Epistles of Ignatius

Do not be ashamed of servants, for we share the same nature with them. Do not despise women, for they have given you birth and raised you. It is right, therefore, to love those who were the authors of our birth (but only in the Lord), as a man cannot have children without a woman. It is right, therefore, that we should honor those who have contributed to our birth. "Neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man," except in the case of those who were first formed. For the body of Adam was made from the four elements, and that of Eve from the side of Adam. And, indeed, the unique birth of the Lord was from a virgin alone. This happened not because the lawful union of husband and wife is abominable, but such a birth was fitting for God. For it was appropriate for the Creator not to use the ordinary method of generation, but one that was unique and extraordinary, as being the Creator.