It is a fact
that virginity and continence (restraint from sexual activity) were highly
regarded in ancient times. Many non-Christian peoples valued these practices for
their ascetical example as well as for their religious significance.1 Hebrew
priests were asked to abstain from intercourse in order to prepare themselves
for certain rituals, the Roman vestal virgins were considered sacred guardians
of the city, and many tribal religions considered sexual abstinence, at least
for a time, as a way to win favor from God. Closer to the time of Christ, a
religious group of Jews called the Essenes seems to have practiced a form of
celibacy in expectation for the coming of the Messiah. From what we can gather
from Scripture, John the Baptist was celibate, along with two of the greatest
Hebrew prophets, Elijah and Jeremiah.
Occasionally we also hear of Jewish scholars, such as the Rabbi Akiba in the
second century A.D., who with the permission of their wives lived long periods
of continence in order to devote themselves more completely to the study of the
Law.2 But while most first-century Jewish rabbis were expected to marry, in the
hope of adding to the numbers of the chosen people and raising children
well-formed in the Law, we do know of one egregious exception to this practice,
the young rabbi from Nazareth named Jesus Christ. He did not choose to marry,
and there is clear evidence that he also asked his apostles to live celibacy in
order to follow him. As a matter of fact, many scholars believe that he was
making a defense of his own and his apostles' celibacy when he affirmed that
"there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have
been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for
the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him
receive this" (Matt. 19:11). In other words, Jesus and his apostles had freely
renounced their right to have a wife and children, in order to spread the
kingdom of God. And he later declares that this generosity will not go
unrewarded: "For everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father
or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold,
and inherit eternal life" (Matt. 19:29). Luke's Gospel specifically mentions the
leaving of a wife for the sake of God's kingdom (Luke 18:29), along with the
reward that God will give.
Christ also speaks of the kingdom of God as the definitive state of mankind,
where there will be no marrying or giving in marriage (cf. Mark 12:25). Though
at that point he was answering a question about eternal life posed by his
opponents, his response highlights the power and beauty of celibacy: those who
practice it in this world are truly anticipating the final state of man in
paradise, where God's love is the greatest and most exclusive reality. Therefore
virginity for the sake of God's kingdom can truly be called the "pearl of great
price" (Matt. 13:46), to use the expression of one of Christ's parables.
It is clear then that the origin of virginity or celibacy is intrinsically
connected with love for God, and as a result of that love, with evangelization.
Implied in both love and evangelizing is closeness to Christ; we can surmise
that this was the main motive of the apostles, at least at first, when they made
their commitment to celibacy. We know that one of them, Peter, had married,
though we are not sure if his wife was still living at the time of the Gospels,
since we never hear of her. We can assume that some of the others were married
also, but again, we hear nothing of their spouses, since the main message of the
Gospel is that they gave up everything to follow the Master. They wanted to be
close to the Messiah, and therefore practiced his way of life; they were deeply
and personally drawn to his holiness and mission. This exclusive love of Christ
seems to have been experienced particularly by one of his apostles, John, who
according to Catholic tradition lived virginity all of his life. And the Master
requited his dedication in a deeper way than to the others; for it was John, the
youngest of them, who was called the "disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23),
and it was to him that he entrusted his virgin mother.
It is also clear from the Gospel text and later Church history that Christ did
not restrict his invitation to celibacy and the hundredfold to the apostles or
to priests. At the time of their calling the apostles were not priests, but
simply his disciples. The very wording of Christ's invitation is purposefully
general — let him who can take it, take it; that is, virginity for the kingdom
of God is open to all those who have received this grace, and who wish to follow
him in this special way. Certainly, among all the apostles, Saint Paul
understood this most clearly, and manifested it in his letters. In 1 Cor. 7 he
speaks of his own celibacy, and encourages as many men and women as possible to
embrace this state in life, in order to be more concerned with the Lord's
affairs (cf. 1 Cor. 7:32-35). Though some think that he was originally
addressing only Jewish Christians and their marital concerns in this text, the
early Church always understood his words in a broader way, referring to the gift
of celibacy and its power to free a man or woman for spreading Christ's kingdom,
as Paul himself had done so assiduously. Another reason that the Apostle gives
for endorsing celibacy is the fact that time is passing by quickly: "I mean,
brethren, that the time has grown very short; from now on, let those who have
wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not
mourning" (1 Cor.7:29). Obviously Paul has his eyes on the coming of Christ and
the definitive kingdom of God, as did so many of the early Christians; in this
context human marriage, like all earthly realities, is a temporary condition and
will pass away. Given this reality, it is much easier and more advantageous for
people of faith to live continence, including within marriage.
