John Chrysostom, On Virginity

De virginitate

OF CHRYSOSTOM CONCERNING VIRGINITY

That the virginity of heretics has no reward.

Jews turn away from the beauty of virginity, and it is no wonder, since they even dishonored Christ himself, who was born of a virgin. But the Greeks admire and are astounded by it, while only the church of God emulates it. For I would never call the virgins of the heretics virgins; first, because they are not chaste. For they are not betrothed to one husband as the blessed bridesman of Christ wills, saying: "I have betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." For even if this was said concerning the whole fullness of the Church, nevertheless what was said includes them also. Therefore, those who do not love the one husband but introduce another beside him who is not God, how could they be chaste? First, then, for this reason they could not be virgins. Second, because having dishonored marriage, they thus came to abstain from marriage. For by decreeing in advance that the thing is evil, they have deprived themselves of the prizes of virginity. For it would be just for those who abstain from evil things not to be crowned, but only not to be punished. And one might see these things thus ordained not only in our laws but also in those of the outside world. Let the murderer be put to death, it says; but it is not added, let him who does not murder be honored. Let the thief be punished; but they have not commanded that the one who does not damage the property of others should receive a gift. And while putting the adulterer to death, they have not deemed the one who does not break into the marriages of others worthy of any honor. And very reasonably so. For to be praised and admired belongs to those who achieve good things, not to those who flee evil things; for a sufficient honor for them is to suffer nothing terrible. For this reason also our Lord threatened Gehenna, if anyone is angry with his brother without cause and in vain and calls him a fool. But he did not then also promise the kingdom of heaven to those who are not angry in vain and who turn away from reviling, but he required something more and greater than this, saying: "Love your enemies." And wishing to show how very small and worthless and worthy of no honor it is not to hate one's brothers, having set down what is much more than this, namely to esteem and love them, not even this did he say is sufficient for us to be deemed worthy of any honor. For how, when we have no advantage over the Gentiles in this? So that we need another addition much greater than this, if we are to claim a reward. For do not, He says, just because I do not condemn you to Gehenna for abstaining from reviling and anger toward your brother, for this reason already deem yourself worthy of crowns. For I do not require only so great a measure of friendliness, but even if you say that in addition to not reviling, you also love him, you are still turning somewhere below and rank yourself with the tax collectors. But if you wish to be perfect and worthy of heaven, do not stop only at this point, but go up further and adopt a way of thinking greater than nature itself. And this is to love one's enemies. Since, then, this is agreed by us on all sides, let those from the heresies cease tiring themselves out in vain; for they will receive no reward. Not because the Lord is unjust—far from it!—but because they themselves are ungrateful and wicked. How? It has been shown, then, that no gift is set aside for the mere flight from evil things. But they, considering marriage evil, thus fled from it. How then will they be able to claim a reward for withdrawing from evil things? For just as we will not expect to be crowned for not committing adultery, so neither will they for not marrying. For he will say

De virginitate

ΤΟΥ ΧΡΥΣΟΣΤΟΜΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΠΑΡΘΕΝΙΑΣ

Ὅτι τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἡ παρθενία μισθὸν οὐκ ἔχει.

