Ambrosiaster : The salvation that comes to women through childbearing applies only to the children who are reborn in Christ. — COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST LETTER TO TIMOTHY Gregory of Nyssa : We know too that the flesh is subject to death because of sin, but the Spirit of God is both incorruptible, and life-giving, and deathless. As at our physical birth there comes into the world with us a potentiality of being again turned to dust, plainly the Spirit also imparts a life-giving potentiality to the children begotten by Himself. What lesson, then, results from these remarks? This: that we should wean ourselves from this life in the flesh, which has an inevitable follower, death; and that we should search for a manner of life which does not bring death in its train. Now the life of Virginity is such a life. We will add a few other things to show how true this is. Every one knows that the propagation of mortal frames is the work which the intercourse of the sexes has to do; whereas for those who are joined to the Spirit, life and immortality instead of children are produced by this latter intercourse; and the words of the Apostle beautifully suit their case, for the joyful mother of such children as these "shall be saved in child-bearing;" as the Psalmist in his divine songs thankfully cries, "He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children." — ON VIRGINITY 14 John Chrysostom : Shall not women then be saved? Yes, by means of children. For it is not of Eve that he says, "If they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety." What faith? what charity? what holiness with sobriety? It is as if he had said, "Ye women, be not cast down, because your sex has incurred blame. God has granted you another opportunity of salvation, by the bringing up of children, so that you are saved, not only by yourselves, but by others." See how many questions are involved in this matter. "The woman," he says, "being deceived was in the transgression." What woman? Eve. Shall she then be saved by child-bearing? He does not say that, but, the race of women shall be saved. Was not it then involved in transgression? Yes, it was, still Eve transgressed, but the whole sex shall be saved, notwithstanding, "by childbearing." And why not by their own personal virtue? For has she excluded others from this salvation? And what will be the case with virgins, with the barren, with widows who have lost their husbands, before they had children? will they perish? is there no hope for them? yet virgins are held in the highest estimation. What then does he mean to say? Some interpret his meaning thus. As what happened to the first woman occasioned the subjection of the whole sex, (for since Eve was formed second and made subject, he says, let the rest of the sex be in subjection,) so because she transgressed, the rest of the sex are also in transgression. But this is not fair reasoning; for at the creation all was the gift of God, but in this case, it is the consequence of the woman's sin. But this is the amount of what he says. As all men died through one, because that one sinned, so the whole female race transgressed, because the woman was in the transgression. Let her not however grieve. God hath given her no small consolation, that of childbearing. And if it be said that this is of nature, so is that also of nature; for not only that which is of nature has been granted, but also the bringing up of children. "If they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety"; that is, if after childbearing, they keep them in charity and purity. By these means they will have no small reward on their account, because they have trained up wrestlers for the service of Christ. By holiness he means good life, modesty, and sobriety. — Homily on 1 Timothy 9 Oecumenius : Yet she will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith and love and holiness with self-control. This is a trustworthy saying. Yet she will be saved through childbearing. Not only Eve, but every woman. And by "childbearing," it is meant not only to bear children, but also to lead them according to God. What then shall one say, that virgins and barren women, and those without children and widows, are lost? Away with that though! For it does not say that they will not be saved by their own virtue; but that childbearing will also be a means of salvation for them, that is, the acknowledged means of being saved by their own virtue. if they continue in faith. If Christians have nurtured and remained virtuous. What then if she herself is evil, but nurtures well? It certainly cannot happen that what is bad trains well; yet if it does happen, there will be a reward. But what if being good she nurtures evil? She will die because of the evil of the children. And the priest Eli is witness. (1 Sam. 2-4) This is a trustworthy saying. Because the fathers, Paul says, will be able to share in the virtue of the children. On the Virtue of Bishops. — COMMENTARY ON 1 TIMOTHY Origen of Alexandria : This love, therefore, the present Scripture speaks of, by which the blessed soul makes use of and is inflamed toward the Word of God; and it sings this wedding song through the spirit, by which the Church is joined and united to her heavenly bridegroom Christ, desiring to be mingled with him through the Word, that she may conceive from him, and may be able to be saved through this chaste generation of children, when they shall have remained in faith and holiness with sobriety: inasmuch as they are conceived from the seed indeed of the Word of God, but brought forth and begotten either by the immaculate Church, or by the soul that requires nothing corporeal, nothing material, but burns with the love of the Word of God alone. — COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS, PROLOGUE Pelagius : When Paul speaks of the salvation that comes through childbearing, he refers to the baptism and rebirth to which their children are led by the believing mother. — PELAGIUS'S COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST LETTER TO TIMOTHY Theodore of Mopsuestia : The claim that she will be saved by childbearing is said of all women, not just of Eve. — COMMENTARY ON 1 TIMOTHY