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| Conduct of the Arians towards the consecrated Virgins.
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33. Conduct of the Arians
towards the consecrated Virgins.
The Son of God, our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, having become man for our sakes, and having destroyed death,
and delivered our race from the bondage of corruption1380
, in addition to all His other benefits
bestowed this also upon us, that we should possess upon earth, in the
state of virginity1381
| 1381 Cf.
Ep. Fest. i. 3, Ep. ad Amun, also de Incar. 27,
48, 51. | , a picture of the
holiness of Angels. Accordingly such as have attained this virtue, the
Catholic Church has been accustomed to call the brides of Christ. And
the heathen who see them express their admiration of them as the
temples of the Word. For indeed this holy and heavenly profession is
nowhere1382
| 1382 [Revillout (in the work quoted supr. p. 188), p. 479
sq. states the contrary with regard to Egypt. He refers to the
opening of Plutarch’s de Is. et Osir., also to Brunet de
Presle Serapeum.] | established, but only among us
Christians, and it is a very strong argument that with us is to be
found the genuine and true religion. Your most religious father
Constantine Augustus, of blessed memory, honoured the Virgins above all
the rest, and your Piety in several letters has given them the titles
of the honourable and holy women. But now these worthy Arians who have
slandered me, and by whom conspiracies have been formed against most of
the Bishops, having obtained the consent and cooperation of the
magistrates, first stripped them, and then caused them to be suspended
upon what are called the Hermetaries1383
| 1383 A
rack, or horse, Tillemont. vol. viii. p. 169. | , and scourged
them on the ribs so severely three several times, that not even real
malefactors have ever suffered the like. Pilate, to gratify the Jews of
old, pierced one of our Saviour’s sides with a spear. These men
have exceeded the madness of Pilate, for they have scourged not one but
both His sides; for the limbs of the Virgins are in an especial manner
the Saviour’s own. All men shudder at hearing the bare recital of
deeds like these. These men alone not only did not fear to strip and to
scourge those undefiled limbs, which the Virgins had dedicated solely
to our Saviour Christ; but, what is worse than all, when they were
reproached by every one for such extreme cruelty, instead of
manifesting any shame, they pretended that it was commanded by your
Piety. So utterly presumptuous are they and full of wicked thoughts and
purposes. Such a deed as this was never heard of in past persecutions1384
| 1384 Vid.
Hist. Ar. §§40, 64. | : or supposing that it ever occurred before,
yet surely it was not befitting either that Virginity should suffer
such outrage and dishonour, in the time of your Majesty, a Christian,
or that these men should impute to your Piety their own cruelty. Such
wickedness belongs only to heretics, to blaspheme the Son of God, and
to do violence to His holy Virgins.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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