Genesis 6:2 (WEB)
God’s sons saw that men’s daughters were beautiful, and they took any that they wanted for themselves as wives.
Fathers and councils · 18
Origen
- Origen, Against Celsus III.2Book III
“…considered gods by the heathen, as not being gods, but demons, according to the declaration of the prophets, “For all the gods of the nations are demons,” had among them no one who professed to be a prophet, and who could restrain such as, from a desire to know the future, were ready to desert to the demons of…” — editor's note: Ps. xcvi. 5, δαιμόνια, “idols,” Auth. Vers. We have in this passage, and in many others, the identification of the δαίμονες or gods of the heathen with the…
Read the whole comment “…in the contents of the book of Genesis, that “the sons of God, seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took to them wives of all whom they chose,” we shall nevertheless even on this point persuade those who are capable of understanding the meaning of the prophet, that even before us there was one who…” — editor's note: [Gen. vi. 2. S.]
Read the whole comment
Irenaeus of Lyons
“…just judgment of God, because the angels when they had transgressed fell to the earth for judgment, but the man who pleased [God] was translated for salvation.” — editor's note: Massuet remarks here that Irenæus makes a reference to the apocryphal book of Enoch, in which this history is contained. It was the belief of the later Jews,…
Read the whole comment“…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…
Read the whole comment
Athanasius of Alexandria
“…before His sojourn among us; for ‘I begat sons,’ saith Scripture; and in the time of Noah, ‘When the sons of God saw,’ and in the Song, ‘Is not He thy Father?’” — editor's note: Is. i. 2, LXX.; Gen. vi. 2; Deut. xxxii. 6
Read the whole comment
Catena Aurea on Luke
- Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on Luke
“(Gen. 6:2, 4.)” — the author cites it
Read the whole comment
Eusebius of Caesarea
“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…
Read the whole comment
John Cassian
- John Cassian, Conferences I–X VIII.21Conference VIII
“…them, the seed of Seth, as it sprang from an excellent root, was by reason of its sanctity termed “angels of God,” or as some copies have it “sons of God;” and on the contrary the others by reason of their own and their fathers’ wickedness and their earthly deeds were termed “children of men.”” — editor's note: In Gen. vi. 2 the mss. of the LXX. fluctuate between ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ and υἱοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ. The interpretation of the passage which Cassian here rejects is…
Read the whole comment
Theodoret of Cyrus
“…and by the bounty of God, may fall away, as it is written in the word, ‘The sons of God saw the daughters of men, and took them as wives,’ and so forth.” — editor's note: Gen. vi. 2
Read the whole comment“The lawgiver Moses, the writer of the ancient history, says “And the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair and they took them wives of them,” and the God of all Himself said to this Prophet “Thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Israel is my son even my first-born.”” — editor's note: Gen. vi. 2
Read the whole comment
John Chrysostom
“And what of those who being of “the sons of God” ( Gen. vi. 2 ), looked on women, and were borne down the precipice?” — the author cites it
Read the whole comment
Tertullian
“One proposition I lay down: that those angels, the deserters from God, the lovers of women, were likewise the discoverers of this curious art, on that account also condemned by God.” — editor's note: Comp. chap. iv., and the references there given. The idea seems founded on an ancient reading found in the Codex Alexandrinus of the LXX. in Gen. vi. 2,…
Read the whole comment“For indeed it is “on account of the angels” that he saith women must be veiled, because on account of “the daughters of men” angels revolted from God.” — editor's note: See Gen. vi. 2 in the LXX., with the v. l. ed. Tisch. 1860; and compare Tertullian, de Idol. c. 9, and the note there. Mr. Dodgson refers, too, to de Virg.…
Read the whole comment“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.
Read the whole comment“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.
Read the whole comment“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.
Read the whole comment
Augustine of Hippo
“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…
Read the whole comment
Clement of Alexandria
“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…
Read the whole comment
Cross-references · 19
Cited together in The City of God XV.23.
Cited together in Against Celsus III.2.
Cited together in The City of God XV.23.
Cited together in The Instructor III.2.
Cited together in The Instructor III.2.
Cited together in The City of God XV.23.
Cited together in The City of God XV.23.
Cited together in The City of God XV.23.
Cited together in The City of God XV.23.
Cited together in The City of God XV.23.
Cited together in Augustine of Hippo on Luke 23:47–49 (2) (Catena Aurea).
Cited together in Augustine of Hippo on Luke 23:47–49 (2) (Catena Aurea).
Cited together in On the Veiling of Virgins Chapter 7.
Cited together in On the Veiling of Virgins Chapter 7.
Cited together in On the Veiling of Virgins Chapter 7.
Cited together in On the Veiling of Virgins Chapter 7.
Cited together in The Instructor III.2.
Cited together in The City of God XV.23.
Cited together in On the Veiling of Virgins Chapter 7.