О девственницах в трех книгах. Книга третья

1. Since we have considered everything that we had in the two previous books, now, holy sister, accustomed to talking with me, it will be timely to convey to the glorious memory of the instructions of Liberius 20; after all, the holier the husband, the more pleasant his speech is. It was on the Nativity of the Savior, when you, before the Apostle Peter, signified your faith by changing your clothes (on what day was it better to do this, if not on the day when the Virgin gave birth?), at that moment when even many virgins of the Lord stood next to you, competing with each other because of communication with you, he said the following: “Daughter! you wished for a good marriage. Do you see how many people came to the birthday of your Bridegroom, and no one will return back hungry? Here is the One who, being called to a marriage, turned water into wine (John 2:9). And so He, previously subject to the insignificant elements of material nature, brings down the holy (sincerum sacramentum) sacrament of virginity. Here is the One who fed four thousand people in the desert with five loaves and two fish (Luke 9:13 et seq.). He could have fed a larger number (of people) if there had been more of those who were then fed. Finally, He called many to your marriage; but now it is no longer barley bread that is served, but the heavenly body.” 2. Today, in the image of man, man was born of the Virgin, first born (generatus) of the Father; in flesh He is like a mother, and in spirit like a Father (matrem corpore, virtute referai Patrem); He is the only begotten on earth, and the only begotten in heaven; He is God from God, born of a virgin; He is truth from the Father, strength from the Almighty, light from light; He is equal (non impar) to the one who gives birth, and does not differ (from Him) in power; He did not merge in his extension (extensione) and (external) dimension (prolatione) with the Word, and He did not thereby mix with the Father, but He is distinct from the Father by right of birth: He himself is your beloved (fraternus), without whom neither the heavenly, nor the (living) in the world, nor the earthly (can) exist. This is the good Word of the Father, which, says (Scripture), was “in the beginning”; therefore, you are involved in his eternity. “And... it was,” he says, “it was with... the Father” (John I, 1ff.); therefore, you also possess valor (virtutem) that is indivisible and inseparable from the Father. “And God was the Word”: therefore you also participate in the nature of his deity. From the totality of all this, you must draw faith. 3. Love Him, daughter, because He is good; for “no one is good except one God” (Luke 18:19). If there is no doubt that the Son is God, and God is good, then there is, of course, no doubt that the Son is a good God. Love him, I say. This is the very One Whom, as eternal, the Father begat before Lucifer; from the womb he gave birth (Psalm 109:3) as a Son; belched from the heart (Psalm 44:2) like the Word. This is the same one, in whom the Father was well pleased (Matthew 17:5); this is the muscle of the Father, for He is the creator of everything; He is the Wisdom of the Father (Col. 2:3), for it comes from the mouth of God; He is the goodness of the Father (1 Cor. 1:30), for the fullness of the Divinity dwells in him bodily. His Father loves him so much that he carries him in his bosom and places him at his right hand, so that you too may learn wisdom and know goodness. 4. So, if Christ is the goodness of God, was God ever without goodness? Has there ever been a Father without a Son? If the Father always, without a doubt, exists, then, of course, the Son always exists. Therefore, a perfect Father has a perfect Son. For whoever belittles goodness belittles the One to whom it belongs. A perfect deity does not allow inequality. Therefore, love Him whom the Father loves; glorify Him whom the Father glorifies, for “he who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father” (John 5:23). And whoever denies the Son does not have the Father. This is what faith is about. 5. But youth is sometimes suspected even in cases where fidelity (to the vow) remains inviolable. Therefore, be moderate in the use of wine, so as not to increase the weakness of your body and not arouse lust; two things equally ignite a person - wine and youth. Let even a tender age be maintained by fasting, and let unbridled passions be tamed by moderation in food, as if by some kind of bridle. Let reason reject (them), hope calm and fear suppress. For whoever does not know how to restrain passions is rushed, trampled, torn to pieces and crushed, as if caught by unbridled horses. 