Vol: 4 Issue: 9
Tute 1727 / September 2010
CONCERNING VIRGINS By: Saint Ambrose of Milan My task begins favorably, that since today is the birthday of a virgin, I have to speak of virgins, and the treatise has its beginning from this discourse. It is the birthday of a martyr, let us offer the victim. It is the birthday of St. Agnes, let men admire, let children take courage, let the married be astounded, let the unmarried take an example. But what can I say worthy of her whose very name was not devoid of bright praise? In devotion beyond her age, in virtue above nature, she seems to me to have borne not so much a human name, as a token of martyrdom, whereby she showed what she was to be. She is said to have suffered martyrdom when twelve years old. The more hateful was the cruelty, which spared not so tender an age, the greater in truth was the power of faith which found evidence even in that age. Was there room for a wound in that small body? And she who had no room for the blow of the steel had that wherewith to conquer the steel. But maidens of that age are unable to bear even the angry looks of parents, and are wont to cry at the pricks of a needle as though they were wounds. She was fearless under the cruel hands of the executioners, she was unmoved by the heavy weight of the creaking chains, offering her whole body to the sword of the raging soldier, as yet ignorant of death, but ready for it. Or if she were unwillingly hurried to the altars, she was ready to stretch forth her hands to Christ at the sacrificial fires, and at the sacrilegious altars themselves, to make the sign of the Lord the Conqueror, or again to place her neck and both her hands in the iron bands, but no band could enclose such slender limbs. A new kind of martyrdom! Not yet of fit age for punishment but already ripe for victory, difficult to contend with but easy to be crowned, she
filled the office of teaching valor while having the disadvantage of youth. She would not as a bride so hasten to the couch, as being a virgin she joyfully went to the place of punishment with hurrying step, her head not adorned with plaited hair, but with Christ. All wept, she alone was without a tear. All wondered that she was so readily prodigal of her life, which she had not yet enjoyed, and now gave up as though she had gone through it. Everyone was astounded that there was now one to bear witness to the Godhead, who as yet could not, because of her age, dispose of herself. And she brought it to pass that she should be believed concerning God, whose evidence concerning man would not be accepted. For that which is beyond nature is from the Author of nature. What threats the executioner used to make her fear him, what allurements to persuade her, how many desired that she would come to them in marriage! But she answered: “It would be an injury to my spouse to look on any one. as likely to please me. He who chose me first for Himself shall receive me. Why are you delaying, executioner? Let this body perish which can be loved by eyes which I would not.� She stood, she prayed, she bent down her neck. You could see the executioner tremble, as though he himself. had been condemned, and his right hand shake, his face grow pale, as he feared the peril of another, while the maiden feared not for her own. You have then in one victim a twofold martyrdom, of modesty and of religion. She both remained a virgin and she obtained martyrdom. (From: St Ambrose, Concerning Virgins book 1 Chapter 2)
St Agnes is not very well known saint in the Coptic Church, she is not even mentioned in the Synixarium, yet she is a venerated saint in the universal church since her martyrdom took place in the year 309 A.D. before any schism in the church. Page 2
The life of St Agnes The blessed virgin S. Agnes was much wise, and well taught, as S. Ambrose witnesses, and wrote her passion. She was fair in countenance, but much fairer in the Christian faith, she was young of age, in the thirteenth year of her age she lost the death that the world gives, and found life in Jesus Christ, which when she came from school the son of the prefect of Rome, for the emperor, loved her, and when his father and mother knew it, they offered to give much riches with him if he might have her in marriage, and offered to S. Agnes precious gems and jewels, which she refused to take, whereof it happed that the young man was passionately in love with S. Agnes, and came again and took with him more precious and richer adornments, made with all manner of precious stones, and as well by his parents as by himself offered to S. Agnes rich gifts and possessions, and all the delights of the world, and all to the end to have her in marriage. But S. Agnes answered to