Τὸ τῆς παρθενίας καλὸν ἀποστρέφονται μὲν Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν, ὅπου γε καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν ἐκ παρθένου Χριστὸν ἠτίμασαν. Θαυμάζουσι δὲ Ἕλληνες καὶ καταπλήττονται, ζηλοῖ δὲ μόνη ἡ ἐκκλησία τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τὰς γὰρ τῶν αἱρετικῶν οὐκ ἂν εἴποιμί ποτε παρθένους ἐγώ· πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶν ἁγναί. Οὐ γάρ εἰσιν ἡρμοσμέναι ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ καθὼς ὁ μακάριος τοῦ Χριστοῦ βούλεται νυμφαγωγὸς λέγων· «Ἡρμοσάμην ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ παρθένον ἁγνὴν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ.» Εἰ γὰρ καὶ περὶ παντὸς τοῦτο τοῦ πληρώματος εἴρηται τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀλλ' ὅμως κἀκείνας περιλαμβάνει τὸ λεχθέν. Αἱ τοίνυν τὸν ἕνα ἄνδρα μὴ στέργουσαι ἀλλ' ἕτερον αὐτῷ τὸν οὐκ ὄντα ἐπεισάγουσαι Θεόν, πῶς ἂν εἶεν ἁγναί; Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον οὐκ ἂν εἶεν παρθένοι. ∆εύτερον δὲ ὅτι τὸν γάμον ἀτιμάσασαι οὕτως ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὸ ἀποσχέσθαι τοῦ γάμου. Τῷ γὰρ νομοθετῆσαι πονηρὸν εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα προλαβοῦσαι τὰ τῆς παρθενίας ἑαυτῶν ἀφείλοντο ἔπαθλα. Τοὺς γὰρ τῶν φαύλων ἀπεχομένους οὐ στεφανοῦσθαι ἀλλὰ μὴ κολάζεσθαι δίκαιον ἂν εἴη μόνον. Καὶ ταῦτα ἴδοι τις ἂν οὐκ ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔξωθεν οὕτω διατεταγμένα νόμοις. Ὁ φονεύων ἀναιρείσθω, φησίν· οὐκέτι δὲ πρόσκειται, ὁ δὲ μὴ φονεύων τιμάσθω. Ὁ κλέπτης κολαζέσθω· οὐκέτι δὲ καὶ τὸν μὴ λυμαινόμενον τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις δωρεὰν λαμβάνειν ἐκέλευσαν. Καὶ τὸν μοιχὸν ἀποκτιννύντες τὸν μὴ διορύττοντα τοὺς ἑτέρων γάμους οὐδεμιᾶς ἠξίωσαν τιμῆς. Καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Τὸ γὰρ ἐπαινεῖσθαι καὶ θαυμάζεσθαι τῶν τὰ ἀγαθὰ κατορθούντων οὐ τῶν τὰ κακὰ φευγόντων ἐστίν· ἀποχρῶσα γὰρ ἐκείνοις τιμὴ τὸ μηδὲν πάσχειν δεινόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν, ἂν μέν τις εἰκῇ καὶ μάτην πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὀργισθῇ τὸν αὑτοῦ καὶ μῶρον ἀποκαλέσῃ, τὴν γέενναν ἠπείλησεν. Οὐκέτι δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν τοῖς μὴ μάτην ὀργιζομένοις καὶ λοιδορίας ἐκτρεπομένοις ὑπέσχετο, ἀλλ' ἕτερόν τι τούτου πλέον καὶ μεῖζον ἐζήτησεν εἰπών· «Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν.» Καὶ δεῖξαι βουλόμενος πῶς σφόδρα μικρὸν καὶ εὐτελὲς καὶ οὐδεμιᾶς τιμῆς ἄξιον τὸ μὴ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἀπεχθάνεσθαι, τὸ τούτου πολλῷ πλέον θεὶς τὸ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτοὺς καὶ φιλεῖν, οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἔφησεν ἡμῖν ἀρκεῖν πρὸς τό τινος ἀξιωθῆναι τιμῆς. Πῶς γὰρ ὅταν τῶν ἐθνικῶν μηδὲν κατὰ τοῦτο πλέον ἔχωμεν; Ὥστε ἑτέρας ἡμῖν ταύτης πολλῷ μείζονος προσθήκης δεῖ εἴ γε μέλλοιμεν μισθὸν ἀπαιτεῖν. Μὴ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ σέ, φησίν, οὐ κατακρίνω τῇ γεέννῃ λοιδορίας καὶ ὀργῆς ἀπεχόμενον τῆς πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἤδη διὰ τοῦτο καὶ στεφάνων ἀξίου σαυτόν. Οὐ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἀπαιτῶ μόνον φιλοφροσύνης μέτρον ἐγώ, ἀλλὰ κἂν πρὸς τῷ μὴ λοιδορεῖσθαι καὶ φιλεῖν αὐτὸν λέγῃς, ἔτι κάτω που στρέφῃ καὶ παρὰ τοὺς τελώνας τάττεις σαυτόν. Ἀλλ' εἰ βούλει τέλειος εἶναι καὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἄξιος, μὴ στῇς μεχρὶ τούτου μόνον ἀλλ' ἀνάβηθι προσωτέρω καὶ τῆς φύσεως αὐτῆς μείζονα λαβὲ λογισμόν. Τοῦτο δέ ἐστι τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀγαπᾶν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πάντοθεν ἡμῖν τοῦτο συνωμολόγηται, παυσάσθωσαν μάτην οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν αἱρέσεων κόπτοντες ἑαυτούς· οὐδένα γὰρ λήψονται μισθόν. Οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ὁ κύριος ἄδικος -ἄπαγε-, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ αὐτοὶ ἀγνώμονες καὶ πονηροί. Πῶς; Ἀποδέδεικται τοίνυν μηδεμίαν κεῖσθαι δωρεὰν μόνῃ τῇ τῶν φαύλων φυγῇ. Τὸν δὲ γάμον αὐτοὶ φαῦλον νομίσαντες οὕτως ἔφυγον. Πῶς οὖν ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν φαύλων ἀναχωρήσεως δυνήσονται μισθὸν ἀπαιτεῖν; Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡμεῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ μοιχεύειν στεφανοῦσθαι οὐκ ἀξιώσομεν, οὕτως οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ γαμεῖν ἐκεῖνοι. Ἐρεῖ γὰρ