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As a result of teaching, it is possible for us to see with our eyes countless nations and peoples throughout both cities and countries and fields hastening to the same place, and running together to the godly learning of the evangelical teaching; for whom it is desirable that the teachers and preachers of the word of piety should be able to suffice, being freed from all the bonds of this life and from burdensome cares. 1.9.15 Most of all, therefore, for these men, withdrawal from marriage is now necessarily pursued with zeal, on account of their leisure for better things, since they are occupied with a divine and fleshless procreation of children, having undertaken the rearing and godly instruction not of one or two children, but of a countless multitude at once, and the care for the rest of their conduct in life. 1.9.16 In addition to all these things, if one were to examine carefully the lives of the ancients, of whom we are speaking, one would know that they, while begetting children in the beginning of their life, very quickly desisted and ceased. For it is written that "Enoch pleased God after he begat Methuselah"; the Scripture thus precisely relating that the one indicated pleased God after the birth of the child, and testifying that no more children were born to him from that time. 1.9.17 And Noah also, a righteous man, who after the birth of his children was saved alone with his household in the destruction of all upon the earth, though he lived on for very many years after this, is nowhere introduced as having begotten children. And Isaac also is said, after having become the father of twin offspring from one wife, to have ceased marital relations at this point. And Joseph, and this though he passed his time among the Egyptians, became the father of no more than two children, having married their one mother. 1.9.18 And Moses himself, and his brother Aaron, are recorded to have begotten children before the appearance of God, but after the divine oracles, it is no longer possible to find children born to them. 1.9.19 What need be said about Melchizedek? of whom absolutely no child, no family, no succession is recorded, nor of Jesus the successor of Moses, nor of most of the other prophets. 1.9.20 But as for the question of the procreation of children by Abraham and Jacob, we have given the explanation more at leisure in other works, in which we have discussed the polygamy and the having of many children of the God-loving men of old, to which we now refer those eager to learn, having noted this much, that also according to the laws of the new covenant the matter of begetting children is not entirely forbidden, but in this too things similar to the God-loving men of old have been ordained. For the word says it is necessary for the bishop to be "the husband of one wife." 1.9.21 But nevertheless, for those who have been consecrated and are occupied with the service of God, it is fitting for them henceforth to abstain from marital relations; but for as many as have not been counted worthy of so great a ministry, to these the word yields, all but expressly proclaiming to all, that indeed "marriage is honorable and the bed undefiled, but fornicators and adulterers God will judge." These things therefore let be said by us on the first proposition. 1.10.1 And concerning our not sacrificing animals to the God over all, although the God-loving men of old, whom we say were zealous in piety, did this, this would be the argument given by us. For it was not held as among the Greeks, and in the sacred writings of the Hebrews the same things seem to be held concerning the worship of the divine by the ancient and first men. 1.10.2 Some said that the first men did not sacrifice any animal whatsoever, nor burn incense to the gods, but to the sun and the stars in heaven, raising up in their hands green shoots and "as it were, a certain down of the fruitful earth," they would burn with fire grass and leaves and roots; but that men after them, proceeding to great lawlessness, stained the altars with the slaughter of animals, and that this was an unholy and unjust sacrifice, and in no way dear to God; for the soul of irrational creatures differed in nothing from the rational soul of men; wherefore they said that those who sacrificed animals were worthy to suffer the penalty for murder, as the soul in man and in the irrational animal is the same and alike.

