Methodius of Olympus, Banquet of the Ten Virgins Discourse 2
Theophila declared that she considered it necessary for me to try to bring the discussion to a close, because Marcella, though she made a good start, did not carry it far enough. It seems to me she handled well the point that a person, spurred on by God at the proper time and season, can progress from a starting point to virginity. But I do not think it is right to say from that point onward that one should no longer have children. I believe I have seen clearly from the Scriptures that the arrival of virginity did not completely abolish procreation. The moon outshines the stars, yet that does not extinguish the light of the other stars. Let us begin with Genesis, so that we may argue our case more fully from Scripture. For God's decree concerning childbearing is still being fulfilled, because the Creator is still shaping humanity. This is obvious to everyone: God is still at work on the world, just as the Lord taught when he said, 'My Father is still working' (John 5:17). But when the rivers have finally flowed into the sea, when the light has been completely separated from the darkness (for now it is still being separated), when the dry land ceases to yield its fruits along with the creeping things and the quadrupeds, and when the predetermined number of human beings has been filled — then, and only then, will it be time to cease from childbearing. For God said, 'Be fruitful and multiply' (Genesis 1:28), when humanity and the world were still being formed. We must not despise the decree of the Creator, since we ourselves have come into being through it. The beginning of human generation is the planting of seed in the womb, so that bone from bone and flesh from flesh — another human being — may be brought into existence by the unseen power of the Craftsman. In this way that voice is fulfilled: 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh' (Genesis 2:23).
Greek
Εἰπεῖν οὖν ἴφη τὴν Θεοφίλαν, ὂτι Δοκεῖ μοι ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι, ἐπειδὴ καλῶς ἡ Μάρκελλα ὁρμήσασα ἐπὶ τὸν λόγον οὐχ ἱκανῶς ἐπλήρωσεν, ἐμὲ πειρᾶσθαι τέλος ἐπιθεῖναι τῷ λόγῳ. τὸ μὲν γὰρ εἰς παρθενίαν ἐκ προβάσεως προκόψαι τὸν ἂνθρωπον, τοῦ θεοῦ παρορμήσατος αὐτὸν κατὰ καιρὸν καὶ καιρόν , δοκεῖ μοι καλῶς διελέσθαι, τὸ δὲ μηκέτι χρῆναι λέγειν τοὐντεῦθεν τεκνογονεῖν οὐ καλῶς. ἐγὼ γὰρ καθεωρακέναι μοι δοκῶ σαφῶς ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν ὅτι παρθενίας ἐλθούσης ὁ λόγος οὐκ ἀνεῖλε πάντῃ τὴν τεκνογονίαν. οὐ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ τῶν ἄστρων ἡ σελήνη μείζων ἐστί, παρὰ τοῦτο τῶν ἄλλων ἀστέρων τὸ φῶς ἀναιρῖται. ἀρξώμεθα δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς Γενέσεως, ἴνα δὴ καὶ πρεσβεύωμεν μᾶλλον τὴν γραφήν. ἡ γὰρ ἀπόφασις τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὸ διάταγμα τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς παιδοποιίας ὁμολογουμένως μέχρι καὶ νῦν συμπληροῦται, πλάσσοντος τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἒτι τοῦ δημιουργοῦ. τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ παντὶ καταφανές, ὡς ἄρα τὸν κόσμον ἀκμὴν ἐργίζεται ζωγραφῶν ὁ θεός, ὣσπερ δὴ καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐδίδαξεν, »ἓως ἂρτι ὁ πατήρ μου ἐργάζεται« λέγων. ἀλλ’ ὁπόταν οἱ ποταμοὶ ἤδη λωφήσωσιν εἰς τὸ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐμβάλλοντες ἀγγεῖον, καὶ τὸ φῶς ετλείως χωρισθῇ τοῦ σκότους (νῦν γὰρ ἒτι διαχωρίζεται) καὶ τοὺς καρποὺς μετὰ τῶν ἑρπετῶν καὶ τετραπόδων ἀναδιδόναι παύσηται λοιπὸν ἡ ξηρά, καὶ ὁ προωρισμένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀριθμὸς ἀναπληρωθῇ· τότε δὴ λοιπὸν καὶ τῆς παίδοποιίας ἀφεκτέον. νῶν γὰρ εἰς τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν ἄνθρωπον συνεστῶτος τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τεκταινμένου. »αὐξάνεσθε« γὰρ ἐλέχθη »καὶ πληθύνεσθε«. καὶ οὐ χρὴ τὸ διάταγμα βδελύττεσθαι τοῦ δημιουργοῦ, ἐξ οὑ δὴ καὶ αὐταὶ γεγόναμεν. ἀρχὴ γὰρ γενέσως ἀνθρώπων ἡ τοῦ σπέρματος εἰς τὰς αὓλακας τῆς μήτρας γίνεται καταβολή, ὃπως τὸ ἐκ τῶν ὀστέρων ὀστοῦν καὶ ἡ ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς σαρξ ἕτερος ἄνθρωπος άοράτῳ ληφθέντα δυνάμει πάλιν ὑπὸ τεχνίτου δημιουργηθῶσι. ταύτῃ γὰρ ἐκείνην ἡγητέον πληροῦσθαι τὴν φωνήν τοῦτο νῦν ὀστοῦν ἐκ τῶν ὀστέων μου καὶ σὰρξ ἐκ τῆς σαρκος μου«.