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let him separate»? But all the divine sayings do not need allegory as they have power, but need contemplation and perception in order to know the power of each proposition. But it is also necessary to use tradition; for not all things can be taken from the divine scripture. Therefore, the holy apostles handed down some things in scriptures, and others in traditions, as the holy apostle says, «as I delivered to you» and at another time «thus I teach, and thus I have delivered in the churches,» and «if you hold fast, unless you believed in vain.» The holy apostles of God therefore handed down to the holy church of God that it is a sin, after having vowed virginity, to turn to marriage, and the apostle wrote, «if a virgin marries, she has not sinned»; how then does this agree with that? But he speaks of that virgin who has not made a vow to God, but * because of the difficulty from the scarcity at that time of those who had believed in Christ, it was of necessity so 2.387 accomplished. And that these things are so, the same apostle will teach us, saying, «Refuse younger widows. For after they have grown wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, having condemnation, because they have set aside their first faith.» If, therefore, even the woman who has become a widow after experience of the world will have condemnation for marrying because of being dedicated to God, having set aside her first faith, how much more the virgin who has dedicated herself to God without experience of the world, if she marries? For how has she not grown all the more wanton against Christ and set aside the greater faith and will have condemnation, as having been slackened from her own purpose toward God? 7. «Let them marry, therefore, bear children, rule their households,» a concise and moderate word against those who think evil things concerning each ecclesiastical proposition of the preaching, casting out on the one hand those who call themselves Apostolics and Apotactics and Encratites, and casting out those who use water in the church and persuade women, who have been slackened from a perfect course, to set aside so great a perfection of the course. And indeed he who has set aside the virginity of God and disgraced the contest has sin and condemnation. For an athlete who has corrupted a contest is scourged and cast out of the contest, and one who has corrupted virginity is cast out of such a course and crown and prize, but it is better to have a judgment, and not a condemnation. For those who, not openly because of being ashamed before men, but secretly fornicate * practice virginity or celibacy or continence. For they do not have their confession toward men, but toward God who knows secret things and will convict all flesh at 2.388 his coming concerning the things in which each has sinned. It is better, therefore, to have one sin and not more; it is better for the one who has fallen from the course to openly take a wife for himself according to the law and, after repenting for a long time from virginity, to be brought again into the church, as one who has transgressed and been broken and is in need of a bandage, and not to be wounded every day by secret darts and by evils brought against him by the devil. 8. Thus the church knows to preach, these are the medicines of healing, these are the kinds of ointment-making work, this is the preparation of the holy oil in the law, this is the fragrant good faith, on the one hand binding fast the one who contends for a contest, and on the other proclaiming to him to stretch out the course, so that he may be able to be crowned; this is the work of God, gathering all things into the royal arrangement, and purple from the sea and wool from sheep and linen from the earth and fine linen and silk and skins dyed red and precious stone, the emerald, the pearl, the agate, stones differing in colors, but being of equal value in honor, but also gold and silver and incorruptible wood and bronze and iron, but also not casting away goats' hair. And this was the tabernacle then, but now instead of the tabernacle the house established in God,

