An exhortation to virginity

The treatise “Admonition to Virginity” (394, 94 chapters) is a speech delivered by St. Ambrose of Milan in Florence on the occasion of the consecration of the church, built at the expense of the pious Juliana, the widow of a clergyman, who dedicated her life to God and brought her children to the same. The essay is devoted to the topic of virginity and begins with a story about the martyr. Agricola and Vitalia and the discovery of their relics (chap. 1-18). Chapters 9-12 contain a brief account of Juliana's fate and praise of her as a pious widow. The further narration (chap. 13-53) comes from the perspective of Juliana herself, who calls on the children to devote themselves entirely to God, who gave them life. After the end of Juliana's speech, St. Ambrose gives instructions on his own behalf (chap. 54-57). When interpreting the Book of Song of Songs, he compares the Church and the Synagogue (the first is the faithful bride of Christ, the second is the one who has fallen out of love with Him), calls on the virgin bride to seek Christ, and also to maintain purity, “take heed to herself,” remain silent and be modest, abstain from anger and slander, observe fasts, and be sober. The treatise ends with a prayer for a church made with hands and for churches not made with hands - dedicated to virgins. *This publication presents a translation from Latin by D.E. Afinogenova, prot. A. Grinya, M.V. Gerasimova. **The title of the essay in Latin is Exhortatio virginitatis. 1. 1. Those who are invited to a great feast usually take gifts with them 1 . Having been invited to a feast in the city of Bononia 2, where the transfer of the relics of the 3 holy martyr 4 was celebrated, I also prepared for you gifts full of holiness and grace 5. Gifts are usually given on the occasion of imperial triumphs, 6 and these gifts are also triumphal, 7 because the victories of the martyrs constitute the triumph of Christ, our leader. However, I did not direct my path here; and only at your request I was forced to bring with me what was prepared for others 8. And in this way my poverty, which could not live up to your expectations, will be abundantly filled by the martyr. 2. The name of the martyr is Agricola; He used to have a servant Vitaly, but now he is a friend and colleague 9 of his martyrdom. The servant went first to make a preliminary inspection of the place; the master followed him, in full confidence that everything would be already prepared by the faith of the slave. But, of course, we do not praise the merits of others; after all, the martyrdom of a slave is the fruit of the master’s teaching. This one taught, and that one fulfilled. At the same time, the merit of the slave is not diminished in the least. In fact, is it possible to diminish what Christ gave? It is already wonderful that through serving man the slave learned how to please Christ; at the same time, the master also received extreme praise: as regards the slave, for teaching, and as regards himself, for martyrdom. And so, competing with each other in virtues, they then deserved to be equal. The master sent the slave to martyrdom first, and the slave dragged the master along with him. 3. Thus, a person's position is by no means an obstacle to his glorification; It is not the nobility of the family, but faith that bestows a well-deserved reward. Whether slave or free (Eph.6:8), we are all one in Christ 10, and everyone will receive from the Lord according to the good he has done (Eph.6:8). Slavery does not hinder, and freedom does not help. Notice how the temporary position is imputed to nothing. Are you called to be a slave? - it is said, - Do not be embarrassed... For a servant who is called in the Lord is the freeman of the Lord: likewise, he who is called free is a servant of Christ (1 Cor. 7:21-22). Look, I say, what the power of the apostle’s words is. He believes that he who was called in a state of slavery gave more than who was called in a free state. For whoever was a slave becomes Christ’s freedman, and whoever was free becomes His slave. But in fact, He did not exalt either one; He divided both of them equally. And indeed, for Christ, slavery and freedom are equivalent; there is not the slightest difference between the merits of virtuous slavery and freedom; and there is no greater dignity than serving Christ. Finally, Paul is a servant of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:1); and if the apostle is proud of this slavery, then it is glorious. Is it really not our greatest glory that we are valued at such a price as to be redeemed by the blood of the Lord? But let's continue further. 4. And when the persecutors forced Saint Vitaly to renounce Christ 11, he began to confess the Lord Jesus Christ even more decisively, when they applied all types of torture to him, so that not a single place on his body remained free from wounds, then he poured out a prayer to the Lord in the following words: “Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior and my God, commanded me to receive my spirit; for I have long been burning with the desire to receive the crown that Your holy angel is showing me.” And, having finished the prayer, he gave up his ghost. 5. Saint Agricola was known as a man of very gentle disposition, so that even his enemies loved him. That's why they put off his torment. And this respect on the part of the persecutors, combined with hatred of martyrdom, was more painful for him than any cruelty. Finally, when Agricola remained adamant, he was crucified. From this it is clear that the gracious attitude on their part was not an expression of goodwill, but a deception. They wanted to frighten the master by executing the slave. But Christ turned this into a gift of grace: the master followed the slave’s example. 6. Even the names of both of them are suitable for the feat of martyrdom, so that it seems that both of them are doomed to martyrdom by their very nicknames. One was called Vitaly, as if as a sign that by contempt for this life he thought to gain true, eternal life. The other is Agricola, as if to sow the good fruits of spiritual grace and irrigate the plantings of his exploits and all virtues with a stream of holy blood. 7. And they were buried in the land of the Jews, among their own graves 12. The Jews strongly desired to take part in their burial along with those slaves whose Lord they had rejected. So Balaam once said: let my soul die in the souls of the righteous (Numbers 23:10); however, during his life he did not participate in the deeds of those among whose souls he wanted to die. So these people: those who were persecuted during life began to be honored after death. So we looked for the remains of the 13 martyrs there, as if picking roses among thorns 14. 8. When the holy relics were extracted 15, we were surrounded by a dense crowd of Jews; the church people also stood with joy and rejoicing. Seeing the martyrs, the Jews said: flowers appeared on the ground (Song.2:12); Christians said: the time has come to cut them off (Song.2:12) 16. The one who reaps already receives a reward (John 4:36). Others sowed 17, and we reap the fruits of the martyrs. The Jews, listening to the voices of the rejoicing Church, again said among themselves 18: the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land (Song. 2:12). Therefore, it was wonderful to read 19: day speaks out verb to day, and night proclaims understanding to night (Ps. 19:3). Day to day - Christian to Christian, night to night - Jew to Jew. Thus, the Jews showed that they had knowledge of the martyrs, but did not have knowledge of the Word; that is, they have knowledge that is not consistent with the knowledge of the One Good 20 and the One True: For, not understanding the righteousness of God and wanting to justify themselves, they did not accept the righteousness of God (Rom. 10:3) 21. 2. 9. So, I have brought you gifts that I collected with my own hands: these are the spoils of the cross, the grace of which you know in practice 22. Even the demons themselves profess it 23. Let others store gold and silver, extracting them from hidden veins, let them collect precious bundles of necklaces - all this treasure is temporary and often disastrous for its owners. We collected the nails of the martyr; and there were many of them, because the martyr had more wounds than members of his body. When we were putting these nails together, the martyr seemed to be exclaiming to the Jewish people: give me your hand and place it in my side; and do not be an unbeliever, but a believer (John 20:27). We have collected the victorious blood and the tree of the cross. 10. And we could not refuse these gifts to the holy widow who asked for them. So, accept the gifts of salvation that are now placed under the sacred altars 24. And that holy widow is Juliana, who built and presented to the Lord this church, which we are consecrating today; worthy of such an offering is she who, in the person of her offspring, has already dedicated churches of chastity and purity to the Lord 25. I wanted to say “Juliana”, but I said “Judea” 26. And the language was not mistaken, but determined accurately. Indeed, Judea is a soul that confesses Christ. It even says: God is known in Judea (Ps. 75:2), that is, where He was confessed, and not where He was denied. Therefore, spiritual Judea 27 is where the share is greater and the understanding is purer 28, for salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22). Thus the error of language revealed the evidence of holiness. 11. So let us honor this widow, for it is written: Honor widows, true widows (1 Tim. 5:3); although, however, she does not seek our verbal honor who, having evidence from her good deeds, has risen to fulfill the apostolic commandment, who has raised well and taught her children even better. 12. But who didn’t mourn her as abandoned and worthy of regret at the time when she lost her husband? She, on the contrary, mourned more strongly for the minister who was kidnapped from the holy altar than for her husband or the father of the children 29 . Although with the loss of her husband she lost protection and consolation, the misfortune of the Church was more difficult for her holy soul. 3. 13. Препоясав тайники своего ума, она, видя вокруг себя трёх своих дочерей и сына, воодушевившись тем, чего обычно прочие страшатся, обратилась к детям с такой речью: «Дети! you lost your father, but you still have your mother. Of course, it would be better if the father was alive and the mother was not. Однако как ни слаба я и как ни беспомощна, но всё же, если вы хотите последовать за мной, я докажу вам, что вы можете думать, что отец ваш не оставил вас: у вас есть даже лучший отец – Отец небесный. This is the One who was a support for our fathers. And really, what other hope is left for us now? Your father was rich in grace, not in money; he was rich in his service, and not in his family estates; his inheritance was faith, precious to God 30 and worthless to the world. He has left you rich enough if only you will follow his instructions. Только одна вера нераздельно принадлежит тому и другом полу, ведь цензовое имущество принадлежит мужчинам, а приданое – девицам. 14. And here you are, son, once dear to your father, remember what you owe to your mother - remember that you must support the good name of your home. Age excuses you, but inheritance rights oblige you. Let son, father and mother rejoice in you (Proverbs 23:25). Do not despise your mother like an unreasonable 31. The royal prophecy, it is said, is an instruction given by a mother (Proverbs 31:1). What is a son who keeps the commandments of God? My firstborn son, I say to you: what, child of my womb? what, child of my prayers? Do not give your wife honor ( Proverbs 31:2-3 ). Hear what the wise man says, what Scripture affirms. 