Adam and Eve

Here is a tiny bit more tripe talked by the Early Fathers about sexuality, just to add to the lot Fr. Fagan published in What Happened to Sin! Magda is an authoress friend of mine (and Fr.Fagan’s!)

Elizabeth

Adam and Eve

The question of procreation of our first parents before their Fall, i.e. before they were in a state of sin, exercised the minds of the Church Fathers. This is what they thought [taken from “The History of Paradise” (Une Histoire du Paradis, Le Jardin des Délice”) by Jean Delumeau, translated by me, Magda, from the Polish].

St. John Chrysostom of Constantinople (4th century AD)

“Only after the banishment from Paradise did the question of sex arise. Adam and Eve lost their virginity once they became disobedient. Before that children were born through God’s creative act, as our first parents had the nature of angels.”

St. Augustine of Hippo (4th century AD)

[Look up “The City of God”, Book IX, chapter VI,10 for a better translation. I don’t have a copy].

“Let us not presume that surrounded by plentifulness and happiness the procreation of offspring could not have taken place without exciting seductive passion. It could have been undertaken in the calmness of spirit, retaining perfect purity of the body. Although we have no circumstantial proof or actual experience we should not be left in any doubt that those parts of the body were not excited by intensive passion but used in accordance with the need and by the power of its needs – that the male seed was able to penetrate the wife’s womb without violating her virginity, just as now issues the monthly purifying blood from a virgin’s womb with no violation of purity. Just in the same way what comes out can come in.

St. Bonaventure (13th century AD)

differentiates three stages of the sexual act, namely (1) the opening of the locked gate, (2) lust, which is payment for sin, (3) base (vile?) pleasure. The first is in accordance with nature, the second is punishment, the third licentious rot and decay, half way between punishment and sin. If a man were to know a woman in a state of virginity it would lead to the opening of the locked gate and not to lust coupled with punishment, nor to base delight. Then the force of procreation would not have been blemished or poisoned and the body parts which supply the movement would obey reason, just as in the case of the mouth, hands or the tongue. Just as the mouth or the hands open and shut without passion or shameful delight, so it would be with the genitals. Then talking about it would not be shameful. At present it is shameful to talk about what is against nature. The [sex] act brings a blush of shame because of the ugliness associated with it. The excitement of the genitals would have only taken place from the action of will and reason. Adam and Eve would have only copulated at precisely given times (statuto tempore) only for the purpose of reproduction”.