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On the Veiling of Virgins

Tertullian

Chapter 3

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter III.—Gradual Development of Custom, and Its Results. Passionate Appeal to Truth.

But not even between customs have those most chaste teachers chosen

‹ Chapter 2 Chapter 4 ›

to

examine

.

Still

,

until

very

recently

,

among

us

,

either

custom

was

,

with

comparative

indifference

,

admitted

to

communion

.

The

matter

had

been

left

to

choice

,

for

each

virgin

to

veil

herself

or

expose

herself

,

as

she

might

have

chosen

,

just

as

(

she

had

equal

liberty

)

as

to

marrying

,

which

itself

withal

is

neither

enforced

nor

prohibited

.

Truth

had

been

content

to

make

an

agreement

with

custom

,

in

order

that

under

the

name

of

custom

it

might

enjoy

itself

even

partially

.

But

when

the

power

of

discerning

began

to

advance

,

so

that

the

licence

granted

to

either

fashion

was

becoming

the

mean

whereby

the

indication

of

the

better

part

emerged

;

immediately

the

great

adversary

of

good

things

—

and

much

more

of

good

institutions

—

set

to

his

own

work

.

The

virgins

of

men

go

about

,

in

opposition

to

the

virgins

of

God

,

with

front

quite

bare

,

excited

to

a

rash

audacity

;

and

the

semblance

of

virgins

is

exhibited

by

women

who

have

the

power

of

asking

somewhat

from

husbands

,

not

to

say

such

a

request

as

that

(

forsooth

)

their

rivals

—

all

the

more

“

free

”

in

that

they

are

the

“

hand

-

maids

”

of

Christ

alone

—

may

be

surrendered

to

them

.

“

We

are

scandalized

,

”

they

say

,

“

because

others

walk

otherwise

(

than

we

do

)

;

”

and

they

prefer

being

“

scandalized

”

to

being

provoked

(

to

modesty

)

.

A

“

scandal

,

”

if

I

mistake

not

,

is

an

example

not

of

a

good

thing

,

but

of

a

bad

,

tending

to

sinful

edification

.

Good

things

scandalize

none

but

an

evil

mind

.

If

modesty

,

if

bashfulness

,

if

contempt

of

glory

,

anxious

to

please

God

alone

,

are

good

things

,

let

women

who

are

“

scandalized

”

by

such

good

learn

to

acknowledge

their

own

evil

.

For

what

if

the

incontinent

withal

say

they

are

“

scandalized

”

by

the

continent

?

Is

continence

to

be

recalled

?

And

,

for

fear

the

multinubists

be

“

scandalized

,

”

is

monogamy

to

be

rejected

?

Why

may

not

these

latter

rather

complain

that

the

petulance

,

the

impudence

,

of

ostentatious

virginity

is

a

“

scandal

”

to

them

?

Are

therefore

chaste

virgins

to

be

,

for

the

sake

of

these

marketable

creatures

,

dragged

into

the

church

,

blushing

at

being

recognised

in

public

,

quaking

at

being

unveiled

,

as

if

they

had

been

invited

as

it

were

to

rape

?

For

they

are

no

less

unwilling

to

suffer

even

this

.

Every

public

exposure

of

an

honourable

virgin

is

(

to

her

)

a

suffering

of

rape

:

and

yet

the

suffering

of

carnal

violence

is

the

less

(

evil

)

,

because

it

comes

of

natural

office

.

But

when

the

very

spirit

itself

is

violated

in

a

virgin

by

the

abstraction

of

her

covering

,

she

has

learnt

to

lose

what

she

used

to

keep

.

O

sacrilegious

hands

,

which

have

had

the

hardihood

to

drag

off

a

dress

dedicated

to

God

!

What

worse

could

any

persecutor

have

done

,

if

he

had

known

that

this

(

garb

)

had

been

chosen

by

a

virgin

?

You

have

denuded

a

maiden

in

regard

of

her

head

,

and

forthwith

she

wholly

ceases

to

be

a

virgin

to

herself

;

she

has

undergone

a

change

!

Arise

,

therefore

,

Truth

;

arise

,

and

as

it

were

burst

forth

from

Thy

patience

!

No

custom

do

I

wish

Thee

to

defend

;

for

by

this

time

even

that

custom

under

which

Thou

didst

enjoy

thy

own

liberty

is

being

stormed

!

Demonstrate

that

it

is

Thyself

who

art

the

coverer

of

virgins

.

Interpret

in

person

Thine

own

Scriptures

,

which

Custom

understandeth

not

;

for

,

if

she

had

,

she

never

would

have

had

an

existence

.

Notes

1
Sanctissimi.
2
The allusion is perhaps to 1 Cor. xiv. 35.
3
Comp. 1 Cor. vii. 21, 22.