A to be of things belonging to this life. For this reason, Paul called this the root of all evils. But virginity is sufficient to dry up this root, and to plant in us another that is the best of all, budding forth with all good things—freedom, boldness, courage, fervent zeal, love of heavenly things, and contempt for all things that are on earth; for thus she becomes decent and well-pleasing.
B But the wise argument of many says: "The patriarch," he says, "Abraham, had both a wife, and children, and riches, and flocks, and herds, and all those things that John, both the Baptist and the Evangelist [333], as virgins, both happened to be; and Paul and Peter shone with continence, to whose bosom they pray to come." Who said this to you, my good man? What prophet, what evangelist? He, he says, is Christ. For He, seeing the centurion having much faith, said, "Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. And Lazarus [was] with him, then he was comforted by the rich man." And what is this to Paul, what to Peter, what to John? For neither was Lazarus or Paul and John, nor were the many from the east and west, the chorus of the apostles. "So that the argument for you is superfluous and vain." But if you wish to hear what the apostles suffered, hear what is going to give them these things, saying: "Ye shall sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." And by no means here the Abraham, nor his servant, nor his, nor the one who begged the bosom, but a glory much greater than theirs; for those who judge are the descendants. C Nor is the difference clear only in this, but that Abraham happened to have the first place. "Many shall come," he says, "from the east and west, and shall recline with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob." Yet of those kingdoms, no one else is chosen, but the chorus of these saints alone. "But come, tell me, do you remember the flocks, and the herds, and the marriages, and the children? What then," he says, "of those who remained virgins after many labors, pray to enter there? I will say something greater than this, that many of those who remained virgins will not even be entrusted with the bosoms, nor the lesser, but will go away into the punishment itself." And they denote the virgins excluded from the bridal chamber; for then marriage is equal to this, and even worse; for the illustration makes yours and mine even worse. For if the married Abraham was in rest and luxury, and those who remained virgins have fallen into Gehenna, this is lacking in your comparison. These things are not so, they are not so; for not only is virginity not inferior, but it is much better than marriage. How? Because neither did marriage make Abraham such, nor did virginity lose that man's reward; but the rest of the virtue of the soul made these shine, and the rest of the wickedness cast both into the fire. There, for even in marriage [one] strove to perform the good things of virginity, I mean being decent and D well-disposed—they who chose virginity, having fallen into the tempest of life and the affairs in marriage, remained intact. What prevents, he says, even now with marriage, and children, and riches, and all other things, the well-disposed from being saved? First, because no one is like Abraham; indeed, not even near. For those who practice poverty are more to be accounted as despising riches than he who is wealthy and has a wife and is held by pleasure more than those who are virgins. These indeed are not burned by desire every day; he, however, in such a way suppressed the flame, and by no affection was subdued, so that he did not [334] merely withdraw from the concubine, but [was ready] to cast her out of the house for the sake of the struggle and discord, to remove every pretense—now this is not very easy to find.
