The Book of Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, On the Instruction of the Virgin and the Perpetual Virginity of Saint Mary, to Eusebius.

Latin Text from public domain Migne Editors, Patrologiae Cursus Completus.

Translated into English using ChatGPT.

Table of Contents Chapter I. Chapter II. Chapter III. Chapter IV. Chapter V. Chapter VI. Chapter VII. Chapter VIII. Chapter IX. Chapter X. Chapter XI. Chapter XII. Chapter XIII. Chapter XIV. Chapter XV. Chapter XVI. Chapter XVII. In Exhortation to Virginity Admonition

Chapter I.

It is rightfully said that parents have a greater concern for a consecrated virgin than for the rest of their offspring. How excellent is that consecration, especially when it comes to silence, which truly commends the modesty of virginity no less than the Church, whose entire glory comes from within, and which we ought to imitate in our prayers.

Entrust to me your pledge, which is also mine, the sacrament of the Lord's Ambrosia: and with devout affection you assert that it surpasses all other concerns. And truly it is so in the faithful mind; for you instruct others to leave their homes and unite with strangers, but you will always have this with you: in all other matters you embrace them with the bond of a father's piety; in this you go beyond even a father, and with a vow and zeal you advance, so as to please God. Although it is a more excellent reason for prayers, nevertheless only she may repay whatever you owe for herself and for all her children.

This is the sacrifice that Abel offered from the firstborn lambs of his flock (Gen. IV, 4). This sacrifice is praised by the Apostle above all others, saying to the Corinthians: 'For he who is firmly established in his heart, and judges in his heart to keep his virgin, does well. Therefore, he who joins his virgin to marriage does well; and he who does not join her does better' (I Cor. VII, 37, 38). Thus, when David beautifully described the grace of the Church, whose glory is all within and not without (for in good thoughts, and in an immaculate desire for chastity, and in a sincere intention of conscience is the highest praise), he added: 'Virgins shall be brought after her to the King' (Psalm. XLIV, 15, 16). And turning to the Lord the Father, he said, 'They shall be brought near to you: they shall be brought near with joy and exultation, they shall be led into the temple of the king.'

What is closer than that which draws near to Christ, to whom the Word says: Arise, come, my closest ((.....)) and my dove; for behold, winter has passed (Song of Songs II, 10, 11)? Before receiving the Word of God, it was a dishonorable winter, without fruit: but when it received the Word of God, and the world was crucified to it, it became summer. Finally, being vaporized by the fervor of the Holy Spirit, it began to be a flower, and to breathe the fragrance of faith, the aroma of chastity, the sweetness of grace.


Hence also elsewhere it is added: Your eyes are like doves behind your veil (Song of Songs 4:1); because the whole spiritual and simple soul, like a dove, in whose likeness the Holy Spirit was seen descending by John, sees spiritual things and knows to keep silent about the mysteries that it sees. For it is not a small virtue to keep silent; for there is a time to be silent, just as there is a time to speak, as it is also written: The Lord has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary (Isaiah 50:4).


Therefore, the gift of virginity is a certain modesty, which is commended by silence. Therefore, the glory of the Church is inward, not in much speaking, but in the senses or in the innermost recesses of the sacraments, as she herself says to the Bridegroom: Who will give you to me as a brother, sucking the breasts of my mother? Finding you outside, I will kiss you, and indeed they will not despise me. I will take you, and bring you into the house of my mother, and into the secret place of the one who conceived me (Song of Songs 8:1-2). And above he says: The king brought me into his chamber (Song of Songs 1:3).

The Church kisses Christ outside and is led by Him into the bedroom. He kissed her outside, when, like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, he rejoiced like a giant to run his course (Psalm. XVIII, 6). Like a giant he is outside; because he did not consider being equal to God as a robbery, he took on the form of a servant (Phil. II, 6, 7). Therefore, he became outside, who was inside. See him inside, when you read what is in the Father's bosom: recognize him outside, when he seeks us, to redeem us. He went outside so that he could be inside with me and become in the middle of us.

So let us be there, where Christ is in the midst, rooted and fixed in our hearts. And therefore, as he himself commanded: When you pray, go into your inner room (Matt. VI, 6), and pour out your soul upon yourself; your inner room is your secret chamber, your inner room is your conscience. Finally, Ecclesiastes says to you: Do not curse the king even in your conscience, and do not curse the rich man in the innermost chambers (Eccles. X, 20). Therefore, pray and pray in secret, so that He who hears in secret may hear you: and pray without anger and dispute, having cast aside the hidden shame (I Tim. II, 8): For the just man does not fear the betrayal of a crime, but the contagion.

Chapter II.

The speech should begin with the praises of God, and after our requests have been stated, it should end in expressions of gratitude. It should also be recommended with peace and tranquility, in which the Evangelical passage is most clearly explained, which commands the virgins to observe.

What a good speech with mercy! A good speech that preserves order, so that we begin with divine praises first. For if when we act in the presence of a man, we want to make a good impression, how much more when we pray to our Lord! Therefore, let us first offer to God the sacrifice of praise; hence the Apostle says: I beseech you therefore, first of all, to offer prayers, supplications, and thanksgivings (I Tim. II, 1).

Let the eighth psalm of David teach you, which begins with the praise of God: O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is your name in all the earth! For your magnificence is elevated above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have perfected praise (Psalm 8:2 et seq.). Thus far the prayer: then follows the supplication, that the enemy be destroyed; the request, that he see the moon and the stars; the moon representing the Church, the stars representing the children of the Church, shining with the light of heavenly grace: and what he asks, he promises to see in the spirit of prophecy: a thanksgiving, because the Lord defends man, and confirms this by the divine visitation of our earthly bodies; or because he has subjected to man all the different kinds of living creatures.


Similarly, the Lord's Prayer encompasses everything, which there is no need to translate into the vernacular. But you, who are reading this, recognize how you should distinguish; especially, as I said, the prayer should be commended, as I have mentioned, with calmness of mind and tranquility; so that each person remains true to themselves and matches, and that which is written may be fulfilled: If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:19, 20).

Who are these two, if not soul and body? Where Paul chastised his own flesh, and brought it into subjection (I Cor. IX, 27); so that his flesh might be subject to his soul as to its empress, and obey the commands of his mind; so that there would not be discord and war within one man, and the law of the mind would not oppose the law of the body. Therefore, he united these two different things in a certain way and peace, as he himself affirmed, saying: For Christ is our peace, who made both one and broke down the middle wall of partition, making enmities in his flesh (Ephes. II, 14); so that he would not do what he did not want, and he would do what he hated. These, therefore, are two, the soul and the flesh. Hence also David says: I will not fear what the flesh may do to me, which he recognized as an adversary to his soul. (Psalm 55:5)

However, these two, to express more clearly, are not only two, but also two men, one interior, the other exterior. If these two, united in equality, converge with their thoughts in actions, and with their actions in thoughts, the wheel of our life will turn without any offense, as it is written: Let the voice of your thunder be heard in the wheel (Psalm 76:19). Therefore, these two are one; not only one, but one man. And the Apostle says: That he might make in himself of twain one new man, making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby . . . . And that he might reconcile both, unto God in one body, by the cross, having slain the enmities in himself (Ephes. II, 15 et seq.) .

There are also two men, old and new. That old man is guilty and obsolete, worn and torn like old clothing, whom we affix to the cross in baptism. Hence the Apostle says: Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin may be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin (Rom. VI, 6). Therefore, the old is affixed, in order to die to sin; so that the new may arise, who is renewed by grace. Diximus de duobus.

Perhaps someone may say: What do you say about the three, since Scripture says: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20)? The reason is also evident; for the same Apostle says: Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Therefore, where these three are present in their entirety, there Christ is in their midst: He who governs and rules them within, and establishes faithful peace.

Therefore, let this virgin preserve these three things intact above all others; that she may give no cause for complaint concerning sacred virginity, and may be blameless, without wrinkle, without stain. Although we may have spoken of this in frequent books, nevertheless, for the sake of the mentioned pledge, we have decided to entrust this book to you for preservation.

