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De Joseph et de castitate

On Joseph and on chastity. 56.587 Helmsmen greatly tossed by the sea, for whom neither continent, nor mountain, nor hill, nor any cliffs mark the land, looking toward certain stars, and steering their vessel by them, remain safe from shipwreck; but the disciples of the Church, who are on the sea of this life, not looking toward any stars, but stretching the name of their mind toward the fathers, and following in their footsteps with a longing of soul, steer for the same harbor of the kingdom. For this reason, indeed, our Lord proclaimed their life in the sacred Books, so that we might not only praise them on hearing of it, but also, desiring their way of life, we might emulate it. For the Lord, knowing that the nature of men is by nature a lover of the good, and always striving for better things out of ambition, has set forth the struggles of the fathers like certain ornaments, so that each of us might reshape himself for whatever contest he wishes. The life of the blessed Job is therefore the best teacher of endurance, that of Moses of forbearance, that of David of meekness, that of Daniel of fasting and prayer, that of Joseph and the blessed Susanna of chastity. The life of Joseph is fitting and lovely for young men, and for young women, especially for those living in marriage, the virtuous struggle of the blessed Susanna; for the contest is of equal weight for both. For the one, for the sake of chastity, trampled on the fear of his mistress, while the other, for the sake of chastity, disregarded the death-bearing threats of rulers. But first let the life of the blessed Joseph be described for us, since the father is also more ancient; then, in this way, that of the blessed Susanna. The blessed Joseph, then, coming from noble parents, being still a youth, when the first down of hair was just sprouting on his cheeks, displaying the flower of his form like a blooming rose amidst his blond beard, preserving in the pupils of his eyes the appearance of a purple spring violet, having white teeth like milk, with fiery lips, having well-defined eyebrows under a lily-white forehead, joined to one another by the thickness of their hair. And why do I attempt to describe the youth in his beauty, whom the Scripture has exceedingly praised, saying, He was beautiful in form, and exceedingly handsome in appearance? This one is sold because of the envy of his brothers, as it seemed to them, into slavery, but as it was predestined by God, into kingship; and the boy was led into Egypt as a common lad; for those who bought him did not yet see the wealth of his virtues, and they were ignorant that he was destined through the seemliness of his chastity to rule over all of Egypt, and to save all of it as it was perishing from famine. He is led, therefore, into Egypt, and is sold a second time, and not once is he enslaved. For he who is free in mind, even if he is sold ten thousand times, is not once enslaved; just as again he who is a slave in his ways, even if he is freed ten thousand times, is not once made free; for whom his own character does not free, ten thousand charters and black letters cannot set free. He is led, therefore, into Egypt, is sold into an Egyptian house, is loved by his master, is loved by his mistress; but the master's desire is good, while the mistress's love is wicked. For the one loved him for his piety, the other for the passion of her licentiousness; and as time went on, and the beauty of his form blossomed, so much

