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of flesh, to have had existence without a man. For it was necessary for the one coming for the salvation of men not to take a body from union. Nor again from outside the succession of men, like the first man, so that his body might not be thought to be of a different kind. For if he too had been formed from the earth, as the founder of the human race, those who introduce the doctrine of appearance through fantasy would have had the suspicion that he did not in truth bear a human body. Again, if he had taken a body from union, having nothing different, he would have been thought to be himself also liable to that sin to which all those from Adam were subject by succession. But if they should say: If flesh born from the intercourse of man and woman is flesh of sin, then marriage is evil; let them hear that before the advent of the Savior, who took away the sin of the world, all men, just as they did other things with wickedness, so also engaged in marriage sinfully. Wherefore the bodies born from marriage must be understood; And so, since the union of Adam and Eve happened after the sin, for this reason it is called flesh of sin. For being incorruptible before the transgression, having transgressed he became corruptible; and so the succession has the corruptible. Therefore the Savior had the likeness of this flesh, even if his flesh did not see corruption. But when the Savior came, just as there was a removal of sin from other things, so also from marriage. Now at least those who live according to the Gospel can have an honorable marriage and an undefiled bed, as Paul writes to the faithful: Marriage is honorable, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. For by distinguishing honorable marriage, and those who practice it, from fornicators and adulterers, he does not wish it to be fornication, nor adultery; whence marriage is not sin. And in another way it will be said more naturally: Virginity happens to be a divine thing, and exists as among the virtues. If anyone therefore, comparing marriage to this, should say it is a sin, it is not a sin in an absolute sense. For what is evil is not evil by comparison with the good, κα 39.1097 being such in itself. If ever at least something is called evil in relation to something good, it too would be good, though inferior to the good preferred to it. Those therefore who approach the Gospel, primarily approach it for the purpose of worshiping God, and becoming wise according to God. These consequently are warred against by some; for it is necessary for them to take up Christianity firmly. But firmness comes from the training in temptations. Whence it is necessary for them to endure contests. And just as those who preside over the games, if they have regard for what is reasonable, do not match this athlete with that one at random; but with great precision, looking to the proportion of each one's strength; so also our prize-giver Christ does not pair all with the same antagonists. but gives the opponent according to the age and strength of each. To the Corinthians, for instance, being still infants, Paul writes that their trial is contained in the passions of the flesh: No temptation has taken you, except what is human.

For the temptations of these, and their contests, have reference to human affairs. But concerning himself and those like him, of equal weight and equal strength, writing he says: Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, and the powers, and the world-rulers of the darkness of this age; all but saying this: For us who have ascended above, the struggle is no longer against flesh and blood, that is, human things, but against the transcendent orders of the adversaries; and these are species of rational beings, having become wicked by choice. But let no one suppose that by speaking of species of wicked rational beings, we mean a wicked substance. For there are species and genera also of things that exist by choice. For we speak of species

