For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Eph 5:30–32)
As Eve was formed from Adam, so we from Christ the Lord; we are buried with Him in baptism, we rise with Him, and we eat His body and drink His blood. He reminds us of what is said about the wife. Respect the first law, which was laid down following the creation of the woman and was implanted in the nature of human beings: the man who leaves his parents and takes on marriage is joined to his wife, and so close a union takes place that the two are considered one flesh. The fruit of marriage witnesses to this: one child is born of both. The divine apostle, having recited the law of marriage, shows it shines forth also in spiritual marriage as he cries out: This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Having in His own case left the heavenly Father, He was joined to the Church. He only seemed to leave, however, for the reason of the Incarnation: as God, He is inseparable from God insofar as He also has a nature that cannot be circumscribed.
Theodoret of Cyrus, Epistle to the Ephesians 5.30–32
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