the heights of the heavens. “God in the beginning made the heaven and the earth” and all the things in them through the Word he formed man from the earth and imparted breath to his form. And he placed him in paradise in the east in Eden there to delight. Having legislated these things for him through the commandment: “Of every tree that is in paradise you shall eat freely, but from the tree of knowing good and evil you shall not eat, for in whatever day you eat, you shall surely die.” But man, being by nature receptive of good and evil, like a clod of earth for seeds from both sides, received the enemy and gluttonous counselor, and having touched the tree, he transgressed the commandment and disobeyed God. Therefore he was cast out into this world as into a prison of the condemned. And when he had become long-lived and long-enduring, through the tasting of the tree and his returning to the earth, an inheritance was left by him to his children. For he left to his children an inheritance not of purity but of fornication, not of incorruption but of corruption, not of honor but of dishonor, not of freedom but of slavery, not of a kingdom but of tyranny, not of life but of death, not of salvation but of destruction. And a new and fearful destruction of men came to be upon the earth. For these things happened to them: they were seized by tyrannical sin and were led into the places of desires in which they were drenched by insatiable pleasures: by adultery, by fornication, by licentiousness, by desire, by love of money, by murders, by bloodshed, by the tyranny of wickedness, by lawless tyranny. For a father raised a sword against a son, and a son laid hands upon a father, and an impious man struck the nursing breasts, and brother killed brother, and stranger wronged stranger, and friend murdered friend, and man slaughtered man with a tyrannical right hand. Therefore they all became upon the earth, some manslayers, some brother-slayers, some father-slayers, some child-slayers. But something more fearful and newer was found. A certain mother touched the flesh of those she bore, she touched those she nourished with her breasts, and the fruit of her womb she buried in her womb, and the wretched mother became a fearful tomb, having swallowed the child she conceived. I speak no more. But many other strange and more fearful and more licentious things were found among men. Father upon the bed of a child, and son upon a mother's, and brother upon a sister's, and male upon male, and “each one neighed after his neighbor's wife.”

And over these things sin rejoiced. She who is the co-worker of death went before into the souls of men and prepared for him as food the bodies of the dead. And into every soul sin placed a mark, and on whomever it placed it, these had to die. Therefore all flesh fell under sin and every body under death, and every soul was driven out from its fleshy house, and what was taken from earth was resolved into earth, and what was given from God was shut up in Hades, and a dissolution of the good harmony occurred, and the good body was separated. For man was being divided by death. For a new disaster and capture encompassed him. He was dragged captive under the shadows of death, and the image of the Father lay desolate. For this cause, therefore, the mystery of the Pascha has been fulfilled in the body of the Lord. But beforehand the Lord prefigured his own sufferings in patriarchs and in prophets and in all the people, sealing them both through the law and the prophets. For that which is to be new and great is prefigured from long ago, so that when it comes to pass, it may be believed, having been pre-typed from long ago. Thus indeed also the mystery of the Lord, having been prefigured from long ago, but seen today, is believed, having been fulfilled, although it is considered new by men. For the mystery of the Lord is both old and new, old according to the type, but new according to grace. But if you look to this type, you will see the