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σαρκῶν, τὸ ἄνευ ἀνδρὸς ἐσχηκέναι τὴν ὕπαρξιν. Ἔδει γὰρ τὸν ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐρχόμενον, μὴ ἐκ συνδυασμοῦ σῶμα λαβεῖν. Μηδ' αὖ ἔξωθεν τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων διαδοχῆς, ὥσπερ ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος, ἵνα μὴ ἑτερογενὲς αὐτοῦ νομισθῇ τὸ σῶμα. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐπέπλαστο, ὡς ἀρχηγὸς τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὑπόνοιαν ἐλάμβανον οἱ διὰ φαντασίας τὴν δόκησιν εἰσάγοντες, μήτε ἄρα οὐ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἔφερεν ἀνθρώπου σῶμα. Πάλιν, εἰ ἐκ συνδυασμοῦ ἀνειλήφει σῶμα, οὐκ ἔχων τὸ παρηλλαγμένον, ἐνομίσθη ἂν καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπεύθυνος εἶναι ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ᾗπερ καὶ οἱ ἐκ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ πάντες κατὰ διαδοχὴν ὑπῆρχον. Εἰ δὲ λέγοιεν· Εἰ σὰρξ ἁμαρτίας ἐστὶν ἡ ἐκ συνουσίας ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς τεχθεῖσα, κακὸς ὁ γάμος· ἀκουέτωσαν, ὅτι Πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας, τοῦ ἄραντος τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου, ἅπαντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ὥσπερ τὰ ἄλλα μετὰ κακίας ἔπραττον, οὕτω καὶ τὸν γάμον ἁμαρτητικῶς εἶχον. ∆ι' ὃ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ γάμου γεννώμενα σώματα νοητέον· Καὶ οὕτως, ἐπεὶ μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἡ σύνοδος γέγονεν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ καὶ τῆς Εὔας, διὰ τοῦτο σὰρξ ἁμαρτίας εἴρηται. Ἄφθαρτος γὰρ ὢν πρὸ τῆς παραβάσεως, φθαρτὸς γεγένηται παραβάς· καὶ οὕτως ἡ διαδοχὴ τὸ φθαρτὸν ἔχει. Ὁμοίωμα οὖν τῆς σαρκὸς ταύτης εἶχεν ὁ Σωτὴρ, εἰ καὶ μὴ εἶδεν ἡ σὰρξ αὐτοῦ διαφθοράν. Ἀλλ' ἐπιδημήσαντος τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ὡς ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων πραγμάτων ἀφαίρεσις ἁμαρτίας γέγονεν, οὕτω καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ γάμου. Νῦν γοῦν οἱ κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον βιοῦντες ἔχειν δύνανται τίμιον γάμον καὶ κοίτην ἀμίαντον, ὡς γράφει Παῦλος τοῖς πιστοῖς· Τίμιος ὁ γάμος, καὶ ἡ κοίτη ἀμίαντος· πόρνους δὲ καὶ μοιχοὺς κρινεῖ ὁ Θεός. ∆ιαστέλλων γὰρ τὸν τίμιον γάμον, καὶ τοὺς χρωμένους αὐτῷ, ἀπὸ πόρνων καὶ μοιχῶν, οὐ πορνείαν, οὐδὲ μοιχείαν τοῦτον βούλεται εἶναι· ὅθεν οὐδὲ ἁμαρτία ὁ γάμος. Καὶ ἑτέρως δὲ φυσικώτερον λεχθήσεται· Ἡ παρθενία θεῖόν τι χρῆμα τυγχάνει, καὶ ὡς ἐν ἀρεταῖς ὑπάρχει. Εἴ τις οὖν συγκρίνων ταύτῃ τὸν γάμον, λέγοι αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι, οὐκ ἀπολελυμένως ἁμαρτία ἐστίν. Τὸ γὰρ κακὸν οὐ συγκρίσει τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ κα 39.1097 κόν ἐστι, καθ' ἑαυτὸ ὂν τοιοῦτο. Εἴ ποτε γοῦν ὡς πρὸς ἀγαθὸν λέγοιτό τι κακὸν, καὶ αὐτὸ ἀγαθὸν εἴη, ὑποδεέστερον τοῦ προκρινομένου αὐτοῦ ἀγαθοῦ. Οἱ τοίνυν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ προσερχόμενοι, προηγουμένως προσέρχονται αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τῷ θεοσεβεῖν, καὶ κατὰ Θεὸν γενέσθαι σοφοί. Οὗτοι ἑπομένως ἔχουσι τὸ πολεμεῖσθαι ὑπό τινων· καὶ γὰρ δεῖ τούτους βεβαίως ἀναλαβεῖν τὸν Χριστιανισμόν. Προσγίνεται δὲ ἡ βεβαιότης ἐκ τῆς κατὰ τοὺς πειρασμοὺς γυμνασίας. Ὅθεν ἀνάγκη ἀγῶνας αὐτοὺς ὑπομένειν. Καὶ ὥσπερ οἱ ἀγωνοθετοῦντες, εἰ τοῦ εὐλόγου φροντίζοιεν, οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν τόνδε μετὰ τοῦδε συμβάλλουσιν· ἀθλητὴν, ἀλλὰ σὺν ἀκριβείᾳ πολλῇ, εἰς τὴν ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἑκάστου δυνάμεως σκοποῦντες· οὕτως καὶ ὁ ἡμέτερος ἀθλοθέτης Χριστὸς οὐ πάντας τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἀνταγωνισταῖς συζεύγνυσιν. ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν ἑκάστου τὸν ἀντίπαλον δίδωσιν. Κορινθίοις γοῦν, νηπίοις οὖσιν ἔτι, τῶν παθημάτων τῆς σαρκὸς περιέχεσθαι Παῦλος γράφει· Πειρασμὸς ὑμᾶς οὐκ εἴληφεν, εἰ μὴ ἀνθρώπινος.

Οἱ γὰρ πειρασμοὶ τούτων, καὶ οἱ ἀγῶνες, πρὸς τὰ ἀνθρώπινα πράγματα τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχουσι. Περὶ ἑαυτοῦ δὲ καὶ τῶν παραπλησίων, ἰσοῤῥόπων τε καὶ ἰσοσθενῶν, γράφων φησίν· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς, καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας, καὶ τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου· μονονουχὶ τοῦτο λέγων· Ἡμῖν τοῖς ὑπεραναβεβηκόσιν οὐκέτι πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἀνθρώπινα, ἡ πάλη, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰ ὑπεραναβεβηκότα τάγματα τῶν ἀντιπάλων· εἰσὶν δὲ ταῦτα εἴδη λογικῶν, πονηρῶν γενομένων προαιρετικῶς. Μηδεὶς δὲ ὑπολάβῃ, ὅτι εἴδη λογικῶν πονηρῶν εἰρηκότες, οὐσίαν πονηρὰν λέγομεν. Ἔστιν γὰρ εἴδη καὶ γένη καὶ τῶν προαιρετικῶν ὑπαρχόντων. Λέγομεν γοῦν εἴδη