Miscellanies 3.12.90

Indeed he fully accepts “the husband of one wife,” whether he is a presbyter, a deacon, or a layman, if he uses marriage blamelessly; “and she will be saved through childbearing.” Again, the Savior, calling the Jews “an evil and adulterous generation,” teaches that they had not known the law as the law intends, but, following the tradition of the elders and the commandments of men, committed adultery against the law, not having received it as husband and lord of their virginity. Perhaps he also knew them to be enslaved to strange desires, because of which, continually enslaved to sins, they were sold to foreigners; since among the Jews wives were not declared common, but adultery too was forbidden. And the man who said, “I have married a wife and cannot come to the supper,” was a divine example to convict those who turn away from the divine commandment for the sake of pleasures; since on this reasoning neither the righteous before the coming nor those married after the coming, even if they were apostles, will be saved. And if they bring forward again what the prophet says, “I have grown old among all my enemies,” let them understand the enemies as sins; and one sin is not marriage but sexual immorality; otherwise let them call birth a sin, and the Creator of birth too.