The other great apostle, John, was himself a virgin and celibate all of his
life, as we mentioned above. In the fascinating book of Revelation, which many
believe to be his work, there is a vision of celibate men "who follow the Lamb
wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as first fruits
to God and the Lamb" (Rev. 14:4). Again, as in the case of the Gospel and the
text of Paul, there is no indication that these men were all clerics.3 The main
point of the vision is that they had given up everything, including their right
to intercourse with women, in order to follow Christ.
In immediate post-apostolic times we have clear testimony that men and women
throughout the Roman Empire had received the charism of celibacy and lived it
fervently, though we have no specific numbers of them. One of the earliest
post-apostolic documents that we possess is the letter of Clement of Rome to the
Corinthians, from around the year 95, which gives witness to the charism of
continence or celibacy. In this letter, as the head of the church of Rome,
Clement is trying to restore order to the church in Corinth, which had been
divided into factions and was not loyal to their bishop. In speaking of what God
intends for them, he mentions the various gifts received in the church of
Corinth, including wisdom and charity, and states that each one has its place.
For those who practice celibacy or continence he simply says: "Let him who is
continent (literally holy in the flesh) not boast of it — knowing that it is
another that giveth him the power of continence."4 Obviously continence was
highly esteemed in Corinth, but it had to be accepted and practiced with
humility. The persons receiving this gift had to realize that it came from God,
and not from human virtue or power alone.
Writing only ten years later, Ignatius of Antioch, on his way to martyrdom in
the Colosseum in Rome, wrote to Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna about those who
practiced celibacy and the need to be humble: "If anyone is able to remain
continent, to the honor of the Flesh of the Lord, let him persistently avoid
boasting."5 This particularly significant text places the source of celibacy's
greatness in Christ; those who give up sexual experience are really honoring the
Flesh of Christ, who himself was a virgin. This is without doubt a great gift
and privilege, but it should not give way to pride. Apparently in Smyrna there
was a danger that some men (or women) would fall into boasting. In another text
he speaks of the Flesh of Christ in the Eucharist, which unites all of us in
himself, "for one is the Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one the cup to
unite us with his Blood, and one altar, just as there is one bishop assisted by
the presbytery and the deacons, my fellow servants."6
Other very early works, such as the Didache and the Letter of Barnabas, contain
strong moral exhortations to charity and sexual purity, but they do not directly
mention the gift of continence or virginity. Perhaps the reason for this is the
purpose of the documents themselves. The Didache was written for recent
converts, and highlighted the basic morality of the Church and how to follow it.
Continence or virginity was a more advanced gift to be considered later for some
of them. The Letter of Barnabas was probably written to Jewish Christians
suffering persecution by the Jews during the first decades of the second
century; it exhorts them to have purity of life and self-control, but does not
directly mention celibacy.
The Letter to Diognetus, which appears to be an apology and defense of
Christianity written to a certain educated pagan, contains a moving passage
about Christians living in the middle of the world, as the soul is in the body,
and how they lived personal and marital chastity; the fact that some men and
women lived total continence is implied, but not stated. Aristides of Athens in
his Apology (ch.15) to the Emperor Hadrian also highlights the Christians'
cleanness of life, contrasted to the lives of non-Christians.