Chapter III.

It is not to be blamed that the female sex, to whom such great gifts have been bestowed by God, was not created immediately after man; for God approved of this, both because the dignity of man does not consist in the body but in the soul and the divine image, and because man is to be praised only at the end of the whole work, and finally because woman had not yet been created, who was both formed from man himself and was to express the likeness of a great sacrament with him; from which it is also evident that she received her name.


Good virginity, which not only absolves both sexes from sin, but also leads them to grace. However, we often accuse the female sex, which has brought about the cause of error: and we do not consider how much more justly the reproach is turned back on us. For, in order to go back to the beginning and inquire into the origins of things, we will investigate how much has been given to her: and how much grace the woman has nevertheless found in the miserable condition of human frailty.


For when God has praised all His works, the heavens, the earth, the seas, the night and the day, because they have all contributed to the use of labor, and have all led to the enjoyment of rest, He has praised wild beasts also. But when it came to man, he alone does not seem to be praised, for whose sake all these creatures were made. (Gen. II, 10 et seq.) What could be the reason for this, except perhaps that other creatures are visible in their species, while man is concealed? You will find nothing more in beasts than what is visible; in man, nothing is lower than what is visible. Although man consists of both soul and body, the body serves what is visible in man, while what is invisible governs it.


Therefore, rightly so, other things are praised at the beginning, but the praise of this one is not displayed, but reserved; because the favor of others is outward, while the favor of this one is inward: the favor of others is in birth, while the favor of this one is in the heart. For what is as lofty and as profound as the mind of man, which is covered and hidden as if by a certain wrapping of the body; so that it is not easily seen and examined by anyone? Therefore, man is not praised first, because he must be tested not in outward appearance, but in the inner man, and then he is worthy of being proclaimed: whom the apostle Peter beautifully described as a hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptibility of a quiet and modest spirit, which is rich before God (1 Peter 3:4).


Therefore, it is deservedly postponed, so that his borrowed praise may follow: for its delay is not a loss, but an increase. Therefore, let no one despise himself as if he were worthless, nor esteem himself by the appearance of his body. For even though the holy Job may say, 'Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither' (Job 1:21), nevertheless he had something by which he would be found rich not only among men, but also before God.

But what can be richer than that which is according to the image and likeness of God? According to the image, however, man is interior, not this exterior one: the one who is valued by sensation, not comprehended by the eyes. Therefore, he must be observed who is investigated more deeply. Therefore, God did not think that the structure of man should be praised; because the greater portion of him is in virtue. Indeed, it is a splendid species, and more excellent than other animals: but let the irrationals be valued by the species of the body; however, those which are full of reason, they should separate themselves for common praise.


Therefore, this person should be admired and stand out not only in appearance but also in attitude; so that they may be praised in those things in which even God is praised by prophetic judgment, of whom it is written: 'Awesome in his counsels over the sons of men' (Psalm 65:5): whose works may shine before God, who weaves together good deeds without ceasing; and therefore, praise for him is not at the beginning, but at the end: for no one is crowned unless they have competed lawfully. Therefore the Wise Man says to you: Do not praise any man before his death (Eccles. XI, 30). He explained the reason for this, saying: Because at the end of a man's life, his deeds are revealed (Ibid., 29).

Let us consider the third [aspect], in which God revealed His judgment; for when He had made man and placed him in paradise to work and to guard [it], He said it was not good for man to be alone. Let us make, He said, a helper for him corresponding to him [Gen. II, 18]. Therefore, without woman, man does not have praise; in woman it is proclaimed. For when He says it is not good for man to be alone, He certainly confirms that it is good for the human race if the female sex is joined to the male sex.


At the same time, it must be considered that just as man was made from the earth and clay, woman was made from man. And while flesh is clay, man was still shapeless, while woman was formed.

Now let us consider the excellent example of the Apostles, which we have written: For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great sacrament, but I speak in Christ and in the Church (Ephesians 5:31-32). Therefore, we observe that through the woman, that heavenly mystery of the Church is fulfilled, in which grace is prefigured, for which Christ descended and completed that eternal work of human redemption. And Adam called the name of his wife Life (Gen. II, 23); for in people also the succession and propagation of human life is spread through a woman, and through the Church eternal life is conferred.

Chapter IV.

The sin of the woman being lighter than that of the man is proven by the difference of sex, the reason of temptation, divine sentence, and the responses of both. After which, remedies against the temptations of women are prescribed to men: in these, the imitation of their fasting is especially emphasized.

Certainly we cannot deny that a woman has made a mistake. But why are you surprised if she has made a mistake, when the weaker sex is more prone to error, even though error is also a characteristic of the stronger sex? A woman has an excuse in sin, a man does not. As Scripture asserts, she was deceived by the wisest of all serpents, you were deceived by a woman: that is, a superior creature deceived her, an inferior creature deceived you; for even though she was deceived by an evil one, she was still an angel. If you could not resist an inferior being, how could she resist a superior being? Your fault absolves her.

If you doubt the merit of guilt, let us ask for the opinion. It is said to them: In sorrow you will bear children, and your turning shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you (Genesis, 3:16). But to the man it is said: You are dust, and to dust you shall return (Genesis, 3:19). And truly a just opinion; since if Adam could not keep what he heard from the Lord God, how could the woman keep what she heard from the man? If God's voice did not confirm him, how could this voice confirm her?


Finally, Adam, having tasted the divine precepts that he had heard in person, had nothing to say, except that the woman had given it to him, and he had eaten it. But the woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate.' How much greater is the woman's absolution! He is accused, she is questioned. Add to this, that he also confesses his guilt beforehand; for the woman who says that she was deceived, testifies to her mistake. Therefore, confession is the remedy for error.


In the very judgment, how much more merciful is a woman towards a man! He accused his own wife; she, on the other hand, did not turn back the accusation against the serpent, that is, she did not accuse him of a crime; but she preferred to absolve her very accuser, if she could, rather than bind him.

Therefore, you have both the forgiveness of sin in confession and the executing of the sentence. In sorrow, it says, you will bear children. He recognizes the weight of his condemnation and carries out the punishment of his condition. For you, a woman fights through her sufferings and finds recompense from punishment so that she may be set free through the children by whom she is afflicted. Thus, grace is given from injury, salvation from weakness; for it is written: She will be saved through the bearing of children (I Tim. II, 15). With health, therefore, she gives birth to those whom she conceived in sadness: and she educates for praise those whom she bore with pain.

But you say, O man, that woman is a temptation to man. That is true. But if she is virtuous, behold another temptation. However, when Abraham went down to Egypt, the beauty of his wife did not harm him, but rather benefited him; for he was honored through his wife, not ridiculed because of her (Gen. XII, 16, 20). But why do you seek beauty in a spouse more than good character? Let the wife be pleasing by virtue rather than physical appearance. Let her be chosen who resembles Sarah in her character. It is not a fault of a woman to be born as such, but it is a fault of a man to seek in a wife that which he often desires; in which, if she is weaker, the woman herself fails; if stronger, the man is at risk. We cannot condemn the work of the divine creator; but just as physical beauty delights someone, much more should that inner beauty, which is closer to the image of God, delight.

Therefore, if a wife is a temptation, be more cautious, seek a remedy against the danger of temptation: Watch, he says, and pray, so that you may not enter into temptation (Matthew 16:13). The Lord said this, the man heard, the woman fulfilled. Women fast every day, and perform fasts without being commanded: they acknowledge the sin, they seek the remedy. Once, a woman ate in violation of the prohibition, and she daily fulfills it with fasting. Whoever follows someone who is in error, follow them when they are correcting themselves. You both have eaten, why does she alone fast? This is, you both have made a mistake, why does she alone seek a remedy for the error?

Chapter V.

Thus, the sentence of condemnation is understood to be in Sarah as being freed, but much more so in Mary, who gave birth to God while remaining a virgin and also exhibited the sign of the same virtue. How shamelessly the heretics have denied that the virgin herself persisted, whose arguments are refuted by evidence from the Gospels.

