1

In evangelii dictum et de virginitate

10. By the same author, on the saying of the Gospel, and concerning virginity, and an exhortation to those who have fallen away.

64.37

The divine word delivered no riddle without purpose, nor anything foreign to our salvation. Wherefore it has urged me to expand my mind, to investigate the depth of its meaning, and to see what indeed is meant by what the Lord says in the Gospel. For he spoke many things to many through parables, to some clarifying difficult things, to others revealing things that are plain to us, making the discourse concerning salvation; as good and loving-kind, He delivered the experience of the riddles clear and unconfused; in one way, enabling us to go through the significance from everyday matters, in another way, to receive the sense from the very meaning of what is said.

The Lord said, "Narrow and afflicted is the way that leads to life, and few are those who find it; but wide and spacious is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." The saying is of astonishment, the manner of ignorance. Why, he says, is the way of destruction "Wide"? Christ does not know this way; for it was not made through him. It is a word of compassion, therefore, a riddle of healing. Oh, the benevolent goodwill! Oh, the Lord's care! He sets forth both victory and defeat, both pity and judgment. "I know," he says, "how slippery the race of men is, how low-lying, how drawn by the eyes, how prone to slip, how easily conquered, how cowardly, how easily captured, unless it is supported by faith." It heard "wide way," and ran upon it like a bird to a snare. It heard "narrow," and flees salvation, not having investigated the usefulness of both. For 64.38.40 it seeks the wrestling match, and flees the wrestling ground. And especially having heard that "Many are the tribulations of the righteous, and the Lord will deliver them from them all," it did not run to the helper, but flees in flight, not knowing that it is fleeing the good and clinging to the worse. Oh, the folly! Having heard "Many are the tribulations of the righteous," did you shrink back, O man? And having heard "Many are the scourges of the sinner," were you not terrified? Rather, you were terrified of the scourge, but you did not quench the passion of sin. Why is the way of destruction wide and spacious? Here he calls life a way, since the wide way seems to the deceived to be the pleasure of the world. But what is more wretched than this among the prudent? For the one thought to be narrow leads to heaven, but the one that seems wide drags down to Hades those who follow it. For do not think that way is truly wide, beloved, or good, because the Lord used such a word.

For just as Solomon says that honey drips from the lips of a harlot, what is said is contrary to nature; for how is it possible for honey ever to drip from the lips of a woman? but the word called honey the seeming sweetness of deceit and the delusion of vain pleasure. so also here he calls the width of the way the various passions of pleasures, and all the enjoyment of life. Hear me, you who have bowed your neck and received the good and light and blessed yoke, monks and virgins; hear me, all you women who have consecrated yourselves and have given your bodies to the Lord; hear me, you crowns of the heavenly bridegroom, hear me, you who are brighter than the sun, hear me, you entrances of the kingdom, hear me, you friends of God, 64.39 hear me, you dancers of David,

1

In evangelii dictum et de virginitate

Ιʹ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ῥητὸν, καὶ περὶ παρθενείας, καὶ παραινετικὸς εἰς τὰς ἐκπεσούσας.

64.37

Οὐδὲν ὁ θεῖος λόγος ἀσκόπως, οὐδὲ ξένον τῆς ἡμετέρας σωτηρίας παρέδωκεν αἴνιγμα. Ὅθεν ποῦ μου τὸν, νοῦν ἐκπετάσω, τὸ πυκνὸν τῆς ἐννοίας ἐρευνῆσαι προετρέψατο, καὶ ἰδεῖν τί ἄρα βούλεται τὸ ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ παρὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου λεγόμενον. Πολλοῖς μὲν γὰρ πολλὰ διὰ παραβολῆς ἐλάλησε, τοῖς μὲν σαφηνίζων τὰ δυσχερῆ, τοῖς δὲ ἀποκαλύπτων τὰ εὔδηλα ἡμῖν, τὸν περὶ σωτηρίας λόγον ποιούμενος, ὡς ἀγαθὸς καὶ φιλάνθρωπος τρανὴν καὶ ἀσύγχυτον τὴν πεῖραν τῶν αἰνιγμάτων παρέδωκε· πῆ μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν καθ' ἡμέραν πραγμάτων διεξιέναι δυναμένους τὴν ἔμφασιν, πῆ δὲ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἐννοίας τοῦ λεγομένου τὴν αἴσθησιν ὑποδέξασθαι.

