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Banquet of the Ten Virgins

Methodius of Olympus

Chapter 4

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 IV.—Some Things Here Hard and Too Slightly Treated, and Apparently Not Sufficiently Brought Out According to the Rule of Theology.

Such, then, I consider to be the

‹ Chapter 3 Chapter 5 ›

objections

urged

by

many

who

,

despising

,

as

it

seems

,

the

wisdom

of

Paul

,

dislike

the

comparing

of

the

first

man

to

Christ

.

For

come

,

let

us

consider

how

rightly

Paul

compared

Adam

to

Christ

,

not

only

considering

him

to

be

the

type

and

image

,

but

also

that

Christ

Himself

became

the

very

same

thing

,

because

the

Eternal

Word

fell

upon

Him

.

For

it

was

fitting

that

the

first

-

born

of

God

,

the

first

shoot

,

the

only

-

begotten

,

even

the

wisdom

of

God

,

should

be

joined

to

the

first

-

formed

man

,

and

first

and

first

-

born

of

mankind

,

and

should

become

incarnate

.

And

this

was

Christ

,

a

man

filled

with

the

pure

and

perfect

Godhead

,

and

God

received

into

man

.

For

it

was

most

suitable

that

the

oldest

of

the

Æons

and

the

first

of

the

Archangels

,

when

about

to

hold

communion

with

men

,

should

dwell

in

the

oldest

and

the

first

of

men

,

even

Adam

.

And

thus

,

when

renovating

those

things

which

were

from

the

beginning

,

and

forming

them

again

of

the

Virgin

by

the

Spirit

,

He

frames

the

same

just

as

at

the

beginning

.

When

the

earth

was

still

virgin

and

untilled

,

God

,

taking

mould

,

formed

the

reasonable

creature

from

it

without

seed

.

Notes

1
Namely, the second Adam.
2
Second Adam.
3
The obscurity of this chapter is indicated in the heading placed over it by the old Latin translator. The general meaning, however, will be clear enough to the theological reader.—Tr.