10. Nor, because I called
Ruth blessed, Anna more blessed, in that the former married twice,
the latter, being soon widowed of her one husband, so lived long,
do you straightway also think that you are better than Ruth.
Forsooth different in the times of the Prophets was the
dispensation of holy females, whom obedience, not lust, forced to
marry, for the propagation of the people of God,2242
that in them
Prophets of
Christ
might be sent beforehand; whereas the People itself also, by those
things which in figure happened among them, whether in the case of
those who knew, or in the case of those who knew not those things,
was nothing else than a
Prophet of
Christ, of whom should be
born
the
Flesh also of
Christ. In order therefore for the propagation of
that people, he was accounted accursed by sentence of the
Law,
whoso
raised not up
seed in
Israel.
2243
Whence also holy
women were
kindled, not by
lust of
sensual intercourse, but by
piety of
bearing; so that we most rightly believe of them that they would
not have sought
sensual intercourse, in case a
family could have
come by any other means. And to the
husbands was allowed the use of
several
wives living; and that the cause of this was not
lust of
the
flesh, but forethought of begetting, is shown by the fact,
that, as it was
lawful for holy men to have several
wives living,
it was not likewise
lawful for holy
women to have intercourse with
several
husbands living; in that they would be by so much the
baser, by how much the more they sought what would not add to their
fruitfulness. Wherefore holy Ruth, not having
seed such as at that
time was necessary in
Israel, on the
death of her
husband sought
another of whom to have it. Therefore than this one twice
married,
Anna once
married a
widow was on this account more
blessed, in that
she attained also to be a
prophetess of
Christ; concerning whom we
are to believe, that, although she had no sons, (which indeed
Scripture by keeping
silence hath left uncertain,) yet, had she by
that Spirit foreseen that
Christ would immediately come of a
virgin, by Which she was enabled to recognize Him even as a
child:
whence, with good reason, even without sons, (that is, assuming she
had none,) she refused a second
marriage: in that she knew that now
was the time wherein
Christ were better served, not by
duty of
bearing, but by
zeal of containing: not by fruitfulness of
married
womb, but by chastity of widowed
conduct. But if Ruth
also was aware that by her
flesh was propagated a
seed, whereof
Christ should hereafter have flesh, and by marrying set forth her
ministering to this knowledge, I dare not any longer say that the
widowhood of Anna was more blessed than her
fruitfulness.
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