Justin Martyr, on the other hand, writing his Defense of Christianity around
A.D. 150 to the Emperor Antoninus Pius, refers specifically to individuals who
have given up marriage to practice continence, and whose lives and dedication
are well known to the other faithful (cf. Apology I, n.29). He does refer to one
Christian youth, who actually had asked to be made a eunuch, but the Roman
authorities refused him (cf. Apology I, n.29). Earlier in his Defense (n. 15) he
reports how widespread the practice of celibacy and virginity had grown
throughout the Roman Empire: "And many, both men and women, who have been
Christ's disciples from childhood, have preserved their purity at the age of
sixty and seventy years; and I am proud that I could produce such from every
race of men and women."7 Remaining pure (in Greek, aphthoroi) could refer either
to leading a chaste life or to embracing a continent or celibate life from the
time of baptism. He cites these examples because he obviously considers that
Antoninus, who was a practicing Stoic, would understand the meaning of virtue
and self-denial, and would be impressed with this asceticism. Referring to the
Christian community in general, he also speaks of the sexual purity of
Christians; they marry to bring children into the world, and they do not abandon
them or expose them, nor practice promiscuity. He obviously states these facts
in order to contrast the family life of Christians with that of the pagans, many
of whom practiced contraception and abortion.
It also appears that Justin himself never married and spent many years teaching
at a school that he founded in Rome, trying to show the underlying unity between
Christian and Greek philosophy. Some speculate that he could have been a deacon,
but it is just as likely that he was a layman who had received the gift of
celibacy and had dedicated himself completely to spreading Christ's truth
through his words and classes. He apparently converted many young people to
Christianity but earned the enmity of certain pagan philosophers in Rome who
denounced him as a Christian. He was beheaded under Marcus Aurelius in 165,
along with several of his students.
Shortly after this time another Christian apologist, Athenagoras of Athens,
wrote a plea to Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus, also defending the
Christians, while asking them to consider objectively the virtues of the
Christians. As Justin did, he reiterates that Christians marry for the sake of
having children, not to gratify lust, then adds significantly that "one might
find many amongst us, both men and women, who are growing old in virginity,
their hope being to have greater fruition of God."8 In line with Justin's
statement mentioned earlier, we hear that there were many (in Greek, pollous)
men and women who lived the charism of celibacy, most likely dwelling in the
major cities of the Empire. We also note that the dedication of these faithful
Christians was lived over a lifetime; it was not restricted to young people
only, and its purpose was not to possess moral excellence in itself (the Stoic
ideal), but to have a life of closer communion with God. In the next chapter he
refers to the persecution that Christian celibates had to endure from the
non-Christians.9
Yet not all non-Christians were so hostile. Galen, the great physician and
philosopher of the second century, and contemporary of Justin Martyr and
Athenagoras, was particularly impressed at the high standards of morality
practiced by the followers of Christ. After praising their continence and
fearlessness before death, he states that the Christians "also number
individuals who, in self-discipline and self-control in matters of food and
drink, and in their keen pursuit of justice, have attained a pitch not inferior
to that of genuine philosophers."10 To be called a "philosopher" was a great
honor in the minds of non-Christians of that era; it was also one of the central
aspirations of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
Writing at the end of the second century, Minucius Felix in his apologia
entitled Octavius speaks of those who practiced perpetual virginity of body. In
this dialogue Octavius, a Christian, does not describe their life in detail, but
is simply trying to show the pagan Caecilius that the Christians were not
low-life criminals, as they were accused of being, but that they had very high
moral standards.
We should note that all of these apologists were addressing pagans, and wanted
to impress them with the holiness and purity of Christians, often in contrast to
the immorality of non-Christians. Believers in Christ had been maliciously
slandered and portrayed as fanatics and criminals. In general these early
apologists do not state the greatest reasons for celibacy — to be close to
Christ and to spread his kingdom. These reasons must have been very obvious to
the Christian community from the start, but there was no need to mention them to
pagan emperors or leaders. Not only would they misunderstand these reasons, but
also, since Christianity was proscribed, they could have these celibate men and
women arrested for being zealots. Therefore the Christian apologists stressed
personal virtue and moral conduct instead, emphasizing asceticism, which noble
pagan minds would find more impressive.
