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De virginitate

OF GREGORY BISHOP OF NYSSA ON VIRGINITY

A letter indicating the following 23 chapters which are an exhortation to

the life according to virtue.

p.1The purpose of the discourse is to instill in its readers a desire for the life according to virtue; and since many distractions are inherent in the more common life, as the divine apostle called it, the discourse necessarily proposes the virginal life as a kind of door and entrance to a more venerable way of life, since it is neither easy for those entangled in the commonality of life to apply themselves quietly to the more divine life, and for those who have entirely renounced the tumultuous life there is much ease to attend to higher pursuits without distraction. And since counsel by itself is somewhat less effective for persuading, and one would not easily lead someone by mere words, exhorting them to something beneficial, unless he first extols that to which he urges the hearer, for this reason the discourse, beginning from the encomia of virginity, thus concludes with counsel. Rather, as the good in each thing is somehow revealed also through the comparison of opposites, mention has necessarily been made also of the difficulty of the more common life. Then a description of the life according to philosophy was methodically introduced, and it was established that one who is in worldly cares cannot attain this. And since bodily desire is inactive in those who have renounced it, it was consequently investigated what is truly desirable, for which reason we have also received the capacity from the creator of our nature. And when this had been revealed as far as was possible, it appeared consequently necessary also to devise some method for attaining this good.

p.2True virginity, therefore, which is pure from all defilement from sins, was found to be suitable for such a conception, so that the entire intervening discourse, even if it seems to look to certain other things, contributes to the encomium of virginity. But the particular precepts of such a life, as many as were practiced by those who accurately pursued this venerable state, the discourse passed over, avoiding excess, and having advanced the exhortation universally through more general injunctions, it has in a way included the particulars, so as neither to overlook any of the necessary things nor to fail to guard against excess. And since it is a custom for all to undertake every pursuit more eagerly if they should see any who have previously succeeded in it, we have necessarily also made mention of the saints who shone in celibacy. And since the examples in narratives are not as powerful for the attainment of virtue as the living voice and the working examples of good things, we have necessarily at the end of the discourse made mention of our most God-revering bishop and father, as the only one able to teach such things powerfully. This mention was not made by name, but through certain distinguishing marks the discourse hinted that he was the one being indicated, so that the counsel might not seem unprofitable to those who hereafter converse with the discourse, for the young to resort to one who has passed from life

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De virginitate

ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΝΥΣΣΗΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΠΑΡΘΕΝΙΑΣ

̓Επιστολὴ μηνύουσα τὰ ὑποτεταγμένα τῶν κγʹ κεφαλαίων ἅτινά ἐστι προτροπὴ εἰς

τὸν κατ' ἀρετὴν βίον.

