WOMEN AS WELL AS MEN, SLAVES AS WELL AS FREEMEN,
CANDIDATES FOR THE MARTYR’S CROWN.
Since, then, not only the Æsopians, and Macedonians, and the
Lacedæmonians endured when subjected to torture, as Eratosthenes says
in his work, _On Things Good and Evil_; but also Zeno of Elea,
when subjected to compulsion to divulge a secret, held out against
the tortures, and confessed nothing; who, when expiring, bit out his
tongue and spat it at the tyrant, whom some term Nearchus, and some
Demulus. Theodotus the Pythagorean acted also similarly, and Paulus the
friend of Lacydes, as Timotheus of Pergamus says in his work on _The
Fortitude of Philosophers_, and Achaicus in _The Ethics_.
Posthumus also, the Roman, when captured by Peucetion, did not divulge
a single secret; but putting his hand on the fire, held it to it as
if to a piece of brass, without moving a muscle of his face. I omit
the case of Anaxarchus, who exclaimed, “Pound away at the sack which
holds Anaxarchus, for it is not Anaxarchus you are pounding,” when by
the tyrant’s orders he was being pounded with iron pestles. Neither,
then, the hope of happiness nor the love of God takes what befalls
ill, but remains free, although thrown among the wildest beasts or
into the all-devouring fire; though racked with a tyrant’s tortures.
Depending as it does on the divine favour, it ascends aloft unenslaved,
surrendering the body to those who can touch it alone. A barbarous
nation, not cumbered with philosophy, select, it is said, annually an
ambassador to the hero Zamolxis. Zamolxis was one of the disciples of
Pythagoras. The one, then, who is judged of the most sterling worth is
put to death, to the distress of those who have practised philosophy,
but have not been selected, at being reckoned unworthy of a happy
service.
So the church is full of those, as well chaste women as men, who all
their life have courted the death which rouses up to Christ. For the
individual whose life is framed as ours is, may philosophize without
Learning, whether barbarian, whether Greek, whether slave--whether
an old man, or a boy, or a woman. For self-control is common to all
human beings who have made choice of it. And we admit that the same
nature exists in every race, and the same virtue. As far as respects
human nature, the woman does not possess one nature, and the man
exhibit another, but the same: so also with virtue. If, consequently, a
self-restraint and righteousness, and whatever qualities are regarded
as following them, is the virtue of the male, it belongs to the male
alone to be virtuous, and to the woman to be licentious and unjust.
But it is offensive even to say this. Accordingly woman is to practise
self-restraint and righteousness, and every other virtue, as well as
man, both bond and free; since it is a fit consequence that the same
nature possesses one and the same virtue. We do not say that woman’s
nature is the same as man’s, as she is woman. For undoubtedly it stands
to reason that some difference should exist between each of them,
in virtue of which one is male and the other female. Pregnancy and
parturition, accordingly, we say belong to woman, as she is woman, and
not as she is a human being. But if there were no difference between
man and woman, both would do and suffer the same things. As then
there is sameness, as far as respects the soul, she will attain to
the same virtue; but as there is difference as respects the peculiar
construction of the body, she is destined for child-bearing and
housekeeping. “For I would have you know,” says the apostle, “that
the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the
man: for the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man. For
neither is the woman without the man, nor the man without the woman,
in the Lord.”[555] For as we say that the man ought to be continent,
and superior to pleasures; so also we reckon that the woman should be
continent and practised in fighting against pleasures. “But I say,
Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh,”
counsels the apostolic command; “for the flesh lusteth against the
spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. These, then, are contrary”
(not as good to evil, but as fighting advantageously), he adds
therefore, “so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. Now the
works of the flesh are manifest, which are, fornication, uncleanness,
profligacy, idolatry, witchcrafts, enmities, strifes, jealousies,
wrath, contentions, dissensions, heresies, envyings, drunkenness,
revellings, and such like; of which I tell you before, as I have
also said before, that they which do such things shall not inherit
the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, gentleness, temperance, goodness, faith, meekness.”
He calls sinners, as I think, “flesh,” and the righteous “spirit.”
Further, manliness is to be assumed in order to produce confidence and
forbearance, so as “to him that strikes on the one cheek, to give to
him the other; and to him that takes away the cloak, to yield to him
the coat also,” strongly restraining anger. For we do not train our
women like Amazons to manliness in war; since we wish the men even to
be peaceable. I hear that the Sarmatian women practise war no less
than the men; and the women of the Sacæ besides, who shoot backwards,
feigning flight as well as the men. I am aware, too, that the women
near Iberia practise manly work and toil, not refraining from their
tasks even though near their delivery; but even in the very struggle of
her pains, the woman, on being delivered, taking up the infant, carries
it home. Further, the females no less than the males manage the house,
and hunt, and keep the flocks:
“Cressa the hound ran keenly in the stag’s track.”