Come, Eve, now sober; come, Eve, even though you were once intemperate, now fasting in your offspring. Come, Eve, now such that you are not excluded from paradise, but are taken up into heaven. Come, Eve, now Sarah, who will bear sons not in sadness, but in rejoicing; not in mourning, but in laughter. Isaac will be born to you many times. Come again, Eve, now Sarah, of whom it is said to her husband: Listen to your wife Sarah (Gen. XXI, 12). Although it is appropriate for you to be subject to your husband, you quickly overturned the sentence, so that your husband may be commanded to listen to you.


If that woman deserved to be heard by a man by giving birth to the type of Christ, how much does the sex that generated Christ, while preserving her virginity, prevail! Come, therefore, Eve, now Mary, who brought us not only the incentive of virginity but also God. Hence, with great joy and jubilation, Isaiah says about such a gift: Behold, a virgin shall conceive in her womb, and shall bring forth a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14), which is interpreted as 'God with us' (Matthew 1:23). Whence this gift? Not from the earth, surely, but from heaven. Christ chose for himself a vessel through which he would descend and consecrated the temple of modesty. He descended through one, but called many. Hence, Mary, the special one of the Lord, found this name, which means: God from my lineage.

Many things were said before Mary: for Mary, the sister of Aaron, was also called Mary (Exod. XV, 20, 23); but that Mary was called the bitterness of the sea. Therefore, the Lord came into the bitterness of human frailty, so that the bitterness of our condition may be sweetened by the sweetness and grace of the heavenly Word. This was signified by the fountain of Merrha through the sweetened wood; because the bitter people of the nations, before sins, or our flesh by the tempering of the passion of the Lord, may be changed for other uses.


Therefore, Mary, who raised the banner of sacred virginity and the pure flag of integrity for Christ, is truly distinguished. And yet, even though everyone is called to imitate the holy virginity of Mary, there were some who denied that she remained a virgin. We have long preferred to remain silent about this great sacrilege, but because the matter has been brought into the open in such a way that even the Bishop himself was accused of her fall, we believe it should not be left unpunished; especially since we read that she was a woman, as the Lord himself said to the one who told him at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee, 'They have no wine,' he replied, 'Woman, what does this have to do with me and with you?' (John 2:3,5). And elsewhere we read what Matthew said about Joseph and Mary: 'She was found to be with child before they came together, having conceived by the Holy Spirit' (Matt. 1:18). And later: 'He did not know her until she had given birth' (ibid., 1:19). And again about Joseph: 'He did not want to expose her' (Matt. 12:47). And the brothers of the Lord seem to indicate that they were born of Mary. And the Apostle says: 'But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law' (Gal. 4:4). What needs to be clarified for us is that the one who reads it is not bound by this type of conversation. Therefore, let us respond in its proper order.

About the name of woman, what are we moved by? It relates to the sex; for it is not a corruption, but a term for the sex. Common usage does not prejudice the truth. Finally, virginity first received this name; for when God had taken one of Adam's ribs and had formed flesh in its place, He built it, He said, into a woman (Gen. II, 22). Indeed, she had not yet known man, and already she was called woman. Holy Scripture also does not keep silent about the reason for this name, saying: for Adam said: Bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. This will be called woman, because she was taken from her husband. Because she was taken, it says, from her husband, not because she had known a man. Therefore, as long as she was in paradise, she was called woman and was not known by man. But when she was expelled from paradise, it is then written that Adam knew his wife Eve, and then she conceived and bore a son. Thus, the first knot was untied.

The second question, because it is written, Before they came together, she was found to be with child (Matt. 1:18). However, the custom of divine Scripture is that it presents the cause that has been undertaken and defers the incident.

The third question is also resolved, in which it is said: She did not know it until she gave birth to the Son (Ibid., 19). So what then? Did she know afterwards? No. Finally, you have it written: I am God, and I am until you grow old (Isaiah XLVI, 4). Therefore, did God cease to exist after those to whom it was said grew old? Likewise, in the prophecy of David we read: The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet (Psalm CIX, 1). Did the Son, who refused to be worshiped by the nations of subject peoples that were once seen as enemies and denied the author of salvation, cease to sit at the right hand of the Father, or will he not sit there forever?

But what harm did it do to Mary, if Joseph did not understand the mystery of the heavenly plan and thought that the virgin whom he saw was not pregnant? The angels also did not know about her resurrection, as the words imply: Lift up your gates, O leaders, and be lifted up, O everlasting gates, and the King of glory will enter. Who is this King of glory (Psalm 24:7-8)? They ask as if they do not know, and others answer: The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle, he is the King of glory. And the Prophet repeated the same verses, and nonetheless they, as if ignorant, asked again; for thus it is written: Lift up your gates, O princes, and be lifted up, O eternal gates, and the King of glory shall enter in. Who is this King of glory (Psalm 24:7-10)? Therefore, how was a man able to know a divine secret that the angels did not know? And in the book of Isaiah you have: Who is this that comes from Edom, with his garments stained red from Bozrah (Isaiah 63:1)? And surely it was less for a man to be resurrected than for a virgin to give birth. For indeed, by the prayers of Elijah and the prayers of Elisha, the dead had been resurrected (3 Kings 17:22); but never before, never afterwards, did a virgin give birth (4 Kings 4:17).

But he thought that he should divorce her, as if she were guilty, before he was warned by the angel (Matt. 1:20); but afterwards he kept the oracle of her chastity as a faithful and undoubting man.

Chapter VI.

After the other two objections have been resolved regarding the same matter, it is added that it would have been absurd if Christ had not chosen his mother to remain in virginity, or if he had denied her the most remarkable gifts of virginity.

And let not this disturb us, which he says, 'Because Joseph took his wife and went into Egypt' (Matt. I, 24); for a woman, when betrothed, takes the name of her husband. For when marriage is contracted, the name of marriage is assumed; it is not the deflowering of virginity that makes marriage, but the marital agreement. In conclusion, when a girl is joined, it is marriage, not when it is known by a man's admixture.


But what was espoused by marriage, although we have spoken more fully elsewhere, it is enough now to mention the cause of the heavenly mystery; so that those who saw Mary with a heavy womb would believe not in the adultery of her virginity, but in the legitimate birth of one espoused. For the Lord preferred that some should doubt of his own generation rather than doubt the honor of his mother.

Moreover, the Lord himself teaches that brothers may be called the fellowship of the family and the people, when he says: I will tell your name to my brothers; in the midst of the Church I will praise you (Psalm 21:23). Paul also says: I wished myself to be an anathema for the sake of my brothers (Romans 9:3). However, the brothers could be from Joseph, not from Mary. Indeed, if someone were to pursue this further, they would find it. We did not consider it necessary to pursue this, since it is clear that the name of brotherhood is common to many.


But if the Lord Jesus had chosen her as His mother, who could defile the heavenly court with the seed of man, as if she to whom it would be impossible to preserve the custody of virgin modesty? By whose example the rest are provoked to a study of integrity, she herself would deviate from the function that would be intended for others by herself.

And what could be greater than the reward the Lord bestowed upon His mother, whom He honored above all others? For He deemed no gift more abundant than virginity, as Scripture teaches us. For thus the Lord spoke through Isaiah: Let not the eunuch say, I am but a dry tree. Thus says the Lord to the eunuchs: Whoever keeps my commandments, and chooses what I desire, and embraces my covenant, I will give them a place in my house and on my wall, a name better than sons and daughters, an everlasting name will I give them, which shall not be cut off (Isa. 56:3 et seq.). He promises others that they will not fail: did he allow his mother to fail? But Mary does not fail, the teacher of virginity does not fail; nor could it be possible that she who carried God would think of carrying a human being: nor would the righteous Joseph have fallen into such madness, to mingle with the mother of the Lord in physical union.

Chapter VII.

When it was proven that Mary persevered in virginity, from the fact that she was given to the disciple as a mother, the objective of her virginity is confirmed to not have been able to be changed by her, whose such constancy shone forth in the passion of the Son, and whose such virtue shone forth in the exultation of John the Baptist.

