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On Virginity (second recension)

1.1 Virginity has already become for many a subject for demonstrative speeches, providing countless opportunities for the more ambitious to parade in festival style with their speech and to revel in the graces inherent in this achievement. And I myself will not deny that this practice is venerable and honored by all for whom the beautiful is judged in purity, more than all things that excel in virtue, and as much as I am able, just as those who make the crowned victors illustrious in the stadiums by their proclamation, so I too will not cease proclaiming the preeminence of this wonder. But I say that the proper praise of virginity, and that which is most fitting of all, naturally belongs to those who achieve it and is recognized more from the very name associated with the state; for the custom of men knows to call the one inexperienced in marriage 'incorruptible'. The excellence of this great gift is shown, therefore, by this alone, that while there are many great things achieved through virtue, this one alone of all has been honored with the title of 'the incorruptible'.

21.2 But if pleasure is also often mixed with need—for want knows how to sweeten all things, making everything found for need delectable by the vehemence of desire—need must not be pushed away on account of the ensuing enjoyment. Nor indeed must pleasure be pursued as the primary thing, but it is proper to select the useful from all things and to disregard that which delights the senses.

22.1 ... the body is composed; for it is paradoxical for hot to be blended with cold and for moist to be mixed with dry, these being joined to their opposites by the affinity through the intervening pairs. And by some such subtle work, reasoning physically, he demonstrated this, saying that each of these, being by nature diametrically distant from its opposite, is joined to its contrary through the affinity of the adjacent qualities. For since cold and hot are present in equal measure in both moist and dry things, and conversely moist and dry are likewise constituted in hot and cold things, the identity of the qualities appearing equally in the contraries brings about the union of the opposites through itself. But why should I go through each point in detail, how these things are both separated from one another by the opposition of their nature and again united by the affinity of their qualities, being mixed with each other? However, the reason we mentioned what has been said is that he who understood the nature of the body by this theory advised to take thought, as much as possible, for the equal balance of the qualities; for in this consists being healthy, in that none of the things in us is dominated by another. Therefore we must take care of such a condition for the ....

23.6 If you see the life of a man standing between death and life, choosing what is useful from either side for philosophy, neither accepting the inaction of death in his eagerness concerning the commandments, nor standing with his whole foot in life on account of his alienation from worldly desires, but in those things in which the life of the flesh is tested remaining more inactive than the dead, yet for the works of virtue, through which "those who live by the spirit" are known, truly ensouled and active and strong, look to this man as the rule of life. Let this be for you the goal of the divine life, just as the ever-visible stars are for helmsmen. Imitate his gray hair and his youth, or rather, imitate the old age in his youth and the youth in his old age. For neither did time obscure the strength and vigor of his soul as his age already inclined toward old age, nor was his youth active in those things in which active youth is known, but there was a wondrous mixture of opposites in

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De virginitate (recensio altera)

1.1 Πολλοῖς μὲν ἤδη γέγονεν ἡ παρθενία τῶν πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν λόγων ὑπόθεσις, μυρίας παρεχομένη τοῖς φιλοτιμοτέροις τὰς ἀφορμὰς τοῦ πανηγυρικῶς ἐμπομπεύειν τῷ λόγῳ καὶ ταῖς προσούσαις τῷ κατορ θώματι χάρισιν ἐναβρύνεσθαι. Ἐγὼ δὲ σεμνὸν μὲν εἶναι τὸ ἐπιτή δευμα τοῦτο καὶ τίμιον πᾶσιν, ὅσοις τὸ καλὸν ἐν καθαρότητι κρίνεται, πλέον ἁπάντων τῶν ἐξεχόντων κατ' ἀρετὴν καὶ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἀρνήσομαι, καὶ ὡς ἂν οἷός τε ὦ, καθάπερ οἱ τοὺς στεφανίτας ἐπὶ τῶν σταδίων τῇ ἀναρρήσει λαμπρύνοντες, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς τὸ ὑπερέχον τοῦ θαύματος ἀνακηρύττων οὐ παύσομαι· τὸν δὲ οἰκεῖον ἔπαινον τῆς παρθενίας καὶ μάλιστα πάντων ἁρμόζοντα προσφυῶς συνυπάρχειν τοῖς κατορ θοῦσί φημι καὶ γνωρίζεσθαι μᾶλλον ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς προσηγορίας τῆς συναρμοζομένης τῷ πράγματι· τὴν γὰρ ἀπειρόγαμον ἄφθορον οἶδε προσαγορεύειν ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων συνήθεια. ∆είκνυται οὖν ἡ ὑπερβολὴ τοῦ μεγάλου τούτου χαρίσματος καὶ διὰ τούτου μόνου, ὅτι πολλῶν ὄντων καὶ μεγάλων τῶν δι' ἀρετῆς κατορθουμένων, μόνον ἁπάντων τοῦτο τῇ ἐπωνυμίᾳ τοῦ ἀφθάρτου τετίμηται.