15. Consider who helped you to be born: you are rather the son of vows, and not of my illnesses. Consider to what service your father intended you by his very name when he named you Lawrence 32. We took our vows there and borrowed our name from there. And so the vows were followed by their fulfillment; Render to the martyr what you owe him. He asked us for you, and you fulfill what we promised about you by naming this name. 16. What else, son, do you think you should choose, if not the God of your fathers? After all, He destroys and enriches, humbles and exalts. He lifts up the poor from the earth, lifts up the needy from the dirt, making him sit with the nobles, and gives them the throne of glory as an inheritance; He fulfills the desire of the one who asks and blesses the righteous year (1 Samuel 2:7-8). What, son, is more beautiful than this? And what is human life on this earth if not something that is faster than 33 messengers (Job 9:25)? So we passed and saw nothing. And oh, if only we were like this messenger, so as not to see anything and not bear any burdens! But what is especially difficult is that the movement is fruitless and the burden is in vain. It is vain, but not easy: it is not free from sin, but the excess of sin is heavy. That is why Saint Job exclaims: Is not the life of man on earth a temptation, and his life like a hired hand? And how is it like a slave who fears his master, who finds a shadow, and like a mercenary who expects his reward? So I waited in vain, and nights of illness were given to me. If I fall asleep, I say: when is it day? When will I get up again: when is it evening? Filled with suffering from evening to morning. My life is lighter than chatter; I perished in vain hope (Job 7:1–4, 6). So, a person is nothing, unless you, Lord, look upon him and visit him until the morning and bring him into peace 34. If a tree is cut down, it sprouts again and blooms from the fragrance of water 35: but a person, when he falls, turns into nothing, and his sorrows drown him. 17. So, if you, children, want to avoid all these inevitable temptations, then you must strive for the purity of the body, which I offer you in the form of advice, but I do not instill in the form of an order. In fact, regarding virginity, only advice can be given, but not a command. It is more a matter of desire than of commandment. After all, what relates to grace is not commanded, but only constitutes an object of desire, offered for election, and not as a duty 36. Therefore, the apostle says: Regarding virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord, but I give advice as one who has received mercy from the Lord (1 Cor. 7:24). For he read that the Lord said to the eunuchs: those who keep My commandments and choose what I want and fulfill My covenant, to them I will give in My house and in My fence a distinguished place, the best, I will give them an everlasting name of sons and daughters, and they will not lack (Is. 46: 4-5). I will give you, he says, the best place; in this case, He addresses his speech to eunuchs, that is, to those who castrated themselves by cutting off their reproductive parts 37 . So, these are those who have priority rewards in heaven over others. 18. The Son of God glorifies them in his Gospel. For when the apostles said: if such is a man’s duty that he is not allowed to divorce his wife, except on the grounds of adultery, then he does not need to marry 38, the Lord answered them: not everyone can receive this word, but to those who are given (Matthew 19:10-11), that is, the weakness of human nature does not accommodate it, so that it may be revealed to everyone. It is easy to comprehend only for those who have been overshadowed by divine grace and who have been able to castrate themselves in order to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven. 4. 19. You have heard, children, how great is the reward of integrity. By it the Kingdom is acquired, and the Kingdom of Heaven indicates angelic life. And I advise you exactly this, which is most beautiful: to become angels among people who are not connected to each other by any marriage ties. In any case, those who do not marry or marry remain on earth as angels 39; they do not feel the sorrows of the flesh 40, they do not know slavery, they are free from the filth of worldly thoughts; on the contrary, they direct their thoughts to divine objects; they, as if throwing off bodily infirmity, think not about what is characteristic of man, but about what is divine. 20. Think, daughters, how much you will need if you, without a father, want to get married. A good dowry is missing; but even if this were enough, then even then you would only buy slavery for yourself at a great price. And now that you have lost your father, who wouldn’t show contempt for you? Where will you resort, where will you seek intercession against insults from your husband? And how many adversities are there in marriage itself? How severe are most of the insults! What are the fetters! 21. First of all, marriage itself is a bond by which the wife is tied to her husband and is given into submission to him 41 . True, the bonds of love are pleasant, but they are still bonds 42; the wife cannot free herself from them, even if she wishes it, she cannot even have her own free will. The Apostle says: the wife does not own her own body, but the husband does (1 Cor. 7:4). And why be surprised at the wife’s lot, when the husband also has no power over his body, but the wife (1 Cor. 7:4)? If the strongest has no power over himself, then what about the weakest? So, mutual slavery does not free the wife, on the contrary, it binds her even more tightly. 22. So, look what the Scripture says, what the apostle advises. And who can give you better advice than this vessel of divine election? Listen to what he says: for I desire that all people should be as I am (1 Cor. 7:7). And further he says about the unmarried and widows: it is good for them to remain as I do (1 Cor. 7:8). I want you to be followers of so great an apostle, that you will imitate his life; he avoided the shackles of marriage and desired to be a prisoner of Christ Jesus (Eph.3:1; Phil.3:1). He could not have achieved such a great grace of apostleship if he had been bound by the common life of marriage. 23. If one who was outstanding in teaching and received such a great gift from Christ, recognized it as very important to abstain from entering into a marital union, if he remained in such a state for this purpose, so as not to cause too much damage to his ministry - since it is impossible to always be free for prayer and always to heed the divine commandments to one who is distracted by the care of marriage, because he must please his wife 43 - then it is self-evident, what should you choose, to whom only virginity can give freedom. In fact, a woman who gets married is sold into slavery for her own money. Even the slave trade is carried out on more favorable terms than marriage 44: in the first case, slave service is purchased, and in the second, payment is added to slavery 45. The woman being sold is hung with gold 46, and is valued according to gold. 24. I, children, have experienced the labors of marriage, the hardships of marriage, and all this with a good spouse; Even with such a kind husband, I was not free: I served my husband and tried to please him. The Lord was merciful and made him a servant of the altar, and soon he was taken from me and from you; and, perhaps, by the mercy of God, all this with the goal that he would no longer be called a husband 47 . 25. You see, children, a mother who has grown old from illness, but is still not ripe for the service of a widow 48 . You see that all my protection and all my decoration have been lost. I have neither help from my husband nor the gifts of virginity. However, I do not care about myself: I grieve for you, I think about you. The hardships of marriage remained my lot, but the joys disappeared. Oh, how I wish I had never known them! 26. But you can take the blame off your father and help your mother; what we have lost you will restore. We will not repent of marriage only if our labors bring you benefit. I will consider the lot of the mother of virgins to be almost the same as if I myself were preserving virginity. Look, children, what kind of Mother the Lord Jesus chose for himself when he came into this world. He came to grant salvation to the world through the Virgin, and forgave the fall of his wife thanks to the Virgin who gave birth 49; May your integrity also atone for my sins. 27. Look how blessed virginity is! As you can see, I am alone and need protection. But if you wish to remain this way, then I will not seek help from anyone: the crown of your purity will bestow upon me every abundance 50 . Who then will not call me blessed 51 - me, who is now considered unhappy? Who would not honor the mother of so many virgins? Who would not be imbued with reverence for the palace of chastity 52? 5. 28. Divine Scripture showed the world many wives, but it bestowed the honor of universal salvation only on virgins. In the Old Testament, the Jewish people, pressed from land and sea, were led by a virgin 53 through the sea as if on dry land (Ex. 15:20); in the Gospel, the Virgin gave birth to the Creator and Redeemer of the world 54. The Church is also a virgin, which the apostle sought to present to Christ as a pure virgin (2 Cor. 11:2); the daughter of Zion is a virgin (Is. 37:22), and that heavenly city Jerusalem is also a virgin, into which nothing worldly or unclean enters 55. The virgin is also the one whom Jesus calls, addressing her with the words: come from Lebanon, bride, come from Lebanon, come and pass from the beginning of faith 56 (Song.4:8). She not only came, but also passed as a virgin: hastening to the groom, she bypasses the world and reaches Christ; in other words, this means that one who has dedicated herself to Christ strives for the heavenly and bypasses the limits of the earthly 57. And the Bridegroom Himself walks towards His Bride in such a way that it jumps over the mountains, jumps over the hills. 29. In praise of virginity, he also adds: a reserved garden - my sister, my bride, a reserved garden, a closed well (Song. 4:12), - so that virginity, fenced with the gates of chastity, bears the best fruits, so that the seals of chastity remain intact in it. Take care of this garden of your soul, this source of pure moisture, so that no one disturbs it in you, so that no one removes from it the seal that nature itself has placed 58 . Let no one plunder the vineyard of your soul or plant cheap vegetables 59 . After all, a vineyard is the fruits of virginity, and marriage is like a planting of vegetables, which are often exposed to the cold, and then, like herbal vegetables, they soon fall and wither, unless old age sets a limit, or abstinence raises them to perfection. 30. Therefore, let not Ahab come to you, seeking to destroy and destroy your vineyard 60 ; Let not Jezebel come to you either - this vain stream of this age - indeed, this name denotes empty and vain abundance 61; on the contrary, let Naboth 62 come to you, coming from his father, as it appears from the interpretation of the name itself - Naboth, who protects the vineyard with his blood and is ready to die for it. It was He who was stoned for us, who died for us, who bore false witness for us; It was He who, being rich, came to us poor 63 so that we through His poverty might become rich. He is the Vine, which has filled the entire earthly circle with the abundant fruits of its grace. Let Him dwell in your hearts, deeply rooted in them; May your fruit thus be abundant, and may the flame of bodily passions be tempered by the moisture of spiritual grace. 