4. Her virginity also itself
was on this account more pleasing and accepted, in that it was not
that Christ being conceived in her, rescued it beforehand from a
husband who would violate it, Himself to preserve it; but, before
He was conceived, chose it, already dedicated to God, as that from
which to be born. This is shown by the words which Mary spake in
answer to the Angel announcing to her her conception; “How,”
saith she, “shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”2031
Which
assuredly she would not say, unless she had before vowed herself
unto
God as a
virgin. But, because the
habits of the Israelites as
yet refused this, she was
espoused to a just man, who would not
take from her by
violence, but rather
guard against violent
persons, what she had already vowed. Although, even if she had said
this only, “How shall this take place?” and had not added,
“seeing I know not a man,” certainly she would not have asked,
how, being a
female, she should give
birth to her
promised Son, if
she had
married with purpose of sexual intercourse. She might have
been bidden also to continue a
virgin, that in her by fitting
miracle the Son of
God should receive the form of a
servant, but,
being to be a pattern to holy
virgins, lest it should be thought
that she alone needed to be a
virgin, who had obtained to conceive
a
child even without sexual intercourse, she
dedicated her
virginity to
God, when as yet she knew not what she should
conceive, in order that the imitation of a heavenly
life in an
earthly and
mortal body should take place of
vow, not of command;
through
love of choosing, not through necessity of doing service.
Thus
Christ by being
born of a
virgin, who, before she knew Who was
to be
born of her, had determined to continue a
virgin, chose
rather to approve, than to command, holy virginity. And thus, even
in the female herself, in whom He took the form of a servant, He
willed that virginity should be free.
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