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Banquet of the Ten Virgins

Methodius of Olympus

Chapter 2

About this work

A literary symposium in which ten women offer speeches on virginity, creation, Scripture, virtue, and Christian perfection, consciously adapting the form of a classical philosophical banquet.

Author: Methodius of Olympus
Date: Late 3rd century
Origin: Eastern Mediterranean
Genre: Dialogue

Chapter II.—Virginity a Plant from Heaven, Introduced Late; The Advancement of Mankind to Perfection, How Arranged.

For truly by a great stretch of power the

‹ Chapter 1 Chapter 3 ›

plant

of

virginity

was

sent

down

to

men

from

heaven

,

and

for

this

reason

it

was

not

revealed

to

the

first

generations

.

For

the

race

of

mankind

was

still

very

small

in

number

;

and

it

was

necessary

that

it

should

first

be

increased

in

number

,

and

then

brought

to

perfection

.

Therefore

the

men

of

old

times

thought

it

nothing

unseemly

to

take

their

own

sisters

for

wives

,

until

the

law

coming

separated

them

,

and

by

forbidding

that

which

at

first

had

seemed

to

be

right

,

declared

it

to

be

a

sin

,

calling

him

cursed

who

should

“

uncover

the

nakedness

”

of

his

sister

;

God

thus

mercifully

bringing

to

our

race

the

needful

help

in

due

season

,

as

parents

do

to

their

children

.

For

they

do

not

at

once

set

masters

over

them

,

but

allow

them

,

during

the

period

of

childhood

,

to

amuse

themselves

like

young

animals

,

and

first

send

them

to

teachers

stammering

like

themselves

,

until

they

cast

off

the

youthful

wool

of

the

mind

,

and

go

onwards

to

the

practice

of

greater

things

,

and

from

thence

again

to

that

of

greater

still

.

And

thus

we

must

consider

that

the

God

and

Father

of

all

acted

towards

our

forefathers

.

For

the

world

,

while

still

unfilled

with

men

,

was

like

a

child

,

and

it

was

necessary

that

it

should

first

be

filled

with

these

,

and

so

grow

to

manhood

.

But

when

hereafter

it

was

colonized

from

end

to

end

,

the

race

of

man

spreading

to

a

boundless

extent

,

God

no

longer

allowed

man

to

remain

in

the

same

ways

,

considering

how

they

might

now

proceed

from

one

point

to

another

,

and

advance

nearer

to

heaven

,

until

,

having

attained

to

the

very

greatest

and

most

exalted

lesson

of

virginity

,

they

should

reach

to

perfection

;

that

first

they

should

abandon

the

intermarriage

of

brothers

and

sisters

,

and

marry

wives

from

other

families

;

and

then

that

they

should

no

longer

have

many

wives

,

like

brute

beasts

,

as

though

born

for

the

mere

propagation

of

the

species

;

and

then

that

they

should

not

be

adulterers

;

and

then

again

that

they

should

go

on

to

continence

,

and

from

continence

to

virginity

,

when

,

having

trained

themselves

to

despise

the

flesh

,

they

sail

fearlessly

into

the

peaceful

haven

of

immortality

.

Notes

1
Lev. xviii. 19; xx. 17.
2
[Contending with the worse than bestial sensuality of paganism, and inured to the sorrows of martyr-ages, when Christian families could not be reared in peace, let us not wonder at the high conceptions of these heroic believers, based on the words of Christ Himself, and on the promise, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”]