Greek philosophy concerning procreation

Greek philosophy held that he fruits of an act were consistent with impulse that generated the act (the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.)  Thus, as Ocellus notes, progeny conceived with base intent will be base, progeny conceived by noble intent will be noble.  This theory, as applied to believers in a cuilt, means that those who believe will be more likely to produce believing progeny, while those who do not believe will be likely to produce progeny that do not believe.  Such a theory would account for the proto-church’s disapproval (if not outright rejection) of divorce:  a believer who produces a potentially believing infant, who then loses right of ownership of that infant, loses the believer that the infant might mature into.

Ocellus Laucanus, 2^nd cen BCE, possible allusion to LXX:

Εν ουν τουτο πρωτον δει θεωρειν οτι ουχ ηδονης ενεκα η μιξις επειτα δε και αυτην την του ανθωπου συνταξιν προς το ολον οτι μερος υπαρχων οικου τε και πολεως και το μεγιστον κοσμου συμπληρουν οφειλει το απογινομενον τουτων εκοστον εαν μελλη μητε συγγενικης εστιας λειποτακτης γινεσθαι μητε πολιτικης μητε μην της θειας. Οι γαρ καθαπαξ μη δια παιδοποιιαν συναπτομενοι αδικησουσι τα τιμωτατα της κοινωνιας συστηματα´ει δε και γεννησοθσιν οι τοιουτοι μεθ υβρεως και ακρασιας μοχθηροι οι γενομενοι και κακοδαιμονες εσονται και βδελυροι υπο τε θεων και διαμονων και αωθρωπων και οικων και πολεων.  Ταυτα ουν προδαινοουμενους ου δει ομοιως τοις αλογοος ζωοις προσερχεσθαι τιος αφροδισιοις αλλ ως αναγκαιον καλον ηγουμενυς οπερ αναγκαιον και καλον ειναι νομιζουσιν οι αγαθοι των ανθρωπν το μη μονον πολυανδρεισθαι τους οικους και τον πλειονα της γης τοπον πληρουσθαι ημερωτατον γαρ παντων και βελτιστον ζωον ο ανθρωπος αλλα και το μεγιστον ευανδρεισθαι.

First of all, it should be perceived that sexual intercourse does not exist for pleasure’s sake. Secondly we have to consider man’s relative position in the universe, that since he constitutes a part of his family and of his city, and above all the world, he has to fill up the losses of each of them if he is not to become a deserter of is family hearth, neither of that of the city nor of the divine one.  For those who once and for all renounce intercourse in order to beget children will injure the most honorable bodies of association and if indeed such people will beget with lust and incontinence the progeny will be wretched, unhappy and abhorred by gods, semi-divine beings, men households and cities.  People have to think over these matters beforehand and thus not come to sexual intercourse like irrational animals, but to consider as necessary and good that which good men think necessary and good, namely that households not only will abound in men and the greater part of the earth will be filled (man is indeed the gentlest and best of all creatures), but which is the most important thing, that they will also have an abundance of good men.