But nevertheless, let Mary be defended by her own, not others', customs. She did not fail, as I have said. The Son of God himself is a witness, who when he was on the cross, entrusted his disciple to his mother as a son: he handed her over to the disciple as a mother (John 19:26-27). This was taught by John, who wrote more mystical things; for the other Evangelists wrote that during the Passion of the Lord, the earth quaked, the sun fled, forgiveness was asked for the persecutors. But he, the beloved of the Lord, who had drawn secret wisdom from his heart, and the hidden mysteries of his pious will, diligently pursued this, so that he might prove by his judgment the perseverance of maternal virginity (John 13:23); as if he were a son concerned about his mother's modesty, lest anyone should tarnish her with such contempt for her integrity.


For it was fitting that He who granted forgiveness to the thief should absolve the mother of doubtful modesty. For He says to His mother: Woman, behold thy son! And He says to the disciple: Behold thy mother! (Luke 23:43). He Himself is the disciple to whom His mother is entrusted. How could He take a wife to Himself if Mary had been joined in marriage, or had known the use of the marriage bed?

Close your mouths, wicked ones; open your ears, pious ones; listen to what Christ is saying. The Lord Jesus testifies about the cross (John 19:26) and delays for a moment the public salvation, so as not to leave his mother dishonored. John subscribes to the testament of Christ. Let there be read in defense of the mother's modesty, a testimony of her integrity; let there also be read the disciple's custody of the mother, out of grace for piety. And from that hour the disciple took her unto his own (Ibid. 27). Not in fact did Christ make a divorce, nor did Mary leave her husband. But with whom should the virgin dwell, other than with the one whom she knew to be the guardian of her integrity, the heir of her sons?

The mother stood before the cross, and to the fleeing men, she stood fearless. See whether the mother of Jesus could change her modesty, who did not change her spirit. She looked with pious eyes upon the wounds of her son, through whom she knew the future redemption would come. The mother stood, no less brave than the spectacle, who did not fear the executioner. The son was hanging on the cross, and the mother offered herself to the persecutors. If this were the only reason, that she would be prostrated before her son, the commendable affection of piety should be praised, because she did not want to survive her son; but truly, if she were to die with her son, she desired to rise with him, knowing the mystery that she had given birth to would also be resurrected. At the same time, she knew that she was offering her own death for the public good, and she awaited if by chance her own death would add anything to the public duty. But the passion of Christ did not lack assistance, as the Lord himself predicted long before: And I looked, and there was no helper: And I sought, and no one took notice; and I will deliver them by my own arm (Isaiah 63:5).

So, how was it that the integrity of Mary, who did not fear the punishments but offered herself to dangers while the apostles were fleeing? Her grace was so great, that not only did she preserve the grace of her virginity in herself, but also bestowed the mark of integrity on those she visited. She visited John the Baptist, and leaped in the womb of his mother before he was born (Luke 1:41). At the sound of Mary's voice, the baby rejoiced, obeying her before he was even born. And so it is no wonder that he remained pure in body, whom the mother of the Lord exercised with the oil of her presence and the balm of her integrity for three months. And afterwards she entrusted herself to John the Evangelist, not knowing marriage. Therefore, I am not surprised that he spoke the divine mysteries more than others, to whom the court of heavenly sacraments was present.

Chapter VIII.

The testimonies of Ezekiel, especially those concerning the gate that should not be opened, align with Mary, for through her alone Christ passed without the gate being opened, and he strengthened her in such a way that even Joseph did not open it afterwards.

Now let those who sow this question tell me, what is it that the Lord says through the prophet: 'Now I will bring back the captivity of Jacob, and I will have mercy on the house of Israel' (Ezekiel 39:25). And further, 'I will gather them from the nations, and assemble them from the countries of the nations, and I will be sanctified in them in the sight of the nations: and they shall know that I am the Lord their God, when I appear to them among the nations; and I will no longer hide my face from them, for I have poured out my wrath upon the house of Israel,' says the Lord (ibid., 27 et seq.).


And below, the prophet says that he saw on a very high mountain the construction of a city (Ezek. XL, 2 et seq.), whose gates are signified by many; however, one gate is described as closed, about which he says: I turned toward the way of the outer gate of the holy sanctuary, which faces east, and it was closed. And the Lord said to me: This gate will be closed, and it will not be opened, and no one will pass through it; for the Lord God of Israel will pass through it. And it will be closed, since the Lord will sit in it, to eat bread in the sight of the Lord. According to the way of the gate of the East, he will enter and by its way he will leave (Ezekiel 44:1-3). What is this gate, if not Mary; closed because she is a virgin? Therefore, Mary is the gate through which Christ entered into this world, when he was born of a virgin, and the locks of virginity were not opened. The barrier of modesty remained intact, and the seals of integrity remained unbroken; when he came forth from the virgin, whom the world could not contain in her greatness.


He said, 'This door will be closed and will not be opened.' Good is the door of Mary, which was closed and was not being opened. Christ passed through it, but did not open it.

And so that we may teach that every man has a gate through which Christ enters: 'Lift up, O gates, your lintels, reach up, you ancient doors, and the King of glory will come in' (Psalm 23:7). Therefore, how much more was the gate in Mary, in whom Christ dwelled and departed? For she was also the gate of the womb. Hence holy Job says: 'Let the stars of its night be dimmed; let it not close the doors of my mother's womb' (Job 3:9, 10).


There is, therefore, a door of the womb, but it is not always closed; rather, only one could remain closed, through which the birth of a virgin came forth without the expense of the genital organs. Therefore, the prophet says (Ezekiel 44:2): 'This door shall be closed; it shall not be opened, and no one shall pass through it,' that is, no human being, for the Lord God of Israel shall pass through it. And it shall be closed, that is, before and after the passage of the Lord it shall be closed, and it shall not be opened by anyone, nor is it open; for she always had her own gate, Christ, who said: 'I am the gate' (John 10:7), which no one could take away from her.


This gate faced the east; because it shed true light, it brought forth the East, and gave birth to the Sun of Righteousness. Let the foolish therefore hear: This gate, he says, will be closed, which only receives the God of Israel. Therefore, can't he strengthen his gate, of whom it was said to the Church: Because he has strengthened the bars of your gates (Ps. Xclvii, 13)? But he has indeed strengthened it, and kept it intact. Finally, it is not open.


Therefore, let them hear the prophet saying: It shall not be opened, and it shall be closed, that is, it shall not be opened by the one to whom she is betrothed; for it is not permitted for it to be opened through which the Lord will pass. And after him, he says, it shall be closed, that is, it shall not be opened by Joseph; for it will be said to him: Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for what is born of her is of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20).

Chapter IX.

How is virginity signified by various symbols, and what should sacred virgins learn from each of them?

Therefore, a closed gate is virginity: and a closed garden is virginity: and a sealed fountain is virginity. Listen, maiden, more diligently with open ears, and with modesty kept, open your hands, that the poor may recognize you: close the door, lest the tempter enter: open your mind, preserve your seal.

The virginity is also like a branch from a root, for it is written: There shall come forth a branch from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up from his root (Isaiah 11:1). This branch is not hollow, but solid. Therefore, no one shall break your branch in order to preserve your flower. You are the branch, O virgin, you shall not bend, you shall not be bent down to the ground, so that the flower of the paternal root may ascend in you.

You are a closed garden, O virgin, keep your fruits: let thorns not rise up in you, but let your grapes flourish. You are a closed garden, O daughter, let no one take away the hedge of your modesty: for it is written: And the serpent shall bite him that breaketh into the hedge (Eccles. X, 8). But let him alone take away that which is said: What is cut away from the hedge (Gen. XXXVIII, 29)? Let no one destroy your wall, lest you be trampled upon. O virgin, beware of being another Eve.


You are a sealed fountain, virgin; no one shall pollute your waters, no one shall disturb you; so that you may always contemplate your image in your fountain.

