Verses on Various Occasions · Chapter
CXX: The Married and the Single explained
A poetic fragment attributed to St.
What happens
A poetic fragment attributed to St. Gregory Nazianzen contrasts the married and celibate states. It traces the historical shift from the Old Law, which honored marriage, to the New Covenant inaugurated by Christ's virgin birth, which exalted celibacy. The married state is defended for its social, emotional, and spiritual benefits, while the single life is portrayed as a humble, heaven-directed vocation of prayer and service.
Themes in this chapter
The Church and Tradition
The poem contrasts the Old Law's emphasis on marriage with the New Covenant's exaltation of celibacy, showing the development of church teaching.
Sin and Redemption
Christ's virgin birth redeems Eve and her daughters, transforming the status of the celibate life.
Suffering and Humility
The single life is depicted as austere, humble, and focused on spiritual discipline, in contrast to worldly honors.
Characters to notice
- Gregory Nazianzen
Attributed author of the fragment; his voice frames the debate between marriage and celibacy.
- Christ
His virgin birth consecrates the celibate life and inaugurates the New Covenant.
- Adam
Referenced as the origin of marriage when Eve was created from his side.
- Eve
Mentioned as the one whose daughters are consecrated by Christ's birth.
- Moses
Listed among the prophets and teachers born of the marriage promise.
- Paul
Cited as a strong-hearted apostle and example of the married state's offspring.
Key passages
“As, when the hand some mimic form would paint, It marks its purpose first in shadows faint, And next, its store of varied hues applies, Till outlines fade, and the full limbs arise; So in the earlier school of sacred lore The Virgin-life no claim of honour bore, While in Religion's youth the Law held sway, And traced in symbols dim that better way.”
Just as an artist first sketches a faint outline and then fills in colors to create a complete figure, so in the early days of religion the Law only hinted at the ideal of virginity, which later became fully revealed.
The analogy of painting illustrates the progressive revelation of the celibate ideal through salvation history.
“But, when the Christ came by a Virgin-birth— His radiant passage from high heaven to earth— And, spurning father for His mortal state, Did Eve and all her daughters consecrate, Solved fleshly laws, and in the letter's place Gave us the Spirit and the Word of Grace, Then shone the glorious Celibate at length, Robed in the dazzling lightnings of its strength.”
When Christ was born of a virgin, He honored all women and replaced the old legal system with the Spirit and grace, making the celibate life radiant and powerful.
Christ's virgin birth is the pivotal event that elevates celibacy above marriage in the Christian dispensation.
“Take love away, and life would be defaced, A ghastly vision on a howling waste, Stern, heartless, reft of the sweet spells which swage The throes of passion, and which gladden age.”
Without love, life becomes a desolate and terrifying wasteland, stripped of the comforts that soothe passion and bring joy to old age.
The married speaker argues that love, embodied in family and community, is essential to a meaningful life.