ μηδὲ τῆς ἐπ' αὐτῷ φυλακῆς προσδεηθῆναι τὸν νομοθέτην, ἀλλ' ἀρκεσθῆναι τῷ ἀδιδάκτῳ ἔθει πρὸς τὴν τοῦ μύσους διαβολήν. Πῶς οὖν τὸ μεῖζον ἀπαγορεύσας τὸ ἔλαττον ἐσιώπησεν; Ὅτι ἐδόκει πολλοὺς τῶν φιλοσάρκων, πρὸς τὸ ζώσαις ἀδελφαῖς συνοικεῖν, τὸ ὑπόδειγμα βλάπτειν τοῦ πατριάρχου. Ἡμᾶς δὲ τί χρὴ ποιεῖν; Τὰ γεγραμμένα λέγειν ἢ τὰ σιωπηθέντα προσεξεργάζεσθαι; Αὐτίκα τὸ μὴ δεῖν μιᾷ ἑταίρᾳ κεχρῆσθαι πατέρα καὶ υἱὸν ἐν μὲν τοῖς νόμοις τούτοις οὐ γέγραπται, παρὰ δὲ τῷ Προφήτῃ μεγίστης κατηγορίας ἠξίωται. «Υἱὸς γάρ, φησί, καὶ πατὴρ πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν παιδίσκην εἰσεπορεύοντο.» Πόσα δὲ εἴδη ἄλλα τῶν ἀκαθάρτων παθῶν τὸ μὲν τῶν δαιμόνων διδασκάλιον ἐξεῦρεν, ἡ δὲ θεία Γραφὴ ἀπεσιώπησε, τὸ σεμνὸν ἑαυτῆς ταῖς τῶν αἰσχρῶν ὀνομασίαις καταρρυπαί νειν οὐχ αἱρουμένη, ἀλλὰ γενικοῖς ὀνόμασι τὰς ἀκαθαρσίας διέβαλεν; Ὡς καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος Παῦλός φησι· «Πορνεία δὲ καὶ ἀκαθαρσία πᾶσα μηδὲ ὀνομαζέσθω ἐν ὑμῖν, καθὼς πρέπει ἁγίοις», τῷ τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας ὀνόματι τάς τε τῶν ἀρρένων ἀρρητοποιίας καὶ τὰς τῶν θηλειῶν περιλαμ βάνων. Ὥστε οὐ πάντως ἡ σιωπὴ ἄδειαν φέρει τοῖς φιληδόνοις. 160.4 Ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδὲ σεσιωπῆσθαι τὸ μέρος τοῦτό φημι, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάνυ σφοδρῶς ἀπηγορευκέναι τὸν νομοθέτην. Τὸ γὰρ «Οὐκ εἰσελεύσῃ πρὸς πάντα οἰκεῖον σαρκός σου, ἀποκα λύψαι ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτῶν» ἐμπεριεκτικόν ἐστι καὶ τούτου τοῦ εἴδους τῆς οἰκειότητος. Τί γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο οἰκειότερον ἀνδρὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ γυναικός, μᾶλλον δὲ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σαρκός; Οὐ γὰρ ἔτι εἰσὶ δύο, ἀλλὰ σὰρξ μία. Ὥστε διὰ τῆς γυναικὸς ἡ ἀδελφὴ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς οἰκειότητα μετα βαίνει. Ὡς γὰρ μητέρα γυναικὸς οὐ λήψεται οὐδὲ θυγατέρα τῆς γυναικός, διότι μηδὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μητέρα μηδὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ θυγατέρα, οὕτως οὐδ' ἀδελφὴν γυναικός, διότι μηδὲ ἀδελφὴν ἑαυτοῦ. Καὶ τοῦτο ἀνάπαλιν οὐδὲ τῇ γυναικὶ ἐξέσται τοῖς οἰκείοις τοῦ ἀνδρὸς συνοικεῖν. Κοινὰ γὰρ ἐπ' ἀμφοτέρων τῆς συγγενείας τὰ δίκαια. Ἐγὼ δὲ παντὶ τῷ περὶ γάμου βουλευομένῳ διαμαρτύρομαι ὅτι παράγει τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου καὶ ὁ καιρὸς συνεσταλμένος ἐστίν, «Ἵνα καὶ οἱ ἔχοντες γυναῖκας ὡς μὴ ἔχοντες ὦσιν». Ἐὰν δέ μοι παραναγινώσκῃ τὸ «Αὐξάνεσθε καὶ πληθύνεσθε», καταγελῶ τοῦ τῶν νομοθεσιῶν τοὺς καιροὺς μὴ διακρίνοντος. Πορνείας παραμυθία ὁ δεύτερος γάμος, οὐχὶ ἐφόδιον εἰς ἀσέλγειαν. Εἰ οὐκ ἐγκρατεύονται, γαμη σάτωσαν, φησίν· οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ γαμοῦντες παρανομείτωσαν. 160.5 Οἱ δὲ οὐδὲ πρὸς τὴν φύσιν ἀποβλέπουσιν, οἱ τὴν ψυχὴν λημῶντες τῷ πάθει τῆς ἀτιμίας, πάλαι διακρίνασαν τὰς τοῦ γένους προσηγορίας. Ἐκ ποίας συγγενείας τοὺς γεννηθέντας προσαγορεύσουσιν; Ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοὺς ἀλλή λων ἢ ἀνεψιοὺς προσεροῦσιν; Ἀμφότερα γὰρ αὐτοῖς προσ αρμόσει διὰ τὴν σύγχυσιν. Μὴ ποιήσῃς, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, τὴν θείαν μητρυιὰν τῶν νηπίων, μηδὲ τὴν ἐν μητρὸς τάξει θάλπειν ὀφείλουσαν, ταύτην ἐφοπλίσῃς ταῖς ἀμειλίκτοις ζηλοτυπίαις. Μόνον γὰρ τὸ μῖσος τῶν μητρυιῶν καὶ μετὰ θάνατον ἐλαύνει τὴν ἔχθραν. Μᾶλλον δὲ οἱ μὲν ἄλλως πολέμιοι τοῖς τεθνηκόσι σπένδονται, αἱ δὲ μητρυιαὶ τοῦ μίσους μετὰ τὸν θάνατον ἄρχονται. Κεφάλαιον δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων, εἰ μὲν νόμῳ ὁρμᾶται πρὸς τὸν γάμον, ἤνοικται πᾶσα ἡ οἰκουμένη· εἰ δὲ ἐμπαθὴς αὐτῷ ἡ σπουδή, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πλέον ἀποκλεισθήτω, «Ἵνα μάθῃ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος κτᾶσθαι ἐν ἁγιασμῷ, μὴ ἐν πάθει ἐπιθυμίας». Πλείονά με λέγειν ὡρμημένον τὸ μέτρον ἐπέχει τῆς ἐπιστολῆς. Εὔχομαι δὲ ἢ τὴν παραίνεσιν ἡμῶν ἰσχυροτέραν τοῦ πάθους ἀποδειχθῆναι ἢ μὴ ἐπιδημῆσαι τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ τὸ ἄγος τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἐν οἷς ἂν ἐτολμήθη τόποις ἐναπομεῖναι.

161.τ ΑΜΦΙΛΟΧΙΩ ΧΕΙΡΟΤΟΝΗΘΕΝΤΙ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΤΟΥ ΙΚΟΝΙΟΥ