13

Let him ask those experienced in the Hebrew language, and he will see that this is the interpretation of the name Eden. For it is not because they are ignorant that we speak, nor for this reason do I wish to deceive you, but being eager to make them unassailable, as if the very enemies who know these things were present, so we interpret everything with precision. Since, therefore, man was formed from Eden, the virgin earth, he was called Adam, named after his mother. So also men do, they often call the children that are born by the name of their mothers; so also God called the man formed from the earth by the name of his mother, Adam. She Eden, he Adam. But what is the use of this? For men call them by the name of their mothers on account of the honor of the women who have given birth; for what reason did God call him by the name of his mother? what great or small thing was he arranging by this? For He does nothing simply or at random, but with reason and much wisdom; for of His understanding there is no number. Eden the earth, Adam the earthy, the one of dust, the earth-born. Why then did He call him so? Reminding him through the name of the lowliness of his nature, and as if on a bronze pillar setting down in his name the humility of his substance, so that the name might be a lesson in moderation, so that he might not conceive a notion greater than his own worth. For we know clearly that we are earth, and from the very experience of things; but he had seen no one before him who had died, nor been dissolved into dust, but great was the 51.130 beauty of his body, and like a golden statue just come forth from the foundry, so he shone. So that, therefore, the excellence of his appearance might not lift him up to arrogance, He set against it a name having a sufficient lesson of humility; for the devil was about to approach him and converse about arrogance; he was about to say to him, that "You shall be as gods." So that, therefore, remembering the name which taught him that he is earth, he might never imagine equality with God, for this reason He preoccupies his conscience with the name, laying up for him beforehand through this address a sufficient security against the plot about to be brought by the evil demon, and reminding him of his kinship with the earth, and showing the entire lineage of his nature, and all but saying, "If he says to you, that 'You will be as God,' remember the name, and you have received sufficient exhortation, so as not to accept the counsel." Remember your mother, from your kinship recognize your lowliness, not that you may learn humility, but that you may never be lifted up to arrogance. For this reason Paul also said, The first man Adam is of the earth, earthy. For interpreting for us what "Adam" is, he said the words, "Of the earth, earthy"; the second man is the Lord from heaven. But the heretics leap upon us, saying: Behold, Christ did not take on flesh; for, it says, the second man is the Lord from heaven. You hear that he is the second man, and you say that He did not take on flesh? And what could be equal to this shamelessness? For what is a man who does not have flesh? For for this reason he called him both "man" and "second man," so that you may see his kinship, both from the number and from the nature. Who then, he says, is the second man? The Lord from heaven. But the place offends me, he says, and that he is said to be from heaven. When you hear that the first man Adam is of the earth, earthy, do you think he is earthy? do you suspect he is only of dust, and does not have an incorporeal power, I mean the soul and its nature? And who would say this? Just as, therefore, when you hear concerning Adam that he was of dust, you do not suspect the body to be devoid of soul, so when you hear, "The Lord from heaven," do not set aside the economy because of the addition, "from heaven." For the time being, then, the first name has received a sufficient explanation; for he was called Adam

