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Homilia de virginitate

HOMILY ON VIRGINITY.

1.1 Each of us, having received free will from God, as Saint Paul says in the first to the Corinthians, has authority over his own will. 1.2 And he who has decided in his heart to keep his own virgin, will do well, so that he who marries, he says, does well, and he who does not marry, he says, does better. 1.3 And that I may speak more clearly, for these things have moved me, I will not hesitate to explain the good and the better, especially to those who are winged toward God by a heavenly and spiritual love. 1.4 For honorable marriage is good, as it is joined by God; but undefiled virginity is better because it is better than the good, yet neither is alien to the other. 1.5 For just as from the 1.5 plants the fruits are found. But yet the sweet fruit turns away the axe; and the axe, our savior says, is laid to the root of the trees. 1.6 Every tree, therefore, that does not bear good fruit, is cut down. 1.7 For Paul accuses the woman of transgression according to the first-formed Eve, but promises that salvation will come through childbearing. 1.8 But he did not leave the saying unclear; for, he says, if they remain in faith and truth and love and holiness and self-control. 1.9 From this, then, it is already clear that if they remain; but if they do not remain, they will be liable for the crime of transgression.

2.10 Let a father persuade a son and a mother a daughter to be pure for Christ; for the offspring is common. 2.11 But if someone does not wish to flatter or to persuade with zeal for God, let him not dare to hinder those who are eager to be pure, whether it be a son or a daughter, or a male or female slave. 2.12 For her who desires to be pure, do not hasten to hinder, lest you sow some enmity with the true bridegroom Christ. 2.13 Then, if nature brings forth a soul, blooming purely with a body for the glory of Christ, and turning to him, while the father along with the mother is nailed to the earth, not laboring with the child that has bloomed for the glory of Christ, but nevertheless the child, nourished by the pure air of chastity and watered by the dew of the good promise, will appear with truth to the master incorruptible and pure and undefiled—it will be glorified beyond honor, because from thorns and thistles a grape has been produced; but those who begot it, instead of glory, bring condemnation upon themselves. 2.14 For this reason, then, your daughter wishes to remain a virgin for Christ. 2.15 You ought to rejoice; but do not agree immediately. 2.16 Utter not things from the heart, but things from the lips. 2.17 Not wasting away with envy, but fearing the fall, for this is the pure thing sought from the beginning; not being ashamed of the bridegroom. 2.18 Then if you see that her tracks are good, her movements orderly, her eye modest, what her thought is, what sort of desire, whether human or heavenly, what are the strains of her fasting and of all piety in Christ, if you see a guileless heavenly love moving, by all means then enclose her in the bridal chamber for the child of the Lord God, for the spotless and undefiled bridegroom. 2.19 Let the father, then, guard the temple of God.

2.20 Become a priest of the most high God. 2.21 Allow nothing evil to approach the pure temple; do not, because you begot her, be contemptuous, but because you hold a master's deposit, you ought not to be without care. 2.22 Fear for yourself, do not doze, lest you lose the deposit of the heavenly king. 2.23 Do not be negligent in guarding, lest you be disheartened in losing; do not laugh now, lest you weep later. 2.24 And if it pains, it is better to feel pain for Christ's sake. 2.25 For neither if one, not afflicting the child, will teach the things

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Homilia de virginitate

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΠΕΡΙ ΠΑΡΘΕΝΙΑΣ.

1.1 Ἕκαστος ἡμῶν τὸ αὐτεξούσιον λαβὼν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλός φησιν ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ πρὸς Κορινθίους, ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ἕκα στος τοῦ ἰδίου θελήματος. 1.2 Καὶ ὃς μὲν κέκρικε τῇ ἑαυ τοῦ καρδίᾳ τηρεῖν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρθένον, καλῶς ποι ήσει, ὥστε καὶ ὁ γαμίζων, φησί, καλῶς ποιεῖ, καὶ ὁ μὴ γαμίζων, φησί, κρεῖσσον ποιεῖ. 1.3 Καὶ ἵνα λαμπρότερον εἴπω, ταῦτα γάρ με ἐκίνησαν, τὸ καλὸν καὶ τὸ κρεῖσσον διηγήσασθαι οὐκ ὀκνήσω, μάλιστα τοῖς τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ καὶ πνευματικῷ ἔρωτι πρὸς θεὸν πτερουμένοις. 1.4 Καλὸν γὰρ ὁ σεμνὸς γάμος, ὡς ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἁρμοζόμενος· κρεῖσσον δὲ ἡ ἄχραντος παρθενία διὰ τὸ τοῦ καλοῦ κρεῖττον, οὐδ' ἕτερον δὲ ἑτέρου ἀλλότριον. 1.5 Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκ τῶν 1.5 φυτῶν οἱ καρποὶ εὑρίσκονται. ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ γλυκὺς καρπὸς τὴν ἀξίνην ἀποστρέφει· ἡ δὲ ἀξίνη, φησὶν ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν τῶν δένδρων κεῖται. 1.6 Πᾶν οὖν δένδρον, μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλόν, ἐκκόπτεται. 1.7 Παράβασιν γὰρ κατηγορεῖ ὁ Παῦλος τῆς γυναικὸς κατὰ τὴν πρωτό πλαστον Ἔυαν, σωτηρίαν δὲ ἔσεσθαι ἐπαγγέλλεται διὰ τῆς τεκνογονίας. 1.8 Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀσαφὲς κατέλιπε τὸ ῥῆμα· ἐὰν γάρ, φησί, μείνωσιν ἐν πίστει καὶ ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἀγάπῃ καὶ ἁγιασμῷ καὶ σωφροσύνῃ. 1.9 Ἔνθεν οὖν ἤδη φανερὸν ὡς ἐὰν μὲν μείνωσιν· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ μείνωσιν, ἐν ἐγκλήματι παραβατικῷ ἔσονται ὑπεύθυνοι.