31. It is he who comes on a light cloud, as the prophet said: behold, the Lord sits on a light cloud and will come to Egypt (Is. 19:1), showing that he will come to Egypt, that is, to suffering 64 from this world, through the medium of the Virgin. So, he called Mary a cloud because she bore the flesh of the Lord, light 65 because she, not burdened with any burdens of marriage 66, remained a Virgin. She is a rod 67, blossoming into flower 68, for Her virginity is pure and directed towards the Lord according to the free will of her heart, without deviating to any roundabout paths of the worries of this world. 32. That is why the Lord from the cross entrusted Her to His beloved disciple Saint John 69, who said to his father and mother: I do not know you (Deut. 33:9). And indeed, called by Christ, he left his father and followed the Word. The Virgin is entrusted to him, because he did not know his own; entrusted to the one who draws wisdom from the breast of Christ 70; entrusted to him because he did not know his brothers and did not know his sons (Deut. 33:9). That is why the law blesses him: give to Levi his true ones, give to Levi his lot (Deut. 33:8). 33. And from that time on he took the Mother of the Lord to him; Indeed, we see in Scripture that from that time this disciple took Her to himself (John 19:27). What does it mean to come to oneself, since he has already left his father and mother and followed Christ? 71 And how to ourselves, since the apostles themselves said: behold, we have left everything and followed You (Matthew 19:27)? What did John have of his own, who did not have worldly and temporary things, who was not even of the world? So what did he have? Of course, only what he received from Christ. He is the good possessor of words and wisdom, the good recipient of grace. Listen to what the apostles received from Christ: accept, he says, the Holy Spirit, whose sins you forgive, their sins will be forgiven; On whomever you leave it, it will remain on him (John 20:22–23). And the Mother of the Lord Jesus did not move to anyone else, but only to the owner of grace, to where Christ had his abode. 6. 34. So, you too, my children, give this true Levi his true ones. Be clouds, but light 72. And you will be them if virginity eases you from the hardships of life and enlightens the darkness of this mortal flesh. Therefore, that bride says: I am black and beautiful, daughters of Jerusalem (Song. 1:4); black in flesh, beautiful in virginity. So, those who get married are clouds, and heavy clouds; I even believe that the name of those who put on wedding garments is taken precisely from the clouds 73. And in fact, when the betrothed 74 receive the veil, 75 they are covered with it like clouds. The truly heavy clouds are those who bear the burden of marriage. They say that they actually experience heaviness in the womb as soon as they receive the seeds of conception. 35. Therefore, give to Levi his true ones 76 . And what could be more true than that immaculate virginity, which preserves the seal of chastity and the locks of innocence bestowed by nature? And so when a young girl, having tasted marriage, loses her flower, she already loses what is her property, and something alien is mixed in with her. In fact, the true state is the one into which we are born, and not the one into which we change; what we received from the Creator, and not what we received from cohabitation. Therefore, give the true Levi, this head of the priesthood, the true Aaron, the true Melchizedek, his true ones, those true ones whom he himself created, and not those whom the custom of this age produced; let him, in this way, recognize in you his creation and that undefiled and undestroyed seal given to you by nature. 36. Give him, show him that Adam who existed before the Fall, and that Eve who existed only until the time when she drank the destructive poison of the serpent - before they stumbled through his wiles 77, when they were not yet the owners of what they should have been ashamed of 78. And even now even good marriages contain something that the spouses themselves are ashamed of in front of each other. So, children, be as Adam and Eve were in paradise. It is written about them that after Adam was expelled from paradise, he knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son, whom she named Cain 79; then she conceived again and gave birth to a son, whom she named Abel. And so the second fruit turned out to be better than the first 80, since this one is blameless, and that one is wicked. This one clung to God and was entirely the Lord’s, while the other was a worldly and earthly inheritance 81 . Therefore, in this the redemption of the world is foreshadowed, 82 and in that - its fall. This is the sacrifice of Christ, and this is the murder of the devil. So, let you, children, have nothing to do with worldly inheritance, do not think about acquiring for yourself any part of the Jewish earthly possessions 83 . 37. We read that Moses, that is, the law, determined that all the lands acquired by war and murder should be distributed by lot to the Jewish people 84 . Salpaad's daughters also asked for a plot of these lands for themselves on the grounds that they were his children 85 . However, the same Moses did not allocate land to the Levites, whose dwelling was not earthly, but more sublime. He assigned them only a reward for their sacred service - without agricultural labor 86. The question is, what are these daughters of Salpaad who are looking for land? As the meaning of the name shows, they should be understood as “a shadow on the lips” 87. And it happens, of course, to those who do not have the word in their mouth and the truth in their speech, 88 as we see in the Jewish people, who do not want to confess God Christ Jesus as the Son of God. These are the ones who are looking for land, and striving for a heritage of this kind, in order to shed sweat over it all the time of their lives and, instead of fruits, reap the thorns of worries and worries. 38. So, you, daughters, who believe in the eternal light that enlightens every person, 89 who confess Christ not as if in shadow, but in light, avoid shadows on your lips. The people sat in the shadow of death, and the light appeared to them (Is. 9:2). So, we who recognize Christ were in the shadow, but are now free from it. And although in this way, together with you, may I be allowed to say that we confess Christ 90; but, however, we will also confess: I am widowhood, and you are virginity. May confession with the mouth be made in us for salvation 91. 39. Therefore, give to Levi, this our Savior, his lot. His lot is Levitical service, his lot is virginity, his lot is widowhood; indeed, not only a virgin, but also an unmarried woman cares for the Lord. That is why the apostle said: In Him and by lot we are established (Eph. 1:11). In fact, just as in the Old Testament the earth was divided by lot, so in the Gospel we are dedicated to the Lord as if by some kind of lot. That is why it is written about the evangelists 92: They divided my garments for themselves and cast lots for my clothing (Ps. 21:19; John 19:24). And the apostles, when it was necessary to elect the twelfth apostle in the place of Judas, decided to grant the gift of apostolic ministry by lot. And so, after making a prayer that the Lord would choose from the two whom He desired, the lot fell on Matthias 93. 40. So, that ancient division by lot was earthly, and this is spiritual. There is the acquisition of the material goods of this world, and here is the acquisition of personal service; there is a legacy of care, here a division of talents; there we possess fields filled with labor and sorrow, but here Christ possesses us. Why does Saint David say: You control my insides (Ps. 139:13). Let Him, children, control your insides, so that it may be a seedbed of chastity, a source of virtues 94. Devote yourself to Christ and confess to Him, saying this: You are my part, Lord (Ps. 119:57). Only an unmarried woman can say this, but a married woman cannot say this; after all, she is concerned about how to please her husband, and the unmarried woman is concerned about how to please Christ 95 . This one is the heritage of the world, and this one is the heritage of Christ. 41. A Levite, the inheritance of Christ 96, is one who does not appropriate to himself anything earthly. He who seeks a wife can no longer say: You are my part, O Lord (Ps. 119:57). But what does the servant of Christ say: I have no silver and gold; and what I have, this I give to you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk (Acts 3:6); and this he received because he did not seek gold. Indeed, he was sent without a staff, without a bag, without money 97. That's why he was glorified; since he did not have what he did not receive, he was not ashamed of poverty, since a beggar redeemed him 98. That is why He said: get up and walk - this is because he read in the Scripture: this poor man cried, and the Lord heard him (Ps. 33:7). 7. 42. So let the Lord be your portion—the Lord 99 who creates both the barren and the one who gives birth 100 . He creates both, but one gives birth in sorrow, and the other rejoices in its barrenness; to this last one it is said: rejoice, O barren woman, who has not given birth, shout and cry, O woman who has not had pain in the womb (Is. 54:1) 101. And indeed, she has sons without the pain of birth. That is why in the appendix to the Church it says: Who has heard whether a country produced offspring in one day, and whether a people was born at once (Is. 66:8)? But in one day the earth does not give birth, but grace gives birth. When Easter Day arrives, the sacraments of baptism are performed all over the face of the earth, and the dedicated virgins are veiled. So, in one day, without any sorrow, the Church usually gives birth to many sons and daughters. And that is why it is beautifully said about those who are ordained: and a people was born immediately (Is. 66:8). 43. You see the sacraments, you see the grace of Christ, the grace of the Holy Spirit, which is given as if by some kind of lot, for not by works, but by faith, everyone is justified by the Lord 103. In fact, just as the casting of lots depends not on our power, but on chance, so the grace of the Lord is sent down not as payment for merit, but as if arbitrarily. Therefore, about the division of gifts 104, sent down in various ways to the servants of God, the apostle says: All this is done by one and the same Spirit, dividing to each individual separately, as He pleases (1 Cor 12:11). As He pleases, he says, and not as he should. Indeed, to those who demand more abundant payment for their work and complain that they received equal pay with those who came after, the Lord says: Or is your eye envious because I am good (Matthew 20:15)? 44. Give, then, children, your lots to Him Who usually gives His servants a reward that exceeds the price of labor. Give the truth to His holy husband (Deut. 33:8), that is, integrity; for this is the integrity of Him who came, free from all defilement. So, virginity is the truth, and its loss is a lie. Therefore stand firm in your heart, like a good vineyard in its shoots 105. 