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χωριζέτω»; ἀλλὰ πάντα τὰ θεῖα ῥήματα οὐκ ἀλληγορίας δεῖται ὡς ἔχει δυνάμεως, θεωρίας δὲ δεῖται καὶ αἰσθήσεως εἰς τὸ εἰδέναι ἑκάστης ὑποθέσεως τὴν δύναμιν. δεῖ δὲ καὶ παραδόσει κεχρῆσθαι· οὐ γὰρ πάντα ἀπὸ τῆς θείας γραφῆς δύναται λαμβάνεσθαι. διὸ τὰ μὲν ἐν γραφαῖς, τὰ δὲ ἐν παραδόσεσιν παρέδωκαν οἱ ἅγιοι ἀπόστολοι, ὥς φησιν ὁ ἅγιος ἀπόστολος «ὡς παρέδωκα ὑμῖν» καὶ ἄλλοτε «οὕτως διδάσκω, καὶ οὕτως παρέδωκα ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις», καί «εἰ κατέχετε, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ εἰκῆ ἐπιστεύσατε». Παρέδωκαν τοίνυν οἱ ἅγιοι θεοῦ ἀπόστολοι τῇ ἁγίᾳ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἁμαρτὲς εἶναι τὸ μετὰ τὸ ὁρίσαι παρθενίαν εἰς γάμον τρέπεσθαι, καὶ ἔγραψεν ὁ ἀπόστολος «ἐὰν γήμῃ ἡ παρθένος, οὐχ ἥμαρτε»· πῶς οὖν συνᾴδει τοῦτο τούτῳ; ἀλλὰ ἐκείνην τὴν παρθένον λέγει τὴν μὴ ὁρίσασαν θεῷ, ἀλλὰ * διὰ τὴν ἀπορίαν τῆς κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον σπάνης τῶν εἰς Χριστὸν πεπιστευκότων κατ' ἀνάγκην οὕτως 2.387 ἐπετελεῖτο. καὶ ὅτι μὲν ταῦθ' οὕτως ἔχει διδάξει ἡμᾶς ὁ αὐτὸς ἀπόστολος λέγων «νεωτέρας χήρας παραιτοῦ. μετὰ γὰρ τὸ καταστρηνιάσαι τοῦ Χριστοῦ γαμεῖν θέλουσιν, ἔχουσαι κρίμα, ὅτι τὴν πρώτην πίστιν ἠθέτησαν». εἰ τοίνυν καὶ ἡ μετὰ πεῖραν κόσμου χηρεύσασα, διὰ τὸ τετάχθαι θεῷ γήμασα κρίμα ἕξει, ἀθετήσασα τὴν πρώτην πίστιν, πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον ἡ καὶ ἑαυτὴν ἄνευ πείρας κόσμου ἀναθεῖσα παρθένος θεῷ γαμήσασα; πῶς γὰρ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον αὕτη ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ κατεστρηνίασε Χριστοῦ καὶ τὴν μείζονα πίστιν ἠθέτησε καὶ ἕξει κρίμα, ὡς ἀναχαλασθεῖσα τῆς ἰδίας κατὰ θεὸν προθέσεως; 7. «Γαμείτωσαν, τοίνυν, τεκνοποιείτωσαν, οἰκοδεσποτείτωσαν», σύντομος καὶ μέσος λόγος κατὰ τῶν τὰ φαῦλα διανοουμένων περὶ ἑκάστης ἐκκλησιαστικῆς τοῦ κηρύγματος ὑποθέσεως, παρεκβάλλων μὲν τοὺς λέγοντας ἑαυτοὺς Ἀποστολικοὺς καὶ Ἀποτακτικοὺς καὶ Ἐγκρατίτας καὶ παρεκβάλλων τοὺς ὑδαρευομένους ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ ἀναπείθοντας γύναια ἀπὸ τελείου δρόμου ἀναχαλασθέντα ἀθετεῖν τὴν τοσαύτην τοῦ δρόμου τελειότητα. καὶ ἔχει μὲν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ κρίμα ὁ ἀθετήσας θεοῦ τὴν παρθενίαν καὶ καταισχύνας τὸν ἀγῶνα. παραφθείρας γὰρ ἀγῶνα ἀθλητὴς μαστιχθεὶς ἐκβάλλεται τοῦ ἀγῶνος καὶ παραφθείρας τις παρθενίαν ἐκβάλλεται τοῦ τοιούτου δρόμου καὶ στεφάνου καὶ βραβείου ἀλλὰ κρεῖττόν ἐστι κρίμα, καὶ μὴ κατάκριμα. οἱ γὰρ μὴ φανερῶς διὰ τὸ αἰσχυνθῆναι ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, κρυφῆ δὲ πορνεύοντες * ποιοῦσι παρθενίας ἢ μονότητος ἢ ἐγκρατείας. οὐ γὰρ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἔχουσι τὴν ὁμολογίαν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς θεὸν τὸν εἰδότα τὰ κρύφια καὶ ἐξελέγχοντα πᾶσαν σάρκα ἐν 2.388 τῇ αὐτοῦ παρουσίᾳ περὶ ὧν ἕκαστος ἥμαρτε. κρεῖττον τοίνυν ἔχειν μίαν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ μὴ περισσοτέρας· κρεῖττον τὸν πεσόντα ἀπὸ δρόμου φανερῶς λαβεῖν ἑαυτῷ γυναῖκα κατὰ νόμον καὶ ἀπὸ παρθενίας πολλῷ χρόνῳ μετανοήσαντα εἰσαχθῆναι πάλιν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ὡς παραπεσόντα καὶ κλασθέντα καὶ χρείαν ἔχοντα ἐπιδέματος, καὶ μὴ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν βέλεσι κρυφίοις κατατιτρώσκεσθαι καὶ πονηρίας ὑπὸ διαβόλου αὐτῷ ἐπιφερομένοις. 8. Οὕτως οἶδεν ἡ ἐκκλησία κηρύττειν, ταῦτα τὰ φάρμακα τῆς ἰάσεως, ταῦτα τὰ εἴδη τῆς μυρεψικῆς ἐργασίας, αὕτη ἡ κατασκευὴ τοῦ ἁγίου ἐλαίου ἐν τῷ νόμῳ, αὕτη ἡ ἀρωματίζουσα καλὴ πίστις, ἐπισφίγγουσα μὲν τὸν ἀθλοῦντα εἰς ἀγῶνα, ἐπικηρυκευομένη δὲ αὐτῷ διατεῖναι τὸν δρόμον, ὅπως δυνηθῇ στεφανωθῆναι· αὕτη ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ πραγματεία, πάντα συνάγουσα εἰς τὴν βασιλικὴν διάταξιν, καὶ πορφύραν μὲν ἀπὸ θαλάσσης καὶ ἔριον ἀπὸ προβάτου καὶ λίνον ἐκ γῆς καὶ βύσσον καὶ σηρικὸν καὶ δέρματα ἠρυθροδανωμένα καὶ λίθον τίμιον, τὸν σμάραγδον τὸν μαργαρίτην τὸν ἀχάτην, τοῖς μὲν χρώμασι διαλλάττοντας λίθους, τῇ δὲ τιμῇ ὁμοτίμους ὄντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον καὶ ξύλα ἄσηπτα καὶ χαλκὸν καὶ σίδηρον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τρίχας αἰγείας μὴ ἀποβαλλομένη. καὶ αὕτη μὲν ἦν τότε ἡ σκηνή, νῦν δὲ ἀντὶ τῆς σκηνῆς ὁ οἶκος ἡδραιωμένος ἐν θεῷ,