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De Joseph et de castitate

Εἰς τὸν Ἰωσὴφ καὶ περὶ σωφροσύνης. 56.587 Οἱ ἐκ πελάγους μεγάλα σαλεύοντες κυβερνῆται, οἷς οὐκ ἤπειρος, οὐκ ὄρος, οὐ βουνὸς, οὐ σκόπελοί τινες τὴν χέρσον σημαίνουσι, πρός τινας ἀστέρας ἀποβλέποντες, καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνους τὸ σκάφος ῥυθμίζοντες ἀναυάγητοι διαμένουσιν· οἱ δέ γε τῆς Ἐκκλησίας μαθηταὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ πελάγει τοῦ βίου τούτου τυγχάνοντες, οὐ πρὸς ἀστέρας τινὰς ἀποβλέποντες, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας τὸ ὄνομα τῆς διανοίας τείνοντες, καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνων ἴχνεσι πόθῳ ψυχῆς ἀκολουθοῦντες, εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν λιμένα τῆς βασιλείας ἐλαύνουσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γάρ τοι καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν ἐν ταῖς ἱεραῖς Βίβλοις τὸν βίον αὐτῶν ἀνεκήρυξεν, ἵνα μὴ μόνον ἀκούοντες ἐπαινῶμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ ποθήσαντες τὴν αὐτῶν πολιτείαν ζηλώσωμεν. Φύσει γὰρ φιλόκαλον οὖσαν τὴν φύσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰδὼς ὁ Κύριος, καὶ ἀεὶ τῶν κρειττόνων διὰ φιλοτιμίαν ἐφιεμένην, ὥσπερ κόσμιά τινα προτέθεικε τοὺς τῶν πατέρων ἄθλους, ἵνα ἕκαστος ἡμῶν πρὸς ἣν ἂν βούληται ἄθλησιν ἑαυτὸν μεταῤῥυθμίζῃ. Ὑπομονῆς οὖν διδάσκαλος ἄριστος ὁ τοῦ μακαρίου Ἰὼβ βίος, ἀνεξικακίας ὁ τοῦ Μωϋσέως, πραότητος ὁ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, νηστείας καὶ προσευχῆς ὁ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ, σωφροσύνης ὁ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ τῆς μακαρίας Σουσάννης. Πρέπων δὲ καὶ ἐπέραστος τοῖς νέοις ὁ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ βίος, καὶ ταῖς νέαις, μάλιστα ταῖς ἐν γάμῳ βιούσαις, ἡ τῆς μακαρίας Σουσάννης ἐνάρετος ἄθλησις· ἰσοστάσιος γὰρ ἀμφοτέροις ὁ ἀγών. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ δεσποίνης φόβον διὰ σωφροσύνην ἐπάτησεν, ἡ δὲ ἀρχόντων ἀπειλὰς θανατηφόρους διὰ σωφροσύνην παρελογίσατο. Ἀλλὰ πρότερον ἡμῖν ὁ τοῦ μακαρίου Ἰωσὴφ βίος διαγεγράφθω· ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἀρχαιότερος ὁ πατήρ· εἶθ' οὕτως ὁ τῆς μακαρίας Σουσάννης. Ὁ μακάριος τοίνυν Ἰωσὴφ ἐξ εὐγενῶν γονέων ὁρμώμενος, νέος ἔτι ὑπάρχων, ἄρτι τῶν ἰούλων τῶν τριχῶν ἐν ταῖς παρειαῖς ἀναβαλλόντων, ῥόδου δίκην ἀνθηροῦ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς ξανθῆς γενειάδος τὸ τῆς μορφῆς ἄνθος πυκάζων, ἴου ἐαρινοῦ πορφυρίζοντος ἐν ταῖς κόραις τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἀποσώζων τὴν ὄψιν, λευκοὺς ἔχων ὀδόντας ὡς γάλα, πυρίζων τοῖς χείλεσιν, ὀφρύας ἔχων ἡπλωμένας ὑπὸ κρινοχρόῳ μετώπῳ δασύτητι τῶν τριχῶν ἀλλήλαις συνεζευγμένας. Καὶ τί πειρῶμαι τὸν νέον τῷ κάλλει διαγράφειν, ὃν ἡ Γραφὴ ὑπεράγαν ἐπῄνεσεν εἰρηκυῖα, Καλὸς τῷ εἴδει, καὶ ὡραῖος τῇ ὄψει σφόδρα; Οὗτος πιπράσκεται διὰ βασκανίαν ἀδελφῶν, ὡς μὲν αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει, πρὸς δουλείαν, ὡς δὲ τῷ Θεῷ προώριστο, πρὸς βασιλείαν· καὶ ἤγετο εἰς Αἴγυπτον τὸ παιδάριον ὡς μειράκιον εὐτελές· οὔπω γὰρ ἑώρων αὐτοῦ οἱ πριάμενοι τὸν πλοῦτον τῶν ἀρετῶν, καὶ ἠγνόουν αὐτὸν μέλλειν διὰ σωφροσύνης κοσμιότητα ὅλης Αἰγύπτου δεσπόζειν, καὶ ὅλην αὐτὴν ὀλλυμένην λιμῷ διασώζειν. Ἄγεται οὖν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ πιπράσκεται δεύτερον, καὶ οὐδ' ἅπαξ δουλοῦται. Ὁ γὰρ τῇ γνώμῃ ἐλεύθερος, κἂν μυριάκις πραθῇ, οὐδ' ἅπαξ δουλοῦται· ὥσπερ πάλιν δοῦλος τοῖς τρόποις, κἂν μυριάκις ἐλευθερωθῇ, οὐδ' ἅπαξ ἐλευθεροῦται· ὃν γὰρ ὁ ἴδιος τρόπος οὐκ ἐλευθεροῖ, τοῦτον μυρίοι χάρται καὶ μέλανα γράμματα ἐλευθερῶσαι οὐ δύνανται. Ἄγεται οὖν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, πιπράσκεται εἰς οἶκον Αἰγύπτιον, φιλεῖται ὑπὸ δεσπότου, φιλεῖται ὑπὸ δεσποίνης· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν τοῦ δεσπότου πόθος ἀγαθὸς, ὁ δὲ τῆς δεσποίνης ἔρως πονηρός. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐφίλει δι' εὐλάβειαν, ἡ δὲ δι' οἶστρον ἀκολασίας· καὶ ὅσον ἐμηκύνετο ὁ χρόνος, καὶ τὸ τῆς μορφῆς κάλλος ἐπήνθει, τοσοῦτον