him in this matter: Go from me you instrument of the devil, nourishing of evils and morsel of death, and depart, and know you that I am prevented and am loved of another lover, which has given to me many better jewels, which has fiancĂŠ me by his faith, and is much more noble of lineage than you. He hath clad me with precious stones and with jewels of gold, he has set in my countenance a sign that I receive none other espouse but him, and has showed me great treasures which he must give me if I abide with him. I will have none other spouse but Him, I will seek none other. In no manner may I leave Him, with Him am I firm and fastened in love, which is more noble and fairer than any other, Whose love is much sweet and gracious, of Whom the chamber is now prepared to receive me where the virgins sing merrily. I am now embraced by Him of Whom the mother is a virgin, and His Father knew never woman, to Whom the angels serve. The sun and the moon marvel at His beauty, Whose works never fail, Whose riches never diminish, by Whose aroma dead men rise again to life, by Whose touch the sick men be comforted, Whose love is chastity. To Him I have given my faith, to Him I have commanded my heart; when I love Him then I am chaste, and when I touch Him then I am pure and clean, and when I take Him then I am a virgin, this is the love of my God. When the young man had heard all this he was despaired, as he that was taken in blind love, and was over sore tormented, in so much that he lay down sick in his bed for the great sorrow that he had. Then came the physicians and soon knew his malady, and said to his father that he suffers of carnal love that he had to some woman. Then the father enquired and knew that it was this woman, and did speak to S. Agnes for his son, and said to her how his son is suffering for her love. S. Agnes answered that it is not wise that she would break the faith of her first husband. Upon that, the father dePage 3
manded who was her first husband, of whom she is much in love, and in his power she so much trusted. Then one of her servants said she was Christian, and that she was so enchanted that she said Jesus Christ was her espouse. And when the father heard that she was Christian he was much glad so as to exercise power on her, for then the Christian people were in the will of the lord, and if they would not deny their God and their belief all their goods should be confiscated. Therefore the father made S. Agnes to come in justice and he examined her sweetly, and by much cruelly by menaces. S. Agnes, well comforted, said to him: Do what you want, for my purpose you shall never change. And when she saw him terribly angry she scorned him. And the father said to her, being all angry: choose one of two things, either do sacrifice to our gods with the virgins of the goddess Vesta, or go to the brothel to be abandoned to all that come, to the great shame and blame of all your lineage. S. Agnes answered: If you knew who is my God you would not say to me such words, but for as much as I know the virtue of my God, I set nothing by your menaces, for I have his angel which is keeper of my body. Then the judge being enraged ordered to take off her clothes, and all naked to be led to the brothel. And thus S. Agnes that refused to do sacrifice to the idols, was delivered naked to go to the brothel, but immediately as she was unclothed God gave to her such grace that the hairs of her head became so long that they covered all her body to her feet, so that her body was not seen. And when S. Agnes entered into the brothel she found the angel of God ready to defend her, with a bright clearness in such a way that no man might see her would dare come to her. Then she made of the brothel her oratory, and in making her prayers to God she saw before her a white vesture, and immediately she clothed herself and said: I thank you Jesus Christ who counts me among your virgins and hast sent me this vesture. All they that entered made honour and reverence to the great clearness that they saw about S. Agnes, and came out more devout and more clean than they entered. At last came the son of the prefect with a great company for to accomplish his foul desires and lusts. And when he saw his fellows come out ashamed, he mocked them and called them cowards. And then he, all infuriated, entered to accomplish his evil will. And when he came to the clearness, he advanced to take the virgin, and immediately the devil took him by the throat and strangled him that he fell down dead. Then the bishops of the idols made a great dispute among the people, so that they all cried: Take away this sorceress and witch that turned men's minds. When the prefect saw these marvels and set in his place a lieutenant named Aspasius to satisfy the people, and because he could not deliver her he departed sorrowfully. This Aspasius made a great fire among all the people and cast S. Agnes therein. as soon as this was done the flame departed in two parts, and burnt them that made the discords, and Page 4
