“It appears that even today many hold that Mary, after the birth of Her Son, was found to be in the state of a woman who has given birth, while in fact, she was not so. For some say that, after giving birth, she was examined by a midwife, who found her to be a virgin. These things are attested to by the Scriptures of the Lord, which also give birth to truth and remain virginal in the hiddenness of the mysteries of truth, “She gave birth and did not give birth, Scripture says, since she conceived by herself, not as a result of union with a man.”
Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 7, 16; PG 9, 529-30; GCS 17, 66.
“The Lord Jesus, the fruit of the Virgin, did not proclaim women’s breasts to be blessed, nor did He choose them to give nourishment. But when the Father, full of goodness and love for men, rained down his Word upon the earth, this same Word became the spiritual nourishment for virtuous men, O mysterious marvel!
There is one Father of all, there is one Word for all, and the Holy Spirit is one and the same everywhere. There is also one Virgin Mother, whom I love to call the Church. Alone, this mother had no milk because she alone did not become a woman. She is virgin and mother simultaneously; a virgin undefiled and a mother full of love.
She draws her children to herself and nurses them with holy milk, that is, The Word for infants. She had no milk because the milk was this child, beautiful and familiar; the body Christ.”
Clement of Alexandria, Paedagogus 1, 6; PG 8, 300-301; GCS 12, 115.
If you are interested in more quotes on Virgin Mary, you can find them in Mary and the Fathers of the Church on Amazon in both in Kindle and paperback formats.
References:
Gambero, L., 1999. Mary and the Fathers of the Church 1st ed. Translated by Buffer, T., San Francisco: Ignatius Press. p.70-71.