A [The text continues] age, when they have become men and accomplish these things, we no longer marvel in the same way, but we command them to show forth other things far greater than those; so also God did not require great achievements from human nature in the first times, inasmuch as it was disposed more childishly; but since it has heard the prophets, the apostles, and has attained the grace of the Spirit, He has increased the magnitude of its achievements; and reasonably so. For He has established greater rewards, and the prizes now are far more brilliant; for no longer is it earth and things on earth, but heaven and things that transcend the mind that are laid up for those [335] who achieve. How then is it not absurd to remain at the same smallness when we have become men? For then, indeed, human nature was divided against itself, and there was an unceasing war; and Paul, describing this, says in some such way: "But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." But now these things are not. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh;" and giving thanks for these things, Paul said: "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ." For this reason we are punished reasonably, because being released, we do not wish to run as those who are hampered; or rather, even if we were able to run equally, not even so are we delivered from punishment. For those who enjoy deep peace ought to raise much greater and more brilliant trophies than those who are heavily burdened by war [b]. But if we are going to be occupied with riches and luxury and women and the care of affairs, when shall we be men, when shall we live in the spirit, when shall we care for the things of the Lord? When we depart from here? But the time is no longer for labors or struggles, but for crowns and punishments. Then, even if a virgin has no oil in her lamps, she will not be able to receive it from others, but she will remain outside; and if one comes having filthy garments, she will not be able to go out and change her robe, but she will be led away into the fire of Gehenna; and even if she beseeches Abraham himself, it will be of no further advantage to her. For when the Mistress has arrived, and the tribunal has been set, and the judge has sat down, and the river of flame is being dragged along, and the examination of the things we have done is taking place, we are no longer permitted to wash away [c] our transgressions, but we are dragged, both willing and unwilling, to the penalty owed for these things, with no one then being able to deliver us, but even if one happens to have the same boldness as the great and wonderful men—even if Noah, even if Job, even if Daniel, even if he pleads for sons and daughters—there will be nothing more, but there will be the necessity for those who have sinned to be punished immortally, just as also those who have achieved are to be honored. For that there will be no end to either of these, Christ declared, as He said that life is eternal, so also the punishment is eternal. For when He received those on the right hand, and condemned those on the left, He added, saying: "These shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Therefore it is necessary to manage all things here, and for him who has a wife to be as though he had none, and for him who truly has none to practice, along with virginity, all other virtue, so that after the departure from here we may not lament in vain.
AD VIDUAM JUNIOREM. — MONITUM.
A ...is extinct; "having eaten poisoned mistletoe," as Chrysostom himself confirms in his 15th homily to the Philippians: "he was destroyed by poisoned drugs." Another man—the very one who had invested him with the purple, namely Gallus Caesar—was killed by Constantius. Thus far Chrysostom, who in his review of the rest remains silent about those who died violent deaths: namely Julian, who was killed in the Persian war; Valentinian the First, who, when he answered the Quadian legates in a rage, suddenly perished, suffocated by a flow of blood; and Valens, whose later destruction by the Goths he narrates.
As far as the wives of these deceased emperors are concerned, some of whom he says died of poison, some of sorrow, history provides us no light. However, of the two who survived, regarding whom the emperor feared lest someone should take them away from his ward son, the one who seems most certainly to be the wife of Jovian—whose son Varronianus was already in his sights—does not seem to have been seeking imperial power; and that phrase "in fear of things to come" (φóβῳ τῶν μελλόντων) does not refer to the paternal imperial right, for she could not have been matched to Justina and her son Valentinian, since the latter was already proclaimed emperor and came from a family already reigning. The other, however, the wife of a certain deceased emperor who could scarcely return from exile even after many prayers, is not easily determined: whether she is the wife of Valens, Domnica, or rather Severa, the first wife of Valentinian I, who was repudiated by him and sent into exile, and who returned from exile after the death of Valentinian. Hence it is that the wives of the emperors of that time proceed, of whom one, recovering from past calamities, when she was an expert in sorrow, seems to be Constantia, the daughter of Constantius, whose husband, Gratian, was scarcely twenty years old at the time; the other, B who feared for her husband, was without doubt Flacilla, the wife of the Emperor Theodosius.
But let us make a calculation: we must start from the death of Valens; that occurred in the year 378, in the month of August. In the following year, 379, in the month of February, Theodosius was proclaimed Emperor by Gratian, and from then on he fought often with the Goths, up to the year 382, when the affairs of the Goths were worn down. While Chrysostom was writing these things, the Goths were still raging, and the Romans were terrified, as he himself was, and Theodosius was occupied in war and in battles. These things can reasonably apply to the year 380, when Chrysostom returned to Antioch from the cave in which he had been lurking for two years, or to the following year, 381. The notes reviewed above fit perfectly to this time; to another, they do not at all.