You are a closed door, virgin, let no one open your door, which the Holy and True One has once closed, who has the key of David, who opens, and no one shuts: let no one open who shuts (Apocalypse 3:7). He has opened the Scriptures to you, let no one close them: he has closed your shame, let no one open it.

Chapter X.

It is affirmed that virginity is a crown in the hand of the Lord, whom Scripture does not portray as equal to the Father and the Spirit. Heretics object to this text of the Gospel, but the Catholic faith in the Trinity is confirmed by other testimonies.

'Come,' he said, 'quickly, hold on to what you have, so that no one may take your crown' (Rev. III, 11). What is your crown but that of which it is said: 'And you shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord' (Isaiah LXXII, 3)?

Who says this, except the one about whom Ecclesiastes spoke: There is one and there is not a second (Eccles. 4:8)? Who is this, except the one about whom it was said: Your master is one, Christ (Matt. 23:10)? He is one, because he is the only begotten Son of God: because he alone, as it is written: He alone spread out the heavens and walks upon the sea as on dry land (Job 9:8). Therefore, he is not second, because he is the first: he is not a second, because he is one: One God the Father, from whom all things are, and we in him: and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things are, and we through him (1 Cor. 8:6). One God the Father, and one God the Son, and one Holy Spirit, as it is written: 'Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good' (1 Corinthians 12:11). One, they say, because there is one God. No second; because He does what He wants, not what is commanded. Therefore, one God the Father, and one God the Son. One and one, because they are not two gods. One Son; because He is one with the Father, as He Himself said: 'I and the Father are one' (John 10:29). And one Spirit, because it is the unity of the Trinity, not distinct in order, nor in time.

But they say that it is written: Go, baptize the nations in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matt. XXVIII, 19); and they object that he first named the Father, second the Son, third the Holy Spirit. Therefore, because the Gospel says: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God (John I, 1), did it imply that the Father is inferior; because first it mentioned the Word of God always being and having been in the beginning? And when the Apostle said, 'In the kingdom of Christ and God' (Ephesians 5:5), did he establish an order? Or when the Lord Jesus Himself says, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to proclaim release to the captives' (Luke 4:18), did He testify to the Spirit of the Son of God being superior?

Listen, young woman, as I explain these things. Open your ears, close your mouth. Open your ears to hear the truth; close your mouth to hold your modesty.

Then they read this, because he said: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; and they do not understand that he had said before: In the name, he says. He does indeed signify three persons, but affirms the name of the Trinity as one.

There is therefore one God, one name, one divinity, one majesty. Therefore, no one is second: because the Trinity is the beginning of all things, and the primacy of the Trinity is above all things. Therefore, He is one and not second. He is one who does not have a second; for He alone is without sin, alone without assistance, who says: I looked, and there was no one to help (Isa. LXIII, 5).

Chapter XI.

Since Christ worked so much for us, it is necessary for us to work for him alone. We are not bound to follow him except insofar as he is human, in which sense he is also called the Last One. And this is the meaning that the book of Ecclesiastes and the example of Elisha convey.

There is no end to his toil (Eccles. IV, 8); for our advocate is with the Father for all things, and he has taken upon himself our weaknesses, and he grieves for us, he is infirm for us, as it says: I was sick, and you did not visit me (Matt. XXV, 43).

Whose eye is not satisfied with riches (Ibid.); because He Himself is the height of the riches of wisdom and knowledge of God, in whom are the treasures of heavenly mysteries. Why then do we labor for the world instead, and defraud our soul at the expense of such goodness, to whom we owe service to no one other than this Lord?

Therefore, there is no second here. I certainly testify to this: I read because it is the first, I read because there is no second. Let those who claim otherwise prove it with evidence.

But someone says because it is written: The first man was of the earth, earthly; the second man is from heaven, heavenly (I Cor. XV, 47). But pay attention to what he says. The second, he says, man; as if he said the second man. And I say that the first is second in divinity, before whom there is none; but the second is second in flesh, because he comes after Adam.

I say more, not only according to man, but also as the last. Finally, you have this written: The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. (Ibid., 45). See the mercy of Christ: He is both the first and the last. He who was the first made himself the last for us. First, because through him all things were made; last, because through him is resurrection. For he descended and humbled himself, so that he fell below all, making himself lower than all, in order to lift up all who were lying down.


Therefore, the Preacher also says: For if one falls, his companion will lift him up; woe to him who is alone when he falls, for there is no one to lift him up. And indeed, if two sleep together, they will be warmed; but how can one be warm alone? (Ecclesiastes 4:10-11). This means that whoever has Christ with him, even if he falls, will rise again; even if he has died, he will be revived; because there is one who has come to send fire on the earth (Luke 12:49). Finally, when Elisha raised the boy, he breathed into him (4 Kings 4:34) so that he might infuse the warmth of life. Therefore, have this fire with you in your heart, which will revive you; lest the coldness of perpetual death creep upon you.

So this young man threw himself who came through Mary and poured the warmth of life into the hearts of those listening. Hence they say in the Gospel: 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?' (Luke 24:32).

Chapter XII.

The name of the second young man designated as Christ is understood in the book of Ecclesiastes, as well as in other places, and also in its continuation: therefore, he is described as both having passed through the gate and sitting in it while eating.

Here is the second young man, as the Ecclesiastes says: I saw all the living who walk under the sun with the second young man, who will rise for him? For who will rise for Christ, when he has risen for all, and in him all have risen, when they have received the hope of resurrection?

But it is clear that this statement refers to Christ, when you consider that it corresponds with the blessing or prophecy of Jacob, who said of Judah: Who will raise him up (Gen. XLIX, 9)? Certainly no one else; because he raised himself up, as he himself said: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up (John II, 19). But he was speaking of the temple of his body.

It is truly fitting for Christ alone that which He added: There is no end to all His people (Eccles. IV, 16); because the people of Christ, innumerable, have no end, to whom the faith of the resurrection of eternal life acquires the age of perpetual life. Therefore, according to the flesh, it is said both of the young and the old, and it is not doubtful to fall or to rise. Finally, He added this also; because the best child is poor and wise (Ibid. 13): for He became poor, even though He was rich.


Therefore, the king of Israel himself passed through this gate, the leader himself sat in it; when the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:14), like a king sitting in the royal court of the virgin womb, or in a boiling pot, as it is written: Moab is the pot of my hope, or the pot of my hope (Psalm 59:10). For both are found in different manuscripts. The royal court is the virgin who is not subject to a man, but to God alone. And the pot is the womb of Mary, which was filled with the fervent Spirit that came upon her and brought forth the Savior, filling the whole world.


He who ate at the gate sitting down (Ezek. XLIV, 3), surely that food of which he says: My food is to do the will of my Father who is in heaven (John IV, 34).

Chapter XIII.

The virginity of Mary is beautifully depicted by the pot and the light cloud: the rain of this cloud, prefigured by many types in the ancient covenant, should be gathered by the virgins, just as the most effective ointment of that pot should be received; poverty should not be pretended by anyone, but preparation should be applied.

Oh, the riches of Mary's virginity! It boiled like a pot and poured down like rain upon the earth the grace of Christ; for it is written of her: Behold, the Lord comes sitting upon a light cloud (Isaiah 19:1). Truly light, who knew not the burdens of matrimony: truly light, who lifted this burden from the heavy weight of sins. She was light, who carried in her womb the forgiveness of sins. Finally, she lifted up John who was placed in her womb, who leaped at the sound of her voice, and the infant rejoiced in joy, being animated by the sense of devotion before the infusion of the life-giving Spirit (Luke 1:41).


Therefore, receive, receive, holy virgins, the spiritual rain of this cloud, the tempering of corporeal heat, so that you may extinguish all the burning of the body and moisten the internal parts of your mind. Our sacred fathers announced to us that the salvation of the world would come from this rain of the sacred cloud (Ps. 71, 6). They signified that this rain would come in the form of trickling drops falling upon the earth, which Hierobaal requested and deserved. Follow the good cloud, which gave birth to a fountain within itself, by which it watered the earth. (Judges 6:36 et seq.) Receive therefore the voluntary rain, the rain of blessing, which the Lord has poured out for his inheritance. Receive the water, and let it not flow away from you; for it is a cloud, let it dissolve you and bathe you with sacred moisture; for it is a pot, let it steam with eternal breath.