45. There are many temptations; That’s why the Scripture says: they tempted him with temptation and reviled him on the water of quarreling Cadiz (Deut. 33:8). Virginity is tempted by numerous seekers, and when a virgin decides to remain adamant, then those who bicker come. The hand seeker gets into arguments and, if rejected, resorts to slander. The position of an unmarried woman - be it a virgin or a widow - seems shameful. Cadiz is an unmarried woman who is holy in body and spirit 106, who, having dedicated herself to the Lord, left her parents and does not fulfill the wishes of those who usually tell her: you, daughter, owe us grandchildren 107. Cadiz is the one who has not known motherhood. And if, therefore, she prefers the reproach of Christ 108, which is necessary for everyone who strives to please Christ, 109, to the riches of this age, then how much more so - you, whom the Father calls to integrity and the mother exhorts to follow what constitutes the requirement of duty. 46. ​​So, virginity is good. This is why it is said: whoever decides in his heart to keep his virginity does well. Therefore, he who gives his maiden in marriage does well; but he who does not give out does better (1 Cor. 7:37-38). This one acts well because of temptation 110, but this one acts better because of benefit 111. This is for the sake of healing 112, this is for receiving a reward. But she will be happier if she remains like this, according to my advice; but I think that I also have the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 7:40). So, children, follow the advice of the apostle, this gift of the Holy Spirit. 47. Take the tympanum in your hands, just as Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron 113, took it; go out with the words: Let us sing to the Lord, for He was glorified gloriously, He cast horse and rider into the sea (Ex. 15:21). Mortify your members ( Col. 3:5 ) like a tympanum. Let no carnal lust excite them, let every feeling of bodily passion perish in them. And among the dead lusts of the body, let only the moderating voice of the spirit be known to you. If you die to sin, you will live to God; but you will be alive only when there is no lust in your dead body 114. 48. Always hold in your hands the cross of the Lord Jesus and raise it up in your deeds. Tread on the abyss of this world and pass through the world. Like a horse neighing lustfully 115, let him not find any refuge in you; let everyone who wishes to pursue and take possession of you be drowned 116. Let a wall of water rise to your right and left 117, tempering all your bodily ardor, until God’s favor removes you to those mental twelve springs and seventy palm trees 118, into that rest of the Great Saturday 119, and deigns to settle you on the mountain of his inheritance (Ex. 15:17) 120, where Holy Mary presides choruses 121. 49. Put on, children, the Lord Jesus 122, seek true wisdom, about which Job speaks: where is wisdom found? and where is the place of reason? ( Job 28:12 )? The Abyss said: it is not in me; and the sea: not mine (Job 28:14). Well said the abyss: not in me, for He has risen; there is no One in her whom she could not hold. And in the Gospel you will find that the angels said to the women who came to the tomb: You are looking for Jesus crucified: He is not here - He has risen (Matthew 28:5-6). What do you mean: not here? This means: He is not in the grave, He is not in the underworld, but He is in heaven. And the sea also - that is, this age, this world - says: not with me, - for He is above the world, Whom neither the fall nor the charms of human life changed - for He committed no sin, and there was no flattery in His mouth (Is. 53:9; 1 Pet. 2:22). So, the abyss said: not in me; and the sea: not mine (Job 28:14). But heaven did not say that it did not have the One whom it perceived as risen. And paradise did not say: not in me - about the One whom he, - after the release of the thief according to the word of the Lord Himself: today you will be with Me in paradise (Luke 23:43), - he knew as his King. 50. Attract, children, wisdom into the inner treasuries of your heart, since it, which does not know death, is more precious than gold and silver 123; for it is not the dead who will praise you, O Lord, but the living (Ps. 113:25–26). Therefore, in order for you to live, praise the Lord, you too, praise Him day and night. And you will praise Him only if no desire for marriage, no worldly concern turns you away from Him. Indeed, those who choose marriage by lot bear the burden of worries about the affairs of this world. 8. 51. Consider, children, what you owe in relation to your parental vows. We opened our mouths to God 124, and the will of the parents is a vow. We asked, and you will fulfill it. And what is the power of parental vows, the daughter of Jephthah of Gilead must teach you; She, so that her parents’ vow would not be in vain, even sacrificed her life. After all, concerned about the unfavorable course of hostilities, Jephthah made a vow, in the event of a successful outcome of the battle, to sacrifice to God the first thing he came across when he returned home. And when the victory was won, his daughter comes out to meet him, who, more than others, was imbued with joyful jubilation on the occasion of the victory and the duty of daughterly love. The father began to sob and forgot all his feelings when he remembered the vow. His daughter asked him the reason for his tears, and he told her what he had promised the Lord. Then the daughter began to convince him to fulfill the vow he had made to the Lord. And thus she redeemed her father’s careless vow with her blood 125. 52. All this applies to you too. And here you are, the son whom the true Elkanah 126 gave to me - that is, the inheritance of God - you are my begged, my begged (after all, it was from this that he received the name Samuel 127), you, I say, my demanded and promised, you who - I don’t even know how - entered my womb when I already despaired of having male offspring 128, you whom my vows created for me, and not any secrets of ordinary conception, you, I say, son, know who gave you to me. It was He who molded your mouth, He who divided your members, He who heard my prayers, Whose church and Whose service I condemned you to even before your birth 129 . You were born not for your parents, not for yourself, but for God; you began to belong to Him before you came out of your mother’s womb 130. And we all, of course, belong to Him, but, however, you, as the promised one, must first of all return to your Lord, for it is written: Make and pay vows to the Lord your God (Ps. 75:12). I am insignificant, I am unworthy, and, however, like Anna, I promised that all the days 131 and nights of your life you will not depart from the face of the Lord 132; I promised, and you will fulfill it: the Lord will fulfill the gift of his sacrifice for himself.” 53. The pious mother said this and more. And, seeing the inspiration in the children, she then brought her wealth 133, suckled by the breasts of spiritual grace, to the church of the Lord 134 and, turning in prayer, said: my heart was established in the Lord, my horn was exalted in my God. My mouth is widened against my enemies; I rejoice in Your salvation, for no one is holy like the Lord, and no one is righteous like our God, and no one is holy more than You (1 Samuel 2:1-2). 54. So, this is what the mother told her children, who at the same time brought into the house the title of widowhood for herself and chastity for the children - in a word, these, in some way, feminine principles of power 135. And, of course, this woman is beautiful, who left nothing for herself, and brought everything she had to God; her life is a lesson in learning and a certain example of chastity - both in its good intention and in its even more valuable instructiveness. Indeed, the example of widowhood and virginity is instructive. 55. Here she goes to Church, surrounded by virgin daughters, bringing here this decoration of her home. And in the Church she finds what she can call her treasure: a son who proclaims the prophecies of the sacred readings. Thus, the sisters, listening to their brother in church, seem to be receiving instructions at home 136. And the mother, imitating the heavenly example, rejoices at her success in her son; She entrusts all the words of his readings to a pious feeling and carefully preserves them in her heart 137. 9. 56. Although there are no omissions in the mother’s admonitions, I, for my part, will tell you, children, at least a few words. Seek the Lord Jesus, who exhorts us to seek the kingdom of God; and all this, He says, will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). But I want you to first deserve it and then demand your reward. The reward is beautiful, but even more beautiful is the giver of the reward and the originator of the gift. The reward is in the kingdom, and Christ has the power to distribute it. Look for it in the divine Scriptures, where Christ is found, and say just as that bride said: tell me, you whom my soul loved (Song. 1:6). True, the Synagogue also sought Him, but only abandoned Him; seek him also, and do not forsake Him. But why do you, Synagogue, say: whom did you love, and not express it this way: I love him? That is why, of course, you do not possess Him, since you say: you loved Him, and why don’t you still love Him strongly in order to be able to possess Him 138? 57. However, let's leave it. You, virgin, as soon as you begin to look for Him, He is already with you; and indeed, it cannot be that He did not respond to the call of those who sought Him - He who appeared to those who did not seek Him, and who revealed Himself to those who did not ask 139 . While you are talking and thinking, He is already here - with you. When He comes, be able to ask Him where He grazes, where He rests, as that bride also said: where do you graze, where do you rest at noon (Song. 1:6)? Where is Christ? Of course, where the noon of truth shines 140. This is even proven by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which says: He pitched his tent in the sun (Ps. 18:5). Therefore, the same prophet says in another place: in your light we will see light (Ps. 35:10). Light is the Son, Light is also the Father, Who appears in the Son 141, for the Son is the radiance of the glory of the Father and the image of His hypostasis (Heb. 1:3). 58. But also in your light, virgin, seek Christ, seek in good thoughts, in good deeds, which may be enlightened before your Father who is in heaven 142. Seek at night, search on your bed 143, for even at night He comes and knocks on your door 144. After all, He wants you to be awake every moment, He wants the door of your thoughts to be open. There is also a door that He wants to see open, namely, so that your lips 145 are open and proclaim the praise of the Lord, the beauty of the Bridegroom, the confession of the cross, so that you, repeating the symbol, sing psalms in your upper room 146. So when He comes, let Him find you awake 147 so that you will be ready. Let your flesh sleep, but your faith stay awake; let the temptations of the body sleep, but the prudence of the heart is awake 148; let your members exude the fragrance of the cross of Christ and the fragrance of burial 149, and sleep, thus, does not spread any heat in them, does not excite any movements. The soul, which is not disturbed by any bodily vapors, opens itself to Christ. 