ὑψηλὰ τῶν οὐρανῶν. «Ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἀρχῇ ποιήσας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν» καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς διὰ τοῦ λόγου ἀνεπλάσσατο ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ εἴδει ἀναπνοὴν μετέδωκεν. Τοῦτον δὲ ἔθετο εἰς τὸν παράδεισον κατὰ ἀνατολῆς ἐν Ἔδεμ ἐκεῖ τρυφᾶν. Τάδε αὐτῷ νομοθετήσας διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς· «Ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ βρώσει φάγετε, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ξύλου γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν οὐ φάγεσθε, ᾗ δ' ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε.» Ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος φύσει δεκτικὸς ὢν ἀγαθοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ, ὡσεὶ βῶλος γῆς ἑκατέρωθεν σπερμάτων, ἐδέξατο τὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ λίχνον σύμβουλον, καὶ προσαψάμενος τοῦ ξύλου παρέβη τὴν ἐντολὴν καὶ παρήκουσεν τοῦ θεοῦ. Ἐξεβλήθη οὖν εἰς τοῦτον τὸν κόσμον ὡς εἰς δεσμωτήριον καταδίκων. Τούτου δὲ πολυχόου καὶ πολυχρονίου γενομένου, διὰ τῆς τοῦ ξύλου γεύσεως καὶ εἰς γῆν χωρήσαντος, κατελείφθη ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κληρονομία τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτοῦ. Κατέλιπεν γὰρ τοῖς τέκνοις κληρονομίαν οὐχ ἁγνείαν ἀλλὰ πορνείαν, οὐκ ἀφθαρσίαν ἀλλὰ φθοράν, οὐ τιμὴν ἀλλὰ ἀτιμίαν, οὐκ ἐλευθερίαν ἀλλὰ δουλείαν, οὐ βασιλείαν ἀλλὰ τυραννίδα, οὐ ζωὴν ἀλλὰ θάνατον, οὐ σωτηρίαν ἀλλὰ ἀπώλειαν. Καινὴ δὲ καὶ φοβερὰ ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐγίνετο ἀπώλεια. Τάδε γὰρ συνέβαινεν αὐτοῖς· ἀνηρπάζοντο ὑπὸ τῆς τυραννικῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἤγοντο εἰς τοὺς χώρους τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν ἐν οἷς περιηντλοῦντο ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκορέστων ἡδονῶν ὑπὸ μοιχείας, ὑπὸ πορνείας, ὑπὸ ἀσελγείας, ὑπὸ ἐπιθυμίας, ὑπὸ φιλαργυρίας, ὑπὸ φόνων, ὑπὸ αἱμάτων, ὑπὸ τυραννίδος πονηρίας, ὑπὸ τυραννίδος παρανόμου. Καὶ γὰρ πατὴρ ἐπὶ υἱὸν ξίφος ἐπηνέγκατο, καὶ υἱὸς πατρὶ χεῖρας προσήνεγκεν, καὶ μαστοὺς τιθηνοὺς ἀσεβὴς ἐτύπτησεν, καὶ ἀδελφὸς ἀδελφὸν ἀπέκτεινεν, καὶ ξένος ξένον ἠδίκησεν, καὶ φίλος φίλον ἐφόνευσεν, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἄνθρωπον ἀπέσφαξεν τυραννικῇ δεξιᾷ. Πάντες οὖν οἱ μὲν ἀνθρωποκτόνοι, οἱ δὲ ἀδελφοκτόνοι, οἱ δὲ πατροκτόνοι, οἱ δὲ τεκνοκτόνοι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐγενήθησαν. Τὸ δὲ φοβερώτερον καὶ καινότερον ηὑρίσκετο. Μήτηρ τις ἥπτετο σαρκῶν ὧν ἐγέννησεν, προσήπτετο ὧν ἐξέθρεψεν μαστοῖς, καὶ τὸν καρπὸν τῆς κοιλίας εἰς κοιλίαν κατώρυσσεν, καὶ φοβερὸς τάφος ἐγένετο ἡ δυστυχὴς μήτηρ, ὃ ἐκύησεν καταπιοῦσα τέκνον. Οὐκέτι προσλαλῶ. Πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἕτερα ξένα καὶ φοβερώτερα καὶ ἀσελγέστερα ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ηὑρίσκετο. Πατὴρ ἐπὶ παιδὸς κοιτὴν, καὶ υἱὸς ἐπὶ μητρὸς, καὶ ἀδελφὸς ἐπὶ ἀδελφῆς, καὶ ἄρρην ἐπὶ ἄρρενος, καὶ «ἑκάτερος ἐπὶ τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον ἐχρεμέτιζον».

Ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις ἡ ἁμαρτία ηὐφραίνετο. Ἡ τοῦ θανάτου συνεργὸς ὑπάρχουσα προωδοιπόρει εἰς τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχὰς καὶ ἡτοίμαζεν αὐτῷ τροφὰς τὰ τῶν νεκρῶν σώματα. Εἰς πᾶσαν δὲ ψυχὴν ἐτίθει ἡ ἁμαρτία ἴχνος, καὶ εἰς οὓς ἂν ἔθηκεν, τούτους ἔδει τελευτᾶν. Πᾶσα οὖν σὰρξ ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίαν ἔπιπτεν καὶ πᾶν σῶμα ὑπὸ θάνατον, καὶ πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἐκ τοῦ σαρκίνου οἴκου ἐξηλαύνετο, καὶ τὸ λημφθὲν ἐκ γῆς εἰς γῆν ἀνελύετο, καὶ τὸ δωρηθὲν ἐκ θεοῦ εἰς τὸν ᾅδην κατεκλείετο, καὶ λύσις ἐγίνετο τῆς καλῆς ἁρμογῆς, καὶ διεχωρίζετο τὸ καλὸν σῶμα. Ἦν γὰρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου μεριζόμενος. Καινὴ γὰρ συμφορὰ καὶ ἅλωσις περιεῖχεν αὐτόν. Εἵλκετο αἰχμάλωτος ὑπὸ τὰς τοῦ θανάτου σκιάς, ἔκειτο δὲ ἔρημος ἡ τοῦ πατρὸς εἰκών. ∆ιὰ ταύτην γοῦν τὴν αἰτίαν τὸ τοῦ πάσχα μυστήριον τετέλεσται ἐν τῷ τοῦ κυρίου σώματι. Πρότερον δὲ ὁ κύριος προῳκονόμησεν τὰ ἑαυτοῦ πάθη ἐν πατριάρχαις καὶ ἐν προφήταις καὶ ἐν παντὶ τῷ λαῷ, διά τε νόμου καὶ προφητῶν ἐπισφραγισάμενος. Τὸ γὰρ μέλλον καινῶς καὶ μεγάλως ἔσεσθαι, τοῦτο ἐκ μακροῦ προοικονομεῖται, ἵν' ὁπόταν γένηται, πίστεως τύχῃ, ἐκ μακροῦ προτυπωθέν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὸ τοῦ κυρίου μυστήριον, ἐκ μακροῦ προτυπωθέν, ὁραθὲν δὲ σήμερον, πίστεως τυγχάνει τετελεσμένον, καίτοι ὡς καινὸν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νομιζόμενον. Ἔστιν γὰρ πάλαιον καὶ καινὸν τὸ τοῦ κυρίου μυστήριον, πάλαιον μὲν κατὰ τὸν τυπόν, καινὸν δὲ κατὰ τὴν χάριν. Ἀλλ' ἐὰν ἀποβλέψῃς εἰς τὸν τύπον τοῦτον, ὄψῃ τὸ