6. This is what, they say, once happened to a young man because of his love for Diana. In the form of poetic fiction, the fable depicts that Neptune, inflamed with anger against a happy rival, is said to have unleashed madness on the horses, so that his great power could thus be made public - namely, that he did not defeat the young man with valor, but deceived him with cunning. That is why, in fact, they even established an annual sacrifice in honor of Diana, which consisted of slaughtering a horse on her altars. And under the name of Diana, that girl is known who could fall in love with a man who did not have love for her (even harlots are usually ashamed of this). But for me, however, let (the pagans) give meaning to (this) their fable; for although both are criminal, it is less criminal that the young man was inflamed with love for the adulteress so much that he died, than that, as they themselves say, two gods argued over adultery, and that Jupiter, for the grief of his adulterous daughter, punished the adulterer’s doctor, because he treated the wounds of the one who committed adultery in the forest with Diana, this best, without a doubt, a hunter, but not for wild animals, but for sensual pleasures, which are animals anyway - that’s why she hunted naked. 7. So, let Neptune be given the power over rabies to explain the crime of impure love. Let them ascribe to Diana the kingdom of the forests in which she lived, so that they can thereby testify to the fornication in which she was engaged. Let Aesculapius be credited with the ability to restore the dead, although they also admit that he himself did not escape (death) when he was struck by lightning. Let them endow Jupiter with lightning, which he does not have, as long as it is confirmed of the dishonor that he had. But let us return from the fables to the subject of our discussions. 8. In my opinion, one should also consume in moderation all those foods that produce excitement in the members; for the meat attracts even flying eagles to the earth. And in you also that inner wing about which we read: “your youth will be renewed like an eagle” (Psalm 102:5) - that wing that soars high and quickly in virgin flight, let it not know the desire for excess in meat. Avoid ceremonial meetings, and avoid greetings (visits). 9. I want visits from young girls to be as infrequent as possible and allowed only to their parents or peers. For, under the existing conditions of city life, proper modesty is dulled, arrogance appears, laughter creeps in and modesty disappears. Not answering questions is, of course, childish; and to answer - bad rumors will spread. Therefore, I would rather have virgins be deprived of the gift of speech, and not have it in abundance. In fact, if women are required to remain silent in church, even in religious matters, and only ask their husbands at home (1 Cor. 14:34), then shouldn’t we think more strictly about virgins, in whom modesty adorns age, and silence protects modesty. 10. And isn’t this a suitable example of modesty: Rebekah, when she came to the wedding and saw the groom, covered herself with a veil (Gen. 24:65), so that she could be seen in this way no earlier than she was married. And, in any case, the beautiful girl was afraid not for her beauty, but for her innocence. What happened to Rachel - how she began to cry and groan as soon as she received a kiss on the mouth, and she would not have stopped crying if only she had not recognized her relative (Gen. 29, 11-12)! Thus, she fulfilled both the duty of innocence and expressed the feeling of love. And if in relation to her husband it is said: “Do not despise virgins, lest you be tempted” (Sir. 9:5), then what should be said regarding the dedicated virgin, who, if she loves, sins in thought, and if she is loved, then sins in deed? 11. Great is the virtue of silence, especially in the Church. Not a single thought of the divine readings will escape you if you bow your ear and shut your mouth. Do not let any word come out of your mouth that you would like to say; but let your courage be more restrained in (your) speeches. For there is great sin in speaking too much (Proverbs 10:19). The murderer, so that he does not sin even more, is told: “You have sinned and shut up,” and the virgin must be told: “Be silent and you will not sin.” Mary, as we read, kept everything that was said about the Son in her heart (Luke 2:19); and you, when during the (church) reading either the future coming of Christ is announced, or His past coming is revealed, do not make noise with (your) speeches, but be attentive. Could there be anything more unworthy than to drown out divine sayings with noise so that one cannot hear them, and be imbued with faith in them, and understand them; It is not good to make a shrine (sacramenta) loud with disorderly shouts, and thereby interfere with the speech pronounced for the sake of the common salvation. 12. Pagans - even they pay respect to their gods in silence. They tell the following example: when Alexander, King of Macedon, made a sacrifice, the barbarian boy who was lighting the fire for him grabbed the fire with his hand, and although it burned his body, he nevertheless remained motionless: he did not betray the pain with a cry, did not reveal suffering even with restrained tears. Such was the habit of reverence in the barbarian boy: he even conquered nature within himself. However, he was not afraid of the gods, who did not exist, but of the king. For why should we be afraid of those who would be burned if only they were touched by the same fire? 13. Even better is the following example: a young man at his father’s feast is ordered not to reveal (his) dissolute love with obscene signs. And you, Virgin of God, refrain during the sacrament (in mysterio) from noise, spitting, coughing and laughter. What that (young man) can do at the feast, can’t you do it during the sacrament? Let virginity express itself first of all in the voice, let modesty close the mouth, let piety (religio) destroy relaxation, and let habit form nature. The Virgo should first of all be revealed by her severity, expressed in obvious modesty, a quiet gait and a modest expression on her face; and let (these) harbingers of purity be direct signs of virtue. That virgin is not entirely worthy of praise, at the sight of whom one still has to weigh (her virtue). 