59. Having discovered this, the Bridegroom will pass by 150; but let your soul follow Him, let it leave its bed and follow His Word, as it is written: my soul came forth in His word (Song. 5:6), that is, let it leave the body to appear before God 151, since, while remaining in the body, it moves away from Christ. That is why the apostle says: So, we are filled with confidence and wish better to leave the body and be with the Lord. And therefore we zealously strive, whether in or out, to be pleasing to Him; For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive according to what he has done while living in the body, whether good or bad (2 Cor. 5:8-10). How easily he discovered the reason why the body will resurrect. Indeed, the flesh, which must receive reward for its deeds, even needs to be resurrected; we must receive reward in the body for everything that we have done while in the body. 60. So, the Lord wants Him to be sought more often 153: He withdraws, runs in order to arouse the grace that He wants you to arouse in yourself, as it is written in the letter to Timothy: For this reason I remind you to kindle the gift of God, which is in you through my laying on of hands (2 Tim. 1:6). And the one who has already kindled this gift in herself seems to be wounded by love, as that bride said: for I am wounded by love (Song.5:8), if you awaken and arouse my love (Song.2:7, 3:5, 8:4). And we will understand what this means if we remember that the Lord Jesus is an arrow; The Father says to him: He has laid you down like a chosen arrow (Is. 49:2). And since He Himself is love, there are, of course, arrows of love with which He inflicts wounds on those who seek Him 154. And indeed, bound by bonds, they follow Him; those whom He wounds, He also binds. There are, therefore, even bonds of love; Paul was bound by them, who says: Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ (Hos. 11:4; Phil. 1:1). 61. Job also testifies to the existence of wounds of love, more than whom no one loved Christ; he loved Him even in the suffering of his own body. That is why he said: the arrows of the Lord are in my body, their rage drinks my blood; when I begin to speak, they wound me (Job.6:4). There are, therefore, wounds of love, and wounds that are good: better are wounds from a friend than voluntary wounds from the kiss of an enemy (Proverbs 27:6). In the same way, Jeremiah burned out and could not bear the fire of love that burned during the fulfillment of his prophetic ministry 155. He was even thrown into a ditch 156 because he announced future destruction to the Jews and could not remain silent. They also stoned Stephen 157, but he accepted these wounds for Christ as wounds of love, with a feeling of pious disposition 158. The apostles were beaten - and rejoiced 159. How good is the Lord, for whose sake both insults are sweet and death is desirable! And even very desirable, because it bestows immortality. 10. 62. At all times, it is said, let your garments be snow-white (Eccl.9:8). What is snow-whiter than virginity? What is whiter than the spotless robe of chastity? Beautiful, of course, is marital chastity and the chastity of widowhood: all chastity is pure, but perhaps not all is snow-white, or not snow-white at all times. It is not snow-white if one does not have power over his body (1 Cor. 7:4-5), when prayer is postponed for a time. Therefore, it is beautifully said about virginity: at all times let your garments be snow-white and oil on your head (Eccl. 9:8), so that your lamps can always shine and not go out when that heavenly Bridegroom approaches 160. 63. And in what sense Ecclesiastes said: on your head, we will present on the basis of the Book of Proverbs; The eyes of a person, it is said, are in his head 161, meaning the senses of your wisdom. That is why, perhaps, that evangelical wife who wiped the feet of the Lord with her hair 162 is praised - precisely because she humbled herself by faith, so as not to seem proudly imbued with that carnal wisdom, which, as the true interpreter of the mysteries Paul 163 explained, is not subject to the law, 164 while this woman submitted herself to Christ. 64. We can perfectly understand this in the literal sense, because if in the prophetic writings the daughters of Zion are condemned for standing with their heads held high, winking their eyes, dragging their tunics behind them and playing with their feet, and if for all this, says the Lord, the shine of their clothing, their attire and the braiding of their hair will be taken away (Is. 3:16-18), then this woman did the right thing when she let her hair down and she untied their weavings by the teaching of the Gospel 165. That is why the apostles said that women should not seek braiding, as Peter taught, 166 not braided hair, not gold, not pearls, not clothing of many colors (1 Tim. 2:9), as Paul asserted, but the adornment of the inner man 167; for only that hidden person of the heart who is poor to the world is rich to God 168 . 65. Here you, children, who consider yourself poor, listened to me (and what kind of person is rich if he needs a lot, if not one who does not have a grave sin on his conscience?). Good, it is said, is wealth in which there is no sin on the conscience (Sir.13:30). You have listened, I say, to what your wealth may be before God. You are rich, it is said, if you have an uncorrupted and humble spirit 169. Indeed, good wealth is characteristic of innocence and simplicity; sin is not imputed to them 170, since there are no twists of guile and deception in them; Every simple person does not know how to slander, he does not know envy, he is satisfied with his own, and does not look for someone else’s; and even when he is poor, he considers himself rich, if only he has enough food. In view of this, the Apostle Paul says beautifully: and their deep poverty abounded in the wealth of their simplicity (2 Cor. 8:2). 66. And since the Church was adorned with befitting decorations and, receiving the light from Christ, shone with radiance, then in view of this, that place can be understood in the sense that here the Synagogue 171 addresses the Church with these words: where do you shepherd? where do you rest at noon? Why should I be a wanderer near the flocks of your fellows ( Song 1:6 )? The one who previously arrogated dominance to herself wants to be a mercenary. How fatal is treachery! 67. But since she was unfaithful, stiff-necked and sacrilegious, Christ separates her from the flocks of His Church, saying: if you do not know yourself, most beautiful of women (Song. 1:7), that is: first know yourself, what you are, and then only strive to draw closer to My flocks. And rightly the Synagogue is called the most beautiful of women, and not of virgins, since she followed the wife Eve, through whom the fall came 172. The Church is beautiful among virgins, for she is an immaculate virgin 173. 68. Therefore, both husband and wife should know that they are the image and likeness of God 174 and therefore should seek the beauty of the soul 175 and not the body. What are we made of? From the substance of the soul and the power of thought. This is our entire share 176. David says: I will trust in God, I will not fear; what can the flesh do to me (Ps. 55:5)? Therefore, we are not flesh, but spirit. But about the Jews it is said: My Spirit will not abide in them, for they are flesh (Gen. 6:3). We are not gold, we are not money, we are not an abundance of riches; all this is ours. Therefore, Moses says to you: take heed to yourself (Deut. 15:9), that is, be attentive to your soul, lest you perish and become carnal. Listen to yourself, that is, to the image that you received from Christ, to the likeness with which you were created 177. Preserve the very image that Christ imprinted on you by His deeds, as He Himself says to Jerusalem, that is, to the soul that brings peace: behold, I have engraved, Jerusalem, your walls (Is. 49:16). 69. So, listen, and especially you, son, listen to yourself, so that you can rejoice in your youth. And the Scripture says to you: rejoice, young man, in your youth (Eccl. 11:9). It doesn't tell you about the time of one age. The fact is that there is, as it were, a certain flourishing of life, a time of good deeds; about which it is written: your youth will be renewed like that of an eagle (Ps. 103:5). “And let your heart,” it is said, “make you blessed in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart blameless and in the vision of your eyes (Eccl. 11:9), but not in the boldness of your eyes; of course, in spiritual vision, and not in the boldness of this age. And understand that for all this God will bring you to judgment. And drive out wrath from your heart, and put away wickedness from your flesh (Eccl. 11:10). 70. Take heed to yourself (Deut. 15:9), virgin, and you; be diligent in prayer 178 ; let your face become pale from constant prayer. And when you begin to pray, first prepare your soul, so that it does not seem that by praying you are tempting God 179; let your morals speak, your faith help, your deeds support you. Listen to yourself, - I tell you this, like every virgin. After all, you are not without a teacher for instructions. 71. In particular, I repeat, be attentive, virgin, to the sacred vow and beware of any shameless eye. If, even temporarily, like a traveler, he passes by, then even then he will open his mouth and drink whatever water he comes across to give you something to drink 180. You should not go anywhere without your mother, let her be a vigilant guardian of your chastity. Even going to Church for young girls should be relatively rare 181 . Look what Mary was like, and yet, every time they looked for Her, they found her not anywhere else, but exclusively in her room 182. May She teach you what you should follow. She saw an angel in the form of her husband and, turning Her gaze away from him, trembled in Her heart 183. That is why the angel says to Her: Do not be afraid, Mary (Luke 1:30). Solitude teaches modesty, seclusion exercises chastity. 72. And why should you go out freely, even to your neighbor? After all, the foot of a fool rushes into someone else's house, but a man of great experience is ashamed (Sir.21:25). This is where idle talk is born, 184, which the wise man perfectly teaches you to fear with the following words: who will give a guard to my teaching and a sure seal on my lips, so that I do not fall through them and so that my tongue does not destroy me (Sir. 22:27) 185. If the male sex is commanded to remain silent before elders, 186 then how much more indecent is it for virgins to speak and make various speeches? 73. Suppose you impose silence on yourself. But can you force others to remain silent and not listen to them? Someone can sometimes put a bridle on his mouth and give measure to his words, but he cannot do this with his ears. Whether to speak depends on us, but to listen depends on the will of others; We often listen even to what we don’t want. 11. 74. Let's see what else Scripture teaches us. We should not swear frivolously 187 because very often there are cases when we cannot fulfill what we have sworn to. And whoever does not take an oath, of course, does not break the oath; on the contrary, whoever swears an oath necessarily sometimes falls into perjury, for every person is a liar (Ps. 116:2). So, do not swear, lest you fall into perjury. 75. Even gaiety itself should not be expressed too freely among virgins. If they have nothing to cry about, then let them mourn this world, let them cry for the fall of those who sin. After all, she who mourns the falls of others will fear her own. Let them cry, finally, if only for the consideration that those who cry here will receive consolation there 188. After all, if you do not cry, then, like the rich man who lived luxuriously here, and there, according to the testimony of the Lord’s saying, he was subjected to severe torment, you can hear: you have already received your good things in your life (Luke 16:25). How much happier is Lazarus, who wept here and rejoiced there; here he suffered hunger, and there he feasts! Thus, if you want to achieve good joy, then the book of Ecclesiastes gives you instructions on how to strive for such joy; it says: Come, eat your bread with joy; for your works are already pleasing to God (Eccl. 9:7). 