De Joseph et de castitate

On Joseph and on Chastity. The pilots who are greatly tossed about on the deep sea, to whom no mainland, no mountain, no hill, no rocks indicate the land, looking to certain stars and steering the vessel by them, remain unshipwrecked. But the disciples of the Church, who are on the sea of this life, looking not to certain stars but directing the name of their mind toward the fathers, and following their footsteps with desire of soul, sail into the same harbor of the kingdom. For this reason indeed our Lord proclaimed their life in the holy Scriptures, that we might not only praise them when we hear, but also, having desired their way of life, we might emulate it. For the Lord, knowing that the nature of human beings is by nature fond of beauty and always aiming at better things through ambition, has set forth the contests of the fathers like ornaments, so that each of us may adapt himself to whichever contest he wishes. Therefore, the life of the blessed Job is an excellent teacher of endurance, that of Moses of forbearance, that of David of gentleness, that of Daniel of fasting and prayer, that of Joseph and the blessed Susanna of chastity. The life of Joseph is fitting and lovely for young men, and for young women, especially those living in marriage, the virtuous contest of the blessed Susanna; for the struggle is equal for both. For he trampled on the fear of a mistress for the sake of chastity, while she disregarded the death-dealing threats of rulers for the sake of chastity. But let the life of the blessed Joseph be described by us first.

since the father is also older; then, in this way, the story of the blessed Susanna. The blessed Joseph, then, coming from noble parents, while still young, just as the down of hair was beginning to appear on his cheeks, like a blooming rose amidst a fair beard, covering the flower of his form, preserving the appearance of a violet purpling in the pupils of his eyes in spring, having teeth white as milk, lips glowing, eyebrows spread over a lily-white forehead, joined together by the thickness of the hair. And why do I attempt to describe the young man's beauty, whom Scripture praised exceedingly, saying, "Fair in form, and very beautiful in appearance"? He is sold because of the envy of his brothers, as it seemed to them, into slavery, but as God had ordained, into kingship; and the little child was led into Egypt as a cheap youth; for those who bought him did not yet see the wealth of his virtues, and they were ignorant that he was destined through the orderliness of chastity to rule over all Egypt, and to save all of it when it was perishing from famine. So he is led into Egypt, and sold a second time, and not even once is he enslaved. For he who is free in spirit, even if sold ten thousand times, is not enslaved even once; just as, conversely, a slave in character, even if freed ten thousand times, is not freed even once; for he whom his own character does not free, ten thousand documents and black letters cannot free. So he is led into Egypt, sold into an Egyptian household, loved by the master, loved by the mistress; but the master's desire is good, while the mistress's love is wicked.

For the one loved him out of reverence, the other out of the sting of licentiousness; and as time lengthened and the beauty of his form blossomed, so too her terrible passion for him increased, and the innate fire of desire consumed her heart. And indeed, planning to deceive the young man, she resorted to every means that beguiles the eyes of the young. Adorning her face like a meadow, reddening her cheeks with rouge, whitening her forehead with white lead, outlining her eyes with black, decking her neck and hands with golden ornaments, and fumigating her soft garment with various perfumes; and she was simply a deadly snare, through all the senses, as she thought, to deceive the young man: beguiling sight by visible adornment, enchanting hearing with flatteries, and bewitching smell with perfumes. But behold the courage of a noble athlete; for I think that God allowed the temptation to be brought against the boy, so that he might both reveal hidden virtue in a youth and leave to the Church his life as a great lesson. For there is no good deed done by the fathers which God has not set up in the Church like a monument bearing a reminder of that life. So behold the courage of a noble athlete, how many things were fighting against him: his own youth warred against him, pleasure tickled him from within, and the woman wrestled with him from without, coaxing with promises and flattering with coaxing; the women sent in undermined him, and flattery pricked his hearing and his sense.

But none of these things could prevail over him. For he was neither loosening the reins, puffed up by her flatteries, nor, inflated by her promises, did he despise chastity, nor, humbled by her threats, did he betray the wealth of his virtues; rather, he curbed all the parts of his body with chaste reason. And when she was unable to deceive the young man through so many instruments within her, she herself, in a certain chamber, secretly and forcibly detained him for a disorderly bed. Then one could see a great theater, not an earthly one, but a heavenly one. For Joseph was wrestling in the arena of temptation; the stadium was spread out, the contests were being performed, the trumpet was sounding, the judge from above was watching the struggle, and the host of angels, leaning over, was watching; the demons below were offering the prizes to the Egyptian woman, and the angels above were weaving crowns for Joseph; for demons were running together with the Egyptian woman, and angels were breathing together with Joseph. Great was the contest, as to who would conquer whom; there was much concern among the angels for Joseph, lest the woman's perfumes soften the young man, lest the soft garments, the glance, the posture, the step, the hearing, the caress, the flattery unnerve the young man; great was the concern of the angels, great the hope of the demons. Joseph was contending for a crown, the Egyptian woman was fighting for shame; he for life, she for death. And what were the things said by the Egyptian woman? Some in threats, some in flatteries; with threats terrifying the young man, with flatteries bewitching him; and with threats she said:

I am your mistress; you have been bought with my money; you have been sold to me for this purpose. If you refuse, bonds and prison await you, and after that, inevitable death. But if you obey, honors, bodyguards, and authority over my entire household will be placed in your hand. But do you fear exposure? It is possible to hide it from my husband and those in the house; only obey, only consent to the deed, and you will be master of all. Hearing this, Joseph said to the Egyptian woman: O woman, I have never been a slave; for I am descended from noble parents. For Abraham and Isaac, who conversed with God, were my grandfathers, and Jacob, who wrestled with an angel, was my father. Therefore, I wrestle with you confidently. I have been sold to you through the malice of my brothers; but the name of slavery will not harm the nobility of my soul. For often a malicious cloud, coming upon the bright rays of the sun, dims them for a time, but does not darken them completely; for it is immediately driven out by the force of the sun's light. Likewise, the name of slavery will not extinguish the radiance of my nobility; for soon, by the ray of my conduct, it will be dispersed, and the beauty of my nobility will shine throughout all Egypt. I have been sold to you, I agree, I do not deny it; I have fulfilled the service proper to slavery for you; I have been truthful to you, harmless, blameless, guileless, inoffensive, not liable to accusation; no charge of disorder has been brought against me by you.

And now you advise me to do an unholy deed, and whisper to me secretly, like a serpent, thinking to entice me and bend me with death-dealing threats toward that drama of licentiousness which you desire? Do not deceive me, woman; do not look to my youth. A new wineskin can hold old wine, and a new purse can carry ancient pearls. You see my green youth, but look upon my mature character. Nature has given me a younger appearance, but the law has made my heart old. Do not deceive me, woman; you will not conquer my virtue. You will not conquer Joseph, the son of Jacob—Jacob, who even while in the womb kicked his brother, and afterward wrestled with an angel and prevailed. Do not deceive me; I wrestle the same as my father. But you think to flatter me with promises. Tell me, what can you promise me that is equal to chastity? What kingdom is its equal, what treasure is its match? Do you not know that chastity is a heavenly possession, an angelic thing, a gift of God? Keep your promises. Your honors are the causes of dishonor. Your honors, which you promise, are the beginnings of shame. Your gold is a product of the earth and a waste of rust. My gold is a product of God, an eternal growth. But you think the deed will be hidden. Do you not know the sleepless eye of God, which watches all deeds done in darkness? How many angels do you think stand here now? Under how many witnesses do these deeds take place?

Consider, woman, your husband, your brothers, your friends, your neighbors, your relatives, those who boast of your modesty; consider the angels present, and either be ashamed before them, or have respect for the absent men. With what eyes will you look upon your husband, whom you have chosen to plot against? With what arms will you embrace him, whom you have wished to put to death? With what words will you flatter him, whose bed, as far as it depends on you, you have defiled? Remember all that you promised him; how you affirmed with oaths that you would keep the pledge of chastity for him, that you loved him more than yourself. Imitate, woman, the turtledove; for she, having mated with one male, no longer mates with another; and if it happens that her male is caught by a fowler or consumed by an eagle, she does not mate with another male, but remains always awaiting her beloved, and dies in his memory. Let either the fear of God, or the law of the Hebrews, or the venerable custom of the ancients instruct you, woman.

Having said this, Joseph, seeing that she still shamelessly held onto his garments and burned even more with passion—for desires are then more inflamed toward the object of longing when they cannot attain it—like a noble athlete, stripping off his clothes and emptying her entirely along with her garments onto the ground, leaped naked from the contest, bearing the victory of chastity. And the Egyptian woman held the leaves of disorder, while Joseph bore the fruit of righteousness. There was joy in heaven over Joseph’s victory; angels rejoiced, demons wept, Joseph was crowned, the Egyptian woman was put to shame; the victory touched her. She turns to slander and accuses Joseph to her own husband, imputing shame to him, saying, “Why did you bring a Hebrew boy here to mock us?” The husband becomes indignant and throws him into prison. For the lamp was necessary for those in darkness, the grain-supplier for the hungry, the harbor for the storm-tossed, the physician for the sick. Two eunuchs of Pharaoh are also thrown into prison; they see dreams; there was no one to interpret them; they report to Joseph; he clarifies what was hidden. The eunuchs are released from prison; things turn out for them as Joseph interpreted. King Pharaoh sees a dream; there was no one to interpret it; the eunuch reports about Joseph; he is released from prison because of the dream. And observe the mystery: He was sold because of a dream; he was freed because of a dream. For what?

He compares Pharaoh’s dream, the king sees his shrewdness, and freed him to rule, entrusting him with all authority over Egypt. Having received authority, Joseph, at the time of the famine, benefited everyone—strangers, residents, friends, enemies, foreigners. His father comes to Egypt; his mother, together with his father, does obeisance to him. For even if she died on the way while coming, yet she did obeisance in her husband; for husband and wife are one flesh. His eleven brothers also come, they do obeisance to him; and the vision that Joseph saw was fulfilled: “For I thought,” he says, “that the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were doing obeisance to me.” Why eleven? Because Judas had hanged himself; for the sold Joseph was a symbol of Christ sold by Judas. Do you see how through chastity he was justified, through chastity he reigns in the heavens? These things have been said to us so that you also, emulating the same way of life, may obtain the same glory from God. But we ought also to have spoken about the blessed Susanna, especially since we promised; but since it is better to depart while still thirsting, and not for those who have been sated to spit out what they have received, reserving the narrative for another day, by God’s will, let us now run to the mixing bowl of initiation, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom are the glory and the power unto the ages of ages. Amen.