Therefore, receive from this Moabite jar of heavenly grace the unguent, and do not fear that it will fail: for what has been emptied out is now overflowing, for the odor of it has gone forth into all the earth (Ps. LIX, 10), as it is written: 'Your name is like a poured-out ointment'; therefore have the young women loved you (Cant. I, 2). Let this unguent descend into the depths of the heart, and the secret parts of the viscera, so that the holy Mary may not emit the fragrances of pleasures, but rather the breath of divine grace may be diffused.


This rain extinguished the appetite of Eve: this ointment cleansed the stench of hereditary error, this ointment Mary the sister of Lazarus poured on the feet of the Lord, and the whole house was filled with a fragrant smell (John 12:3).

And let no one consider themselves poor, let no one think themselves destitute, let no one fear that they cannot afford to buy this precious ointment, or think that this fountain is for sale. He says, 'Come to the water, you who are thirsty, and you who do not have money, come and buy, and drink without money' (Isaiah 55:1). And elsewhere it is said, 'You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money' (Isaiah 52:3). Therefore, the Lord, though rich, became poor, so that everyone may buy him, and make the needy rich with his poverty.


Prepare, therefore, vessels of the Lord, that you may receive this fountain of living water, the fountain of virginity, the unguent of integrity, the odor of faith, and the sweet grace of mercy abounding. Clothe yourselves with the innocence of his lamb, who, when he was cursed, did not curse in return, when he was struck, did not strike back (I Peter II, 23).

Chapter XIV.

It is shown how virgins are more strongly encouraged to imitate Mary, many things which have been mystically said about the Church also apply to the same Virgin Mother of God.

Daughters, imitate this, to whom that which was prophesied about the Church is fitting: 'Your steps have become beautiful in sandals, O daughter of Aminadab' (Song of Songs VII, 1); because the Church has proceeded beautifully through the preaching of the Gospel. The soul proceeds beautifully, which uses the body as if it were a sandal; so that it can freely carry its own footprint wherever it wishes without any hindrance.

In these beautiful shoes, Mary walked, who without any mingling of bodily intercourse, as a Virgin, gave birth to the author of salvation. Hence John says splendidly: I am not worthy to unloose the latchet of His shoes (John 1:27), that is, I am not worthy to comprehend the mystery of the Incarnation in the narrowness of the human mind and to complete it in the poverty of speech. Hence Isaiah also says: Who shall declare His generation? (Isaiah 53:8)? Therefore, the steps of either Mary or the Church are beautiful; for the feet of those who proclaim the Gospel are beautiful.

How beautiful are those things also which are prophesied of in the figure of the Church concerning Mary, if indeed you understand them not as the members of the body, but as the mysteries of her generation! For it is said to her: Thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of an artist. Thy navel is like a round bowl never wanting cups mixed with wine. Thy belly is like a heap of wheat set about with lilies (Song of Songs VII, 1, etc.); because He who is contained therein has, in all things, the birth of Christ from the Virgin, just as conquerors are wont to adorn the necks of the brave of this world with torques; so did He lighten our yoke, so as to crown the necks of the faithful with the badges of virtue.


Truly, however, that vessel of Mary, the turning pitcher, in which was Wisdom, who mingled in the pitcher her wine, supplying an inexhaustible grace of pious knowledge from the fullness of her divinity.

In which, in the womb of the virgin, a heap of wheat and the grace of a lily flower sprouted; for it produced both the grain of wheat and the lily. The grain of wheat, as it is written: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone (John 12:24). But because from one grain of wheat a heap was made, that prophetic saying was fulfilled: And the valleys shall abound with wheat (Psalm 65:14), for that dead grain brought forth abundant fruit. Therefore, this grain has satisfied all people as an eternal food of heavenly gifts. And the prophecy of the same mouth has been fulfilled, as David said: He fed them with the fat of wheat, and satisfied them with honey from the rock (Psalm 80:17).

In this grain the divine oracles even testify also the lily; because it is written: I am the flower of the field and the lily of the valleys: as a lily among thorns (Song of Songs 2:1). Christ was the lily among thorns, when he was among the Jews.

Chapter XV.

Virgins can be said in a unique way to be the lilies of Christ; but Christ himself is rightly depicted surrounded by a heap of wheat, symbolizing that he has both enriched the Church and brought together various crowns of victories.

Listen, maiden, to what he says: 'I am the Lily of the valley', Christ, that is, the meek and gentle one. Therefore, be meek, humble, and gentle, so that Christ may bloom in you like a lily. Concerning this, you also have elsewhere: 'His lips are like lilies, dripping liquid myrrh' (Song of Songs 5:13); that is, those who speak of Christ's passion and celebrate it with their mouths, and bear his mortification in their bodies, are the lilies of Christ; especially sacred virgins, whose virginity is splendid and immaculate. Most people understand that the Church seems to say: I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys, which in this valley of the world exhales the grace of a good odor by the diligent confession of piety. Finally, she also says elsewhere: My brother went down into his garden, into the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. I am for my brother, and my brother is for me, who feeds among the lilies (Song of Songs 6:1-2).

From that womb of Mary, therefore, spread out into this world is a heap of fortified wheat among lilies; when Christ was born from her, to whom the prophet David says: You will bless the crown of the year of your kindness, and your fields will be filled with abundance. The boundaries of the desert will become rich, and the hills will be encircled with rejoicing. The rams of the sheep have been clothed, and the valleys abound with grain; for indeed they will cry out and sing a hymn (Psalm 65:12-13).


What is the year of the Lord's favor, except the one of which it is said: 'In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you' (Isaiah 49:8); when the Church, in the faith of the peoples, has put on justice like a garment? Hence the Apostle says: 'Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation' (2 Corinthians 6:2); when the Lord came to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of retribution, as he himself mentioned in his Gospel, saying: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me,' etc. (Luc. IV, 18) .

Then, therefore, the Lord crowned the time of His coming with His works and glory and honor; for that whole year of His life in this world had various struggles of passions. The little child conquered Herod (Matthew 2:16), over whom He triumphed in the passion of the infants. He hungered, He thirsted, He was scourged for us, He endured unworthy humiliations for us, He ascended the cross, He died for us.

Chapter XVI.

The virgins must go out to meet Christ, and in what manner. Indeed, He has been crowned by His mother, but there should be no doubt about His divinity. Therefore, they must take the perfect faith in that food which Jacob prepared and in the robe which the wise woman wove, prefigured; so that the virgin, having received blessings from Christ, may see God in the man, or rather, may be clothed in Christ, along with all the ornaments of virtues.

You see what great struggles there are! But nonetheless, the exactor of the prize is not greedy, to whom a celestial crown of virtue has abounded. From where you go forth, daughters of Jerusalem, as the divine Scripture in the Song of Songs exhorts you: Go forth and see King Solomon in the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, and on the day of the gladness of his heart (Cant. III, 11); for he has made for himself, it says, a charity from the daughters of Jerusalem, that is: Go forth from these bodily narrowness and anxieties, go forth from this carnal pleasure, and travel as a pilgrim from the body, so that you may be able to serve the Lord; for those who are in the flesh cannot please their Lord. Therefore it is said to you that you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit (Rom. VIII, 8, 9), if you can understand the true peaceful love of Solomon, which he made for himself; and therefore he received a crown from his mother.

Blessed mother of Jerusalem, blessed is the womb of Mary, who crowned the Lord with such great glory. She crowned Him when she formed Him: she crowned Him when she gave birth to Him. Even though she formed Him without any operation of her own (for the Holy Spirit overshadowed the virgin; hence, He Himself says: Your eyes have seen my unformed substance), yet by conceiving and giving birth to Him for the salvation of all, she placed the crown of eternal piety on His head, so that through the faith of believers, Christ would become the head of every man. Therefore, the flesh of Christ, whom the Virgin Mary conceived in an extraordinary and new mystery of the Incarnation, without any mixture of masculine seed, assumed the disposition of divine grace, which was flesh, from the Virgin, and formed in her the members of the last Adam, the immaculate man.