14. A common legend is that when the strong croaking of frogs reached the ears of the pious people, the priest of God ordered them to be silent and respect the sacred speech; Then the noise heard all around immediately died down. So, the swamps are falling silent, won't the people fall silent? And an unreasonable animal, by a feeling of reverence, recognizes what it does not know by nature; people are characterized by such unbridledness that many do not know how to direct their thoughts to piety, because they direct their ears to voluptuousness. 15. This is what Liberius, of blessed memory, spoke to you. All this for others is great compared to reality, but for you it is small compared to the deed: you not only fulfilled all the instructions exactly with (your) virtue, but even surpassed it (with your) zeal. In fact, although we are commanded to fast, it is only for certain certain days; You, having increased your days and nights, spend an extremely long time without food. If you are ever asked to take food and you put the book down for a while, then you immediately answer: “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Matthew 4:4). An ordinary lunch (yours) consisted of light food, so that aversion to food aroused the desire to fast: you quenched your thirst from a source, prayed with tears, slept on a book. 16. All this should (be done) in young years, until the mind becomes mature over time; but as soon as the virgin triumphs over the tamed body, labor should be moderated in order to serve as a mentor to the younger age. (This) old vine, burdened with fruitful branches, would soon have broken, if only it had not been restrained (from labor) from time to time. And while it is still strong, it bears fruit, and when it becomes outdated, it is pruned so that it does not turn into brushwood, or die, exhausted by excessive fruiting. A good farmer preserves the earth's warmth for his best grapevine, protects it from the cold, and also makes sure that the southern sun does not burn it. And the farmer also cultivates the field in turn, and even if he does not leave it to rest, he sows it with various seeds, so that, in this way, the field, thanks to the change of fruits, can enjoy rest. And you, too, old virgin, sow the hills of your heart with various seeds: then by eating food in moderation; now by strict fasting, now by reading, now by work, now by prayer; This is so that the change of work would be (for you) rest. 17. The field produces more than just a harvest. Here a vineyard rises along the hills, there you see olives ripening, and in another place fragrant roses. Often a strong farmer, even having abandoned his plow, tears up the ground with his finger to take out the roots of flowers, or carefully squeezes the udders of sheep with the same rough hands with which he drives butting young oxen through the vineyard. Of course, the more diverse the fruits on it, the better the field. Therefore, you, following the example of a good farmer, cultivate your soil not only with incessant fasting, like a heavy plow. In your gardens let the rose of modesty bloom, the lily of prudence, and let those places where violets grow be watered by the source of sacred blood. People say: “what you want to achieve with success, you will never achieve it.” Of course, there must be something added to the days of Pentecost; but in such a way that nothing is done for show, but out of piety. 18. In the same way, let frequent prayer bring us into communication with God. For if the prophet, busy with the needs of the state, says: “We praised you seven days a day” (Ps. 119:164), then what should we do, about whom it is written: “Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune” (Matthew 26:41)? Of course, we should offer the usual prayers with expressions of gratitude - when we wake up from sleep, when we leave the house, when we intend to eat, when we get down to business, when we burn incense and when we finally go to bed. 19. I wish that in bed you read the psalms along with the regular Lord’s Prayer, both when you wake up and before your body falls into sleep. (I would like) that at the very beginning of sleep you would be free from worries about worldly affairs, so that sleep would find you reflecting on the divine. Even the one who first coined the name of philosophy itself, before going to bed, daily forced the flutist to play pleasant songs in order to calm the heart, agitated by worldly worries. But he, like a fruitless toiler, vainly sought to banish the worldly from the worldly; for he who sought (in this way) a cure for passion defiled himself even more. We, having cleansed ourselves of all earthly vices, will protect the recesses of our soul from all defilement of the flesh. 