2.10 Πειθέτω δὲ πατὴρ υἱὸν καὶ μήτηρ θυγατέρα ἁγνεύειν Χριστῷ· κοινὸν γὰρ τὸ γέννημα. 2.11 Εἰ δέ τις κολακεύειν οὐδὲ πείθειν θέλει τῇ εἰς θεὸν σπουδῇ, μὴ θαρρεῖν τοῦ κωλύειν τοὺς σπεύδοντας ἁγνεύειν, κἂν υἱὸς κἂν θυγάτηρ, κἂν δοῦλος ἢ δούλη τυγχάνῃ. 2.12 Τὴν γὰρ ποθοῦσαν ἁγνεύειν, μὴ σπεῦδε κωλύειν, ἵνα μὴ ἔχθραν τινὰ σπείρῃς μετὰ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Χριστοῦ νυμφίου. 2.13 Εἶτα, ἐὰν μὲν ἡ φύσις ἐκτίκτῃ ψυχήν, μετὰ σώματος καθαρῶς ἐξανθοῦσαν πρὸς δόξαν Χριστοῦ, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν τρεπομένην, πατὴρ δὲ ἅμα μητρὶ κατὰ γῆν ἡλούμενος, μὴ συγκάμνων τῷ ἐξανθήσαντι τέκνῳ πρὸς δόξαν Χριστοῦ, ἀλλ' ὅμως τὸ τέκνον, τῷ καθαρῷ ἀέρι τῆς ἁγνείας τρεφόμενον καὶ τῇ δρόσῳ τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐπαγγελίας ποτιζόμενον, φανεῖ μετὰ ἀληθείας τῷ δεσπότῃ ἄφθορον καὶ καθαρὸν καὶ ἀμίαντον αὐτὸ μὲν ὑπὲρ τιμὴν δοξασθήσεται, ὅτι ἐξ ἀκανθῶν καὶ τριβόλων σταφυλὴ γεγένηται· οἱ φύσαντες δὲ ἀντὶ δόξης κατάκρισιν ἑαυτοῖς κομίζονται. 2.14 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὖν θέλει σου ἡ θυγάτηρ Χριστῷ μένειν παρθένος. 2.15 Χαίρειν ὀφείλεις· μὴ εὐθὺς δὲ συγκατατίθεσθαι. 2.16 Μὴ τὰ ἀπὸ καρ δίας, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἀπὸ χειλέων πρόφερε. 2.17 Μὴ τῷ φθόνῳ τηκόμενοι, ἀλλὰ τὴν πτῶσιν φοβούμενοι, τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι καθαρὸν μετὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς τὸ ζητούμενον· μὴ τὸν νυμφίον ἐπαισχυνόμενοι. 2.18 Εἶτα ἐὰν ἴδητε καλὰ τὰ ἴχνη, εὔτακτα τὰ κινήματα, αἰδέσιμον τὸ ὄμμα, τίς ἡ διάνοια, ποῖος ὁ πόθος ἢ ἀνθρώπι νος ἢ ἐπουράνιος, ποῖοι τόνοι τῆς νηστείας καὶ πάσης ἐν Χριστῷ εὐσεβείας, ἐὰν ἐπουράνιον ἴδῃς κινούμενον ἔρωτα ἄδολον, παντοίως θαλάμευε λοιπὸν αὐτὴν τῷ παιδὶ κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ, τῷ ἀσπίλῳ καὶ ἀμιάντῳ νυμφίῳ. 2.19 Τηρείτω λοιπὸν ὁ πατὴρ τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ.

2.20 Γενοῦ ἱερεὺς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου. 2.21 Μηδὲν ἄφιε τῷ καθαρῷ ναῷ προσεγγίζειν φαῦλον· μή, ὅτι ἐγέννησας, καταφρόνει, ἀλλ' ὅτι παραθήκην δεσποτικὴν ἔχων, ἀμεριμνεῖν οὐκ ὀφείλεις. 2.22 Φοβοῦ σαυτόν, μὴ νυστάζῃς, ἵνα μὴ τὴν παραθήκην τοῦ ἐπουρανίου βασιλέως ἀπολέσῃς. 2.23 Μὴ ῥᾳθυμήσῃς φυλάσσων, ἵνα μὴ ἀθυμήσῃς ἀπολέσας· μὴ προσγελάσῃς, ἵνα μὴ προσκλαύ σῃς. 2.24 Κἂν ἀλγῇ, κάλλιον δὲ διὰ Χριστὸν ἀλγεῖν. 2.25 Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἴ τις μὴ θλίβων τὸν παῖδα διδάξει τὰ