You hear a man, but understand above man; for it is written: Do not boil a lamb in its mother's milk (Exodus XXXIV, 26). And elsewhere in the law: He is a man, and who will recognize him (Jeremiah XVII, 9)? Therefore, you should not estimate that lamb, in which the fullness of divinity dwells bodily (Colossians II, 9), with the powers of human condition, and conclude the majesty of incomprehensible power with the weakness of degenerate knowledge. For Jacob did not cook that food of perfect faith in milk, by which Isaac the father was so delighted, that he conferred upon him the entire prerogative of prophetic blessing. And therefore the Apostle wrote that the milk is the juice of a thin food, saying: For everyone who is nourished by milk is without the words of righteousness; for he is a little one, but solid food is for the mature.

And so, daughter, take that cloak woven with the piety of a woman, who opens her hands to the poor, and her lamp does not go out at night (Prov. XXXI, 19 and following): and put it on, and bring such food to your father, so that he says: What is it that you have found so quickly, daughter (Gen. XXVII, 20 and following)? praising both wisdom in tender age, and also the affection of piety. And let him say to you: Approach me, daughter; and may he bless you, having smelled the aroma of your garments, saying: Behold the aroma of my daughter, like the aroma of a field full which the Lord has blessed; and may God give you abundance from the dew of heaven above, and from the fertility of the earth. And to these [commandments], add: Whoever curses you, shall be cursed; and whoever blesses you, shall be blessed.

Jacob, dressed in this robe, saw God in the form of a man, and asked for a blessing from him, calling the place the Vision of God (Gen. XXXII, 26 et seq.). Dressed in this robe, he saw the robe of Christ, of which it is said: He will wash his robe in wine (Gen. XLIX, 11). And Joseph also blessed, saying: My son Joseph, may my son Joseph be enlarged, may my younger son be zealous, return to me (Ibid., 22), indicating the emblem of the Lord's resurrection. And he added: The blessing of your father and your mother prevailed over the blessings of the everlasting mountains and the desires of the eternal hills (Genesis 49:26), that is, over the king of grace.

Take this garment, in order to put on Christ, and be renewed in the knowledge of Him. Put on, therefore, as the chosen ones of God, compassion, kindness, humility, patience, meekness, and love, which is the bond of unity (Colossians 3:12-14); so that you owe nothing to anyone except to love your sister in return. Do not envy her grace, but rather, imitate her, in order to appear more approved. May the peace of Christ and the grace and the Word of God dwell in your heart, and may you flee the thoughts of this world.


Once you die to the world, I beg you, do not touch or defile the things of this age; but always be led away from the conversation of this age in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God and not to man (Colossians 2:20 et seq.). And just as Mary made things holy (Luke 2:19), let it be reflected in your heart. Like a good little lamb, chew on the divine precepts in your mouth, so that you may also say: I will meditate on your wonders (Psalm 118:27). Let not your soul sleep or be silent from weariness. For gutters cast a man out of his own house in the winter time: but the soul of the perfect raineth not, wherein is no more grievous sin. But it remaineth in its own house, and rejoiceth and is glad in the novelty of an offenseless dwelling. But if anything should by chance shake it, thou mayest say: Confirm me in thy words (Ps. CXVIII, 28).

Chapter XVII.

The grace of God is at work, that the life of the angels, once lost in paradise, now shines in the virgins; and that virginity was worthy to bring forth Christ to the world and lead the Hebrews through the sea. After this, Ambrosia herself is commended and offered to God, so that He may protect His gift in her and unite her in heavenly marriage to spiritual childbirth, and may bestow upon her the virtues of dowry and ornaments, by the benefit of which she may deserve to hold her Spouse. Finally, Christ beseeches that he may receive his servant with joy.

Now, after all things have been accomplished, Father of grace, I turn my prayers to you, to whose goodness we give innumerable thanks because on earth we see the life of the angels in holy virgins, which we once lost in paradise. For what could contribute more to imitating the zeal of the virgins and strengthening virtue, or to celebrating the glory of virginity, than God being born of a virgin? Our fault has benefited us more than it has harmed us: in it our redemption found a divine gift.


But also your only begotten Son, coming into the world to receive what was lost, could not find a purer generation of his own flesh, than to dedicate the heavenly courtyard of a virgin as his dwelling place; in which there would be both a sanctuary of unstained chastity, and a temple of God.

But what shall I say about that, which by your divine favor the virgin Mary, with the holy Moses and Aaron, led the feet of the Hebrew army through the waves? I leave behind the old, I do not seek personal gain: it is enough that this nobility belongs to the virgin family.

I beseech you to protect this servant of yours, who has presumed to serve you, to dedicate herself to you, and to devote herself to her integrity. Whom I offer in a priestly duty, I commend to you with a paternal affection; that you may graciously bestow upon her grace, so that, dwelling in the innermost chambers of heavenly mysteries, she may be worthy to see the Bridegroom, may be admitted into the chamber of her divine King; may be worthy to hear him saying to her: 'Come here from Lebanon, O Bride, come here from Lebanon; you shall pass and pass through from the beginning of faith' (Song of Songs 4:8); that she may pass through this age and pass through to those eternal things.


Therefore, Father, focus on your task, for in sanctifying it you sought no one's advice; rather, you bestowed such great favor upon it without any petitioner or judge, that no one could have believed before divine oracles that a virgin would bear God in her womb. The preeminence of this office, provoked by those examples of virginity and sacred integrity, increases devotion to it. With this in mind, may your humble servant also be called to the grace of this virtue, assisting at your altars not with a dyed golden hair indicative of a flamboyant wedding, but with that hair which the holy woman Mary wiped the feet of Christ with diligent piety, and then filled the whole house with the poured-out ointment, offering sacred vestments to be consecrated.


There appears a girl, whom not the festivals of marriages, not rewards, not the burden of a loaded womb, agitate with vows of married sorrows, but she asks for immaculate childbirths to her, and exposes them to piety; that she may receive in her womb of the Holy Spirit, and may bear, fertile to God, a spirit of salvation. But in order that these things may be able to proceed through the grace of merits, you, God Almighty Father, join the suffrages of commendation; for it is not the solitary dowry of modesty. She should adorn the sacred crown of virginity with modesty, sobriety, and continence so that, accompanied by a retinue of virtues and clothed in the purple veil of the Lord's blood, she may bear in her flesh the mortification of the Lord Jesus; for these are the better garments, the clothing of virtues, by which guilt is covered and innocence is revealed.

So, clothe your servant in garments that are clean at all times; for whatever has been stained by no intervening fault remains clean, so that it may be rightly said of her: 'Your works have pleased God' (Eccl. 9:7-8). Let your garments be white at all times, and let not the oil be lacking on her head, with which she may ignite her mystical torches; so that when the Bridegroom comes, she may be counted worthy among those wise virgins (Matt. 25:10), and be deemed worthy of the heavenly chamber, illuminating the sacred profession with the light of her devotion, faith, and seriousness.


Therefore, protect your handmaid, Father of Charity and Glory, so that she may hold the locks of modesty as if in a closed garden and a sealed spring, the seals of truth. Let her cultivate her field, which the holy Jacob cultivated, and let her receive sixty and a hundredfold of its fruits. In these virtues and strengths of the field, stir up grace in her and revive love. Let her find the one she loved, hold onto him, and not let him go until she receives the wounds of love, which are preferred to kisses. Always prepared, let her awaken with her whole spirit of mind both at night and during the day, (Song of Songs 5:7), so that the Word may never find her asleep. And because her beloved wants to be sought after more frequently, to explore her affection; let her follow him when he comes back, let her soul and faith go out from her body to wander in your word, so that she may be present to God: let her heart be awake, let her flesh sleep, so that she may not begin to watch over sins.

