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On the Veiling of Virgins

Tertullian

Chapter 10

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter X.—If the Female Virgins are to Be Thus Conspicuous, Why Not the Male as Well?

Nor, similarly, (is it permitted) on the

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ground

of

any

distinctions

whatever

.

Otherwise

,

it

were

sufficiently

discourteous

,

that

while

females

,

subjected

as

they

are

throughout

to

men

,

bear

in

their

front

an

honourable

mark

of

their

virginity

,

whereby

they

may

be

looked

up

to

and

gazed

at

on

all

sides

and

magnified

by

the

brethren

,

so

many

men

-

virgins

,

so

many

voluntary

eunuchs

,

should

carry

their

glory

in

secret

,

carrying

no

token

to

make

them

,

too

,

illustrious

.

For

they

,

too

,

will

be

bound

to

claim

some

distinctions

for

themselves

—

either

the

feathers

of

the

Garamantes

,

or

else

the

fillets

of

the

barbarians

,

or

else

the

cicadas

of

the

Athenians

,

or

else

the

curls

of

the

Germans

,

or

else

the

tattoo

-

marks

of

the

Britons

;

or

else

let

the

opposite

course

be

taken

,

and

let

them

lurk

in

the

churches

with

head

veiled

.

Sure

we

are

that

the

Holy

Spirit

could

rather

have

made

some

such

concession

to

males

,

if

He

had

made

it

to

females

;

forasmuch

as

,

besides

the

authority

of

sex

,

it

would

have

been

more

becoming

that

males

should

have

been

honoured

on

the

ground

of

continency

itself

likewise

.

The

more

their

sex

is

eager

and

warm

toward

females

,

so

much

the

more

toil

does

the

continence

of

(

this

)

greater

ardour

involve

;

and

therefore

the

worthier

is

it

of

all

ostentation

,

if

ostentation

of

virginity

is

dignity

.

For

is

not

continence

withal

superior

to

virginity

,

whether

it

be

the

continence

of

the

widowed

,

or

of

those

who

,

by

consent

,

have

already

renounced

the

common

disgrace

(

which

matrimony

involves

)

?

For

constancy

of

virginity

is

maintained

by

grace

;

of

continence

,

by

virtue

.

For

great

is

the

struggle

to

overcome

concupiscence

when

you

have

become

accustomed

to

such

concupiscence

;

whereas

a

concupiscence

the

enjoyment

whereof

you

have

never

known

you

will

subdue

easily

,

not

having

an

adversary

(

in

the

shape

of

)

the

concupiscence

of

enjoyment

.

How

,

then

,

would

God

have

failed

to

make

any

such

concession

to

men

more

(

than

to

women

)

,

whether

on

the

ground

of

nearer

intimacy

,

as

being

“

His

own

image

,

”

or

on

the

ground

of

harder

toil

?

But

if

nothing

(

has

been

thus

conceded

)

to

the

male

,

much

more

to

the

female

.

Notes

1
See 1 Cor. vii. 5. Comp. ad Ux., l. i. c. viii.; de Ex. Cast., c. i.
2
So Oehler and others. But one ms. reads “concupiscentiæ fructum” for “concupiscentiam fructus;” which would make the sense somewhat plainer, and hence is perhaps less likely to be the genuine reading.