Women are therefore to philosophize equally with men, though the males
are best at everything, unless they have become effeminate. To the
whole human race, then, discipline and virtue are a necessity, if they
would pursue after happiness. And how recklessly Euripides writes
variously! On one occasion, “For every wife is inferior to her husband,
though the most excellent one marry her that is of fair fame.” And on
another:
“For the chaste is her husband’s slave,
While she that is unchaste in her folly despises her consort....
For nothing is better and more excellent,
Than when as husband and wife ye keep house,
Harmonious in your sentiments.”
The ruling power is therefore the head. And if “the Lord is head of
the man, and the man is head of the woman,” the man, “being the image
and glory of God, is lord of the woman.”[556] Wherefore also in the
Epistle to the Ephesians it is written, “Subjecting yourselves one
to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves to your own
husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also
Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Saviour of the body.
Husbands, love your wives, as also Christ loved the church. So also
ought men to love their wives as their own bodies: he that loveth his
wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh.”[557]
And in that to the Colossians it is said, “Wives, submit yourselves to
your own husbands, as is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives,
and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all
things; for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, provoke not
your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Servants, be obedient
in all things to those who are your masters according to the flesh;
not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but with singleness of heart,
fearing the Lord. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as serving the
Lord and not men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward
of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. For the wrong-doer
shall receive the wrong, which he hath done; and there is no respect of
persons. Masters, render to your servants justice and equity; knowing
that ye also have a Master in heaven, where there is neither Greek nor
Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond, free:
but Christ is all, and in all.”[558] And the earthly church is the
image of the heavenly, as we pray also “that the will of God may be
done upon the earth as in heaven.”[559] “Putting on, therefore, bowels
of mercy, gentleness, humbleness, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing
one another, and forgiving one another, if one have a quarrel against
any man; as also Christ hath forgiven us, so also let us. And above
all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And
let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which ye are called in
one body; and be thankful.”[560] For there is no obstacle to adducing
frequently the same Scripture in order to put Marcion to the blush, if
perchance he be persuaded and converted; by learning that the faithful
ought to be grateful to God the Creator, who hath called us, and who
preached the gospel in the body. From these considerations the unity
of the faith is clear, and it is shown who is the perfect man; so that
though some are reluctant, and offer as much resistance as they can,
though menaced with punishments at the hand of husband or master,
both the domestic and the wife will philosophize. Moreover, the free,
though threatened with death at a tyrant’s hands, and brought before
the tribunals, and all his substances imperilled, will by no means
abandon piety; nor will the wife who dwells with a wicked husband, or
the son if he has a bad father, or the domestic if he has a bad master,
ever fail in holding nobly to virtue. But as it is noble for a man
to die for virtue, and, for liberty, and for himself, so also is it
for a woman. For this is not peculiar to the nature of males, but to
the nature of the good. Accordingly, both the old man, the young, and
the servant will live faithfully, and if need be die; which will be
to be made alive by death. So we know that both children, and women,
and servants have often, against their fathers’, and masters’, and
husbands’ will, reached the highest degree of excellence. Wherefore
those who are determined to live piously ought none the less to exhibit
alacrity, when some seem to exercise compulsion on them; but much
more, I think, does it become them to show eagerness, and to strive
with uncommon vigour, lest, being overcome, they abandon the best
and most indispensable counsels. For it does not, I think, admit of
comparison, whether it be better to be a follower of the Almighty than
to choose the darkness of demons. For the things which are done by us
on account of others we are to do always, endeavouring to have respect
to those for whose sake it is proper that they be done, regarding the
gratification rendered in their case, as what is to be our rule; but
the things which are done for our own sake rather than that of others,
are to be done with equal earnestness, whether they are like to please
certain people or not. If some indifferent things have obtained such
honour as to appear worthy of adoption, though against the will of
some; much more is virtue to be regarded by us as worth contending for,
looking the while to nothing but what can be rightly done, whether it
seem good to others or not. Well then, Epicurus, writing to Menœceus,
says, “Let not him who is young delay philosophizing, and let not the
old man grow weary of philosophizing; for no one is either not of age
or past age for attending to the health of his soul. And he who says
that the time for philosophizing is not come or is past, is like the
man who says that the time for happiness is not come or has gone. So
that young as well as old ought to philosophize: the one, in order
that, while growing old, he may grow young in good things out of favour
accruing from what is past; and the other, that he may be at once young
and old, from want of fear for the future.”