76. Let us also see how the same Ecclesiastes accuses us all of immoderate laughter. Like the sound of thorns under a pot, he says, so is the laughter of fools (Eccl. 7:7). But thorns, when they burn, make a cracking noise and quickly burn out without producing any heat. That is why it is said about the Jews: they burned like fire among thorns (Ps. 117:12). Indeed, inflamed by their laughter, they burned during the suffering of the Lord, when, laughing at the fire of their soul, they said: he trusted in the Lord, let him deliver him, let him save him, if he pleases Him (Ps. 21:9). And, mocking, they beat Him on the head with a reed 189, wove Him a crown of thorns 190 and offered Him vinegar to drink 191. This ridicule condemns the Synagogue to fire forever. Such is the laughter of fools; it sounds graceless and burns the vessel of their own body. Therefore, Sarah, not without reason, denied that she laughed 192; in this case, she was afraid to reveal with laughter her doubt about the fulfillment of heavenly promises 193; but this laughter was still full of seriousness and chastity; and no outside witness, except God alone, who knows the hidden secrets, knew about him. 77. How beautiful is this: Do not be hasty in your spirit to anger, because anger nests in the hearts of fools (Eccl. 7:9), that is, even if there was a reason capable of arousing your anger, do not rush to take revenge, lest the heat of your anger flare up too immoderately. You cannot destroy your natural mental movements, but you can slow them down and thus moderate irritation with the medicine of thought 194. This is what David said a long time ago: be angry and do not sin (Ps. 4:5); It’s not that he forbade anger itself, he could not, of course, destroy what was a property of nature, but, like a good doctor, he gives medicine so that this anger cannot cause harm. 78. Finally, if anyone sins in his heart - since anger can be uncontrollable - then he is given advice to reproach himself on his bed and condemn himself for the sin. Indeed, in Scripture there are such words: what you say in your hearts, lament it on your beds (Ps. 4:5). So, he wanted all people to observe their shortcomings, so that the one who is not restrained by public testimony, having sinned in secret, would fear his own judgment 195 and tame himself, as it were, with a certain sting of bitterness and shame. 12. 79. And why should I talk about abstinence if the sage says: Take away the desires of the womb from me, and let voluptuousness not take possession of me (Sir.23:5)? Do not be afraid of weakness from fasting and abstinence, for grave weakness makes the soul sober (Sir.31:6). 80. And how one should take care of a good name is taught by the Proverbs of Solomon in the following words: a good name is better than great riches (Proverbs 22:1). And what is the value of inherited property if it does not have a good steward? Therefore, righteous Job says: let the blessing of the dying man come to me, and let the lips of the widow bless me. I was the eye of the blind, the foot of the lame, the father of the weak (Job 29:13-15). If I saw someone perishing without clothes, did I not clothe him? have not the needy blessed me, and have I not warmed their shoulders with the wool of my sheep ( Job 31:19–20 ); Have I ever hidden my sin, which I committed involuntarily as a fool (Job.31:33), have I ever left the poor to leave my doors with an empty bosom (Job.31:34). This is how a good name is acquired! 81. But in a virgin, what is most worthy of attention is the desire for sobriety. Sobriety I call abstinence not from wine, but from carnal uncontrollability and the boasting characteristic of the world: with this boasting we become intoxicated even more than with wine; it gives the cup of fall and the vessel of wrath. That is why the Lord says, addressing Jerusalem: So, listen to this, humble and drunken, but not from wine. Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of drunkenness and the cup of wrath (Isa. 51:21-22). And the Synagogue has already drained this cup; The daughters of the Church should not drink from it. It is about the Jews that it is said: their daughters are adorned, adorned, like a church (Ps. 143:12); you are the church of God 196, daughters of Him who is not transformed into an angel of light 197, but is the True Light from the True Light 198. Therefore, let there be in you not only the likeness, but the Truth itself. Meanwhile, many, even when they take a vow of chastity, still worry about auxiliary means of beauty: they appear in such a painted form, with such a tender face that they violate the decorum of the sacred virgins of the Lord. To them I address myself with the following apostolic speech: if you and Christ died to the elements of this world, then why do you, as those living in the world, still compete because of this world? Do not touch, it is said, do not touch, do not eat everything that relates to corruption 199. 82. Here is Saint Soteria 200 - let it be allowed to use the example of a pious parent close to us, for we, being in the priestly rank, consider the right to prefer our dignity to the titles of prefects and consuls, because we have, I repeat, the advantages of faith that do not know destruction - that’s how I said, and Saint Soteria did not care about her face. She, although beautiful in face, a girl of a noble family, nevertheless placed all the consulates and prefectures of her parents below the holy faith and did not heed the orders to make a sacrifice to the gods. And so the cruel persecutor, believing that the gentle maiden would yield to pain or shame, ordered her to be slapped. And as soon as she heard this order, she immediately opened her face and threw off the veil only for martyrdom, only for him she remained uncovered; by exposing her face, she voluntarily submitted to the insult, so that the martyrdom would take place where there is usually a test of modesty. She was glad that with the loss of beauty, the danger to her innocence would also be eliminated. Of course, the persecutors were able to scar her face with wounds, but with all this they could not disfigure the face of her virtue and the gift of her inner beauty. 83. Ancient legends tell of an Etruscan youth 201 who, possessing an amazing beauty of face that aroused women’s love for him, covered his face with scars so that no woman could love him. I don’t know whether his spirit was chaste at the same time; at least the impulse with which he attacked himself was not chaste. Moreover, he only inflicted wounds on himself without harming himself. She accepted the victorious scars of martyrdom in order to preserve the image of God 202 that she had. 13. 84. Preserve this image, daughters, keep the commandments of the Divine Scripture, so that every mouth, as it is said, may be stopped (Rom. 3:19). For it is written: Blessed is the man whom You admonish, O Lord, and instruct with Your law (Ps. 93:12). The good Lord admonishes and teaches and mostly reproaches; but he also makes the one whom He reproves blessed, for blessed is the man whom the Lord reproaches 203 . Therefore, do not avoid His reproaches: they are from love and grace. He Himself strikes, but, being a good doctor, He Himself heals with His own hands (Deut. 32:39). In six troubles he will save you, and in the seventh evil will not touch you, during famine he will deliver you from death, and in war - from the hand of iron; He will protect you from the scourge of the tongue (Job 5:19–21). And in fact, unless you decide to slander someone, then you will not be afraid of the scourge of someone else’s tongue. 85. The words of slanderers are surprisingly accurately depicted when the scourge of the tongue is mentioned (Job 5:21), the sound of which spreads widely around. Wanting to save us from it, the Apostle Peter exhorts that we should not repay evil for evil or curse for curse 204 and that when we are slandered, we should repay with the gift of thanksgiving. That is why it is said: keep your tongue from evil (Ps. 33:14) - as if from the scourge of the tongue - and do not be afraid of the sound of words, if your conscience is clear. It is good, of course, not to allow even the possibility of censure; if only this is feasible; but since so many reproach not for vices, but for virtues, then let them blame that which relates to praise, and not attack that which relates to error. 86. But what’s even worse is that we are scourged not only by someone else’s language, but even by our own. And these scourgings are even more severe when we fall into the sin of speaking too much. Therefore, guard your ways, virgin, so that you do not sin with your tongue 205. And speaking well in most cases is reprehensible for a virgin. And don’t be surprised that I say this about the virgin; after all, even a woman is commanded to study in silence 206. Beautiful is chastity, which is strengthened by silence. 87. Susanna was in danger and was silent 207 so that she could speak all the more eloquently with silent modesty 208. And so purity found a defender who defended her chastity. And it is precisely in the appendix to it that Scripture beautifully says that the Lord hid it from the scourge of the tongue 209. 88. Why are we talking only about women? Joseph also remained silent when he was accused, and innocence protected him better than his tongue. The wisest of all, Daniel 211, was silent, and it was he who stopped the mouths of the lions. In this case, Saint David expresses himself beautifully: “I set a watch on my lips,” he says, “when the sinner stood up before me (Ps. 39:2). 89. And why, in fact, do you want to talk? Perhaps you are afraid that, given your silence, they might not believe what they accuse you of? But listen to the good teacher, Saint Job: behold, I laugh at reproaches and say nothing, I shout and there is no judgment (Job 19:7), does this mean: the slanderer throws reproaches? And you have something to laugh at, unless your conscience knows there is a crime behind it. Why, in fact, do you need to reflect words with words? There is no judgment yet, even if you cry out, it will still not come closer. You have to fight many battles in this world. 90. Saint Job overcame grief over his losses; overcame and did not even allow himself to bitterly mourn the loss of his children; overcame the grief of wounds; Now, in addition to the ulcers of the body, there are also temptations from the wife 212, but he did not notice them either. As a final fight, he still has reproaches from his friends in store 213. He struggled with parental feelings 214, struggled with suffering and illness of the body 215; He still had to experience temptation from speeches. 14. 91. So, when you see that a widow is oppressed by want or suffers either from indecent behavior or from the death of her sons; If a righteous man suffers offense, do not judge his merits by the misfortunes of this age and do not be surprised that he is abandoned by the Lord. Here we are competing, but we will receive the crown in another place. And I said this not only about myself, but about all people in general. In fact, where can I get so much merit? For me, condescension is already the crown. Here is a struggle, and there is a reward, here is service, and there is a salary. So, as long as I am in this world, I struggle, I fight, I am attacked to smite me; but the Lord is strong to raise up those who are cast down, to support those who fall, to encourage those who waver. Why are you surprised that this or that one suffers? While he is in this life, his struggle will not stop and he will not receive the crown. No one will receive praise unless he endures to the end 216 ; only after this legal competition can he receive the crown 217. 