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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.—The Digressions of the Apostle Paul; The Character of His Doctrine: Nothing in It Contradictory; Condemnation of Origen, Who Wrongly Turns Everything into Allegory.

Let it not disturb you, if, in

‹ Chapter 1 Chapter 3 ›

discussing

one

class

of

subjects

,

he

,

i

.

e

.

,

Paul

,

should

pass

over

into

another

,

so

as

to

appear

to

mix

them

up

,

and

to

import

matters

foreign

to

the

subject

under

consideration

,

departing

from

the

question

,

as

now

for

instance

.

For

wishing

,

as

it

seems

,

to

strengthen

most

carefully

the

argument

on

behalf

of

chastity

,

he

prepares

the

mode

of

argument

beforehand

,

beginning

with

the

more

persuasive

mode

of

speech

.

For

the

character

of

his

speech

being

very

various

,

and

arranged

for

the

purpose

of

progressive

proof

,

begins

gently

,

but

flows

forward

into

a

style

which

is

loftier

and

more

magnificent

.

And

then

,

again

changing

to

what

is

deep

,

he

sometimes

finishes

with

what

is

simple

and

easy

,

and

sometimes

with

what

is

more

difficult

and

delicate

;

and

yet

introducing

nothing

which

is

foreign

to

the

subject

by

these

changes

,

but

,

bringing

them

all

together

according

to

a

certain

marvellous

relationship

,

he

works

into

one

the

question

which

is

set

forth

as

his

subject

.

It

is

needful

,

then

,

that

I

should

more

accurately

unfold

the

meaning

of

the

apostle’s

arguments

,

yet

rejecting

nothing

of

what

has

been

said

before

.

For

you

seem

to

me

,

O

Theophila

,

to

have

discussed

those

words

of

the

Scripture

amply

and

clearly

,

and

to

have

set

them

forth

as

they

are

without

mistake

.

For

it

is

a

dangerous

thing

wholly

to

despise

the

literal

meaning

,

as

has

been

said

,

and

especially

of

Genesis

,

where

the

unchangeable

decrees

of

God

for

the

constitution

of

the

universe

are

set

forth

,

in

agreement

with

which

,

even

until

now

,

the

world

is

perfectly

ordered

,

most

beautifully

in

accordance

with

a

perfect

rule

,

until

the

Lawgiver

Himself

having

re

-

arranged

it

,

wishing

to

order

it

anew

,

shall

break

up

the

first

laws

of

nature

by

a

fresh

disposition

.

But

,

since

it

is

not

fitting

to

leave

the

demonstration

of

the

argument

unexamined

—

and

,

so

to

speak

,

half

-

lame

—

come

let

us

,

as

it

were

completing

our

pair

,

bring

forth

the

analogical

sense

,

looking

more

deeply

into

the

Scripture

;

for

Paul

is

not

to

be

despised

when

he

passes

over

the

literal

meaning

,

and

shows

that

the

words

extend

to

Christ

and

the

Church

.

Notes

1
This is the obvious English equivalent of the Greek text.—Tr. [A singularly cautious testimony against Origen, whom our author follows too closely in allegorizing interpretations of Scripture. Origen, having literalized so sadly in one case, seems to have erred ever afterward in the other extreme. Here is a prudent caveat.]