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shining, suddenly darkened; him who was terrible to demons, set forth as a plaything; him who was created free, hiding as a slave; him who was glorious and honorable, lying down as inglorious and sordid. Therefore, you who love to listen, having recapitulated this story, let us look into the abyss of Scripture, showing the connection of the narrative. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes to see, and a tree to be desired to make one wise. And the woman took of its fruit and ate, and gave also to her husband. Do you see luxury procuring death? Do you see luxury sending one to Hades? Do you see a taste making a stranger to paradise him who partakes? And let no one of a sounder mind bring blame upon the tree, but upon the one who partook. For just as if some king, having commanded his soldier not to allow any of the rulers to enter the royal bedchamber, unless he himself should command it, or having announced a mystery of his that no one from the outside should learn except him alone, but that one going out should make the word known to whomever he wishes and desires, tell me, will not such a one undergo punishment, because he despised the royal power? Such a thing was also newly made for Adam. God gave him all things for food and enjoyment: the plants, the fruits, the waters, the delight of paradise, the sun, the moon, and the stars; but He gave him only one tree to keep, imaging a sign of mastership and a command for obedience to the creator. But he, being neither mindful of these gifts, nor honoring the excess of his worth, nor keeping the freedom of his power, listened to the lawless one and enemy of truth, and touched disobedience, and the immortal became mortal, the ruler of paradise became naked of its dwelling, he who walked the paths of truth became the laughingstock of demons, he who was filled with the Holy Spirit was filled with wicked spirits, he who was glorified by prophecy, not even knowing what sort he was. When the death-bearing disobedience was therefore completed, Adam and Eve saw that they were naked on account of their transgression; for when they were clothed in the divinely-adorned garment of immortality, they did not see their own nakedness; but when the transgression came, and the work of disobedience was completed, then they saw their own shamefulness. Then, it says, they heard the voice of the Lord walking in paradise in the cool of the day, and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God. The occasion for boldness was cut off; transgression came, and they hide from the Almighty. Such are they who are clothed in sins. For when someone fornicates or commits adultery, and comes out of the door of the prostitute, and meets either a man or a woman, discussing their own private affairs, he who has committed the sin thinks that the conversation is about him, and he blushes and is ashamed, his sin convicting him from within. Adam and Eve suffered this. For many times when God was walking in paradise, they were never ashamed or abashed before him; but when the work of sin and disobedience was finished, then they hide from the face of the God who sees all, expecting to gain something; but this way of thinking was in vain for them. Therefore, as they had no defense or boldness before the knower of secrets, he himself who searches hearts and minds says to Adam: Adam, where are you? granting them an opportunity for a 56.533 defense; Where are you? Behold, you have eaten of the tree, and you have not obtained your desire; behold, you have committed the transgression, and you have fallen from deification. Adam, where are you? But he, Of the

