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will be incarnate, the same but spiritual, that which was once gross is now subtle, the same that was crucified * and the same that was held, now ungraspable, having been united and blended with the Godhead and no longer being dissolved, but remaining forever, no longer dying. “For Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”; but having been raised, “he dies no more, death no longer has dominion over him.” 65. And that you may also know this, for what reason Christ is called “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”–although he was not the first to rise; for before him, through him, Lazarus and the widow's son were raised, and others through Elijah and through Elisha. But since all of them, having been raised, died again, thus Christ is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For having been raised, “he dies no more,” as † the coming resurrection is to be through his life and love for mankind. But if he is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep and his whole body was raised with the Godhead, it appears that his whole incarnation was raised, 2.505 with nothing from it having been left behind, neither body nor anything else; “For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will you let your Holy One see corruption.” And the part about the soul in Hades signifies its not being left behind, while “the Holy One” shows the holy body that did not see corruption, but was raised incorruptible on the third day and united with incorruptibility for ever. But you, sir, claim that these bodies are the tunics of skin, although the context in no way supports this, but because of the seeds of the mythical teachings of the Greeks sown in you from the beginning and because of the wicked reasoning about the disbelief in the resurrection that was provoked in you from there, I mean, that the Greeks led you to this and taught you. “For the natural man,” it says, “does not receive the things of the Spirit; for they are foolishness to him, because they are spiritually discerned.” For if the tunics had been made for Adam and his wife before the transgression, your falsehood might have been plausible and able to deceive; but when it appears at the time Eve was formed *. From what, then, was she formed? Clearly, from a body; “For,” it says, “he cast a deep sleep upon Adam, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs.” And a rib is nothing other than bone. For he built up “flesh in its place.” But with flesh being named, how is its creation still awaited? And earlier it says, “Let us make man in our image and after our likeness.” “And,” it says, “he took dust from the ground, and formed the man.” And dust and flesh are nothing other than body. Then afterwards, “And Adam, rising from his sleep, said, This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” Not yet were there tunics of skin, 2.506 not yet did your allegorized falsehood exist. Therefore, “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh,” clearly means they were bodies and Adam and Eve were not without bodies. “And she took from the tree and ate,” as she was deceived by the serpent and fell into transgression, “and he heard the voice of God walking in the paradise in the evening, and Adam and Eve hid in the tree.” And God says to Adam, “Where are you?” And he, being reproved, answers, “I heard your voice and I hid, because I am naked.” And what nakedness was he speaking of? Was he speaking of the soul or the body? And what did the fig leaves cover, the soul or the body? “‘And who told you,’ he says, ‘that you are naked, unless you ate from the tree from which alone I commanded you not to eat?’” And he says, “The woman whom you gave me gave to me, and I ate.” And from where was the woman given but from the rib, that is, from the body, before the tunics were given to them? And to the woman he says, “Why have you done this?” And she said, “The serpent deceived me and I ate and I gave also to my husband.” And God imposes the curse on the serpent and on the woman the

