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was formed first. And elsewhere he showed what is greater, saying thus; For man was not formed for the woman, but the woman for the man. What then does this mean? From many quarters he wants the man to have primacy. For first, he says, let him have the primacy from these things, and second, from what has already happened. She once taught the man, and ruined everything, and made him liable for disobedience. For this reason God subjected her, because she misused her authority, or rather her equal honor. To your husband, he says, shall be your turning. But before this, this was not said. But how was Adam not deceived? therefore he did not disobey, if 62.545 indeed he was not deceived. Pay close attention. The woman says, "The serpent deceived me;" but Adam does not say, "The woman deceived me," but that "She gave to me, and I ate." It is not the same thing to receive deception from one of the same nature and kin, and from a beast, a slave, a subordinate; so that was a deception. In comparison with the woman, therefore, he says that he was not deceived, because she was by the slave and subordinate, but he was by the free woman. Again, it is not said of Adam that "he saw the tree that it was good for food," but of the woman, and that she ate, and gave also to her husband; so that he did not transgress by being captured by desire, but was simply persuaded by the woman. The woman taught once, and ruined everything; for this reason he says, Let her not teach. What then of the other women, if she suffered this? Very much so; for the sex is weak and fickle. Besides, it is said here of the whole nature; for he did not say, "But Eve being deceived," but, "The woman," which is the name of the common sex rather than of her. What then? has the whole nature been in transgression through her? Just as concerning Adam he says, "in the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one to come;" so also here the female sex transgressed, not the male. What then? does it have no salvation? Yes, he says. What salvation is this? That through children; for he was not speaking about Eve: If they continue in faith and love and holiness with self-control. In what faith? in what love? in what holiness with self-control? As if he were to say: Do not be downcast, women, because your sex has been accused; God has given you another opportunity for salvation, the raising of children; so that not only through yourselves, but also through others you may be saved. See how many questions arise on the same point. "The woman being deceived," he says, "was in the transgression." Who? Eve. Will she then be saved through childbearing? He does not say this, but that the female nature will be saved. Was it not in transgression? Yes, it was, but though Eve transgressed, the female sex will be saved through childbearing. For why not also through its own virtue? for did she shut this off from the others? what then of the virgins? what of the barren? what of the widows, who lost their husbands before they could bear children? are they lost? do they have no hope? and yet the virgins are those most approved. What then does he mean to say? 2. Some say, that just as He subjected the whole sex from its formation through what happened to the first woman (for since Eve was formed second and was subjected, let the rest of the sex also be subject, he says); so then, since she also transgressed, the rest of the sex has also been in the transgression. But this makes no sense; for in the one case the whole thing came from the gift of God, but in this case from the sin of the woman. What he says, therefore, is this: that just as all men died through the one, because the one sinned, so also the whole female sex transgressed, because the woman was in transgression. Let her not grieve then; God gave her no small consolation, the bearing of children. But this is of nature, one says. That too is of nature; for not only what is of nature, but also the raising of children has been granted. If they continue, 62.546 he says, in faith and love and
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πρῶτον ἐπλάσθη. Ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ καὶ τὸ μεῖζον ἔδειξεν, οὕτω λέγων· Οὐ γὰρ ἐπλάσθη ὁ ἀνὴρ διὰ τὴν γυναῖκα, ἀλλ' ἡ γυνὴ διὰ τὸν ἄνδρα. Τί οὖν τοῦτο λέγει; Πολλαχόθεν βουλόμενος τὸν ἄνδρα πρωτεύειν. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τούτων ἐχέτω τὰ πρωτεῖα, φησὶ, δεύτερον δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ἤδη γενομένων. Ἐδίδαξέ ποτε τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ πάντα κατέστρεψε, καὶ τῇ παρακοῇ ὑπεύθυνον ἐποίησε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο αὐτὴν ὑπέταξεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπειδὴ τῇ ἀρχῇ, μᾶλλον δὲ τῇ ὁμοτιμίᾳ κακῶς ἐχρήσατο. Πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα σου, φησὶν, ἡ ἀποστροφή σου. Πρὸ δὲ τούτου οὐκ εἴρητο τοῦτο. Πῶς δὲ Ἀδὰμ οὐκ ἠπατήθη; οὐκοῦν οὐ παρήκουσεν, εἴ 62.545 γε οὐκ ἠπατήθη. Πρόσεχε ἀκριβῶς. Ἡ γυνή φησιν, Ὁ ὄφις ἠπάτησέ με· ὁ δὲ Ἀδὰμ οὐ λέγει, Ἡ γυνὴἠπάτησέ με, ἀλλ' ὅτι Αὕτη ἔδωκέ μοι, καὶ ἔφαγον. Οὐκ ἔστι δὲ ἴσον, παρὰ τῆς ὁμοφύλου καὶ συγγενοῦς δέξασθαι τὴν ἀπάτην, καὶ παρὰ θηρίου, τοῦ δούλου, τοῦ ὑποτεταγμένου· ὥστε ἐκεῖνο ἀπάτης ἐστί. Πρὸς οὖν τὴν σύγκρισιν τῆς γυναικός φησιν αὐτὸν μὴ ἠπατῆσθαι, ὅτι ἐκείνη μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ δούλου καὶ ὑποτεταγμένου, οὗτος δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐλευθέρας. Πάλιν δὲ οὐ περὶ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ εἴρηται, ὅτι Εἶδε τὸ ξύλον ὅτι καλὸν εἰς βρῶσιν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς γυναικὸς, καὶ ὅτι ἔφαγε, καὶ ἔδωκε καὶ τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς· ὥστε οὗτος οὐκ ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἁλοὺς παρέβη, ἀλλὰ τῇ γυναικὶ πεισθεὶς ἁπλῶς. Ἐδίδαξεν ἅπαξ ἡ γυνὴ, καὶ πάντα κατέστρεψε· διὰ τοῦτό φησι, Μὴ διδασκέτω. Τί οὖν πρὸς τὰς λοιπὰς, εἰ ἐκείνη τοῦτο ἔπαθε; Καὶ πάνυ· τὸ γὰρ γένος ἀσθενὲς καὶ κοῦφον. Ἄλλως δὲ, περὶ τῆς φύσεως ἐνταῦθα πάσης λέγεται· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἡ δὲ Εὔα ἀπατηθεῖσα, ἀλλ', Ἡ γυνὴ, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὄνομα τοῦ κοινοῦ γένους μᾶλλον ἢ ἐκείνης. Τί οὖν; πᾶσα ἡ φύσις ἐν παραβάσει γέγονε δι' ἐκείνης; Ὥσπερ περὶ τοῦ Ἀδάμ φησιν, ὅτι Ἐν ὁμοιώματιτῆς παραβάσεως Ἀδὰμ, ὅς ἐστι τύπος τοῦ μέλλοντος· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ γυναικεῖον γένος παρέβη, οὐ τὸ ἀνδρεῖον. Τί οὖν; οὐκ ἔχει σωτηρίαν; Ναὶ, φησί. Ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; Τὴν διὰ τῶν τέκνων· οὐ γὰρ δὴ περὶ τῆς Εὔας ἔλεγεν· Ἐὰν μείνωσιν ἐν τῇ πίστει καὶ τῇ ἀγάπῃ καὶ τῷ ἁγιασμῷ μετὰ σωφροσύνης. Ποίᾳ πίστει; ποίᾳ ἀγάπῃ; ποίῳ ἁγιασμῷ μετὰ σωφροσύνης; Ὡς ἂν εἰ ἔλεγε· Μὴ κατηφεῖς ἐστε, αἱ γυναῖκες, ὅτι τὸ γένος ὑμῶν διαβέβληται· ἔδωκεν ὑμῖν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἑτέραν ἀφορμὴν σωτηρίας, τὴν παιδοτροφίαν· ὥστε μὴ μόνον δι' ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ἑτέρων σώζεσθαι. Ὅρα πόσα κατὰ ταυτὸν ζητήματα τίκτεται. Ἡ γυνὴ ἀπατηθεῖσα, φησὶν, ἐν παραβάσει γέγονε. Τίς; Ἡ Εὔα. Αὐτὴ οὖν σωθήσεται διὰ τῆς τεκνογονίας; Οὐ τοῦτό φησιν, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἡ φύσις ἡ γυναικεία σωθήσεται. Αὕτη δὴ οὐκ ἐν παραβάσει γέγονε; Ναὶ, γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ παρέβη μὲν ἡ Εὔα, σωθήσεται δὲ τὸ γυναικεῖον γένος διὰ τῆς τεκνογονίας. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ μὴ καὶ διὰ τῆς οἰκείας ἀρετῆς; μὴ γὰρ ἐκείνη τοῦτο ταῖς ἄλλαις ἐξέκλεισε; τί οὖν πρὸς τὰς παρθένους; τί δὲ πρὸς τὰς στείρας; τί δὲ πρὸς τὰς χήρας, τὰς πρὶν ἢ τεκεῖν τοὺς ἄνδρας ἀποβαλούσας; ἀπολώλασιν; ἐλπίδα οὐκ ἔχουσι; καὶ μὴν αἱ παρθένοι εἰσὶν αἱ μάλιστα εὐδοκιμοῦσαι. Τί ποτε οὖν βούλεται εἰπεῖν; βʹ. Τινές φασιν, ὅτι ὥσπερ τὸ πᾶν γένος ὑπέταξεν ἀπὸ τῆς διαπλάσεως διὰ τῶν εἰς τὴν πρώτην γενομένων γυναῖκα (ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ Εὔα δευτέρα ἐπλάσθη καὶ ὑπετάγη, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν γένος ὑποτασσέσθω, φησίν)· οὕτως ἄρα, ἐπειδὴ καὶ παρέβη, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν γένος γέγονεν ἐν τῇ παραβάσει. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔχει λόγον· ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεᾶς γέγονε τὸ πᾶν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῆς γυναικός. Ὃ οὖν λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστιν· ὅτι ὥσπερ πάντες ἀπέθανον ἄνθρωποι διὰ τοῦ ἑνὸς, ἐπειδὴ ὁ εἷς ἥμαρτεν, οὕτω καὶ πᾶν τὸ γυναικεῖον γένος παρέβη, ἐπειδὴ ἐν παραβάσει γέγονεν ἡ γυνή. Μηδὲν οὖν ἀλγείτω· ἔδωκεν αὐτῇ ὁ Θεὸς παραμυθίαν οὐ μικρὰν, τὸ τεκεῖν παιδία. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τῆς φύσεως, φησί. Καὶ ἐκεῖνο τῆς φύσεως· οὐ γὰρ μόνον τὸ τῆς φύσεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τῆς παιδοτροφίας κεχάρισται. Ἐὰν ἐπιμείνωσι, 62.546 φησὶ, τῇ πίστει καὶ τῇ ἀγάπῃ καὶ τῷ