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Banquet of the Ten Virgins

Methodius of Olympus

Chapter 3

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 III.—That Passage of David Explained; What the Harps Hung Upon the Willows Signify; The Willow a Symbol of Chastity; The Willows Watered by Streams.

But not to pass away from our subject,

‹ Chapter 2 Chapter 4 ›

come

,

let

us

take

in

our

hands

and

examine

this

psalm

,

which

the

pure

and

stainless

souls

sing

to

God

,

saying

:

“

By

the

rivers

of

Babylon

there

we

sat

down

;

yea

,

we

wept

,

when

we

remembered

Zion

.

We

hanged

our

harps

upon

the

willows

in

the

midst

thereof

,

”

clearly

giving

the

name

of

harps

to

their

bodies

which

they

hung

upon

the

branches

of

chastity

,

fastening

them

to

the

wood

that

they

might

not

be

snatched

away

and

dragged

along

again

by

the

stream

of

incontinence

.

For

Babylon

,

which

is

interpreted

“

disturbance

”

or

“

confusion

,

”

signifies

this

life

around

which

the

water

flows

,

while

we

sit

in

the

midst

of

which

the

water

flows

round

us

,

as

long

as

we

are

in

the

world

,

the

rivers

of

evil

always

beating

upon

us

.

Wherefore

,

also

,

we

are

always

fearful

,

and

we

groan

and

cry

with

weeping

to

God

,

that

our

harps

may

not

be

snatched

off

by

the

waves

of

pleasure

,

and

slip

down

from

the

tree

of

chastity

.

For

everywhere

the

divine

writings

take

the

willow

as

the

type

of

chastity

,

because

,

when

its

flower

is

steeped

in

water

,

if

it

be

drunk

,

it

extinguishes

whatever

kindles

sensual

desires

and

passions

within

us

,

until

it

entirely

renders

barren

,

and

makes

every

inclination

to

the

begetting

of

children

without

effect

,

as

also

Homer

indicated

,

for

this

reason

calling

the

willows

destructive

of

fruit

.

And

in

Isaiah

the

righteous

are

said

to

“

spring

up

as

willows

by

the

water

courses

.

”

Surely

,

then

,

the

shoot

of

virginity

is

raised

to

a

great

and

glorious

height

,

when

the

righteous

,

and

he

to

whom

it

is

given

to

preserve

it

and

to

cultivate

it

,

bedewing

it

with

wisdom

,

is

watered

by

the

gentlest

streams

of

Christ

.

For

as

it

is

the

nature

of

this

tree

to

bud

and

grow

through

water

,

so

it

is

the

nature

of

virginity

to

blossom

and

grow

to

maturity

when

enriched

by

words

,

so

that

one

can

hang

his

body

upon

it

.

Notes

2
Ps. cxxxvii. 1, 2. [Here is a transition to Psalm cxxxvii., which has been the source of a confusion in the former chapter. This psalm is not Eucharistic, but penitential.]
3
Odyss. K’. 510.
4
Isa. xliv. 4.
5
ὄργανον. The word used for harp above, and here employed with a double meaning. [“Body” here = "man"’s physical system.]