We saw earlier that there was a danger of pridefulness in some celibate faithful
even at the end of the first century. This tendency would actually develop into
a heresy during the second century under the influence of Gnosticism, which
despised marriage and marital relations as unclean and material. The heretic
Marcion was tainted with this view, since he would admit and baptize into his
church only those who practiced continence. The mere fact that his heretical
group was so successful demonstrates the large number of Christians who were
actually practicing continence in the second century. Apart from spiritual
ideals, it seems that many of them were simply repelled by the sexual excesses
of the pagan society in which they lived; practicing celibacy or continence was
a dramatic way of showing their independence and conviction. One of Justin's
students, Tatian, author of the Diatesseron, actually took the ideal of
continence too far, and he left the Catholic Church to found his own sect,
called the Encratites, which eschewed marriage and considered themselves to be
the "self-controlled," as opposed to those who married. Many apocryphal writings
of Gnostic origin, including parts of the Gospel of Thomas made famous in the
spurious novel The Da Vinci Code, actually scorned marriage, and even went to
the point of saying that Christ did not really exist in the flesh, but was a
kind of spiritual apparition. The apocryphal work entitled the Acts of Peter and
Andrew is also of this variety.
But there are many other apocryphal writings of the second and third centuries
that show the real value of celibacy, connecting it with dedication to God and
the mission to evangelize. One of the most famous of these is the Acts of Paul
and Thecla, which narrates the life of a dedicated virgin and disciple of Saint
Paul from Iconium (Asia Minor).
Without question the power and appeal of celibacy in the first two centuries
came above all from the direct example of Jesus Christ, his mother and the
apostles, and from the dedicated lives of both male and female Christians. The
fact that the charism of virginity and celibacy was highly esteemed, and that it
was extended and thriving among both sexes is clear from the above early
writings. How much influence did these celibate men and women have on the Church
and pagan society? Judging from the lives of persons such as Saints John and
Paul, Cecilia and Seraphia, it must have been great, equivalent in some ways to
martyrdom in both pagan and Christian eyes. We know from later Church writings
that both virgins and martyrs were called "Christopheroi," or "Christ bearers."
We don't know with certainty how the early faithful lived their dedication. Many
celibate women seemed to have lived at home; that was the case of the famous
virgins and martyrs Cecilia and Agnes. But other women, either individually or
in groups, appear to have served the Church from earliest times through their
domestic work. This custom surely began with the services of the holy women to
Christ and his apostles mentioned in the Gospel (cf. Luke 8:1-3). From that
example other dedicated women continued to serve the apostles and presbyters in
the years ahead as sisters in Christ (see 1 Cor. 9:2-6). Since they had more
social independence, celibate Christian men may have lived alone or in
communities. Since Christ himself and his apostles lived as a group of celibate
men in complete dedication to God and his kingdom, it is quite possible that in
subsequent decades other groups of faithful, particularly men, would want to
imitate them in some way. Certainly Saint Justin in the middle of the second
century seemed to have formed some kind of community around himself as he taught
Catholic philosophy to his students, particularly about Christ as the Logos, or
Saving Word, who recapitulated and elevated the best of Greek philosophy in
himself. Since Justin himself seems to have been celibate, it is quite likely
that many of his students would choose the same path, though one of them after
Justin's death erred from the Church's teachings, as we saw above.
In the first part of the third century we have two letters, originally
attributed to Clement of Rome, that are addressed to virgins of both sexes who
lived in community. They are certainly praised and encouraged for their
commitment, which is said to be like that of Christ and the apostles, but are
severely warned against lack of charity and temptations against chastity.11 In
the latter part of the third century continence and virginity were more and more
connected with special consecrated states of life, which separated celibate men
and women from other Christians. This was the beginning of the religious
phenomenon, from the era of Saint Anthony onwards. By the time of Saint
Augustine (late fourth century), many virgins had actually taken a kind of
public vow and were called spouses of Christ; a Church ceremony was also
established in the fourth century called the velatio, in which these women were
given special veils to wear, signifying their mystical marriage with Christ. In
the third century a ceremony began for the public profession of consecrated
virgins before the bishop, which has been restored to the Church in recent
times.