20. Especially we must also read the symbol, as a sign of our faith (cordis), daily before dawn; we need to resort to it with our souls even when we are afraid of something. In fact, does it really happen that a warrior in a tent or a fighter in battle does not take an oath of office? 21. Does anyone really think that the following words of the holy prophet do not apply to our instruction: “I will wash my bed every night, I will wet my bed with my tears” (Ps. 6:7)? If we understand the bed literally, then it means that the prophet here convinces that it is necessary to shed such a large number of tears that the bed is washed with them, so that the bed is watered with prayerful tears; after all, crying is the lot of the present life, and the reward is the future: “blessed are you who mourn... for you will laugh” (Luke 6:21). But if we relate the words of the prophet to the body, then it means that we must wash away the sins of (our) flesh with tears of repentance. Solomon made himself a bed from the trees of Lebanon; its columns were silver, its elbows were made of gold, its back was decorated with precious stones (Song. 3:9-10). What kind of bed is this if not the image of our body? And in fact, in precious stones the image of air lightning is shown, in gold - fire, in silver - water, in wood - earth. The human body, in which our soul rests, consists of these four elements; and if she does not find peace either on the tops of the mountains or on land, then she will find peace on a wooden bed - precisely in the distance from vices. Therefore, David says: “The Lord help him on his sickbed” (Psalm 40:4). For how can a bed have pain? After all, one (an object) that does not have feelings is incapable of suffering. The body is characterized by pain, since it is subject to death: “Poor man I am! who will deliver me from this body of death." (Rom. 7:24)? 22. Since we have cited a verse in which we mentioned the body of the Lord, so that anyone in this case would not be embarrassed at the thought that the Lord took on a body subject to suffering, we will remember that He (really) grieved and shed tears over the death of Lazarus (John 11:35), and during His suffering He was perforated, and from His wound came blood and water (John 19:34), and He gave up the ghost. Water (came out) for washing, blood for nourishment, breath for resurrection. Christ alone is our hope, faith and love: hope in resurrection, faith in purification (in lavacro) and love in sanctification (in sacramento). 23. But having taken on a body subject to suffering, He at the same time clothed (his) bed with frailty (Ps. 40:4) and became perfect human flesh. True, mortality is overcome by suffering, and death by resurrection. And yet you should mourn for the world and rejoice in the Lord; (you should be) sad in repentance and joyful in love. And the teacher of languages ​​in his saving teaching commanded to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Rom. 12:15). 24. But if anyone wishes to examine in detail the essence of this entire issue, let him turn to the same apostle: “everything,” he says, “whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father.” (Colossians 3:17). So, let us bring all our words and deeds to Christ, who made life out of death and created light out of darkness. For a sick body that suffers sometimes from fever, sometimes from chills, a change in medicine is beneficial only if it is done as prescribed by a doctor; and, conversely, if it is carried out contrary to the instructions, it only increases suffering. in the same way, what is commanded by our physician Christ is also healing; and what is used illegally is harmful. 25. So, joy should be firmly consistent with reason, and not inspired by disorderly feasts and wedding music; for modesty is not safe and temptation is obvious where excessive dancing is a companion to fun. I wish the virgins of God were away from this. “If anyone dances,” said one pagan teacher, “it’s only drunk or crazy.” If, according to the teachings of pagan wisdom, the cause of dancing is either intoxication or madness, then why, in our opinion, should we ignore examples taken from the Holy Scriptures: the fact that John, the Forerunner of Christ, was killed at the request of the dancer serves as clear proof that the passion for dancing is even more harmful than the madness of unholy anger. 26. Of course, such a glorious husband cannot be limited to just a brief mention. We must, in view of the importance of the example itself, pay attention to who this husband was, by whom, for what reason, in what way and at what time was he killed? First, the Just One is killed by adulterers, and the punishment for the great crime is transferred from the defendants to the judge. Further, the death of the Prophet is the dancer's reward. Finally (which even all barbarians usually fear), to top off the cruelty, the order is given during a solemn feast, and the execution of this sad and shameful deed is transferred from the feast to the prison, and from the prison to the feast. How many crimes are there in one misdemeanor! 