Ἔλεγεν ὁ ∆εσπότης, ὅτι Στενὴ καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς, ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωὴν, καὶ ὀλίγοι εἰσὶν οἱ εὑρίσκοντες αὐτήν· πλατεῖα δὲ καὶ εὐρύχωρος ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ἀπώλειαν, καὶ πολλοὶ εἰσέρχονται δι' αὐτῆς· Ἐκπλήξεως ὁ λόγος, ἀγνωσίας ὁ τρόπος, τί, Πλατεῖα, φησὶν, ἡ ὁδὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας. Οὐ γνωρίζει τὴν ὁδὸν ταύτην ὁ Χριστός· οὐ γὰρ δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο· συμπαθείας οὖν ῥῆμα, ἰατρείας τὸ αἴνιγμα. Ὢ τῆς φιλανθρώπου εὐνοίας! ὢ τῆς ∆εσποτικῆς κηδεμονίας! ὁμοῦ καὶ τὴν νίκην καὶ τὴν ἧτταν προτίθησιν, ὁμοῦ καὶ τὸν οἶκτον καὶ τὴν ἀπόφασιν· Οἶδα, φησὶ, πῶς ὀλισθηρὸν τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων, πῶς χαμαίζηλον, πῶς ὀφθαλμοῤῥεπὲς, πῶς εὐολίσθητον, πῶς εὐκαταμάχητον, πῶς ἄνανδρον, πῶς εὐάλωτον, εἰ μὴ πίστει στηρίζοιτο· ἤκουσε πλατεῖαν ὁδὸν, καὶ ἐπέδραμεν ὡς ἐπὶ παγίδα ὄρνεον· ἤκουσε στενὴν, καὶ φεύγει τὴν σωτηρίαν, οὐκ ἐρευνήσας ἀμφοτέρων τὸ χρήσιμον· καὶ γὰρ 64.38.40 αἰτεῖται τὴν πάλην, καὶ φεύγει τὸ σκάμμα· καὶ μάλιστα ἀκούσας, ὅτι Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύριος, καὶ τῷ βοηθῷ οὐ προσέδραμεν, ἀλλὰ φεύγει φυγῇ, μὴ γινώσκων ὅτι τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐκφεύγει καὶ εἰς τὸ ἧττον προσκολλᾶται. Ὢ τῆς ἀνοίας! Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, ἀκούσας, ὤκλασας, ἄνθρωπε; καὶ Πολλαὶ αἱ μάστιγες τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ἀκούσας, οὐκ ἐπτόησας; Μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν μὲν μάστιγα ἐπτόησας, τὸ δὲ πάθος τῆς ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ἔσβεσας. Τί πλατεῖα καὶ εὐρύχωρος ἡ ὁδὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας; Ὁδὸν ἐνταῦθα τὸν βίον λέγει, ἐπειδὴ ἡ πλατεῖα τοῖς ἀπατωμένοις δοκεῖ τὸ ἡδὺ τοῦ κόσμου. Τί δὲ ταύτης παρὰ τοῖς εὐφρονοῦσιν ἀθλιώτερον; Ἡ μὲν γὰρ στενὴ νομιζομένη εἰς οὐρανοὺς ὁδηγεῖ, ἡ δὲ πλατεῖα δοκοῦσα εἰς ᾅδην καθέλκει τοὺς ἑπομένους αὐτήν. Μὴ γὰρ πλατεῖαν νομίσῃς εἶναι ἀληθῶς, ἀγαπητὲ, ἢ ἀγαθὴν τὴν ὁδὸν ἐκείνην, ἐπειδὴ τοιαύτῃ λέξει ὁ ∆εσπότης ἐχρήσατο.

Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Σολομὼν λέγει, μέλι ἀποστάζειν ἀπὸ χειλέων γυναικὸς πόρνης, παρὰ φύσιν δὲ τὸ λεγόμενον· πῶς γὰρ δυνατὸν ἀπὸ χειλέων γυναικὸς μέλι ἀποστάξαι ποτέ; ἀλλὰ τὸ δοκοῦν τῆς ἀπάτης ἡδὺ καὶ τῆς ματαίας ἡδονῆς τὴν ἀπάτην μέλι ὁ λόγος ἐκάλεσεν· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα πλάτος λέγει ὁδοῦ τὰ διάφορα τῶν ἡδονῶν πάθη, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν τοῦ βίου ἀπόλαυσιν. Ἀκούσατέ μου οἱ τὸν αὐχένα ὑποκλίναντες καὶ δεξάμενοι τὸν χρηστὸν καὶ τὸν ἐλαφρὸν καὶ μακάριον ζυγὸν, μονάζοντες καὶ παρθένοι· ἀκούσατέ μου ὅσαι ἀφιερώσατε ἑαυτὰς καὶ ἐδώκατε τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ· ἀκούσατέ μου αἱ τοῦ οὐρανίου νυμφίου στέφανοι, ἀκούσατέ μου αἱ τοῦ ἡλίου λαμπρότεραι, ἀκούσατέ μου αἱ τῆς βασιλείας εἴσοδοι, ἀκούσατέ μου αἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ φίλαι, 64.39 ἀκούσατέ μου αἱ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ χορεύτριαι,