Treatises on Marriage and Other Subjects

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HOLY VIRGINITY Chapter 1 ilE RECENTLY PUBLISHED a book, The Good of Marriage / in which we also admonished and warned the virgins of Christ that they must not, because of the superiority of the more perfect gift which they have received from on high, despise, by comparison with themselves , the fathers and mothers2 of the people of God; and that, because by divine law continence is preferred to matrimony and holy virginity to wedlock, they must not belittle the worth of those men whom the Apostle praises as the olive tree, that the ingrafted wild olive may not boast;3 who, 1 De bOlla cOlliugali. 2 The patriarchs and holy women of the Old Testament, through whom the Jewish race was propagated. 3 Cf. Rom. 11.16-22. St. Paul pictures the Church as an olive tree with its roots anchored deeply in Judaism, thus preserving an organic unity between the Old and the New Dispensations. The full-developed tree is the Church herself. The root and stem are the patriarchs. The many branches are the various members of the Church, some of whom (those of Jewish descent) belong to her by natural growth, while others (the Gentile Christians) have been grafted from wild stock. These latter should preserve a humble respect for the natural branches, and especially for the root and stem; for it is only by being grafted into the stem that the wild branches share in the life of the tree. Cf. Sermdlles 77.10; 201.2; 203.3; 218.7; also, Fernand Prat, S. j., The Theology of Saint Paul, trans. John L. Stoddard (New York 1927) 2 275-276. St. Augustine here makes particular application of the analogy in defense of the sacred character of the conjugal life as practiced by the patriarchs. 143 144 SAINT AUGUSTINE by the very begetting of children, served the Christ who was to come. In them, indeed, were prepared and brought to term those future events which we now behold marvelously and efficaciously fulfilled, of which their conjugal life was, in fact, prophetic.4 Wherefore, not after the manner of human vows and pleasures, but by the most profound design of God, in some of them fecundity deserved to be honored,5 in others sterility even merited to become rendered fruitful.6 At the present time, however, those to whom it is said: 'If they do not have self control, let them marry,'7 are not to be exhorted, but consoled; but those to whom it is said: 'Let him accept it who can,'8 are to be exhorted lest they be frightened, and to be frightened lest they be proud. Therefore, virginity must not only be praised that it may be loved, but also admonished that it may not be puffed up. 4 Cf. Contra Faustum 22.24: 'Not only the speech of these men, but their life also was prophetic.... So, as regards those [Hebrews] who were then made wise of heart in the wisdom of God, ... a prophecy of the coming of Christ and of the Church ought to be discovered both in what they said and in what they did: It was especially in their conjugal life that they typified the marvelous mysteries that would be revealed in Christ and in His Church. Cf., above, De bono coniugali 16; 19·23. The patriarchs typified Christ. Their marriage typified His union with the Church. Cf. Contra Faustum 22.38. Their numerous offspring , constituting the chosen people, typified the multitudes who would be born to the faith through the mystical union of Christ with His Spouse, the Church. Cf. Contra Faustum 22.57 et passim; Sermo 213.7. Even in the practice of polygamy among the patriarchs St. Augustine finds something prophetic; d. above, De bono coniugali 18. 5 Cf. Gen. 12.2.; 26.4; 35.11. 6 Cf. Gen. 18.10; 25.21; 30.22.24. 7 1 Cor. 7.9. 8 Matt. 19.12. HOLY VIRGINITY 145 Chapter 2 (2) That is what we have undertaken in this treatise. May Christ, the Son of a virgin and Spouse of virgins, born bodily from a virginal womb, wed spiritually by a virginal espousal, help us. Since, therefore, the whole Church is espoused as a virgin to one man, Christ, as the Apostle says,t how great honor her members deserve who preserve in their very flesh this which the whole Church, imitating the Mother...