Canon XIX.
If
any persons who profess
virginity shall disregard their profession, let them fulfil the term of
digamists. And, moreover, we prohibit women who are virgins from
living with men as sisters.
Notes.
Ancient Epitome of Canon
XIX.
Whoever has professed virginity and afterwards annuls
it, let him be cut off for four years. And virgins shall not
go
118
to any as to brothers.
Hammond.
According to some of the ancient canons digamists were
to be suspended from communion for one or two years, though Beveridge
and others doubt whether the rule was not meant to apply to such
marriages only as were contracted before a former one was
dissolved. Bingham thinks that it was intended to discountenance
marrying after an unlawful divorce. (
Ant
., Bk. xv, c. iv.,
§ 18.)
119
Hefele.
The first part of this canon regards all young
persons—men as well as women—who have taken a vow of
virginity, and who, having thus, so to speak, betrothed themselves to
God are guilty of a
quasi
digamy in violating that
promise. They must therefore incur the punishment of digamy
(
successiva
) which, according to St. Basil the Great, consisted
of one year’s seclusion.
This canon is found in Gratian’s
Decretum
(P. II., Causa xxvii., Q. i., c. xxiv.) as follows: “As
many as have professed virginity and have broken their vow and
contemned their profession shall be treated as digamists, that is as
those who have contracted a second marriage.”
118
Aristenus understands
this to mean to “live with,” using the verb
συναναστρέφεσθαι
.
119
This view of
Bingham’s would seem to be untenable, since the penance would
have been for adultery not for digamy had the former marriage still
been in force.