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διδασκαλίας μυρία ἔθνη καὶ λαοὺς κατά τε πόλεις καὶ χώρας καὶ ἀγροὺς πάρεστιν ἡμῖν ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρᾶν σπεύδοντα κατὰ τὸ αὐτό, καὶ συντρέχοντα ἐπὶ τὴν κατὰ θεὸν μάθησιν τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς διδασκαλίας· οἷς ἀγαπητὸν δύνασθαι ἐξαρκεῖν τοὺς διδασκάλους καὶ κήρυκας τοῦ τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγου, πάντων ἀπολελυμένους τῶν τοῦ βίου δεσμῶν καὶ τῶν πολυμερίμνων φροντίδων. 1.9.15 μάλιστα δ' οὖν τούτοις ἀναγκαίως τὰ νῦν διὰ τὴν περὶ τὰ κρείττω σχολὴν ἡ τῶν γάμων ἀναχώρησις σπουδάζεται, ἅτε περὶ τὴν ἔνθεον καὶ ἄσαρκον παιδοποιίαν ἀσχολουμένοις, οὐχ ἑνὸς οὐδὲ δυεῖν παίδων ἀλλ' ἀθρόως μυρίου πλήθους τὴν παιδοτροφίαν καὶ τὴν κατὰ θεὸν παίδευσιν τῆς τε ἄλλης ἀγωγῆς τοῦ βίου τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ἀναδεδεγμένοις. 1.9.16 Ἐπὶ τούτοις ἅπασιν εἴ τις ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάζοι τοὺς τῶν παλαιῶν βίους, περὶ ὧν τὸν λόγον ποιούμεθα, γνοίη ἂν αὐτοὺς ἐν ἀρχαῖς μὲν τῆς ἡλικίας παιδοποιουμένους, θᾶττον δὲ ἀνασχόντας καὶ ἀποπεπαυμένους. γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι «εὐηρέστησεν Ἐνὼχ τῷ θεῷ μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι τὸν Μαθουσαλά»· ἀκριβῶς οὕτω τῆς γραφῆς μετὰ τὴν τοῦ παιδὸς γέννησιν εὐηρεστηκέναι τῷ θεῷ τὸν δηλούμενον ἱστορούσης, καὶ οὐκέτι ἐξ ἐκείνου παῖδας αὐτῷ γενέσθαι μαρτυρούσης. 1.9.17 καὶ Νῶε δὲ ἄνθρωπος δίκαιος μετὰ τὴν τῶν παίδων γένεσιν μόνος σὺν τοῖς οἰκείοις ἐν τῇ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἁπάντων φθορᾷ διασωθείς, πλείστοις μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπιβιοὺς ἔτεσιν, οὐδαμῶς εἰσάγεται παῖδας κτησάμενος. λέγεται δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰσαὰκ ἐκ μιᾶς γαμετῆς διδύμου γονῆς πατὴρ γεγονὼς μέχρι τούτου στῆσαι τὴν πρὸς γαμετὴν ὁμιλίαν. καὶ ὁ Ἰωσήφ, καὶ ταῦτα παρ' Αἰγυπτίοις τὰς διατριβὰς πεποιημένος, οὐ πλείω δύο παίδων κατέστη πατήρ, μίαν τὴν τούτων μητέρα ἀγόμενος. 1.9.18 καὶ αὐτός γε Μωσῆς ὅ τε τούτου ἀδελφὸς Ἀαρὼν πρὸ μὲν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιφανείας ἱστοροῦνται παιδοπεποιημένοι, μετὰ δὲ τοὺς θείους χρησμοὺς οὐκέτι ἔστιν αὐτοῖς παῖδας εὑρεῖν γεγενημένους. 1.9.19 τί χρὴ λέγειν περὶ Μελχισεδέκ; οὗ καθάπαξ οὐ παῖς, οὐ γένος, οὐ διαδοχὴ φέρεται, οὐδ' Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Μωσέως διαδόχου, οὐδὲ πλείστων ἄλλων προφητῶν. 1.9.20 Ζητουμένης δὲ τῆς κατὰ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰακὼβ παιδοποιίας, ἐν ἑτέροις τὸν λόγον σχολαίτερον ἀποδεδώκαμεν, ἐν οἷς περὶ τῆς τῶν πάλαι θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν πολυγαμίας τε καὶ πολυπαιδίας διειλήφαμεν, ἐφ' ἃ καὶ νῦν τοὺς φιλομαθεῖς ἀναπέμπομεν, τοσοῦτον ἐπισημηνάμενοι, ὅτι καὶ κατὰ τοὺς τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης νόμους οὐ πάμπαν ἀπηγόρευται τὰ τῆς παιδοποιίας, ἀλλὰ κἀν τούτῳ τὰ παραπλήσια τοῖς πάλαι θεοφιλέσιν διατέτακται. χρῆναι γάρ φησιν ὁ λόγος τὸν ἐπίσκοπον γεγονέναι «μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρα». 1.9.21 πλὴν ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἱερωμένοις καὶ περὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ θεραπείαν ἀσχολουμένοις ἀνέχειν λοιπὸν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς προσήκει τῆς γαμικῆς ὁμιλίας· ὅσοι δὲ μὴ τῆς τοσαύτης ἠξίωνται ἱερουργίας, τούτοις ὁ λόγος καθυφίησιν μονονουχὶ διαρρήδην ἅπασιν κηρύττων, ὅτι δὴ «τίμιος ὁ γάμος καὶ ἡ κοίτη ἀμίαντος, πόρνους δὲ καὶ μοιχοὺς κρινεῖ ὁ θεός». ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἰς τὴν πρώτην ἡμῖν εἰρήσθω πρότασιν. 1.10.1 Περὶ δὲ τοῦ μὴ ζῳοθυτεῖν ἡμᾶς τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων θεῷ, τῶν πάλαι θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν, ὧν δὴ φαμὲν κατὰ ζῆλον θεοσεβείας, τοῦτο πεποιηκότων, οὗτος ἐξ ἡμῶν ἀποδοθείη ἂν ὁ λόγος. οὐχ ὥσπερ Ἕλλησιν ἐνομίζετο, καὶ τοῖς Ἑβραίων ἱεροῖς λόγοις ταὐτὰ δοκεῖ περὶ τῆς τῶν πάλαι καὶ πρώτων ἀνδρῶν θεραπείας τοῦ θείου. 1.10.2 οἱ μὲν ἔφασαν μὴ θύειν τοὺς προτέρους μηδὲν ὁτιοῦν τῶν ζῴων μηδὲ θυμιᾶν τοῖς θεοῖς, ἀλλ' ἡλίῳ μὲν καὶ τοῖς κατ' οὐρανὸν ἄστροις χλόην καὶ «οἱονεί τινα τῆς γονίμου φύσεως χνοῦν ταῖς χερσὶν ἀραμένους» πόαν τε καὶ φύλλα καὶ ῥίζας κατακαίειν πυρί· πόρρω δὲ παρανομίας ἐλαύνοντας τοὺς μετὰ ταῦτα ἀνθρώπους αἱμάξαι τοὺς βωμοὺς ζῴων σφαγαῖς, εἶναι δὲ ταύτην ἀνόσιον καὶ ἄδικον καὶ οὐδαμῶς θεῷ προσφιλῆ θυσίαν· μηδὲν γὰρ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων λογικῆς ψυχῆς τὴν τῶν ἀλόγων διαφέρειν· διὸ καὶ φόνου δίκην ὑπέχειν ἄξιον τοὺς ζῳοθυτοῦντας ἔφασκον, ὡς τῆς αὐτῆς καὶ ὁμοίας ἔν τε ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀλόγῳ ζῴῳ ψυχῆς