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I could not endure, Myself to be in the divine glory, but to overlook those blinded by the deceit of the serpent, whom I created with my hands. But I became like men in all things, perceptible indeed to the perceptible, and I was willingly united to them. Do you see how much desire I have to be seen by men, so as to even will to become man and be seen. How then did you say that I hide myself from you and am not seen? Truly I shine, but you do not see. Pay attention to the mystery: Adam saw the glory of my divinity and lived, but having transgressed he was blinded and immediately was put to death, not willing to repent, nor saying: I have sinned against you. For this reason therefore he was justly condemned to return to the earth, from which he was taken; and later this was certainly given as a sentence (390) and was reckoned to all as an inescapable punishment. But it is not a punishment, but rather a benefaction. For I did not allow the corruptible to be together with the incorruptible. For it was worse than to be dissolved to be bound eternally and for evil to exist immortal in both. For the soul, having fallen from life here, and again, if it were bearing the perishing body united with it, how would it not have been worse than death, than separation of the soul, I say to you? Therefore there are two deaths, of the body and of the soul. The one who has died in soul, tell me, and from this a corruptible body

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οὐχ ὑπέφερον, αὐτός μέν εἶναι ἐν τῇ θείᾳ δόξῃ, παρορᾶν δέ τυφλωθέντας τῇ τοῦ ὄφεως ἀπάτῃ, οὕσπερ ἔκτισα χερσί μου. Ἀλλά ὅμοιος ἀνθρώποις ἐγενόμην κατά πάντα, αἰσθητός τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς γε, καί ἡνώθην τούτοις θέλων. Βλέπεις, πόσον πόθον ἔχω τοῦ ὁρᾶσθαι παρ᾿ ἀνθρώπων, ὡς καί ἄνθρωπος γενέσθαι θελῆσαι καί ὁραθῆναι. Πῶς οὖν εἶπας κρύπτεσθαί με ἀπό σοῦ καί μή ὁρᾶσθαι; Ὄντως λάμπω, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ βλέπεις. Πρόσεχε τῷ μυστηρίῳ˙ ἔβλεπε θεότητός μου δόξαν ὁ Ἀδάμ καί ἔζη, παραβάς δ᾿ ἀπετυφλώθη καί εὐθύς ἀπενεκρώθη μή θελήσας μεταγνῶναι, μηδ᾿ εἰπών˙ Ἡμάρτηκά σοι. ∆ιά τοῦτο οὖν ἐνδίκως ἀποστρέφειν κατεκρίθη εἰς τήν γῆν, ἐξ ἧς ἐλήφθη˙ ὕστερον δέ τοῦτο πάντως ὡς ἀπόφασις ἐδόθη (390) καί τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐλογίσθη ἄφυκτος ὡς τιμωρία. Ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἔστι τιμωρία, μᾶλλον δέ εὐεργεσία. Οὐ γάρ εἴασα συνεῖναι τό φθαρτόν σύν τῷ ἀφθάρτῳ. Χεῖρον ἦν γάρ τοῦ λυθῆναι τό δεδέσθαι αἰωνίως καί ἀθάνατον ὑπάρχειν τό κακόν ἐν ἀμφοτέροις. ἡ ψυχή γάρ ἐκπεσοῦσα τῆς ζωῆς γε τῆς ἐνταῦθα, πάλιν τε, εἴπερ τό σῶμα τό φθειρόμενον ὑπῆρχε φέρουσα συνηνωμένον, πῶς οὐκ ἦν θανάτου χεῖρον, χωρισμοῦ ψυχῆς, σοί λέγω; ∆ύο οὖν εἰσι θάνατοι, σώματός τε καί ψυχῆς. Ὁ θανών ψυχῇ, εἰπέ μοι, καί φθαρτόν ἐκ τούτου σῶμα