27. A funeral feast is held with royal luxury, and when a huge crowd has gathered in the usual expectation, at this time, by deeply mysterious order, the queen’s daughter appears before the eyes of the men to perform dances (Mark 6:21). And what else, in fact, could she learn from the adulteress, if not to lose shame? And can anything so strongly excite lust than dancing, when, with disorderly movements, those secret parts of the body are exposed, which either nature itself hid, or the requirement of decency covered, when they play with their eyes, nod their heads and let down their hair? Naturally, here it comes to insulting the Divine. In fact, can there be any reverence where there is dancing, noise and thunder? 28. Then “the king,” says the Scripture, “delighted, said to the maiden: ask me what you want.” Then, he vowed to give her, no matter what she asked, even half the kingdom (Mark 6:22, 23). Look how worldly (people) promise about their worldly possessions: even states give gifts for dancing. But the girl, taught by her mother, demanded that John’s head be brought to her on a platter. When the girl said this, “the king was saddened”: but this is not the king’s repentance, but the consciousness of injustice; and this (consciousness) is produced in us by the innate divine voice: those who have committed wicked deeds themselves condemn themselves with their own consciousness. “But for the sake of... those reclining,” he says. What could be more unworthy than to order murder for fear of becoming unpleasant to those around him? And “for the sake of the oath,” he says (Mark 6:26). O new piety! It would be more excusable if he broke his oath. Therefore, quite rightly, the Lord commands in the Gospel not to swear, so that there is no reason for perjury; so that there would be no need to sinfully break the oath (Matthew 5:34). So, in order not to break the oath, the innocent is beheaded. I don’t know why I should be horrified first? For tyrants, breaking an oath is more excusable than being true to your word. 29. And who, seeing how they ran from the feast to the prison, could not think that it was ordered to release the prophet? Who, with the news of Herodias’s birthday, about the solemn feast and that the girl was given the freedom to choose whatever she wanted, who, I say, could not think that it was sent to prison to give freedom to John? Indeed, what do cruelty and feasting, between death and pleasure have in common? During the feast, the prophet is captured for execution, according to the order given at the feast, the meaning of which was not at all that they wanted to free him; (on the contrary), he is beheaded with a sword, and his head is brought on a platter (Mark 6:27). She had to become food for cruelty, the only food with which rage, unsatiated with the food of the feast, could be nourished. 30. Look, most cruel king, at a spectacle worthy of your feast. Stretch out your right hand so that nothing of your cruelty remains, so that streams of holy blood flow down your fingers. And since you could not satisfy your hunger with dishes, and fill your thirst for unheard-of cruelty with glasses, then drink the blood that is still flowing from the cut veins of the severed head. Look at the eyes that, at the time of death itself, testified to your crime by turning their gaze away from amusements. These pupils close not so much because of the necessity of death, but because of aversion to luxury. Those golden (aureum) lifeless lips, the denunciation of which you could not bear, fell silent, but you are afraid (of them) to this day. The tongue, which usually performs its service even after death, like that of a living (person), albeit with a tremulous movement, nevertheless condemned your incest. This head is attributed to Herodias; the latter rejoices, rejoices, as if having gotten rid of the court verdict: after all, she killed the judge. 31. What say you, holy women? Do you see what you should teach and wean your daughters from? She dances, but she is the daughter of a libertine. A chaste and immaculate (mother) should teach her daughters piety, and not dancing. And you, respectable and prudent men, will learn to avoid feasting with vile people. If such are the feasts of (such) treacherous people, then what is their judgment? 32. You, holy sister, are doing well that at the end of the speech you give me a reason to unfurl the sails of eloquence and on the question of how one should think about the actions of those (virgins) who, in order not to fall into the hands of their pursuers, threw themselves from a cliff or threw themselves into the water; while Divine Scripture forbids a Christian woman to inflict violence on herself. But it is precisely in relation to virgins that we find in the regulations a clear and affirmative answer, applied to cases of (extreme) need for self-protection. There is also an example of (similar) martyrdom. 