Editing Celibacy (section)

===Augustinian view===
[[File:Nuns in procession.jpg|thumb|Nuns in procession, French manuscript, {{circa|1300}}]] 
In the early Church, higher [[clergy|clerics]] lived in marriages. Augustine taught that the [[original sin]] of [[Adam and Eve]] was either an act of foolishness ''(insipientia)'' followed by pride and disobedience to God, or else inspired by pride.<ref>He explained to Julian of Eclanum that it was a most subtle job to discern what came first: ''Sed si disputatione subtilissima et elimatissima opus est, ut sciamus utrum primos homines insipientia superbos, an insipientes superbia fecerit'' ("But if we need a very precise and clear discussion, that we may know whether foolishness made the first men proud, or pride made them foolish." [''Contra Julianum'', V, 4.18; PL 44, 795])</ref> The first couple disobeyed God, who had told them not to eat of the [[tree of the knowledge of good and evil]] (Gen 2:17).<ref>Augustine of Hippo, ''On the Literal Meaning of Genesis'' (''[[De Genesi ad litteram]]''), VIII, 6:12, vol. 1, pp. 192–3 and 12:28, vol. 2, pp. 219–20, trans. John Hammond Taylor SJ;[[Bibliothèque Augustinniene|BA]] 49,28 and 50–52; [[Patrologia Latina|PL]] 34, 377; cf. idem, ''De Trinitate'', XII, 12.17; [[Corpus Christianorum|CCL]] 50, 371–372 [v. 26–31;1–36]; ''De natura boni'' 34–35; CSEL 25, 872; PL 42, 551–572</ref> The tree was a symbol of the order of creation.<ref>Augustine of Hippo, ''On the Literal Meaning of Genesis'' (''De Genesi ad litteram''), VIII, 4.8; [[Bibliothèque Augustinniene|BA]] 49, 20</ref> Self-centeredness made Adam and Eve eat of it, thus failing to acknowledge and respect the world as it was created by God, with its hierarchy of beings and values.<ref>Augustine explained it in this way: "Why therefore is it enjoined upon mind, that it should know itself? I suppose, in order that it may consider itself, and live according to its own nature; that is, seek to be regulated according to its own nature, viz., under Him to whom it ought to be subject, and above those things to which it is to be preferred; under Him by whom it ought to be ruled, above those things which it ought to rule. For it does many things through vicious desire, as though in forgetfulness of itself. For it sees some things intrinsically excellent, in that more excellent nature which is God: and whereas it ought to remain steadfast that it may enjoy them, it is turned away from Him, by wishing to appropriate those things to itself, and not to be like to Him by His gift, but to be what He is by its own, and it begins to move and slip gradually down into less and less, which it thinks to be more and more." ("[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/130105.htm On the Trinity]" (''De Trinitate''), 5:7; [[Corpus Christianorum|CCL]] 50, 320 [1–12])</ref> They would not have fallen into pride and lack of wisdom, if Satan had not sown into their senses "the root of evil" ''(radix mali)''.<ref>Augustine of Hippo, ''Nisi radicem mali humanus tunc reciperet sensus'' ("Contra Julianum", I, 9.42; PL 44, 670)</ref> Their nature was wounded by [[concupiscence]] or [[libido]], which affected human intelligence and will, as well as affections and desires, including sexual desire.<ref>In one of Augustine's late works, ''Retractationes'', he made a significant remark indicating the way he understood difference between spiritual, moral libido and the sexual desire: "Libido is not good and righteous use of the libido" ("libido non-est bonus et rectus usus libidinis"). See the whole passage: ''Dixi etiam quodam loco: «Quod enim est cibus ad salutem hominis, hoc est concubitus ad salutem generis, et utrumque non-est sine delectatione carnali, quae tamen modificata et temperantia refrenante in usum naturalem redacta, libido esse non-potest». Quod ideo dictum est, quoniam "libido non-est bonus et rectus usus libidinis". Sicut enim malum est male uti bonis, ita bonum bene uti malis. De qua re alias, maxime contra novos haereticos Pelagianos, diligentius disputavi''. Cf. ''De bono coniugali'', 16.18; PL 40, 385; ''De nuptiis et concupiscentia'', II, 21.36; PL 44, 443; ''Contra Iulianum'', III, 7.16; PL 44, 710; ibid., V, 16.60; PL 44, 817. See also {{cite book |title= Le mariage chrétien dans l'oeuvre de Saint Augustin. Une théologie baptismale de la vie conjugale |author= Idem |year= 1983 |publisher= Études Augustiniennes |location=Paris |page=97}}</ref>
The sin of Adam is inherited by all human beings. Already in his pre-Pelagian writings, Augustine taught that original sin was transmitted by [[concupiscence]],<ref>Augustine of Hippo, ''Imperfectum Opus contra Iulianum'', II, 218</ref> which he regarded as the passion of both soul and body,<ref>In 393 or 394 he commented: "Moreover, if unbelief is fornication, and idolatry unbelief, and covetousness idolatry, it is not to be doubted that covetousness also is fornication. Who, then, in that case can rightly separate any unlawful lust whatever from the category of fornication, if covetousness is fornication? And from this we perceive, that because of unlawful lusts, not only those of which one is guilty in acts of uncleanness with another's husband or wife, but any unlawful lusts whatever, which cause the soul making a bad use of the body to wander from the law of God, and to be ruinously and basely corrupted, a man may, without crime, put away his wife, and a wife her husband, because the Lord makes the cause of fornication an exception; which fornication, in accordance with the above considerations, we are compelled to understand as being general and universal" ("[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/16011.htm On the Sermon on the Mount]", ''De sermone Domini in monte'', 1:16:46; [[Corpus Christianorum|CCL]] 35, 52)</ref> making humanity a ''massa damnata'' (mass of perdition, condemned crowd) and much enfeebling, though not destroying, the freedom of the will.

