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On the Theophania
Eusebius of Caesarea, tr. Lee, 1843
On those who should remain in complete holiness in His Church, and in the life…
When He determined for them, that (one) should not leave his wife except in the matter of fornication, and His Disciples said to Him, “If the cause of a man with the wife be thus, it is not advantageous to take wives;” It is written, that He said upon these things, “Every man is not sufficient for this matter, except those to whom it is given. There are eunuchs, who were thus from their mothers’ womb; and there are eunuchs, who were (made) eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs, for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who can bear (it) let him bear (it).” It is evident from the context of the Scriptures, that there never was among men, and particularly among the Jews, any one who uttered by revelation any thing like this; or, who did any thing like it: or that, throughout the whole creation and among all nations, whether in the cities or villages, there were multitudes, not of men (only), but also of women, who kept themselves in perfect holiness, and the state of virginity, through the hope and expectation of the kingdom of heaven. We have seen in the very experiment itself, that they learned they should soon be prepared for this. The fulfilment however, of the claim to foreknowledge, was not simply (realized here); for we have seen many men, well known to us, who (actually) availed themselves of the iron (knife,) and made eunuchs of themselves for no other cause, except that of the hope of the kingdom of heaven: who neither hesitated, nor were weak in the doctrine of our Saviour, but simply and boldly betook themselves to the thing itself. So that the foreknowledge of our Saviour, even respecting these things, sets to its seal, that His word was in truth the word of God.