33. In Antioch there was once Saint Pelagia, aged about fifteen years, a sister of virgins and a virgin herself. At the first moment of the persecution, she remained locked at home, and when she saw that she was surrounded by the robbers of faith and innocence, and that, thanks to the absence of her mother and sisters, she was deprived of (all) help, she, filled with love for God, said: “What should I do, a captive of virginity, unless You look upon me? Here, on the one hand, is the vow of virginity, and on the other, the danger of dying, because you cannot escape death, and it will be accepted (by me). I will die if it pleases (the persecutors); even if they do not want to subject me to death, I will still die. After all, God does not disdain the means (of death), and faith weakens crime. Of course, if we take violence itself in its literal meaning, then is violence a free act? And to desire even greater violence and not be able to die. I am not afraid of the barriers of death. In fact, what kind of person is this who wants to die and cannot? Such easy paths lead to death! Indeed, rushing headlong, I can destroy sacrilegious altars and extinguish smoking altars with blood. I am not afraid that my right hand, weakened, will not be able to bear the blow, that my chest will stagger from pain. I will not leave a single sin for the body. I will not be afraid that the sword (of the executioner) will not be used. I can die from my own weapon; in addition to the help of the executioner, I can die in my mother’s arms.” 34. They say that Pelagia adorned her head and put on her wedding clothes: and you could say that she is not going to death, but to the groom. But when the vile persecutors saw that the chaste victim had disappeared from them, they began to look for her mother and sisters. And they, by their spiritual flight (with their own) had already acquired for themselves the field of chastity, when suddenly here, thanks to threats from their pursuers, and there, due to obstacles from the raging stream, they were deprived of the opportunity to flee: they found themselves caught for the crown of martyrdom. “What are we afraid of”? then they say. “Here is the water; Who is stopping us... from being baptized” (Acts 8:36)? “And this is that baptism through which sins are forgiven and the kingdom is acquired. This is the baptism after which no one sins. Let the water, which usually revives, take us; let the water that makes virgins take us. Let the water take us, which opens the sky, strengthens the weak, delivers from death and makes martyrs. We pray to You, God, Creator of the world, so that even a wave does not separate soulless bodies, so that death does not separate the corpses of those who were united by love during life; until there is one life, one death and even one burial.” 35. Thus said they; and having raised the ends of the dress a little and girded themselves in order to cover their innocence and remove the obstacle while walking, then grabbing each other’s hands as if playing a round dance, they rush into the middle of the river. They head to where the waves are especially fast, where the depth is inaccessible. Not one (of them) retreated a single step, not one slowed down, not one thought about where to go; they were sad when they encountered solid ground, were indignant at shallow places and rejoiced at the depths. And so you could see how the pious mother, with her arms crossed, rejoiced for the children and was afraid that the current would carry her daughters to her. “To you, Christ,” she said, I sacrifice these priestesses of chastity, guides and followers of suffering! 36. But who will be surprised at such firmness during their lives, when even after death they retained the same position of their bodies? The wave did not expose the corpses and the fast current of the river did not overturn them. And as for the holy mother, although she was deprived of feelings, she still retained her pious embrace: even when she was dead, she did not change the reverent position of her hands that she had given them. Thus, having fulfilled the duty of faith, she died the heiress of pious love. For until the very grave she did not betray those whom she had prepared for the crown of martyrdom. 37. But why am I giving you, sister, alien examples, while you yourself were brought up under the influence of the inspired hereditary chastity of a martyr mother? And in fact, how did you learn, without having the opportunity to study anywhere, living in a village, without being the friend of any maiden and without being educated by any teacher? In a word, you are not a student, which you could only be with training: on the contrary, you are the heir of virtue. 38. And who else could be the culprit of (your) mind, besides the holy Sophera, from whom you trace your origin? During the persecution, brought with slavishly humiliating insults to the place of torture, she exposed to the executioner (her) even her very face, which during torture of the whole body usually remains free from beatings and is actually a witness to the torture, and does not suffer it; (she turned her face to the executioner) with such courage and patience that when the executioner began to torture (her) tender cheeks, he stopped his torture even before the martyr could succumb to pain. She did not change either her facial expression or her gaze, did not utter a single moan, did not shed a single tear. Finally, having endured other types of torment, she found the desired death by the sword. You might be interested in: