24

What should one say to those who raise the difficulty that, if childbearing came after the sin, how would souls have come to be, if the first humans had remained without sin? Rather, before investigating the subject at hand, it is perhaps better to seek the solution to the argument brought forth by those who contend with us. For they say that before the sin, neither birth is recorded, nor labor pains, nor the impulse toward childbearing; but that after they were driven out from paradise after the sin, and the woman was condemned to the punishment of labor pains, then Adam came to know his spouse in marriage, and then the beginning of childbearing came to be. Therefore, if there was no marriage in paradise, nor labor pains, nor birth, they say it is necessary to logically conclude that human souls would not have come to exist in multitude, had not the grace of immortality passed over to mortality, and marriage preserved nature through those who are born, introducing those from them in place of those who depart, so that in a way, sin entering into the life of humans was profitable. For the human race would have remained in the dyad of the first-created, if the fear of death had not stirred nature to succession.

But again in these matters, the true account, whatever it happens to be, would be clear only to those initiated, like Paul, into the ineffable things of paradise. But ours is as follows: When the Sadducees once argued against the doctrine of the resurrection, bringing forward that much-married woman, who had been with the seven brothers, to establish their own dogma, and then asking whose she would be after the resurrection, the Lord answers their argument, not only instructing the Sadducees, but also revealing the mystery of the life in the resurrection to all those who would come after. “For in the resurrection,” He says, “they neither marry, nor are given in marriage;” for they can no longer die; for they are equal to the angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. Now the grace of the resurrection promises us nothing other than the restoration of the fallen to their original state. For the expected grace is a kind of return to the first life, leading him who was cast out of paradise back into it again. If, therefore, the life of those who are restored is akin to that of the angels, clearly the life before the transgression was a kind of angelic life; for which reason also our return to the original state of life is likened to the angels. And yet, as it has been said, since there is no marriage 189 among them, the armies of the angels are in countless myriads; for so Daniel related in his visions. Therefore, in the same way, if no turning aside and departure from the angelic dignity had happened to us through sin, neither would we have needed marriage for our increase. But whatever the mode of increase in the nature of angels is, though it is ineffable and inconceivable to human reasoning, yet it certainly exists; this would have also been at work in humans, who were made a little lower than the angels, increasing humanity to the measure determined by the counsel of the Creator. But if anyone is troubled seeking the manner of the generation of humans, if man had not needed the cooperation of marriage, we too will ask in return about the manner of the angelic hypostasis, how they exist in countless myriads. and being one substance, and numbered among many. For we will appropriately answer the one who proposes, How would man exist without marriage? by saying, Just as the angels exist without marriage; for that man was like them before the transgression is shown by the restoration back to that state. Since these things have thus been clarified by us, we must return to the former argument: how after the fashioning of the image, God contrived for the creature the distinction according to male and female. For to this end I say that the theory we have previously gone through is useful. For he who brought all things into being, and

24

Τί χρὴ λέγειν πρὸς τοὺς ἐπαποροῦντας, εἰ μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἡ παιδοποιΐα, πῶς ἂν ἐγένοντο αἱ ψυχαὶ, εἰ ἀναμάρτητοι διέμειναν οἱ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἄνθρωποι. Μᾶλλον δὲ, πρὶν τὸ προκείμενον διερευνῆσαι, κρεῖτ τον ἴσως τοῦ προφερομένου παρὰ τῶν μαχομένων ἡμῖν ἐπιζητῆσαι τὴν λύσιν. Λέγουσι γὰρ πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μήτε τόκον ἱστορεῖσθαι, μήτε ὠδῖνα, μήτε τὴν πρὸς παιδοποιΐαν ὁρμήν· ἀποικισθέντων δὲ τοῦ παραδείσου μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ τῆς γυναικὸς τῇ τιμωρίᾳ τῶν ὠδίνων κατακριθείσης, οὕτως ἐλθεῖν τὸν Ἀδὰμ εἰς τὸ γνῶναι γαμικῶς τὴν ὁμόζυγον, καὶ τότε τῆς παιδοποιΐας τὴν ἀρχὴν γενέσθαι. Εἰ οὖν γάμος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ οὐκ ἦν, οὔτε ὠδὶς, οὔτε τό κος, ἀνάγκην εἶναί φασιν ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολούθου λογίζε σθαι, μὴ ἂν ἐν πλήθει γενέσθαι τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχὰς, εἰ μὴ πρὸς τὸ θνητὸν ἡ τῆς ἀθανασίας χάρις μετέπεσε, καὶ ὁ γάμος διὰ τῶν ἐπιγινομένων συνε τήρει τὴν φύσιν, ἀντὶ τῶν ὑπεξιόντων τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀντεισάγων, ὥστε λυσιτελῆσαι τρόπον τινὰ, τὴν ἁμαρ τίαν ἐπεισελθοῦσαν τῇ ζωῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἔμεινε γὰρ ἂν ἐν τῇ τῶν πρωτοπλάστων δυάδι τὸ ἀνθρώπι νον γένος, μὴ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν θάνατον φόβου πρὸς δια δοχὴν τὴν φύσιν ἀνακινήσαντος.

Ἀλλ' ἐν τούτοις πάλιν ὁ μὴν ἀληθὴς λόγος, ὅστις ποτὲ ὢν τυγχάνει, μόνοις ἂν εἴη δῆλος τοῖς κατὰ Παῦλον τὰ τοῦ παρα δείσου μυηθεῖσιν ἀπόῤῥητα. Ὁ δὲ ἡμέτερος τοιοῦτός ἐστιν· Ἀντιλεγόντων ποτὲ τῶν Σαδδουκαίων τῷ κατὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν λόγῳ, καὶ τὴν πολύγαμον ἐκείνην γυναῖκα, τὴν τοῖς ἑπτὰ γενομένην ἀδελφοῖς, εἰς σύ στασιν τοῦ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς δόγματος προφερόντων, εἶτα τίνος μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἔσται πυνθανομένων, ἀπο κρίνεται πρὸς τὸν λόγον ὁ Κύριος, οὐ μόνον τοὺς Σαδδουκαίους παιδεύων, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει ζωῆς φανερῶν τὸ μυστή ριον. «Ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἀναστάσει, φησὶν, οὔτε γαμοῦσιν, οὔτε γαμίσκονται·» οὔτε γὰρ ἀποθανεῖν ἔτι δύναν· ἰσάγγελοι γάρ εἰσι, καὶ υἱοὶ Θεοῦ εἰσι, τῆς ἀναστάσεως υἱοὶ ὄντες. Ἡ δὲ τῆς ἀναστάσεως χάρις οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἡμῖν ἐπαγγέλλεται, ἢ τὴν εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον τῶν πεπτωκότων ἀποκατάστασιν. Ἐπάνοδος γάρ τίς ἐστιν ἐπὶ τὴν πρώτην ζωὴν ἡ προσδοκωμένη χάρις, τὸν ἀποβληθέντα τοῦ παραδείσου πάλιν εἰς αὐτὸν ἐπανάγουσα. Εἰ τοίνυν ἡ τῶν ἀποκαθισταμένων ζωὴ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων οἰκείως ἔχει, δηλονότι ὁ πρὸ τῆς παραβάσεως βίος ἀγγελικός τις ἦν· διὸ καὶ ἡ πρὸς τὸ ἀρχαῖον τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν ἐπάνοδος τοῖς ἀγγέ λοις ὡμοίωται. Ἀλλὰ μὴν, καθὼς εἴρηται, γάμου 189 παρ' αὐτοῖς οὐκ ὄντος, ἐν μυριάσιν ἀπείροις αἱ στρα τιαὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων εἰσίν· οὕτω γὰρ ἐν ταῖς ὀπτασίαις ὁ ∆ανιὴλ διηγήσατο. Οὐκοῦν κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον, εἴπερ μηδεμία παρατροπή τε καὶ ἔκστασις ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγγελικῆς ὁμοτιμίας ἐξ ἁμαρτίας ἡμῖν ἐγένετο, οὐκ ἂν οὐδὲ ἡμεῖς τοῦ γάμου πρὸς τὸν πληθυσμὸν ἐδεή θημεν. Ἀλλ' ὅστις ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ φύσει τῶν ἀγγέλων τοῦ πλεονασμοῦ τρόπος, ἄῤῥητος μὲν καὶ ἀνεπινόη τος στοχασμοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις, πλὴν ἀλλὰ πάντως ἐστίν· οὗτος ἂν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν βραχύ τι παρ' ἀγγέλους ἠλατ τωμένων ἀνθρώπων ἐνήργησεν, εἰς τὸ ὡρισμένον ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς τοῦ πεποιηκότος μέτρον τὸ ἀνθρώπινον αὔξων. Εἰ δὲ στενοχωρεῖταί τις ἐπιζητῶν τὸν τῆς γενέσεως τῶν ἀνθρώπων τρόπον, εἰ μὴ προσεδεήθη τῆς διὰ τοῦ γάμου συνεργίας ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἀντερωτή σομεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν τῆς ἀγγελικῆς ὑποστάσεως τρό πον, πῶς ἐν ἀπείροις μυριάσιν ἐκεῖνοι. καὶ μία οὐ σία ὄντες, καὶ ἐν πολλοῖς ἀριθμούμενοι. Τοῦτο γὰρ προσφόρως ἀποκρινούμεθα τῷ προφέροντι, Πῶς ἂν ἦν δίχα τοῦ γάμου ὁ ἄνθρωπος; εἰπόντες, ὅτι κα θώς εἰσι γάμου χωρὶς οἱ ἄγγελοι· τὸ γὰρ ὅμοιον ἐκείνοις τὸν ἄνθρωπον εἶναι πρὸς τῆς παραβάσεως, δείκνυσιν ἡ εἰς ἐκεῖνο πάλιν ἀποκατάστασις. Τούτων οὖν ἡμῖν οὕτω διευκρινηθέντων, ἐπανιτέον ἐπὶ τὸν πρότερον λόγον· πῶς μετὰ τὴν κατασκευὴν τῆς εἰκόνος, τὴν κατὰ τὸ ἄῤῥεν καὶ θῆλυ διαφορὰν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιτεχνᾶται τῷ πλάσματι. Πρὸς τοῦτο γάρ φημι χρήσιμον εἶναι τὸ προδιηνυσμένον ἡμῖν θεώρημα. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ πάντα παραγαγὼν εἰς τὸ εἶναι, καὶ