Sophia Scriptura

To Autolycus 3.13

Theophilus of Antioch · To Autolycus · ca. 180–185 · Antioch · Read in context

Summary: Scripture forbids unchastity even in thought; the Gospel forbids lustful looks, marrying a divorced woman, and divorce except for sexual immorality.

Greek text · Otto 8:220–222

Καὶ περὶ σεμνότητος οὐ μόνον διδάσκει ἡμᾶς ὁ ἅγιος λόγος τὸ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν ἔργῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέχρις ἐννοίας, τὸ μηδὲ τῇ καρδίᾳ ἐννοηθῆναι περί τινος κακοῦ, ἢ θεασάμενον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀλλοτρίαν γυναῖκα ἐπιθυμῆσαι. Σολομὼν μὲν οὖν, ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ προφήτης γενόμενος, ἔφη· Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὀρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν, τὰ δὲ βλέφαρά σου νευέτω δίκαια· ὀρθὰς ποίει τροχιὰς σοῖς ποσίν. Ἡ δὲ εὐαγγέλιος φωνὴ ἐπιτατικώτερον διδάσκει περὶ ἁγνείας λέγουσα· Πᾶς ὁ ἰδὼν γυναῖκα ἀλλοτρίαν πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτὴν ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ὁ γαμῶν, φησίν, ἀπολελυμένην ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς μοιχεύει, καὶ ὃς ἀπολύει γυναῖκα παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας ποιεῖ αὐτὴν μοιχευθῆναι. Ἔτι ὁ Σολομών φησιν· Ἀποδήσει τις πῦρ ἐν ἱματίῳ, τὰ δὲ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ οὐ κατακαύσει; Ἢ περιπατήσει τις ἐπʼ ἀνθράκων πυρός, τοὺς δὲ πόδας οὐ κατακαύσει; Οὕτως ὁ εἰσπορευόμενος πρὸς γυναῖκα ὕπανδρον οὐκ ἀθῳωθήσεται.

English · Claude translation

And concerning chastity, the holy word teaches us not only not to sin in deed, but not even in thought: not even to entertain any evil in the heart, or to look at another man's wife with the eyes and desire her. Solomon, who was king and prophet, said: “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and let your eyelids nod what is right; make straight paths for your feet.” And the voice of the Gospel teaches about purity even more strictly, saying: “Everyone who looks at another man's wife to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” “And he who marries,” it says, “a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery; and whoever divorces his wife except on the ground of sexual immorality makes her commit adultery.” Again Solomon says: “Can anyone tie fire up in his garment and not burn his clothes? Or can anyone walk on burning coals and not burn his feet? So he who goes in to a married woman will not go unpunished.”

About this passage

Source
Otto 8:220–222 · Johann Carl Theodor Otto, ed., Theophili episcopi Antiocheni ad Autolycum libri tres, Corpus apologetarum Christianorum saeculi secundi 8 (Jena: Mauke, 1861) · Greek text: J. C. T. Otto, Theophili episcopi Antiocheni ad Autolycum libri tres (Corpus apologetarum Christianorum saeculi secundi 8, 1861), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library and published by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0
Text
As printed in Otto, CorpApol 8. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Otto (1861); made independently of existing English translations.
Compare
Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2 (1885) (an older public-domain English translation, whole volume at CCEL; checked against ours only after ours was made)
Scripture
Topics
Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage, Ethics

Notes

Translation notes

  • The Gospel sayings are Matt 5:28 and 5:32 (in reverse order); “except on the ground of sexual immorality” renders παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας, as in Matt 5:32.
  • The Proverbs quotations are 4:25–26 and 6:27–29.

Cite this passage

Theophilus, Autol. 3.13 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theophilus-autolycus/3/13/).

Plain text
Theophilus, Autol. 3.13 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theophilus-autolycus/3/13/).

Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)

Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text

Report an error in this passage