We do know however that in Saint Augustine's time there were still virgins and
continent men called confessors who continued to live in the world; they most
likely lived alone or with their families, and would meet frequently in groups
for common prayer and support. In 590 Gregory the Great also refers to celibate
men and women living in the world, encouraging them to be generous, and not to
fall into a lukewarm dedication.
In later centuries however, perhaps due to the barbarian invasions with the
resulting chaos in society, and also due in part to the phenomenal growth of
monasteries and convents, the charism of continence among the lay faithful in
the middle of the world — motivated by the desire to imitate Christ and to
spread his kingdom — largely disappeared from the Church. The practice of
virginity or celibacy became almost exclusively restricted to ordained ministers
and to those in religious orders.
End Notes:
1. Cf. Gran Enciclopedia Rialp, Vol.5, section on "Celibato" n.1 (Madrid, Spain:
Ediciones Rialp, 1991), 450.
2. A text from the Jewish Mishna (Keth.62b) speaks of the famous Rabbi Akiba who
abstained from marital relations with his wife for twelve years in order to
study the Torah. The Mishna (meaning Second Law) was a series of oral traditions
on the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures; they were compiled and handed
down by rabbis in the century following the destruction of the Temple of
Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
3. With regard to the celibacy of the clergy, Stefan Heid and others have given
ample evidence that the practice of continence, or abstaining from sexual
relations, was part of a priest's and bishop's commitment, even if they were
married. Through a scholarly analysis of New Testament sources and early Church
documents, they demonstrate that the celibacy and continence of the clergy,
including deacons, is a perennial tradition that has its roots in the life of
Christ and his apostles, and was not a mere man-made law or juridical discipline
from the fourth or fifth century. See Stefan Heid, Celibacy in the Early Church
(San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000).
4. Clement of Rome, Letter to Corinthians, Ch. 38.2. Quoted from Ancient
Christian Writers, edited by J. Quasten and Joseph Plumpe (Westminster,
Maryland: The Newman Bookshop, 1946), 32.
5. St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to Polycarp (n.5). from Ibid, p.98.
6. St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to Philadelphians (n.4). from Ibid, p.86.
7. St. Justin Martyr, Apology to the Emperor Antoninus Pius nn.15 and 29, taken
from Ancient Christian Writers, (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1997), 32.
8. Athenagoras of Athens, Apology to Marcus Aurelius, chapter 33, taken from
Ancient Christian Writers, (London: The Newman Press, 1956), 74.
9. Ibid., chapter 34.
10. This statement was preserved in an Arabic document (see Leslie W. Barnard,
Athenagoras [Paris: Editiones Beauchesne, 1972], 55). Also R. Walzer, Galen on
Jews and Christians (Oxford, 1949), 19-20.
11. See Joannes Quasten, Patrology (Vol. I), (Utrecht-Antwerp: Spectrum
Publishers, 1966), 58-59.
Copyright © 2008 Homiletic & Pastoral Review
Rev. Michael E. Giesler obtained his doctorate in theology form the University
of Navarre (Spain). He is the author of a book and several articles on Sacred
Scripture and the natural law, along with a series of audio tapes on the marks
of the Church and the writings of Pope John Paul II. He has also recently
published two books of historical fiction on the lives of the early Christians.
He is a member of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars and co-founder of the
Midwest Theological Forum, an educational service that sponsors conferences and
workshops for diocesan priests. Father Giesler is a priest of the prelature Opus
Dei; he was raised in Chicago and since 1989 has been stationed at the Wespine
Study Center in St. Louis, Missouri. In addition to his service to lay people,
he has given many reflections and retreats to diocesan priests, along with
individual spiritual direction.
For Further Study
Books -
Apostolic Origins of Priestly Celibacy
by Fr. Christian Cochini and
The Case for Clerical Celibacy
by Cardinal Alfons Maria Stickler