Lord, grant her other adornments of sacred virginity, grant diligent religious observance; so that she may know how to possess her vessel, may know how to be humble: may hold love, the wall of truth, the barrier of modesty. May her veil not be made of pine, may cypresses not surpass her modesty, may turtles not conquer her chastity, may doves not surpass her simplicity. May simplicity be in her heart, moderation in her words, modesty towards all, piety towards relatives, mercy towards the needy and the poor: may she hold on to what is good, abstain from all forms of evil; may the blessing of the dying come upon her, and may the mouth of the widow bless her (Job 29:13).


Place, therefore, your word as a seal upon his heart, as a seal upon his arm (Song of Songs 8:6), so that in all his senses and actions Christ may shine forth, may aim at Christ, may speak Christ. Let not the abundance of worldly waters extinguish his charity, nor the sword of persecution, nor danger: but strengthened in every good work and word, may he clothe himself with your glory, and may he turn towards you in your grace in this world. Sanctify him in truth, confirm him in virtue, connect him in charity, and by your divine favor lead him to that heavenly glory of purity and integrity, the unblemished and unspotted crown; so that there he may follow the footsteps of the Lamb, and may pasture at midday, may remain at midday, nor may he walk among the flock of companions, but mixed with your lambs, may he be a companion of virgins without offense, a follower of the Marys.


Therefore, go forth, Lord Jesus, on the day of your betrothal, receive now the devout spirit and also the declaration; fulfill the knowledge of your will; take from the beginning unto salvation, in the sanctification of the spirit and the faith of truth, so that your servant may say: You have held my right hand, and in your will you have guided me, and in glory you have taken me up (Psalm 67:24). Open your hand and fill her soul with blessing (Psalm 144:16); that you may save those who hope in you (Psalm 85:2), and may she become a vessel sanctified for honor, useful to the Lord, approved for every good work: through that eternal cross, through that venerable glory of the Trinity, to whom be honor, glory, and eternity, Father God, and Son, and Holy Spirit, from ages, and now, and forever, and in all ages, Amen.

In Exhortation to Virginity Admonition

God, most excellent and divine, never allows individuals to become godlike, unless it is for the greater glory of Himself and the benefit of them and the Church, as is revealed by that Ambrosian journey which gave rise to this work. The holy man had heard that Eugenius the tyrant was coming to Italy, and even to Milan, in order to subvert the Christian religion, as Paulinus relates in the Life of Ambrose. Therefore, thinking that it was not necessary to wait for a man who, under the pretense of the Christian faith, was attempting to lead people back to idolatry, he went to Bologna. Meanwhile, while he was staying there, a solemn translation was celebrated of the bodies of the martyrs Vitalis and Agricola, which seemed to have been revealed to the bishop Paulinus himself (ibid.). When the people of Florence learned of this, they invited him with great enthusiasm to come and bless their new church. The holy bishop agreed to their request, although he had originally planned to go elsewhere (Chapter 1, number 1, and Paulinus in Life of Ambrose). And when he had brought with him some relics of the martyrs of Bologna, he deposited them in that Church which he himself consecrated there with a splendid procession. On the same solemnity, he also gave the speech from which this book is composed.

At the beginning of his work, he himself declares (Chapter 1, number 1). Under which, after a detailed description of the torture of the martyrs and the excavation of their relics (Numbers 2 and following), he adds that he himself brought a part of these relics collected by his own hands to them, namely nails, triumphant blood, and the wood of the cross (Chapter 2, number 9). For he denies (Ibid, number 10) that it was fair for him to suffer rejection from the widow Juliana, who had built the sacred altar, called the Ambrosian altar, because the same Ambrose had inaugurated it. But when that pious mother, truly a Christian, was not satisfied with consecrating her possessions to Christ in the building of a noble basilica, she furthermore decided to dedicate herself and her whole family to Him at her own home. Indeed, while her husband was still alive, she had already offered the first fruits of her sacrifice as if in libation. For although he did not fall short of his wife in the praise of piety, not long before his death, despite bearing the heavy burdens of marriage, namely a son and three daughters, he did not refuse to be initiated into Holy Orders for the sake of the benefit of the Church with the consent of his wife. Therefore, she had already set the task of continence for the novice; but after her husband had fulfilled his mortal fate, she wanted to apply the finishing touch to her work. Therefore, in order to encourage her children to embrace the profession of continence, she motivated them with the following speech, which the holy Doctor, adorned with his own style and eloquence, presented to all who had gathered there, in this sense (Chapter 3 and following).

At the beginning, having addressed her son who had not yet reached the years of boyhood, she asserts that his name, Laurentius, was given to him for this reason (Chapter 3, number 14 and following), because when his parents had already despaired of producing male offspring, they obtained his patronage through the intercession of such a great martyr. From this it is inferred that he, just as Anna dedicated Samuel to God, promised before his divine presence to exempt his mother (Chapter 3, number 17 and following). Then, addressing her daughters, she urges them to dedicate their chastity to Christ, opposing the disadvantages of marriage and the benefits of celibacy. Finally (Chapter 4, numbers 25 and following), now speaking to his son, now to his daughters, now even to all together, he leaves nothing untried in order to persuade them to fulfill the vows their parents had made in their name. And it was not in vain, that desire of their pious mother. Laurentius was enrolled in the number of readers (Chapter 8, number 54); his sisters, however, having professed chastity in the customary manner (Chapter 14, number 93), observed it in their mother's house.


So, moved by this, Ambrose wanted to continue the conversation with Juliana, even with his own exhortation (Chapter 9 and following). There he instructs those same virgins what their duty is, how they should devote themselves to exercises, and what they should provide, so that they can live according to the rules of their profession along with their mother. Then he also instructs other Christian virgins (Chapter 10, number 71, and following), to whom he transfers the conversation from those three victims of integrity. Then, after presenting various examples that they themselves should imitate, he does not fail to mention holy Sotheris (Chapter 12, number 81), whom, as we have seen elsewhere (Book III on Virginity, number 39), she describes as enduring willingly and with a bloody mind the torment of the executioner's blows with her own fist. He also adds some other instructions (Chapter 13, numbers 83 and following), and when these are finished, he promises abundant reward from Christ to that widow who had devoted herself, her children, and all her possessions to Him (Chapter 14, number 92). Finally, he prays to God (Ibid., no. 93), that in the Church that he was consecrating, He may always be present and gracious, and may accept the prayers of the faithful and the sacrifice of the Lord's body, but above all, may admit the complete offering of this entire family.

It is probable that in that treatise, which, as we have seen, was delivered in a public gathering, nothing else is contained except a single speech. But although the holy Doctor was very skilled in speaking, he could hardly bring himself to cut his speech short in such a joyful celebration. Nor have we deviated from the truth if we believe that the version preserved in the manuscripts is exactly as it was delivered in Florence. Indeed, since he himself was composing books from his own sermons, he would often insert something into them, from which that change could be recognized. Hence it is more aptly titled Exhortation to Virginity in the manuscripts, and in the ancient editions, Exhortation to Virgins, which in Rome is treated as On the Exhortation to Virginity: but nevertheless, the fact that each of these titles does not inelegantly agree with the argument of the work that we have hitherto explained, proves abundantly. But it can seem remarkable that the widow, speaking to her daughters with them listening, was influenced by Ambrosius and that the speech which she herself had given could be inferred to have been adapted by the same person. But without a doubt, he performed this in such a way that greater force would be added to his exhortation.

Moreover, when he had this document, at the time when Eugenius was fleeing, and also after the secrets of the sacred lip-salve of the saints Vitalis and Agricola were revealed, it is concluded that the aforementioned tyrant committed treason not before he returned to our bishopric on the Kalends of August in the year 394, which had not yet been restored. Baronius indeed attributes the year 392 to this work (Ad ann. 392), which, however, without a doubt, should be rejected as belonging to the following year. Moreover, it also seems certain that the same prayer was composed and spoken with Easter approaching; for this is what the holy man says: The day of Easter is coming, etc. (Chapter 7, number 42), is openly indicated.