It remains to deal with the following treatise to the widow. If faith is to be placed in the title, and this was also sent to the same widow, namely the wife of Therasius, Chrysostom sent this as well: thus it is read in all the editions, as well as in the manuscripts: Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν περὶ μονανδρίας ("By the same, to the same, on single-marriage"). This type of argument also seems to favor this: for it deals with a younger widow, who married once, and who matches the wife of Therasius. But he does not address this widow as a young widow here, but rather teaches all widows together in the manner of one preaching, concerning the causes of not entering a second marriage: although second marriages are not to be condemned, they are not worthy of praise, and they carry with them some incontinence. He concludes the oration, as he is accustomed to do in his homilies: "These things," he says, "we have brought forward, not that we judge them to be necessary, or that we condemn those who do not wish to remain in widowhood, but we have done this with one exhortation and admonition, that they might not wish to cling forever fixed to the earth, but once freed, remain in C liberty, and aspire to heaven; that they might apply themselves to the way of living in heaven, and that they might offer all things to Christ, what is required of them, as they have found Him as their only spouse: for that He is worthy of this, no one fails to see." Therefore, even in the title "to the same" (πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν), it has been added by some librarian rashly; for Chrysostom, who considers the wife of Therasius miserable, later recited this very composition in the manner of a homily in the assembly. So that it may be correct, it is opportunely placed after the oration to the wife of Therasius, because it is of the same subject matter, and should not have been moved from its place.
We have placed the translation of Flaminius Nobilius, as it is accurate and not unrefined, albeit in places corrected, opposite the Greek text.
[335] ...age, we no longer marvel at men who have become such and are succeeding; rather, we command them to show forth many things far greater than those. Thus, too, did God not require great achievements from human nature in the first times, insofar as it was arranged in a more childish state; but since it heard the prophets, and the apostles, and attained the grace of the Spirit, He extended the magnitude of its achievements; and reasonably so. For He established greater rewards, and the prizes are now much more glorious; for no longer are the earth and the things upon the earth, but heaven and the goods that surpass the mind are laid up for those who achieve. How then is it not absurd, once we have come to manhood, to remain still in the same smallness? For at that time human nature was divided against itself, and there was an unceasing war; and describing this, Paul says in a certain place: *But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.* But now these things are not. *For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh;* and giving thanks for these things, Paul said: *O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ.* For this reason we are chastised justly, because we who have been loosed do not wish to run on equal terms with those who were shackled; or rather, even if we were able to run on equal terms, we are not even thus delivered from the punishment. For those who enjoy deep peace must set up trophies far greater and more brilliant than those who are heavily oppressed by war. But if we are going to be occupied with money and luxury and women and the care of matters, when shall we be men, when shall we live by the Spirit, when shall we concern ourselves with the things of the Lord? When we depart from here? But the time is no longer for labors or for contests, but for crowns and punishments. Then, even if a virgin be someone who has no oil in her lamps, she will not be able to receive it from others, but will remain outside; and if someone comes wearing filthy garments, she will not be able to go out and change her robe, but will be led away into the fire of Gehenna; and even if she pleads with Abraham himself, it will be of no advantage to her from then on. For when the Sovereign arrives, and the tribunal is set, and the judge sits, and the river of flame is drawn along, and the examination of the things we have done takes place, we are no longer permitted to wash away our transgressions, but we are dragged—willingly and unwillingly—toward the justice owed for them, with no one being able to intercede for us at that time; even if one happens to have the same boldness as the great and wonderful men, even if it be Noah, or Job, or Daniel, even if he prays on behalf of sons and daughters, it will be of no avail, but it is necessary from then on that those who have sinned be punished eternally, just as also those who have achieved are honored. For that there will be no end to either these or those, Christ has declared, saying that just as life is eternal, so also the punishment is eternal. For when He welcomed those on the right, and condemned those on the left, He followed up by saying: *These shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.* Therefore it is necessary to manage all things here, and for the one having a wife to be as though not having one, and for the one truly not having one, along with virginity, to practice every other virtue, so that after our departure from here we do not lament in vain.