p.1Ὁ μὲν σκοπὸς τοῦ λόγου ἐστὶν ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς κατ' ἀρετὴν ζωῆς τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν ἐμποιῆσαι· πολλῶν δὲ τῷ κοινοτέρῳ βίῳ, καθὼς ὠνόμασεν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, τῶν περισπασμῶν ἐγκειμένων ἀναγκαίως ὁ λόγος ὥσπερ τινὰ θύραν καὶ εἴσοδον τῆς σεμνοτέρας διαγωγῆς τὸν τῆς παρθενίας ὑποτίθεται βίον, ὡς οὔτε τοῖς ἐμπλακεῖσι τῇ τοῦ βίου κοινότητι ῥᾴδιον τὸ καθ' ἡσυχίαν προσφιλοσοφεῖν τῇ θειοτέρᾳ ζωῇ καὶ τοῖς ἀποταξαμένοις πάντῃ τῷ ταρα χώδει βίῳ πολλῆς εὐκολίας οὔσης ταῖς ὑψηλοτέραις ἀσχο λίαις παρεδρεύειν ἀπερισπάστως. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ καθ' ἑαυτήν πως ἀργοτέρα πρὸς τὸ πείθειν ἐστὶν ἡ συμβουλὴ καὶ οὐκ ἄν τις ῥᾳδίως ὑπαγάγοιτό τινα ψιλῷ τῷ λόγῳ πρός τι τῶν ὠφελούντων ἐγκελευόμενος, εἰ μὴ πρότερον ἀπο σεμνύνειεν ἐκεῖνο πρὸς ὃ τὸν ἀκροατὴν παρορμᾷ, τούτου χάριν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐγκωμίων τῆς παρθενίας ὁ λόγος ἀρξά μενος, οὕτως εἰς τὴν συμβουλὴν καταλήγει. Μᾶλλον δέ πως τοῦ ἐν ἑκάστῳ καλοῦ καὶ διὰ τῆς παραθέσεως τῶν ἐναντίων φανερουμένου ἀναγκαίως καὶ τῆς δυσχερείας τοῦ κοινοτέρου βίου μνήμη τις γέγονεν. Εἶτα εὐμεθόδως ὑπο γραφή τις παρεισήχθη τοῦ κατὰ φιλοσοφίαν βίου, καὶ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι τούτου τυχεῖν τὸν ἐν κοσμικαῖς ὄντα φροντίσι κατεσκευάσθη. Τῆς δὲ σωματικῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἀργούσης ἐν τοῖς ἀποταξαμένοις, ἀκολούθως ἐπεζητήθη τί τὸ ἀληθῶς ἐπιθυμητόν, οὗ χάριν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν παρὰ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν εἰλήφαμεν. Τούτου δὲ καθ' ὅσον οἷόν τε ἦν ἐκκαλυφθέντος ἐφάνη ἀκολούθως καί τινα μέθοδον πρὸς τὸ τυχεῖν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τούτου ἐπινοῆσαι.

p.2Εὑρέθη τοίνυν ἡ ἀληθὴς παρθενία ἡ παντὸς τοῦ ἐξ ἁμαρτιῶν μολυσμοῦ καθαρεύουσα πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην ἐπί νοιαν ἐπιτηδείως ἔχουσα, ὥστε πάντα τὸν διὰ μέσου λόγον, κἂν πρὸς ἕτερά τινα βλέπειν δοκῇ, πρὸς τὸ τῆς παρθενίας συντείνειν ἐγκώμιον. Τὰς δὲ μερικὰς ὑποθήκας τοῦ τοιού του βίου, ὅσαι τοῖς ἀκριβῶς μετιοῦσι τὴν σεμνότητα ταύ την ἐπετηδεύθησαν, φεύγων τὴν ἀμετρίαν ὁ λόγος παρέ δραμε καθολικῶς τε διὰ τῶν γενικωτέρων παραγγελμάτων προαγαγὼν τὴν παραίνεσιν ἐμπεριείληφε τρόπον τινὰ τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον, ὡς μήτε τι παριδεῖν τῶν ἀναγκαίων καὶ τὴν ἀμετρίαν φυλάξασθαι. Ἔθους δὲ πᾶσιν ὄντος προθυμότερον ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι παντὸς ἐπιτηδεύματος, εἴ τινας ἐν ἐκείνῳ προευδοκιμήσαντας ἴδοιεν, ἀναγκαίως καὶ τῶν ἐν ἀγαμίᾳ διαλαμψάντων ἁγίων μνήμην ἐποιησάμεθα. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ μὴ τοσοῦτον τὰ ἐν τοῖς διηγήμασιν ὑποδείγματα δύναται πρὸς κατόρθωσιν ἀρετῆς ὅσον ἡ ζῶσα φωνὴ καὶ τὰ ἐνεργούμενα τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὑποδείγματα, ἀναγκαίως πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοῦ λόγου τοῦ θεοσεβεστάτου ἐπισκόπου καὶ πατρὸς ἡμῶν ἐπεμνήσθημεν, ὡς μόνου δυνατῶς ἔχοντος τὰ τοιαῦτα παιδεύειν. Ἡ δὲ μνήμη οὐκ ἐπ' ὀνόματος γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ διά τινων γνωρισμάτων τὸ ἐκεῖνον εἶναι τὸν δηλούμενον ὁ λόγος ᾐνίξατο, ἵνα μὴ τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα καθομιλοῦσι τῷ λόγῳ ἀνόνητος ἡ συμβουλὴ εἶναι δόξῃ, τῷ παρελθόντι τὸν βίον προσφοιτᾶν τοὺς νέους