21.2 Εἰ δὲ τῇ χρείᾳ καὶ τὸ ἡδὺ πολλάκις συγκαταμέμικται-πάντα γὰρ οἶδεν ἐφηδύνειν ἡ ἔνδεια τῷ σφοδρῷ τῆς ὀρέξεως τὸ τῇ χρείᾳ παρευρεθὲν ἅπαν καταγλυκαίνουσα-, οὐκ ἀπωστέον τὴν χρείαν διὰ τὴν ἐπακολουθοῦσαν ἀπόλαυσιν· οὔτε μὴν κατὰ τὸ προηγούμενον μεταδιωκτέον τὴν ἡδονήν, ἀλλ' ἐκ πάντων ἐκλεγομένους τὸ χρήσιμον ὑπερορᾶν προσήκει τοῦ τὰς αἰσθήσεις εὐφραίνοντος.

22.1 ... τὸ σῶμα συνέστηκε· θερμόν τε γὰρ ψυχρῷ συγκεκρᾶσθαι καὶ ὑγροῦ πρὸς ξηρὸν εἶναι μίξιν παράλογον, τούτων τῇ διὰ μέσου τῶν συζυγιῶν οἰκειότητι πρὸς τὰ ἐναντία συναπτομένων. Καί τινι λεπτουργίᾳ τοιαύτῃ τὸν λόγον φυσιολογῶν ἀπεδείκνυ, φάσκων ἕκαστον τούτων ἐκ διαμέτρου πρὸς τὸ ἀντικείμενον ἀφεστὸς τῇ φύσει διὰ τῆς συγγενείας τῶν παρα κειμένων ποιοτήτων τοῖς ἐναντίοις συνάπτεσθαι. Τοῦ γὰρ ψυχροῦ καὶ τοῦ θερμοῦ κατὰ τὸ ἴσον ὑγροῖς τε καὶ ξηροῖς ἐγγινομένων, καὶ τὸ ἔμπαλιν τοῦ ὑγροῦ τε καὶ ξηροῦ ἐν τοῖς θερμοῖς τε καὶ ψυχροῖς ὁμοίως συνισταμένων, ἡ τῶν ποιοτήτων ταὐτότης ἐπίσης τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἐμφαινομένη δι' ἑαυτῆς ποιεῖ τῶν ἀντικειμένων τὴν σύνοδον. Ἀλλὰ τί μοι τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον δι' ἀκριβείας διεξιέναι, ὅπως ταῦτα καὶ τέτμηται ἀπ' ἀλλήλων τῇ ἐναντιώσει τῆς φύσεως καὶ πάλιν ἥνωται τῇ συγγενείᾳ τῶν ποιοτήτων ἀλλήλοις ἀνακιρνάμενα; Πλὴν οὗ χάριν τῶν εἰρημένων ἐμνήσθημεν, ὅτι συνεβούλευεν ὁ τὴν τοῦ σώματος φύσιν τῇ θεωρίᾳ ταύτῃ κατανοήσας προνοεῖν ὡς οἷόν τε τῆς ἰσοκρατείας τῶν ποιοτήτων· ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ εἶναι τὸ ὑγιαίνειν, ἐν τῷ μηδὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν δυναστεύεσθαι. Οὐκοῦν ἐπιμελητέον ἡμῖν τῆς τοιαύτης καταστάσεως πρὸς τὴν ....

23.6 Ἐὰν ἴδῃς βίον ἀνθρώπου ἐν μέσῳ θανάτου καὶ ζωῆς ἑστῶτα τὸ ἑκατέρωθεν χρήσιμον εἰς φιλοσοφίαν αἱρούμενον, οὔτε τὸ ἄπρακτον τοῦ θανάτου καταδεχόμενον ἐν τῇ περὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς προθυμίᾳ, οὔτε ὅλῳ τῷ ποδὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ζωῆς βεβηκότα διὰ τὴν τῶν κοσμικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν ἀλλοτρίωσιν, ἀλλ' ἐν οἷς μὲν σαρκὸς ζωὴ δοκιμάζεται τῶν νεκρῶν ἀπρακτότερον μένοντα, πρὸς δὲ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔργα, δι' ὧν «οἱ τῷ πνεύματι ζῶντες» ἐπιγινώσκονται, ἀληθῶς ἔμψυχον καὶ ἐνεργὸν καὶ ἰσχύοντα, πρὸς τοῦτον βλέπε τὸν κανόνα τοῦ βίου. Οὗτος ἔστω σοι σκοπὸς τῆς θείας ζωῆς, καθάπερ τοῖς κυβερνήταις οἱ ἀειφανεῖς τῶν ἀστέρων. Μίμησαι τούτου καὶ πολιὰν καὶ νεότητα, μᾶλλον δὲ μίμησαι αὐτοῦ τὸ ἐν μειρακίῳ γῆρας καὶ τὴν ἐν τῷ γήρᾳ νεότητα. Οὔτε γὰρ τὸ ῥωμαλέον αὐτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ δραστήριον ἤδη πρὸς γῆρας ἐπικλιθείσης τῆς ἡλικίας ὁ χρόνος ἠμαύρωσεν, οὔτε ἡ νεότης ἐνεργὸς ἦν ἐν οἷς νεότης ἐνεργοῦσα γνωρίζεται, ἀλλά τις ἦν μίξις θαυμαστὴ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐν