Christians have historically believed they were not to indulge in sexual intercourse for fear of giving in to the evils of the flesh.

In the early days of the church, most leaders were married. Paul counseled that elders must be husbands to only one wife (1 Tim. 3:2), condemning polygamy but permitting marriage. Believing the body was evil, Gnostic's however influenced an increasing movement toward asceticism Throughout the second and third centuries many priests and bishops chose to be unmarried.

Martyrdom Replaced with Monasticism

In the fourth century, when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire, persecution stopped and martyrdom became rare. In order to continue to aspire to a higher calling, Christians replaced martyrdom with monasticism. Taking vows of celibacy and poverty was likened to the sacrifices of the martyrs.

Property was being left in rising amounts to individual churches; now and then a married priest had the bequest written in his name and transmitted it to his children. To counteract such embezzlement, the church increasingly demanded that priests remain unmarried so as not to have any dependants who could benefit from the church