Sophia Scriptura

Letters to Virgins

Epistulae de virginitate · Ἐπιστολαὶ πρὸς παρθένους

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Contents

  1. 1.2.1One who chooses celibacy for the kingdom must live worthily of it.
  2. 1.2.2The kingdom is gained by active faith, shown in good works.
  3. 1.2.3The lover of the poor heeds Proverbs on almsgiving.
  4. 1.2.4The ways of the righteous shine like light.
  5. 1.2.5The man of God must be an example in every good work.
  6. 1.3.1A leader leads by deeds; a name does not save.
  7. 1.3.2Celibates must imitate Christ in everything to be saved.
  8. 1.3.3Virginity without virtues is the foolish virgins’ lampless state.
  9. 1.3.4Professed virginity without its power is vain.
  10. 1.3.5Chastity is worn in the fear of the Lord.
  11. 1.3.6The celibate renounces marriage and worldly life for heavenly citizenship.
  12. 1.4.1The celibate lives an angelic life in service to God.
  13. 1.4.2He renounces the mind of the flesh.
  14. 1.5.2Contend lawfully to win the crown of the heavenly Jerusalem.
  15. 1.5.3Conquer the flesh and Satan through Christ.
  16. 1.5.4Take up the cross and run for the prize of the upward call.
  17. 1.5.5Chastity is great but must be joined with the other virtues.
  18. 1.6.1A virgin bore God the Word; virginity is glorious.
  19. 1.6.2Imitate John the Baptist.
  20. 1.6.3Imitate John the beloved disciple.
  21. 1.6.4Paul, Barnabas, and Timothy lived chastely.
  22. 1.6.5Imitate Elijah, Elisha, and the faithful elders.
  23. 1.7.1Form the image of Christ in every virtue.
  24. 1.7.2True virginity is holy in body and spirit, wholly devoted to the Lord.
  25. 1.7.3Be holy as God is holy.
  26. 1.8.1Holiness is of body and spirit, not of name.
  27. 1.8.2A list of the works of the flesh.
  28. 1.8.3The list of vices continues.
  29. 1.8.4Whoever has these vices is fleshly, without God’s Spirit.
  30. 1.8.5Without Christ’s Spirit one is not his.
  31. 1.9.1The spiritual man puts to death the deeds of the body.
  32. 1.9.2God dwells in the man who bears the Spirit’s fruit.
  33. 1.9.3Such people shine as lights in the world.
  34. 1.9.4Those who see them will know them as God’s holy people, heirs of his promises.
  35. 1.10.5Idleness breeds thorns.
  36. 1.11.1Busybodies who do no work.
  37. 1.11.2They chatter and teach rashly.
  38. 1.11.3They do not understand what they assert.
  39. 1.11.5Speak only with understanding and in season.
  40. 1.11.6Guard the tongue; rash speech brings evil.
  41. 1.11.7Flatterers deceive the innocent.
  42. 1.11.8Teachers who do not practise face greater judgment.
  43. 1.11.10Use spiritual gifts humbly to build up the church.
  44. 1.12.1Visiting orphans, widows, and the poor is good.
  45. 1.12.2Visit and pray over the possessed in faith, not with showy formulas.
  46. 1.12.3Exorcism requires prayer, faith, and fasting, not empty words.
  47. 1.12.4Visit the sick humbly and soberly.
  48. 1.12.5Labour for the sick with vigils, fasts, and prayer, freely.
  49. 1.12.8Hospitality and brotherly love please God.
  50. 1.13.4Pray for true workers in the harvest, like the apostles.
  51. 2.2.5At greetings, women and men cover their hands with their garments.
  52. 2.3.2Ascetic men and consecrated women must not associate, to avoid scandal.
  53. 2.5.1Avoid being alone with a woman as one would flee a serpent.
  54. 2.6.1The ascetic needs the serpent’s wisdom and the dove’s innocence.
  55. 2.6.2Ascetics must not resemble worldly people in anything.
  56. 2.6.5The leader must be an example to the flock.
  57. 2.8.1Potiphar’s wife brought Joseph into affliction.
  58. 2.8.2Keep away from women, as Joseph’s story shows.
  59. 2.9.1Delilah destroyed Samson.
  60. 2.9.2Ascetics may not sit or meet with women.
  61. 2.10.1David fell through desire for Bathsheba.
  62. 2.10.2David committed adultery and murder through desire.
  63. 2.10.3If great men fell, the weak must beware.
  64. 2.11.1Amnon died because of Tamar.
  65. 2.12.1Solomon was ruined by women.
  66. 2.13.1The elders lusted after Susanna.

About this work

Author
Anonymous
Attribution
pseudonymous · Two ascetic letters addressed to men and women who have chosen celibacy, ascribed to Clement of Rome. They are not his; they are usually placed in the 3rd century, probably in Syria or Palestine. The complete text survives only in Syriac; Funk printed the Greek fragments preserved in quotations, so the Greek is incomplete and many passages are missing.
Standing
Not honoured as a saint or in a church calendar by the Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant traditions. Anonymous or pseudonymous work read and used in the church of its time.
Older English translation
Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 8 (1886): Two Epistles Concerning Virginity (public domain, at CCEL; for comparison: our translation is made from the original first and checked against it afterwards) · Public-domain English translation (from the Syriac), at CCEL. It translates the whole Syriac letters, so it is not a passage-for-passage check of the Greek fragments.
Date
3rd century (disputed) · Usually dated to the 3rd century; the date and place are not settled.
Written at
Syria or Palestine (proposed) (disputed)
Language
Greek
Genre
letter
Reference system
letter.chapter.section (2 letters; Funk's chapter and section numbers; only the passages that survive in Greek are present)
SBL abbreviation
Ps.-Clem. Ep. virg.Not yet checked
Clavis
CPG 1015 (not yet checked)
Text from
Francis Xavier Funk and Franz Diekamp, eds., Patres Apostolici, vol. 2 (Tübingen: H. Laupp, 1913) (Printed edition in the public domain; digital text CC BY-SA 4.0)
CTS URN
urn:cts:greekLit:tlg1271.tlg010