Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

Banquet of the Ten Virgins

Methodius of Olympus

Chapter 6

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 VI.—The Whole Number of Spiritual Sheep; Man a Second Choir, After the Angels, to the Praise of God; The Parable of the Lost Sheep Explained.

Now, since He truly was and is,

‹ Chapter 5 Chapter 7 ›

being

in

the

beginning

with

God

,

and

being

God

,

He

is

the

chief

Commander

and

Shepherd

of

the

heavenly

ones

,

whom

all

reasonable

creatures

obey

and

attend

,

who

tends

in

order

and

numbers

the

multitudes

of

the

blessed

angels

.

For

this

is

the

equal

and

perfect

number

of

immortal

creatures

,

divided

according

to

their

races

and

tribes

,

man

also

being

here

taken

into

the

flock

.

For

he

also

was

created

without

corruption

,

that

he

might

honour

the

king

and

maker

of

all

things

,

responding

to

the

shouts

of

the

melodious

angels

which

came

from

heaven

.

But

when

it

came

to

pass

that

,

by

transgressing

the

commandment

(

of

God

)

,

he

suffered

a

terrible

and

destructive

fall

,

being

thus

reduced

to

a

state

of

death

,

for

this

reason

the

Lord

says

that

He

came

from

heaven

into

(

a

human

)

life

,

leaving

the

ranks

and

the

armies

of

angels

.

For

the

mountains

are

to

be

explained

by

the

heavens

,

and

the

ninety

and

nine

sheep

by

the

principalities

and

powers

which

the

Captain

and

Shepherd

left

when

He

went

down

to

seek

the

lost

one

.

For

it

remained

that

man

should

be

included

in

this

catalogue

and

number

,

the

Lord

lifting

him

up

and

wrapping

him

round

,

that

he

might

not

again

,

as

I

said

,

be

overflowed

and

swallowed

up

by

the

waves

of

deceit

.

For

with

this

purpose

the

Word

assumed

the

nature

of

man

,

that

,

having

overcome

the

serpent

,

He

might

by

Himself

destroy

the

condemnation

which

had

come

into

being

along

with

man’s

ruin

.

For

it

was

fitting

that

the

Evil

One

should

be

overcome

by

no

other

,

but

by

him

whom

he

had

deceived

,

and

whom

he

was

boasting

that

he

held

in

subjection

,

because

no

otherwise

was

it

possible

that

sin

and

condemnation

should

be

destroyed

,

unless

that

same

man

on

whose

account

it

had

been

said

,

“

Dust

thou

art

,

and

unto

dust

thou

shalt

return

,

”

should

be

created

anew

,

and

undo

the

sentence

which

for

his

sake

had

gone

forth

on

all

,

that

“

as

in

Adam

”

at

first

“

all

die

,

even

so

”

again

“

in

Christ

,

”

who

assumed

the

nature

and

position

of

Adam

,

should

“

all

be

made

alive

.

”

Notes

1
St. John i. 1.
2
Eph. i. 21; iii. 10.
3
Gen. iii. 19.
4
1 Cor. xv. 22.