The 4th century produced a multitude of treatises on virginity. Bodily concerns were said to hinder the progress of the soul. Gregory of Nyssa (330-395 AD) said that it was impossible to "deliver oneself up to carnal pleasures and to the wedding banquet of the soul." The martyr was sanctified, but, since not everyone could become a martyr, the sacrifice of one's sexuality was considered an alternative. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God" (Romans 12.1).
The theologians of the 4th century were convinced that Adam and Eve would have been able to reproduce without what Augustine called "voluptuary sickness."
