1 And it came to pass when the population of humans had increased during those times, beautiful and attractive daughters were born to them. 2 And the angels, the children of heaven, saw them and desired them, and said to each other: 'Come, let us choose wives from among the humans and father children.' 3 And Semjâzâ, their leader, said to them: 'I fear that you will not actually agree to do this, and I alone will have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' 4 And they all replied to him and said: 'Let us all take an oath, and all bind ourselves with a solemn promise not to abandon this plan but to carry out this act.' 5 Then they all took an oath together and bound themselves with a solemn promise to do so.

As, then, in the masculine sex, under the name of man even the youth is forbidden to be veiled; so, too, in the feminine, under the name of woman, even the virgin is bidden to be veiled. Equally in each sex let the younger age follow the discipline of the elder; or else let the male virgins, too, be veiled, if the female virgins withal are not veiled, because they are not mentioned by name. Let man and youth be different, if woman and virgin are different. For indeed it is on account of the angels that he says women must be veiled, because on account of the daughters of men angels revolted from God. Who then, would contend that women alone— that is, such as were already wedded and had lost their virginity— were the objects of angelic concupiscence, unless virgins are incapable of excelling in beauty and finding lovers? Nay, let us see whether it were not virgins alone whom they lusted after; since Scriptures says the daughters of men; inasmuch as it might have named wives of men, or females, indifferently. Likewise, in that it says, And they took them to themselves for wives, it does so on this ground, that, of course, such are received for wives as are devoid of that title. But it would have expressed itself differently concerning such as were not thus devoid. And so (they who are named) are devoid as much of widowhood as of virginity. So completely has Paul by naming the sex generally, mingled daughters and species together in the genus. Again, while he says that nature herself, which has assigned hair as a tegument and ornament to women, teaches that veiling is the duty of females, has not the same tegument and the same honour of the head been assigned also to virgins? If it is shameful for a woman to be shorn it is similarly so to a virgin too. From them, then, to whom is assigned one and the same law of the head, one and the same discipline of the head is exacted —(which extends) even unto those virgins whom their childhood defends, for from the first a virgin was named female. This custom, in short, even Israel observes; but if Israel did not observe it, our Law, amplified and supplemented, would vindicate the addition for itself; let it be excused for imposing the veil on virgins also. Under our dispensation, let that age which is ignorant of its sex retain the privilege of simplicity. For both Eve and Adam, when it befell them to be wise, immediately veiled what they had learned to know. At all events, with regard to those in whom girlhood has changed (into maturity), their age ought to remember its duties as to nature, so also, to discipline; for they are being transferred to the rank of women both in their persons and in their functions. No one is a virgin from the time when she is capable of marriage; seeing that, in her, age has by that time been wedded to its own husband, that is, to time. But some particular virgin has devoted herself to God. From that very moment she both changes the fashion of her hair, and converts all her garb into that of a 'woman.' Let her, then, maintain the character wholly, and perform the whole function of a virgin: what she conceals for the sake of God, let her cover quite over. It is our business to entrust to the knowledge of God alone that which the grace of God effects in us, lest we receive from man the reward we hope for from God.