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Banquet of the Ten Virgins

Methodius of Olympus

Chapter 1

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 I.—What the True and Seemly Manner of Praising; The Father Greater Than the Son, Not in Substance, But in Order; Virginity the Lily; Faithful Souls and Virgins, the One Bride of the One Christ.

It is not lawful for me to delay,

‹ Chapter 5 Chapter 2 ›

O

Arete

,

after

such

discourses

,

seeing

that

I

confide

undoubtingly

in

the

manifold

wisdom

of

God

,

which

gives

richly

and

widely

to

whomsoever

it

wills

.

For

sailors

who

have

experience

of

the

sea

declare

that

the

same

wind

blows

on

all

who

sail

;

and

that

different

persons

,

managing

their

course

differently

,

strive

to

reach

different

ports

.

Some

have

a

fair

wind

;

to

others

it

blows

across

their

course

;

and

yet

both

easily

accomplish

their

voyage

.

Now

,

in

the

same

way

,

the

“

understanding

Spirit

,

holy

,

one

only

,

”

gently

breathing

down

from

the

treasures

of

the

Father

above

,

giving

us

all

the

clear

fair

wind

of

knowledge

,

will

suffice

to

guide

the

course

of

our

words

without

offence

.

And

now

it

is

time

for

me

to

speak

.

This

,

O

virgins

,

is

the

one

true

and

seemly

mode

of

praising

,

when

he

who

praises

brings

forward

a

witness

better

than

all

those

who

are

praised

.

For

thence

one

may

learn

with

certainty

that

the

commendation

is

given

not

from

favour

,

nor

of

necessity

,

nor

from

repute

,

but

in

accordance

with

truth

and

an

unflattering

judgment

.

And

so

the

prophets

and

apostles

,

who

spoke

more

fully

concerning

the

Son

of

God

,

and

assigned

to

Him

a

divinity

above

other

men

,

did

not

refer

their

praises

of

Him

to

the

teaching

of

angels

,

but

to

Him

upon

whom

all

authority

and

power

depend

.

For

it

was

fitting

that

He

who

was

greater

than

all

things

after

the

Father

,

should

have

the

Father

,

who

alone

is

greater

than

Himself

,

as

His

witness

.

And

so

I

will

not

bring

forward

the

praises

of

virginity

from

mere

human

report

,

but

from

Him

who

cares

for

us

,

and

who

has

taken

up

the

whole

matter

,

showing

that

He

is

the

husbandman

of

this

grace

,

and

a

lover

of

its

beauty

,

and

a

fitting

witness

.

And

this

is

quite

clear

,

in

the

Song

of

Songs

,

to

any

one

who

is

willing

to

see

it

,

where

Christ

Himself

,

praising

those

who

are

firmly

established

in

virginity

,

says

,

“

As

the

lily

among

thorns

,

so

is

my

love

among

the

daughters

;

”

comparing

the

grace

of

chastity

to

the

lily

,

on

account

of

its

purity

and

fragrance

,

and

sweetness

and

joyousness

.

For

chastity

is

like

a

spring

flower

,

always

softly

exhaling

immortality

from

its

white

petals

.

Therefore

He

is

not

ashamed

to

confess

that

He

loves

the

beauty

of

its

prime

,

in

the

following

words

:

“

Thou

hast

ravished

my

heart

,

my

sister

,

my

spouse

;

thou

hast

ravished

my

heart

with

one

of

thine

eyes

,

with

one

chain

of

thy

neck

.

How

fair

is

thy

love

,

my

sister

,

my

spouse

!

how

much

better

is

thy

love

than

wine

!

and

the

smell

of

thine

ointments

than

all

spices

!

Thy

lips

,

O

my

spouse

,

drop

as

the

honeycomb

;

honey

and

milk

are

under

thy

tongue

;

and

the

smell

of

thy

garments

is

like

the

smell

of

Lebanon

.

A

garden

enclosed

is

my

sister

,

my

spouse

;

a

spring

shut

up

,

a

fountain

sealed

.

”

These praises does Christ proclaim to those who have come to the boundaries of virginity, describing them all under the one name of His spouse; for the spouse must be betrothed to the Bridegroom, and called by His name. And, moreover, she must be undefiled and unpolluted, as a garden sealed, in which all the odours of the fragrance of heaven are grown, that Christ alone may come and gather them, blooming with incorporeal seeds. For the Word loves none of the things of the flesh, because He is not of such a nature as to be contented with any of the things which are corruptible, as hands, or face, or feet; but He looks upon and delights in the beauty which is immaterial and spiritual, not touching the beauty of the body.

Notes

1
πνεῦμα here and for wind above.
2
Literally, only begotten. Wisd. vii. 22.
3
St. John xiv. 28.
4
[That the Canticles demand allegorical interpretation, we may admit; nor can I object to our author’s ideas here.]
5
Cant. ii. 2.
6
Cant. iv. 9–12.