The Early Church Fathers on various topics: This was a 3700
hour project which included going through 22896 pages of the 38 volume set
called Ante Nicene, Nicene, Post Nicene Fathers. I compiled 255 pages of quotes
showing that the Early Church was always and completely Catholic. All of these
quotes can be verified and found from the source which is free online.
Homosexuality
Marriage
Homosexuality
Josephus Antiquities of the Jews Book 1 ch 11 par 3
(38-100 ad)
Now when the
Sodomites saw the young men to be of beautiful countenances, and this to an
extraordinary degree, and that they took up their lodgings with Lot, they
resolved themselves to enjoy these beautiful boys by force and violence; and
when Lot exhorted them to sobriety, and not to offer any thing immodest to the
strangers, but to have regard to their lodging in his house; and promised that
if their inclinations could not be governed, he would expose his daughters to
their lust, instead of these strangers; neither thus were they made ashamed.
Josephus Antiquities of the Jews Book 1 ch 11 par 1
(38-100 ad)
How God Overthrew The Nation Of The Sodomites, Out Of His Wrath
Against Them For Their Sins. 1. About this time the Sodomites grew proud, on
account of their riches and great wealth; they became unjust towards men, and
impious towards God, insomuch that they did not call to mind the advantages
they received from him: they hated strangers, and abused themselves with
Sodomitical practices.
Athenagoras
Plea for Christians ch 34 (150-200 ad)
For those who have
set up a market for fornication and established infamous resorts for the young
for every kind of vile pleasure,--who do not abstain even from males, males
with males committing shocking abominations, outraging all the noblest and
comeliest bodies in all sorts of ways, so dishonouring the fair workmanship of
God
Tertullian On Modesty ch 4 (160-240 ad)
But
all the other frenzies of passions--impious both toward the bodies and toward
the sexes--beyond the laws of nature, we banish not only from the threshold,
but from all shelter of the Church, because they are not sins, but
monstrosities.
Origen Commentary on Matthew book 14 ch 10 (185-254 ad)
But observe here that every great sin is a
loss of the talents of the master of the house, and such sins are committed by
fornicators, adulterers, abusers of themselves with men,
effeminate, idolaters, murderers
John Chrysostom
Homily 4 on Romans (347-407 ad)
For such is the burning of Sodom, and that
conflagration! And they know it well that have been at the place, and have seen
with their eves that scourge divinely sent, and the effect of the lightnings
from above. (Jude 7.) Consider how great is that sin, to have forced hell to
appear even before its time! For whereas many thought scorn of His words, by
His deeds did God show them the image thereof in a certain novel way. For that
rain was unwonted, for that the intercourse was contrary to nature, and it
deluged the land, since lust had done so with their souls. Wherefore also the
rain was the opposite of the customary rain. Now not only did it fail to stir
up the womb of the earth to the production of fruits, but made it even useless
for the reception of seed. For such was also the intercourse of the men, making
a body of this sort more worthless than the very land of Sodom. And what is
there more detestable than a man who hath pandered himself, or what more
execrable? Oh, what madness! Oh, what distraction! Whence came this lust lewdly
revelling and making man's nature all that enemies could? or even worse than
that, by as much as the soul is better than the body. Oh, ye that were more
senseless than irrational creatures, and more shameless than dogs! for in no
case does such intercourse take place with them, but nature acknowledgeth her
own limits.
Origen Against Celsus book 7 ch 49 (185-254 ad)
while those who call themselves wise have
despised these virtues, and have wallowed in the filth of sodomy, in lawless
lust, "men with men working that which is unseemly."
For whoever after
baptism and the knowledge of God falls into that death, must know that he will
either have to be cleansed, not by the daily grace of Christ, i.e., an easy
forgiveness, which our Lord when at any moment He is prayed to, is wont to
grant to our errors, but by a lifelong affliction of penitence and penal
sorrow, or else will be hereafter consigned to the punishment of eternal fire
for them, as the same Apostle thus declares: effeminate,
nor defilers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous persons, nor
drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners shall possess the kingdom of
God."
Sulpitius Severus Sacred History ch 6 (363-420 ad)
He
supposed them to be human beings, and welcomed them to share in his
hospitality, and provided an entertainment for them in his house, but the
wicked youth of the town demanded the new arrivals for impure purposes. Lot
offered them his daughters in place of his guests, but they did not accept the
offer, having a desire rather for things forbidden, and then Lot himself was
laid hold of with vile designs. The angels, however, speedily rescued him from
danger, by causing blindness to fall upon the eyes of these unchaste sinners
Augustine Confession Book 3 ch 8 par 15
(354-430 ad)
Therefore those offences which be contrary to nature are
everywhere and at all times to be held in detestation and punished; such were
those of the Sodomites, which should all nations commit, they should all be
held guilty of the same crime by the divine law, which hath not so made men
that they should in that way abuse one another. For even that fellowship which
should be between God and us is violated, when that same nature of which He is
author is polluted by the perversity of lust.