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λάμποντα ἐζοφωμένον αἴφνης· τὸν φοβερὸν τοῖς δαίμοσιν, ὡς παίγνιον προκείμενον· τὸν ἐλεύθερον πλασθέντα, ὡς δοῦλον κρυπτόμενον· τὸν ἔνδοξον καὶ ἔντιμον, ὡς ἄδοξον καὶ ῥυποειδῆ κατακείμενον. ∆ιὸ, φιλακροάμονες, ἀνακεφαλαιώσαντες τὴν ἱστορίαν ταύτην, ἴδωμεν τῆς Γραφῆς τὴν ἄβυσσον, τὸν εἱρμὸν τῆς διηγήσεως ἐμφαίνοντες. Καὶ εἶδεν ἡ γυνὴ ὅτι καλὸν τὸ ξύλον εἰς βρῶσιν, καὶ ὅτι ἀρεστὸν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἰδεῖν, καὶ ὡραῖόν ἐστι τοῦ κατανοῆσαι. Καὶ λαβοῦσα ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ, ἔφαγε, καὶ ἔδωκε καὶ τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς. Ὁρᾷς τρυφὴν θάνατον προξενοῦσαν; ὁρᾷς τρυφὴν εἰς ᾅδην ἐκπέμπουσαν; ὁρᾷς γεῦσιν παραδείσου ποιοῦσαν ξένον τὸν μεταλαμβάνοντα; Καὶ μηδεὶς τῶν ἐχόντων ἀκεραιότερον νοῦν τῷ ξύλῳ τὴν μέμψιν προσαγάγοιτο, ἀλλὰ τῷ μεταλαβόντι. Ὥσπερ γάρ τις βασιλεὺς στρατιώτῃ αὐτοῦ παραγγείλας μὴ εἰσελθεῖν τινα τῶν ἀρχόντων ἔνδοθεν τοῦ βασιλικοῦ κοιτῶνος, εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς προστάξει τούτῳ, ἢ μυστήριον αὐτοῦ ἀναγγείλας μηδένα τῶν ἔξωθεν καταμαθεῖν πλὴν αὐτοῦ μόνον, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἐξελθὼν κατάδηλον ποιήσῃ τὸν λόγον οἷς ἂν θέλῃ καὶ βούληται, εἰπέ μοι, οὐκ ὑποστήσεται δίκην ὁ τοιοῦτος, ὅτι βασιλικοῦ κατεφρόνησε κράτους; Τοιοῦτον καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἐκαινουργήθη. Πάντα δέδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ ἀπόλαυσιν, τὰ φυτὰ, τοὺς καρποὺς, τὰ ὕδατα, τοῦ παραδείσου τὴν τερπνότητα, τὸν ἥλιον, τὴν σελήνην καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας· ἑνὸς δὲ μόνον ξύλου δέδωκεν αὐτῷ φυλάσσειν, ὑπόδειγμα δεσποτικὸν εἰκονίζων καὶ ἐντολὴν πρὸς ὑπακοὴν τοῦ πλάστου. Αὐτὸς δὲ μήτε τούτων τῶν χαρισμάτων ἐντὸς γενόμενος, μήτε τῆς ἀξίας τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τιμήσας, μήτε τοῦ κράτους αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν φυλάξας, τῷ παρανόμῳ καὶ ἐχθρῷ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπηκροάσατο, καὶ ἥψατο τῆς παρακοῆς, καὶ γέγονεν ὁ ἀθάνατος θνητὸς, ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ παραδείσου γυμνὸς τῆς τούτου οἰκήσεως, ὁ τρίβους τῆς ἀληθείας ὁδεύων, τῶν δαιμόνων ἐπίχαρμα γενόμενος, ὁ Πνεύματος ἁγίου ἐμπεπλησμένος, πνευμάτων πονηρῶν πεπληρωμένος, ὁ προφητείᾳ ἠγλαϊσμένος, μηδὲ ἑαυτὸν γνωρίζων ὁποῖος ἦν. Ἀπαρτισθείσης τῆς παρακοῆς λοιπὸν τῆς θανατηφόρου, θεασάμενοι Ἀδὰμ καὶ Εὔα, ὅτι γυμνοὶ ὑπῆρχον διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως αὐτῶν· ὅτε γὰρ θεοκόσμητον στολὴν τῆς ἀθανασίας ἦσαν περιβεβλημένοι, τὴν ἑαυτῶν γύμνωσιν οὐχ ἑώρων· ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν ἡ παράβασις, καὶ ἀπηρτίσθη τὸ ἔργον τῆς παρακοῆς, τότε ἐθεάσαντο τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτῶν. Εἶτα Ἤκουσαν, φησὶ, τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ Κυρίου περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τὸ δειλινὸν, καὶ ἐκρύβησαν ὅ τε Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ. Περιεκόπη τῆς παῤῥησίας ἡ πρόφασις· ἦλθεν ἡ παράβασις, καὶ κρύπτονται ἀπὸ τοῦ Παντοκράτορος. Τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις περιβεβλημένοι. Ὅταν γάρ τις πορνεύσῃ ἢ μοιχεύσῃ, καὶ ἐξέλθῃ ἐκ τῆς θύρας τῆς πόρνης, καὶ ἀπαντήσῃ κἂν ἄνδρα κἂν γυναῖκα, συντυχίας ἰδίας ἑαυτῶν διηγουμένους, ὁ ποιήσας τὴν ἁμαρτίαν νομίζει ὅτι ἡ συντυχία δι' αὐτὸν καθίσταται, καὶ ἐρυθριᾷ καὶ ἐντρέπεται, τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτὸν ἔνδοθεν διελεγχούσης. Τοῦτο πέπονθεν ὁ Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἡ Εὔα. Πολλάκις γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, οὐδέποτε αὐτὸν ᾐδέσθησαν ἢ ἐνετράπησαν· ἀλλ' ὅτε ἀπετελέσθη τὸ ἔργον τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τῆς παρακοῆς, τότε κρύπτονται ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ πάντα ἐφορῶντος, κερδᾶναί τι προσδοκῶντες· ἀλλὰ μάτην αὐτοῖς καθέστηκε ἡ φρόνησις αὕτη. ∆ιὸ ὡς μὴ ἔχοντες ἀπολογίαν ἢ παῤῥησίαν πρὸς τὸν κρυφιογνώστην, αὐτὸς ὁ ἐτάζων καρδίας καὶ νεφρούς φησι πρὸς τὸν Ἀδάμ· Ἀδὰμ, ποῦ εἶ; πρόφασιν ἀπο 56.533 λογίας αὐτοῖς χαριζόμενος· Ποῦ εἶ; Ἰδοὺ καὶ τοῦ ξύλου ἔφαγες, καὶ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας οὐκ ἐπέτυχες· ἰδοὺ καὶ τὴν παράβασιν ἐποίησας, καὶ τῆς θεώσεως ἐξέπεσες. Ἀδὰμ, ποῦ εἶ; Ὁ δὲ, Τῆς