92. Who is more glorious, who is more blessed than Paul? However, this vessel of the Lord’s election did not win the crown for himself before he completed the entire feat. That is why he says: I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; and now there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:7–8), which, according to him, will be given not only to him, but also to all who love the coming of the Lord 218. He said beautifully: to those who love the coming of Christ; Indeed, no one rushes to judgment, except for the one who is confident in his innocence or who has taken advantage of his labor in advance, who is helped either by the grace of the Lord or by pious deeds for the sake of Christ. 93. This reward, of course, will also be received by the widow who raised her children well 219; She will find joy in children. Especially will that widow rejoice who gave to the Lord all whom she conceived. That is why that evangelical widow is ranked higher than the rich 220; she is praised by the mouth of the Lord not only because she contributed everything she had to feed the poor 221, but also because she brought two copper coins, that is, perfect faith 222. So the Samaritan gave the innkeeper two copper coins for the maintenance of a man, so that he would take care of healing the ulcers of that man wounded by robbers 223 . Consequently, in view of the fact that in her concerns for her offspring she imitated both the virginity of the Old Testament Mariam, sister of Aaron 224, and the purity of the New Testament saint Mary 225, the Mother of the Lord 226, she will receive a reward for her faith at the divine court. She left nothing to help herself in this world, but entrusted all the service of her pious offspring to the Lord. 94. Now, Lord, I pray to Thee 227: as the eternal High Priest, look upon this Thy house, on these altars now being consecrated 228, on these spiritual stones, in each of which a living church 229 is dedicated to Thee; and according to Your divine mercy, accept the prayers of Your servants, poured out in this place. May every sacrifice offered in this church with pure faith and holy zeal be a sacred aroma to You. And, looking at that saving sacrifice, for the sake of which the sin of this world is taken away. look also at these sacrifices of holy chastity and do not deprive them of Your eternal help, may they be acceptable sacrifices for You with a sweet aroma 230 231, pleasing to the Lord Christ 232, and deign to keep their spirit in integrity, and their soul and body carefree until the day of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ 233. Apophoreta - gifts that hosts gave to guests invited to a feast. The XIV book of Martial's epigrams is called Apophoreta. St. himself Ambrose, thus, acts not so much in the role of a person invited to a feast, but in the role of a host intending to give gifts to those invited. From the 4th century There is a lot of evidence about the transfer of the relics of martyrs, accompanied by solemn ceremonies (cf. St. Gregory the Theologian c. Iulian. 1. 25; St. Paulinus of Nolan carm. 19. 317–324; Socrates hist. eccl. 5. 19; Sozomen hist. eccl. 5. 19; 7, 10). St. himself Ambrose talks about the transfer of the relics of the martyr he accomplished. Gervasia and Protasia epist. 77). In this case, the celebration lasted three days (June 17–19, 386) and was accompanied by vigils (uigiliae), ordinations (manus inpositio), readings of the Holy Scriptures, and two sermons were delivered by the bishop. Wed. also, from the biographer of St. Ambrose, Paulinus of Milan (uita A. 32), about the transfer in 395 of the relics of the martyr. Nazariya. The first chapters talk about the transfer of the relics of the martyr. Agricola. Together with them the relics of his servant martyr were found. Vitaly, but they were not transferred, and the figure of this martyr faded into the background. However, Paulinus (uita A. 29) speaks of the transfer of the relics of both martyrs, and later their joint veneration was established. This text contains the oldest information about these martyrs. Wed. also at St. Pavlina Nolansky carm. 27. 429–432. About the time of their martyrdom of St. Ambrose says nothing; the earliest mentions are in the pseudo-Ambrose epist. 3, 10 (mid-5th century), according to which the martyrdom dates back to the times of Diocletian and Maximian. Gifts are particles of the martyr’s relics. Agricola in question. For the circumstances of writing the treatise, see the preface. Wed. Suetonius (Vesp. 194 Calig. 55) has information about the distribution of apophoreta by emperors on the occasion of the Saturnalia festival. The application of terms and concepts of classical language to Christian realities is often found in St. Ambrose. Wed: epist. 77, 4: animi sublimis trophaea; ibid., 12: cruoris triumphalis notae; ibid., 13: uictimae triumphales. Prudentius often uses the same technique (perist. 1.81; 2.4; 4.78, etc.). Even before the establishment of the official cult of martyrs, their memory was revered by individual Christians, and the possession of relics was considered a privilege. Later, the custom of donating relics to churches and basilicas spread. The relics that St. speaks of. Ambrose may have been intended for another church (it is known that from Bononia he first went to Favencia (Faenza), and from there “at the invitation of the Florentines” he arrived in Florence - see uita A. 27), but at the request of the widow Juliana (see below: 2. 10) their particles were placed under the altar in the church built on her initiative, where this word was pronounced. The second martyr is called the “colleague” of the first, thereby making the two martyrs like consuls. Wed. in Prudentius perist. 5. 300: propriaeque collegam crucis. Perhaps the story of the martyrdom of St. Vitaliy is a later insertion made to complement the picture, since at the beginning of St. Ambrose speaks only about the martyr. Agricole (see: Gori 1989, II: 201). That is, in the Jewish cemetery. Perhaps the martyrs themselves were Jews by blood (despite their Roman names). What martyr. Agricola was crucified, says that he was not a Roman citizen (this kind of measures were not applied to Roman citizens). Perhaps the Jewish origin of the martyr is also indicated by the fact that Jews gathered to find the relics (as discussed in the next paragraph). Lit. “robes taken off”, the body stripped from the soul. Wed. in Prudentius (perist. 11.183): ipsa, illas animae exuuias quae continent intus, / aedicule argento fulgurate ex solido. Wed: Song 2:2: tamquam lilium in medio spinarum (cf.: uirgb. 1. 8. 43; uirgt. 9. 51; inst. u. 14. 92). The word reliquiae meaning “remains of the deceased” was already used by pagan authors, but only towards the end of the 4th century. it is included in the church lexicon with the specific meaning of “holy relics.” St. Ambrose is one of the first to use it in this meaning (epist. 77). Wed. also: exp. Luc. 3. 27: Flores apostolic, tempus messis fructus est Christi; exam. 4. 5. 22: tempus messis aduenit; interpr. Iob 4. 1. 3; exp. ps. 118, 6. 26. This phrase is another evidence in favor of the Jewish origin of the martyr. Agricola. The contrast between Judaism and Christianity as winter and spring (cf.: Isaac 4. 35; exam. 4. 5. 22; exp. Luc. 3. 27; exp. ps. 118, 6. 25). “Flowers” ​​and “dove” symbolize spring, at the same time “flowers” ​​are martyrs, “dove” is the Church or chastity that flourishes in the Church (cf.: exp. Luc. 3.27). Saying that the Jews welcome the discovery of martyrs, St. Ambrose emphasizes that salvation is in the Church, and not in the synagogue, but here the controversy is minimized, in the context of the festive meeting of the Christian and Jewish communities of Bononia. This refers to lectio diuina, which preceded this homily. In Mediolan in 386, under similar circumstances - during the transfer of the relics of the martyr. Gervasia and Protasia - the same psalm was read (cf.: epist. 77, 4-8). An explanation of why the Jews were denied the grace of God is given in exp. Luc. 5. 20–22, which also quotes Romans 10:3. This refers to the miracles performed from the relics of the martyr. Agricola (since he was crucified on the cross, particles of the cross are also added to the relics, and the miracles from his relics are at the same time the miracles of the Cross of the Lord). Perhaps we are talking about the miracle of the resurrection of a child, described by Peacock in the Life of St. Ambrose (uita A., 28). The biographer attributes this miracle to the saint, but he himself could associate it with the grace of the martyr. Wed. miracles that occurred during the transfer of the martyr's relics. Gervasia and Protasia, who are described in epist. 77, 9. Wed. in Peacock (uita A. 29.2): poena daemonum confitentium martyrum merita. In epist. 77:9 says that during the transfer of the relics there were cases of exorcism. Valuable evidence of the beginning of the spread of the subsequently ingrained custom of placing relics under the throne. This does not mean the construction of churches, but the fact that the widow Juliana convinced her children to choose the path of virginity (which will be discussed in detail later). The theme of the virgin as the church of God (following the example of the Mother of God, who served as the church in which Christ lived) St. Ambrose touches on this repeatedly. Wed: epist. ex. c. 14.33; uirgb. 2. 2. 2; 2. 4. 26–27; inst. u. 5.33; 17.95; hymn 4.12. Obviously, this was an error in oral speech; it was not preserved in written language. Commenting on Ps.75:2, St. Ambrose distinguishes between two Jews: one of them is a believer, the other is not. Wed: exp. Luc. 8. 38: noui etiam et aliam ludaeam secundum spiritum, non secundum litteram; spir. s. 3.21.162; also: uid. 3.19. The distinction between spiritual Judea and carnal Judea is similar to the two-part understanding of man: the soul is maior portio, a larger portion than the body, and accordingly has a “purer understanding,” intellectus sincerior (Gori 1989, II: 209). Wed: epist. 15, 10. Juliana's husband could have been a deacon or priest and was ordained shortly before his death. See: Proverbs 15:20. In the Moorish edition, instead of imprudens - imprudentem. Given the biblical allusion, it does not seem convincing. That is, in the name of the martyr, Archdeacon Lawrence, who was highly revered in this era. Wed. description of his martyrdom by Prudentius (perist. 2). The meaning of the name, therefore, can call both to the service of a deacon and to fidelity to Christ, which St. showed by his martyrdom. Lavrenty. In addition, the name of the martyr, associated with the laurels of victories, also plays a certain role. And, of course, the decisive role is played by the fact that the son was given to Juliana and her husband through the prayers of St. Lawrence, to whom, it must be understood, vows were made to dedicate the child to God (cf. below: 8.52). Leuior - in the sense that the messenger is not burdened with any load and therefore moves quickly. Wed: uirgb. 1.5.23; uid. 12. 72–73. St. Ambrose is undoubtedly talking here about spiritual “self-castration.” Wed: uid. 13. 75–77. See: Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25; Luke 20:35. In Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25 – in caelis, here replaced by in terris. Wed: uirgb. 1. 9. 56; inst. u. 13.81; uirgt. 6. 32–33. A valuable indication of Western practice at that time: a married man could become a priest, but obviously had to end his married life. Widows in the ancient Church received official status and assistance, but there was an age limit: no younger than 60 years, in accordance with 1 Timothy 5:9. For stipendia uiduitatis see: uid. 2.9; 14.85; exp. Luc. 2.52. Comparing and contrasting Eve and the Mother of God, St. Ambrose follows a tradition dating back to St. To Justin the Philosopher (dial. 100). Wed. also at St. Irenaeus of Lyons haer. 3. 