Catena Fidei

Genesis 6:1 (WEB)
When men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them,

Fathers and councils · 7

Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies IV.36Book IV
“…with them, and [acted as He did] in order that He might put a check upon the sins of these men, but [that at the same time] He might preserve the archetype, the formation of Adam.” — editor's note: This is Massuet’s conjectural emendation of the text, viz., archetypum for arcætypum. Grabe would insert per before arcæ, and he thinks the passage to have a…
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Eusebius of Caesarea, Church History II.18Book II
“And there is also a work of his On Emigration,and one On the life of a Wise Man made perfect in Righteousness, or On unwritten Laws;and still further the work On Giants or On the Immutability of God,and a first, second, third, fourth and fifth book On the proposition, that Dreams according to Moses are sent by God.” — editor's note: περὶ γιγ€ντων, ἢ περὶ τοῦ μὴ τρέπεσθαι τὸ θεῖον. Upon Gen. vi. 1–4 and 4–12. The two parts of this work, both of which are still extant, form really but one…
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Tertullian, On the Veiling of Virgins Chapter 7
“For thus does Scripture withal suggest: “And it came to pass,” it says, “when men had begun to grow more numerous upon the earth, there were withal daughters born them; but the sons of God, having descried the daughters of men, that they were fair, took to themselves wives of all whom they elected.”” — editor's note: Gen. vi. 1, 2.
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Tertullian, The Five Books Against Marcion V.7Book V
“If he means the fallen angels of the Creator, there is great propriety in his meaning.” — editor's note: See more concerning these in chap. xviii. of this book. Comp. Gen. vi. 1–4.
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Tertullian, The Five Books Against Marcion V.17Book V
“But “the spiritual wickedness” did not signify the Creator, because of the apostle’s additional description, “in heavenly places;” for the apostle was quite aware that “spiritual wickedness” had been at work in heavenly places, when angels were entrapped into sin by the daughters of men.” — editor's note: Gen. vi. 1–4. See also Tertullian, De Idol. 9; De Habit. Mul. 2; De Cultu Femin. 10; De Vel. Virg. 7; Apolog. 22. See also Augustin, De Civit. Dei. xv. 23.
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Augustine of Hippo, The City of God XV.23Book XV
“There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became the giants, men of renown.”” — editor's note: Gen. vi. 1–4. Lactantius (Inst. ii. 15), Sulpicius Severus (Hist. i. 2), and others suppose from this passage that angels had commerce with the daughters of…
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor III.2Book III
“An example of this are the angels, who renounced the beauty of God for a beauty which fades, and so fell from heaven to earth.” — editor's note: Gen. vi. 1, 2. [It is surprising with what tenacity this interpretation clings to the ancient mind of the Church. The Nephilim and Gibborim need a special…
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