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Banquet of the Ten Virgins

Methodius of Olympus

Chapter 7

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 VII.—The Virgins, the Righteous Ancients; The Church, the One Only Spouse, More Excellent Than the Others.

Now he calls by the name of virgins,

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who

belong

to

a

countless

assembly

,

those

who

,

being

inferior

to

the

better

ones

,

have

practised

righteousness

,

and

have

striven

against

sin

with

youthful

and

noble

energy

.

But

of

these

,

neither

the

queens

,

nor

the

concubines

,

nor

the

virgins

,

are

compared

to

the

Church

.

For

she

is

reckoned

the

perfect

and

chosen

one

beyond

all

these

,

consisting

and

composed

of

all

the

apostles

,

the

Bride

who

surpasses

all

in

the

beauty

of

youth

and

virginity

.

Therefore

,

also

,

she

is

blessed

and

praised

by

all

,

because

she

saw

and

heard

freely

what

those

desired

to

see

,

even

for

a

little

time

,

and

saw

not

,

and

to

hear

,

but

heard

not

.

For

“

blessed

,

”

said

our

Lord

to

His

disciples

,

“

are

your

eyes

,

for

they

see

;

and

your

ears

,

for

they

hear

.

For

verily

I

say

unto

you

,

That

many

prophets

have

desired

to

see

those

things

which

ye

see

,

and

have

not

seen

them

;

and

to

hear

those

things

which

ye

hear

,

and

have

not

heard

them

.

”

For

this

reason

,

then

,

the

prophets

count

them

blessed

,

and

admire

them

,

because

the

Church

was

thought

worthy

to

participate

in

those

things

which

they

did

not

attain

to

hear

or

see

.

For

“

there

are

threescore

queens

,

and

fourscore

concubines

,

and

virgins

without

number

.

My

dove

,

my

undefiled

,

is

but

one

.

”

Notes

2
Matt. xiii. 16, 17.
3
Cant. vi. 8, 9.