22. 4; 5.19.1; Tertullian carn. 17. 5–6; St. Epiphany of Cyprus pan. 78. 18. At St. Ambrose, this contrast is often emphasized by the contrast between the wife (mulier) and the maiden (uirgo). Wed: epist. ex. c. 13, 33; exp. ps. 118, 5. 3; 6.23; 2.8; inst. u. 5.33; obit. Th. 47; exp. Luc. 4. 7. For an exegesis of the term mulier, see also uirgt. 7.20. Opitulantia is a term not found anywhere else (recorded only as a gloss). See: Gori 1989, II: 219. The term aula to designate the womb of the Mother of God is found in other writings of St. Ambrose. Wed: epist. ex. c. 14, 110; 15.7; paenit. 1. 1. 4; inst. u. 7.50; 12.79; 17.105; hymn 4. 14. In this case, the same concept is transferred to the mother of virgins. Wed: inst. u. 17.106; epist. ex. c. 15, 7. See: Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:26ff. See: Rev.21:27; Isa.52:1. Wed. interpretation in uirgt. 14.85. In this context, in relation to mystical marriage, fides is not only “faith”, but also “fidelity”. A similar spiritual exegesis of Song 4:8 is given in inst. u. 17.107; uirgt. 12.69; expl. ps. 36, 77; exp. ps. 118, 15.7; 17.32; Wed also: Isaac 5. 47; myst. 7.39; uirgb. 2.5.42. The contrast between “vineyard” and “vegetables” contains an allusion to 1 Kings 21:2. Wed: Nab. 3.11; epist. 75a, 17: ...rex succisis uilibus holus uile sereret. In general, the episode with Naboth is mentioned by St. Ambrose often, cf.: epist. 10, 8; exp. Luc. 9.25; 9. 32–33; expl. ps. 35, 15; expl. ps. 36, 19; expl. ps. 37, 43; off. 2. 17; 3. 62–63. For the interpretation of the name Jezebel, see also Nab. 9.42. The interpretation of the name “Egypt” as “suffering”, “sorrow” perhaps goes back to Philo of Alexandria (ongr. 83) cf.: Wutz Onomastica sacra 1. P. 154. Cf. also: 1. 7. 60; 2. 4. 13; 2.5.21. For the most extensive discussion of the allegory of the cloud, see exp. Luc. 10. 41–43. On the definition of cloud – “light”, denoting the state of virginity, cf.: inst.; exp. s. 118, 5. 3. The “lightness” of the Mother of God in Her internal state of sinlessness, conditioned by virginity. Wed. exp. Luc. 10. 42: uenit et “in nube leui” incarnates ex uirgine. See: John 13:23. John draws from the breast of Christ the mysterious wisdom that he expounded in his Gospel. Wed: inst. u. 7.45; exp. Luc. 10.130. In the original paronomasia: nubentes - getting married, nubes - clouds. A similar interpretation, based on the custom, according to which the bride covers her head with a veil, a married woman with a veil, cf. in Abr. 1. 9. 93. The same etymology is given by the commentator of the Aeneid, Servius - see: ad. Aen. 11. 77: “obnubuit” autem uelauit, translatio a nubibus quibus tegitur caelum: unde et nuptiae dicuntur, quod nubentem capita obnubantur, id est uelantur. Wed. also in Isidore of Seville etym. 9. 7. 10. In this case, we are talking specifically about the custom of engagement. Wed: uirgt. 5.26; Abr. 1. 9. 93. See: Gen.2:25. Here St. Ambrose expresses the idea that the original state of man was virginity, and marriage was introduced as a result of original sin. Wed: inst. u. 5. 36. See: Gen. 4:1–2. The comparison of Cain and Abel is based on a comparison of the meanings of the names, so in this place it was assumed that the text was damaged (cf. note 32 in the Moorish edition - PL 16:32). Wed. also: Cain et A. 1. 1. 1: …nominum interpretatione plenius deprehenditur. Cain etenim dictus est adquisitio, quod omnia sibi adquireret, Abel qui omnia referret ad deum pia deuotus mentis adtentione, nihil sibi adrogans ut superior frater, sed totum tribuens conditori quod accepisset ab eo. Wed. in Philo of Alexandria sacrif., 2. Abel's sacrifice (Gen. 4:4) prefigured the atoning suffering of Christ. Wed: incarn. 1. 4. About Abel as a prototype of Christ, see: interp. Iob 4. 9. 32–33. According to St. Ambrose, Abel is the prototype of the Christian people, Cain is the prototype of the Jewish people (Cain et A. 1. 2. 5). Virginity is the spiritual property of Christians, as opposed to the material property of Jews. See: Numbers 27:1. Zalpaad had no sons, and therefore the daughters asked to give them an inheritance among their father's brothers, to which Moses, at the inspiration of the Lord, agreed. Epist. 16, 6: "Salpha" enim "umbra oris" significatur, in umbra ergo sermonis peterunt, loquebantur quod non tenebantur. The difference between the verbs fateor and confiteor is emphasized - the second of them suggests deeper religious beliefs. St. Ambrose in other places expresses the idea that the soldiers who shared the vestments of Christ prefigured the evangelists. Wed: exp. Luc. 10.115. See: Matthew 10:9–10; Mark 6:8; Luke 9:3. Poverty is a virtue of the priesthood. Wed. above: 3.13; off. 1. 246; 1. 184; exp. Luc. 6.65; gesta conc. Aquil. epist. 2. 2; epist. 70, 3; 6, 5. For an ecclesiological interpretation of Isaiah 54:1, see uirgb. 1. 6. 31; uirgt. 14.91; Abr. 1.5.38; 1. 7. 61. An important testimony to the dedication of virgins, which consisted mainly of covering them with a veil (inst. u. 17. 108; uirt. 5. 26; uirgb. 1. 11. 65) and a prayer of blessing, the formula of which is given in inst. u. 17. 104–105. See: Rom.3:28; Gal.2:16. Compare: 5. 29–30, mention of Ahab and Naboth. The vineyard is a symbol of virginity. See: 1 Cor.7:34. The name Cadiz is interpreted by ancient exegetes as “holy.” Wed: exp. ps. 118, 5. 3. Wed. in Ovid met. 1.482. See: 1 Cor.7:35. Propter laqueum - literally “due to bonds”, i.e. to overcome temptation by curbing carnal passions. Marriage is understood as a cure for lust. Wed: uirgb. 1. 4. 24; epist. ex. c. 15, 3. See: Exodus 15:27. Numbers 33:9. An allegorical explanation is given in exp. ps. 118, 16. 22: hos fonts habet ecclesia, hoc est in ueteri testament duodecim patriarchas, in nouo duodecim apostolos. See: Job 38:15; Proverbs 3:14–15, 16:26. See: Judges 11:30–39. Wed: uirgt. 2.5; off. 1.50.255; 3.12.78; apol. 1. 4. 16; obit. V.49. See: 1 Samuel 1:1ff. The same interpretation of the name Elkanah is recorded in Jerome interpr. hebr. nom., 13. 3. 20. St. Ambrose reproduces here the popular etymology of the name Samuel, “begged of God,” attested in 1 Samuel 1:20. A slightly different and more reasonable interpretation is given by Jerome, interpr. hebr. nom. 21. 5. The likeness to Samuel is built only on the basis of the fact that he too is a child of promise. Wed. in Prudentius: perist. 10. 801–805 (the mother convinces her son to devote himself entirely to God, Who alone knows the secret of the origin of his life). The state of virginity or widowhood frees a woman from her subordinate position and gives her independence. It is possible that the term principatus is a reflection of the Stoic term hegemonikon. It is also attached to St. Ambrose to Sarah, who seems to him to be an example of a virtuous woman. Wed: Abr. 2.5.19; 2. 11. 85. The theme of female independence is also developed in uirgb. 1. 7. 37. A similar example of a home community with clergy brothers and virgin sisters is given by the blj. Jerome in epist. 7, 6. See: Luke 2:51. Wed: epist. ex. c. 1, 18. Usually at St. Ambrose's bride from the Song of Songs means Church or soul, but in Song 1:6 he prefers to see the personification of the synagogue, starting from the perfect form dilexit, supposedly denoting departed love and, therefore, infidelity. Wed: exam. 4.5.22; exp. ps. 118, 2. 11. However, in apol. alt. 8.42 in the same place the repentant Church is presented. Wed: Mal.4:2. The allusion is undeniable, although the Bible speaks of the “sun of righteousness.” In this text, the “sun” is mentioned in the following quotation (Ps. 18:6). Wed: exam. 4. 5. 22. For the Christological exegesis of Ps. 35:10, see Origen in Io., 152. Cf. also: fid. 1. 7. 48–49; spir. s. 1. 14. 142–143. See: Song 3:1. Wed: uirgt. 14.89; exp. ps. 118, 7. 33; 19.23; Isaac 6.50. Wed: uirgt. 13.80 with a similar allusion to Song 5:2. On the solitary singing of psalms cf. uirgt. 12.69. See: Song 5:2. Wed: inst. u. 17.111. See: Matthew 26:12; Mark 14:8; Luke 24:1; John 19:40. The “fragrance of burial” exuded by the virgin means that her bodily passions have died, that she is reliving the death of Christ in her body. Wed: uirgb. 1. 7. 39. Wed: inst. u. 17.111; exp. ps. 118, 12. 17. The meaning of the verbs audemus and consentimus is explained in exp. ps. 38. 36: “audemus” praesumptionis in deo fidei, non temeritatis est uerbum, et “consentimus” id est: uolentes adquiescimus et optantes. Wed: uirgt. 13. 84: amat enim Christus diu requiri. A Christological interpretation of Isaiah 49:2–5 in connection with Song 2:5 (Song 5:8) is also given in exp. ps. 118, 5. 16–17; epist. 46, 10. See: Eccl.2:14. Elsewhere the same expression, which is actually taken not from the Book of Proverbs but from the Book of Ecclesiastes, is simply attributed to Solomon. Wed: Noe 6. 17; sacr. 3. 1. 1. The Apostle Paul introduces himself to St. Ambrose as a perfect example of the exegete of the truth hidden in Scripture, cf.: exp. Luc. 8. 32: apostolus, qui diuini est uerus interpres oraculi; expl. ps. 38, 4; expl. ps. 43, 89; sacr. 6. 3. 12. See: Rom.7:22; Eph.3:16. The personification of the synagogue in Song 1:7 was already seen by St. Hippolytus of Rome (in Cant. 6. 12). See: Eph.5:27. In the contrast between the Church and the synagogue, the antithesis mulier – uirgo is emphasized. Wed: exp. Luc. 4.50; 8. 9. In his interpretation of Song 1:7 St. Ambrose follows Origen (in Cant. 2). The influence is noticeable in the fact that he also contrasts “wives” of Song 1:8 with virgins; the expression nisi scias te at the beginning of this biblical verse is also interpreted in terms of the self-consciousness of the soul as “the image and likeness of God.” Wed. above: 2. 10. Omnis portio or maior portio – the rational and spiritual component of a person. Wed: uirgb. 2. 2. 9; 2. 2. 11; 3. 3. 9; exp. Luc. 2. 21. See: Luke 1:28. Wed: uirgb. 2. 2. 10; uirgt. 8.42; epist. 5, 16; epist. 33, 2; exp. Luc. 2.8. The verb peregrinor is used by St. Ambrose to convey inner turmoil. Wed: sacr. 3. 1. 3. The quotation is not entirely accurate, perhaps it is a contamination of Sir.22:27 and Sir.23:7–8. See: Sir.23:9, 12, 27:15; Matthew 5:34. See: Matthew 27:30; Mark 15:19. See: Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2. See: Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:36; Luke 23:26; John 19:29. Wed: epist. ex. c. 14, 60. See: 1 Cor.3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16. Echoes of the Nicene Creed. See: uirgb. 3. 7. 37–38 and approx. Wed. from Valery Maxim: 4. 5. ext. 1. See: Ps.38:2. Wed: exp. ps. 118, 2.5; 3.11; off. 1. 2. 6–7; 1.10.31; expl. ps. 38, 3–7. Wed. Cicero has 1 Catil. 1: cum tacent, clamant. See: 1 Timothy 5:10. Wed. above: 2.11; Wed also: uid. 2.11. The fact that the offering of the gospel widow was used for the needs of the poor is said in epist. 26, 4. Apparently, St. Ambrose focuses on the needs and practices of his time. Perfect (lit. “complete”) faith is one that is based on two Testaments. Wed. uid. 5.29. See: Exodus 15:20. About Mariam's virginity cf.: inst. u. 17.106 and approx. Wed. also in Chromation tract. 3. 1. The widow's two mites symbolize the two Testaments. Wed. epist. 26, 6: quid enim sunt duo aera, nisi pretium noui et ueteris testamenti. Wed. also: uid. 5.29; exp. Luc. 7.80; 9. 18. Miriam, the sister of Aaron, and Mary, the Mother of God, also personify the two Testaments. Wed. in Jerome epist. 54, 17. The final prayer is based on the parallelism between the consecration of the church and the dedication of the virgin, between the sacrifice of Christ and the spiritual sacrifice of the virgin dedicating her life to God. See: 1 Peter 2:5. About the virgin as a living church cf.: uirgb. 2. 2. 18; exh. u. 2. See: Eph.5:2; Phil.4:18; Exodus 29:18.