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Banquet of the Ten Virgins

Methodius of Olympus

Chapter 5

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 V.—Christ, by Preserving His Flesh Incorrupt in Virginity, Draws to the Exercise of Virginity; The Small Number of Virgins in Proportion to the Number of Saints.

What then did the Lord, who is the

‹ Chapter 4 Chapter 1 ›

Truth

and

the

Light

,

take

in

hand

when

He

came

down

from

heaven

?

He

preserved

the

flesh

which

He

had

taken

upon

Him

incorrupt

in

virginity

,

so

that

we

also

,

if

we

would

come

to

the

likeness

of

God

and

Christ

,

should

endeavour

to

honour

virginity

.

For

the

likeness

of

God

is

the

avoiding

of

corruption

.

And

that

the

Word

,

when

He

was

incarnate

,

became

chief

Virgin

,

in

the

same

way

as

He

was

chief

Shepherd

and

chief

Prophet

of

the

Church

,

the

Christ

-

possessed

John

shows

us

,

saying

,

in

the

Book

of

the

Revelation

,

“

And

I

looked

,

and

,

lo

,

a

Lamb

stood

on

the

mount

Sion

,

and

with

Him

an

hundred

forty

and

four

thousand

,

having

His

name

and

His

Father’s

name

written

in

their

foreheads

.

And

I

heard

a

voice

from

heaven

,

as

the

voice

of

many

waters

,

and

as

the

voice

of

a

great

thunder

;

and

I

heard

the

voice

of

harpers

harping

with

their

harps

:

And

they

sung

as

it

were

a

new

song

before

the

throne

,

and

before

the

four

beasts

,

and

the

elders

:

and

no

man

could

learn

that

song

but

the

hundred

and

forty

and

four

thousand

,

which

were

redeemed

from

the

earth

.

These

are

they

which

were

not

defiled

with

women

;

for

they

are

virgins

.

These

are

they

who

follow

the

Lamb

whithersoever

He

goeth

;

”

showing

that

the

Lord

is

leader

of

the

choir

of

virgins

.

And

remark

,

in

addition

to

this

,

how

very

great

in

the

sight

of

God

is

the

dignity

of

virginity

:

“

These

were

redeemed

from

among

men

,

being

the

first

-

fruits

unto

God

and

to

the

Lamb

.

And

in

their

mouth

was

found

no

guile

:

for

they

are

without

fault

,

”

he

says

,

“

and

they

follow

the

Lamb

whithersoever

He

goeth

.

”

And

he

clearly

intends

by

this

to

teach

us

that

the

number

of

virgins

was

,

from

the

beginning

,

restricted

to

so

many

,

namely

,

a

hundred

and

forty

and

four

thousand

,

while

the

multitude

of

the

other

saints

is

innumerable

.

For

let

us

consider

what

he

means

when

discoursing

of

the

rest

.

“

I

beheld

a

great

multitude

,

which

no

man

could

number

,

of

all

nations

,

and

kindreds

,

and

people

,

and

tongues

.

”

It

is

plain

,

therefore

,

as

I

said

,

that

in

the

case

of

the

other

saints

he

introduces

an

unspeakable

multitude

,

while

in

the

case

of

those

who

are

in

a

state

of

virginity

he

mentions

only

a

very

small

number

,

so

as

to

make

a

strong

contrast

with

those

who

make

up

the

innumerable

number

.

This, O Arete, is my discourse to you on the subject of virginity. But, if I have omitted anything, let Theophila, who succeeds me, supply the omission.

Notes

1
Rev. xiv. 1–4.
2
Rev. xiv. 4, 5.
3
Rev. vii. 9.
4
[Compare Cyprian, vol. v. p. 475, this series.]