she remained unburned. The people replied that she had done all by enchantment. Then S. Agnes prayed to God thanking him that she escaped from the risk of lose her virginity, and also from the burning of the flame. And when she had made her prayer the fire lost all its heat, and quenched it. Aspasius, because of the cry of the people, commanded to put a sword in her body, and so she was martyred. Immediately, Christian men and the parents of S. Agnes buried the body, but the heathen defended it, and cast stones at them. She suffered martyrdom in the time of Constantine the great, who began to reign at the year 309 A.D. (From: http://www.catholic-saints.net)
Agnes’s body is in her tomb in the ancient church named for her on the Via Nomentana in Italy while her skull is now at the place of her supposed martyrdom in the heart of Rome at the Piazza Navona. Page 5
The PRACTICE of VIRGINITY as a Spiritual Martyrdom As was pointed out at the beginning of this chapter, the suffering required for spiritual martyrdom may arise from exterior agents, or from natural evils, or from the evil spirits. It may also arise from the practice of one of the evangelical counsels, such as the practice of virginity. The high respect entertained for the virgins in the ancient Church was due in part at least to the fierceness of the struggle required, for the preservation of this splendid virtue J. Wilpert believes that it was this struggle which gave the virgins their resemblance to the martyrs, and which won for them their place of honor in the Church. This is not the invention of a scholar's imagination for this concept appears frequently in the writings of the Fathers of the Church, Methodius of Philippi, for example, says in his Banquet, or On Virginity, that Christ announced that the virgins will be the first to enter with him into the bridal chamber of the new dispensation since they are really martyrs: “For they bore witness not for a brief space of time by enduring for a short while pains of body, but by, daring throughout their lives, not to flinch from being contenders in the trite sense of the word in the Olympian contest of purity. For byresisting the fierce torments of pleasures, fears and pains, and the rest of the evils of the-wickedness of mankind, they bear off the prizes before all others, taking their place in the forefront of the battle for the better place of the promise.” This concept of the practice of virginity as a species of martyrdom became very popular with the Fathers of a later period. Thus Ambrose says: “Truly, as there are many persecutions so also there are many martyrdoms. Every day you are a witness of Christ. You are tempted by the spirit of fornication; but fearing the coming judgment of Christ, you decided that you must not defile the purity of your mind and body. You are a martyr to Christ.” In his treatise on virginity Ambrose says of St. Agnes. “You have then in one victim a Page 6
twofold martyrdom, one of modesty, and one of religion. She both remained a virgin and achieved martyrdom.” In another passage in the same work he states: “For virginity is not praiseworthy because it is found in martyrs but because itself makes martyrs.” Virginity is spoken of, in the same manner by Cyprian and Jerome assures Demetrias that “the preservation of your purity involves a martyrdom of its own.” In his letter to Eustochium concerning her mother's death, Jerome says, “The shedding of blood is not the only thing that is accounted a confession, subjection of a pious mind also is daily martyrdom.” (From Edward E. Malone, O.S.B., The Monk and the Martyr: The Monk as the successor of the Martyr, CUA Press 1950)
A Scene From the Martyrdom of St Agnes. Page 7
Stories
From the
Egyptian Desert By: Bishop Macarius
This is a group of spiritual short stories, Some of them are true, they did happen, Others are true in part, The rest are fiction. Each story contains a certain idea to deliver a spiritual lesson. This is an opportunity for the reader who could not visit the monaster− ies to learn about the monastic life, the struggle of the fathers and the wars of the devil. About The Author: His Grace Macarius, Auxiliary Bishop for the Holy Metropolis of Al Minya, (Theodosiopolis) and Abou Qurqas, Assistant to His Eminence Arsenius
Title: Stories From the Egyptian Desert Author: Bishop Macarius Binding: Perfect Bound Trim Size: 203 mm x 127 mm No of Pages: 100 Pages Page 8