13

τοὺς τῆς γλώττης τῆς Ἑβραίων ἐμπείρους διερωτάτω, καὶ θεάσεται ταύτην οὖσαν τὴν ἑρμηνείαν τοῦ Ἐδὲμ ὀνόματος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ ἀγνοοῦσι λέγομεν, διὰ τοῦτο παραλογίσασθαι ὑμᾶς βούλομαι, ἀλλὰ σπουδάζοντες ἀχειρώτους ποιεῖν, ὥσπερ αὐτῶν τῶν ἐχθρῶν παρόντων τῶν ταῦτα εἰδότων, οὕτω μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἅπαντα ἑρμηνεύομεν. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐδὲμ τῆς παρθένου γῆς ἐπλάσθη ἄνθρωπος, ἐκλήθη Ἀδὰμ συνώνυμος τῇ μητρί. Οὕτω καὶ ἄνθρωποι ποιοῦσι, τὰ τικτόμενα παιδία εἰς ὄνομα τῶν μητέρων καλοῦσι πολλάκις· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τὸν πλασθέντα ἄνθρωπον ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς εἰς ὄνομα τῆς μητρὸς ἐκάλεσεν Ἀδάμ. Ἐκείνη Ἐδὲμ, οὗτος Ἀδάμ δʹ. Ἀλλὰ τί τὸ χρήσιμον; Ἄνθρωποι μὲν γὰρ καλοῦσιν εἰς ὄνομα τῶν μητέρων διὰ τὴν τιμὴν τῶν τετοκυιῶν γυναικῶν· ὁ Θεὸς τίνος ἕνεκεν εἰς ὄνομα τῆς μητρὸς ἐκάλεσεν; τί μέγα ἢ μικρὸν οἰκονομῶν ἐντεῦθεν; Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ εἰκῆ ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ μετὰ λόγου καὶ σοφίας πολλῆς· τῆς γὰρ συνέσεως αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός. Ἐδὲμ ἡ γῆ, Ἀδὰμ ὁ γήϊνος, ὁ χοϊκὸς, ὁ γηγενής. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν οὕτως αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσεν; Ἀναμιμνήσκων αὐτὸν διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος τῆς εὐτελείας τῆς κατὰ φύσιν, καὶ καθάπερ ἐν στήλῃ χαλκῇ τῇ προσηγορίᾳ κατατιθέμενος τὴν ταπεινότητα τῆς οὐσίας, ἵνα τὸ ὄνομα διδασκαλίαν ἔχῃ μετριοφροσύνης, ἵνα μὴ μείζονα τῆς οἰκείας ἀξίας ἔννοιαν λάβῃ. Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ ὅτι γῆ ἐσμεν, ἴσμεν σαφῶς, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς πείρας τῶν πραγμάτων· ἐκεῖνος δὲ οὐδένα εἶδε πρὸ αὐτοῦ τετελευτηκότα, οὐδὲ διαλυθέντα εἰς κόνιν, ἀλλὰ πολὺ τὸ 51.130 κάλλος ἦν αὐτῷ τοῦ σώματος, καὶ καθάπερ χρυσοῦ ἀνδριὰς ἀπὸ χωνευτηρίου ἄρτι προελθὼν, οὕτως ἀπέλαμπεν. Ἵνα μὴ οὖν τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς ὄψεως εἰς ἀπόνοιαν αὐτὸν ἐπάρῃ, ἀντέστησεν αὐτῷ ὄνομα ἱκανὴν ταπεινοφροσύνης διδασκαλίαν ἔχον· ἔμελλε γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ διάβολος προσελθὼν διαλέγεσθαι περὶ ἀπονοίας· ἔμελλεν ἐρεῖν αὐτῷ, ὅτι Ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοί. Ἵνα οὖν μεμνημένος τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ διδάσκοντος αὐτὸν, ὅτι γῆ ἐστι, μηδέποτε ἰσοθεΐαν φαντάζηται, διὰ τοῦτο προκαταλαμβάνει αὐτοῦ τὸ συνειδὸς τῷ ὀνόματι, ἱκανὴν αὐτῷ διὰ τῆς προσηγορίας προαποτιθέμενος ἀσφάλειαν τῆς μελλούσης ἐπάγεσθαι παρὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ δαίμονος ἐπιβουλῆς, καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὴν γῆν αὐτὸν ἀναμιμνήσκων συγγενείας, καὶ ἐμφαίνων τῆς φύσεως τὴν εὐγένειαν ἅπασαν, καὶ μονονουχὶ λέγων, ὅτι Ἐὰν εἴποι σοι, ὅτι Ἔσῃ ὡς Θεὸς, ἀναμνήσθητι τοῦ ὀνόματος, καὶ ἱκανὴν ἔλαβες παραίνεσιν, ὥστε μὴ δέξασθαι τὴν συμβουλήν. Ἀναμνήσθητι τῆς μητρὸς, ἀπὸ τῆς συγγενείας ἐπίγνωθι τὴν εὐτέλειαν, οὐχ ἵνα τὴν ταπεινότητα μάθῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα μηδέποτε εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἐπαρθῇς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν, Ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος Ἀδὰμ ἐκ γῆς χοϊκός. Τὸ γὰρ Ἀδὰμ ἑρμηνεύων ἡμῖν τί ποτέ ἐστιν, ἔλεγε τὸ, Ἐκ γῆς χοϊκός· ὁ δεύτερος ἄνθρωπος ὁ Κύριος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ. Ἀλλ' ἐπιπηδῶσιν ἡμῖν οἱ αἱρετικοὶ λέγοντες· Ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἀνέλαβε σάρκα ὁ Χριστός· Ὁ δεύτερος γὰρ, φησὶν, ἄνθρωπος ὁ Κύριος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ. Ἀκούεις ὅτι δεύτερος ἄνθρωπος, καὶ λέγεις, ὅτι Οὐκ ἀνέλαβε σάρκα; Καὶ τί ταύτης ἀναισχυντίας γένοιτ' ἂν ἴσον; τίς γάρ ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος σάρκα οὐκ ἔχων; ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ἄνθρωπον καὶ δεύτερον αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσεν ἄνθρωπον, ἵνα ἴδῃς αὐτοῦ τὴν συγγένειαν, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως. Τίς οὖν ἐστι, φησὶν, ὁ δεύτερος ἄνθρωπος; Ὁ Κύριος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ. Ἀλλ' ὁ τόπος με σκανδαλίζει, φησὶ, καὶ τὸ λέγεσθαι Ἐξ οὐρανοῦ. Ὅταν ἀκούσῃς, ὅτι πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος Ἀδὰμ ἐκ γῆς χοϊκὸς, ἆρα γήϊνον αὐτὸν νομίζεις εἶναι; ἆρα χοϊκὸν ὑποπτεύεις μόνον εἶναι, μὴ ἔχειν δὲ δύναμιν ἀσώματον, τὴν ψυχὴν λέγω καὶ τὴν ἐκείνης φύσιν; Καὶ τίς ἂν τοῦτο εἴποι; Ὥσπερ οὖν περὶ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἀκούων, ὅτι χοϊκὸς ἦν, οὐκ ἔρημον τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ σῶμα ὑποπτεύεις, οὕτως ἀκούων, Ὁ Κύριος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, μὴ ἀθέτει τὴν οἰκονομίαν διὰ τὸ προσκεῖσθαι, Ἐξ οὐρανοῦ. Τέως μὲν οὖν τὸ πρῶτον ὄνομα ἱκανὴν ἔλαβεν ἀπολογίαν· Ἀδὰμ γὰρ ἐκλήθη