In the early 3rd century, the [[Canons of the Apostles|Canons]] of the [[Apostolic Constitutions]] decreed that only lower clerics might still marry after their ordination, but marriage of bishops, priests, and deacons were not allowed.<ref>Constitutiones apostolorum 8, 47, 26 (SC 336, 280, 83f.) τῶν εις κληρον παρελθόντων ἄγαμον κελεύομεν Βουλομένους γαμεῖν αναγνώστας και ψαλτας μόνους.</ref><ref>[[Socrates of Constantinople|Socrates Scholasticus]], ''Historia ealesiastica'' I, 11, 5 (GCS Socr. 42, i9f.)</ref><ref>Stefan Heid (2000),''Celibacy in the Early Church'', p. 170</ref><!-- Augustine's view of sexual feelings as sinful affected his view of women. For example, he considered a man's erection to be sinful, though involuntary,<ref>Augustine of Hippo, ''City of God'', 14.17</ref> because it did not take place under his conscious control. His solution was to place controls on women to limit their ability to influence men.<ref name="Reuther, R.R. 2007 pp. 47-68">Reuther, R.R. (2007). "Augustine: sexuality gender and women", pp. 47–68 in J.C. Stark (Ed.), ''Feminist interpretations of Augustine'', University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, {{ISBN|027103257X}}.</ref> He equated flesh with woman and spirit with man.<ref>Augustine of Hippo, as cited in Trombley, C. (2003). Who said women can't teach? God's vision for women in ministry. Gainesville, FL: Bridge-Logos, p. 239, {{ISBN|1458796329}}.</ref>
He believed that the serpent approached Eve because she was less rational and lacked self-control, while Adam's choice to eat was viewed as an act of kindness so that Eve would not be left alone.<ref name="Reuther, R.R. 2007 pp. 47-68"/> Augustine believed sin entered the world because man (the spirit) did not exercise control over woman (the flesh).<ref>Edwards, B. (2011) ''Let My People Go: A Call to End the Oppression of Women in the Church'', Charleston, SC: Createspace, {{ISBN|1466401117}}.</ref> Augustine's views on women were not all negative, however. In his ''Tractates on the Gospel of John'', Augustine, commenting on the Samaritan woman from John 4:1–42, uses the woman as a figure of the church.

According to Raming, the authority of the ''[[Decretum Gratiani]]'', a collection of Roman Catholic [[canon law]] which prohibits women from leading, teaching, or being a witness, rests largely on the views of the early church fathers, especially St. Augustine.<ref>Raming, I. (2004). A history of women and ordination volume two: The priestly office of women – God's gift to a renewed church. (B. Cooke & G. Macy, Trans.). Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press Inc. pp. 29–30, {{ISBN|0810848503}}.</ref> The laws and traditions founded upon St. Augustine's views of sexuality and women continue to exercise considerable influence over church doctrinal positions regarding the role of women in the church.<ref>Edwards, B. (2011). "Let My People Go: A Call to End the Oppression of Women in the Church." Charleston, SC: Createspace, {{ISBN|1466401117}}.</ref>-->