Augustine Letter 29 par 5 (354-430 ad)
I read also what
is added, a little further on, in the same epistle: "Be not deceived:
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the
kingdom of God
Apocalypse
of Paul Latin Par 39 (380 ad)
And I saw other
men and women covered with dust, and their countenance was like blood, and they
were in a pit of pitch and sulphur and running down into a fiery river, and I
asked: Sir, who are these? And he said to me: These are they who committed the
iniquity of Sodom and Gomorrah, the male with the male, for which reason they
unceasingly pay the penalties.
Marriage
Clement of Alexandria
Stromata Book 2 Ch 23 (150-215 ad)
Marriage is the first conjunction of man and woman for the procreation of legitimate children.
Methodius Banquet of Ten
Virgins Discourse 1 ch 3 (300 ad)
And thus, from the
time of Abraham, the custom of marrying with sisters has ceased; and from the
times of the prophets the contracting of marriage with several wives has been
done away with; for we read, "Go not after thy lusts, but refrain thyself
front thine appetites;" for "wine and women will make men of
understanding to fall away;" and in another place, "Let thy fountain
be blessed; and rejoice with the wife of thy youth," manifestly forbidding
a plurality of wives.
Council
of Neocaesarea Canon 7 (315 ad)
A presbyter shall
not be a guest at the nuptials of persons contracting a second marriage; for,
since the digamist is worthy of penance, what kind of a presbyter shall he be,
who, by being present at the feast, sanctioned the marriage?
Gregory
Nazianzen Letters Divisions III 8 to Nicobulus (325-389 ad)
I should most
willingly have given my opinion to my son Verianus that he should pass over
much of what is in question, with a view not to confirm the divorce, which is entirely
contrary to our law,(a) though the Roman law may determine otherwise.
Jerome
Against Jovinianus book 1 par 18 (347-420 ad)
He should know
that just as divorce according to the Saviour's word was not permitted from the
beginning, but on account of the hardness of our heart was a concession of
Moses to the human race
John Chrysostom Homily 2 on Ephesians ch 1:14(347-407
ad)
Natural
desire was bestowed with a view to marriage; it was given with a view to the
procreation of children, not with a view to adultery and corruption.
John Chrysostom Homily 13 on Romans (347-407 ad)
For
the law of nature ordered one man to associate with one woman throughout. And
this Christ shows in the words, "He which made them at the beginning, made
them male and female."
John Cassian Conference 21 ch 9 (360-435 ad)
But
if you will not be a helpmeet, but prefer to make yourself a deceiver and an
assistance not to me but to the adversary, and fancy that the sacrament of matrimony was granted to you for this
reason that you may deprive yourself of this salvation which is offered to you,
and also hold me back from following the Saviour as a disciple
John Chrysostom Homily 2 on Titus (347-407 ad)
Why
does he bring forward such an one? To stop the mouths of those heretics, who
comdemned marriage, showing that it is not an unholy thing in itself, but so
far honorable, that a married man might ascend the holy throne; and at the same
reproving the wanton, and not permitting their admission into this high office
who contracted a second marriage
Augustine on the Good of Marriage par 21 (354-430
ad)
But since out of
many souls there shall be hereafter one City of such as have one soul and one
heart towards God; which perfection of our unity shall be hereafter, after this
sojourn in a strange land, wherein the thoughts of all shall neither be hidden
one from another, nor shall be in any matter opposed one to another; on this account
the Sacrament of marriage of our time hath been so reduced to one man and one
wife, as that it is not lawful to ordain any as a steward of the Church, save
the husband of one wife.
Augustine
Sermon 1 par 22 (354-430 ad)
But he who exceeds
the limits which this rule prescribes for the fulfilment of this end of
marriage, acts contrary to the very contract by which he took his wife. The
contract is read, read in the presence of all the attesting witnesses; and an
express clause is there that they marry "for the procreation of
children;" and this is called the marriage contract. If it was not for
this that wives were given and taken to wife, what father could without
blushing give up his daughter to the lust of any man But now, that the parents
may not blush, and that they may give their daughters in honourable marriage,
not to shame, the contract is read out.
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