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ἐνανθρωπήσει, αὐτὸ ὂν ἀλλὰ πνευματικόν, αὐτὸ τὸ ποτὲ παχυμερὲς λεπτομερές, αὐτὸ τὸ ἐσταυρωμένον * καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ κεκρατημένον ἀκράτητον, συνενωθὲν καὶ συγκραθὲν τῇ θεότητι καὶ μηκέτι λυόμενον, ἀλλ' εἰς ἀεὶ διαμένον, μηκέτι ἀποθνῇσκον. «ἀνέστη γὰρ Χριστὸς ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων»· ἀναστὰς δὲ «οὐκέτι ἀποθνῄσκει, θάνατος αὐτοῦ οὐκέτι κυριεύει». 65. Ἵνα δὲ γνῷς καὶ τοῦτο, δι' ἣν αἰτίαν «ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων» λέγεται ὁ Χριστός-καίτοι γε οὐκ αὐτοῦ ἀρξαμένου ἀνίστασθαι· πρὸ αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἀνέστησαν δι' αὐτοῦ Λάζαρος καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τῆς χήρας, καὶ ἄλλοι καὶ διὰ Ἠλία καὶ διὰ Ἐλισσαίου. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐκεῖνοι πάντες ἀναστάντες πάλιν τεθνήκασιν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων. ἀναστὰς γὰρ «οὐκέτι ἀποθνῄσκει», ὡς † ἡ μέλλουσα ἀνάστασις εἶναι διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ ζωῆς καὶ φιλανθρωπίας. εἰ δέ ἐστιν ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων καὶ ἀνέστη ὅλον τὸ αὐτοῦ σῶμα σὺν τῇ θεότητι, φαίνεται ὅλη ἡ αὐτοῦ ἐνανθρώπησις ἀναστᾶσα, 2.505 καὶ μηδενὸς ἐξ αὐτῆς καταλειφθέντος, οὔτε σώματος οὔτε ἑτέρου τινός· «οὐ γὰρ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς Ἅιδην, οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν». καὶ τὸ μὲν περὶ ψυχῆς ἐν τῷ Ἅιδῃ σημαίνει τὸ μὴ καταλελεῖφθαι, τὸ δέ «τὸν ὅσιον», ἵνα δείξῃ τὸ ὅσιον σῶμα τὸ μὴ ἑωρακὸς διαφθοράν, ἀλλὰ ἀναστὰν ἄφθορον τὸ τριήμερον καὶ τῇ ἀφθαρσίᾳ συνηνωμένον εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Σὺ δὲ φάσκεις, ὦ οὗτος, ταῦτα τὰ σώματα εἶναι τοὺς δερματίνους χιτῶνας, οὐδαμοῦ τῆς ἀκολουθίας τοῦτο ἐχούσης, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὰ ἐν σοὶ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς σπέρματα καταβληθέντα τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐθνομύθου διδασκαλίας καὶ διὰ τὸν ἐκεῖθεν παροξυνθέντα σοὶ κακότροπον λογισμὸν τῆς περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀπιστίας, φημὶ δὲ τῶν Ἑλλήνων σε εἰς τοῦτο ἀγαγόντον καὶ διδαξάντων. «ὁ γὰρ ψυχικὸς ἄνθρωπος» φησίν «οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος· μωρία γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐστιν, ὅτι πνευματικῶς ἀνακρίνεται». εἰ μὲν γὰρ πρὸ τῆς παρακοῆς οἱ χιτῶνες τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἐγένοντο, πιθανὸν ἂν ἦν σου τὸ ψεῦσμα καὶ δυνάμενον ἐξαπατῆσαι· ὅτε δὲ φαίνεται κατὰ τὸ τὴν Εὔαν πλασθῆναι *. πόθεν δὴ ἄρα ἐπλάσσετο; ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ σώματος δῆλον· «ἐπέβαλε» γάρ φησιν «ἔκστασιν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀδάμ, καὶ ὕπνωσε, καὶ ἔλαβε μίαν ἐκ τῶν πλευρῶν αὐτοῦ». πλευρὰ δὲ οὐδὲν ἕτερον τυγχάνει ἀλλὰ ὀστέον. ᾠκοδόμησε γὰρ «σάρκα ἀντ' αὐτῆς». σαρκὸς δὲ ὀνομαζομένης πῶς ἔτι προσδοκᾶται ἡ ταύτης ποίησις; καὶ ἀνωτέρω φησί «ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν». «καὶ ἔλαβε» φησί «χοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἔπλασε τὸν ἄνθρωπον». ὁ δὲ χοῦς καὶ σὰρξ οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἀλλὰ σῶμα. εἶτα μετέπειτα «καὶ ἀναστὰς Ἀδὰμ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕπνου εἶπε, τοῦτο ὀστοῦν ἐκ τῶν ὀστῶν μου καὶ σὰρξ ἐκ τῆς σαρκός μου». οὔπω δὲ χιτῶνες δερμάτινοι, 2.506 οὔπω τὸ παρὰ σοῦ ψεῦσμα ἀλληγορούμενον ὑπῆρχεν. ὀστοῦν τοίνυν ἐκ τῶν ὀστῶν μου καὶ σὰρξ ἐκ τῶν σαρκῶν μου, δῆλον ὅτι σώματα ἦσαν καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀσώματος ὁ Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἡ Εὔα. «καὶ ἔλαβεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου καὶ ἔφαγεν», ὡς ὑπενοθεύθη ὑπὸ τοῦ ὄφεως καὶ γέγονεν ἐν παρακοῇ, «καὶ ἤκουσε τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ θεοῦ περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τὸ δειλινόν, καὶ ἐκρύβη ὁ Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἡ Εὔα ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ». καὶ ὁ θεός φησι τῷ Ἀδάμ «ποῦ εἶ»; ὁ δὲ ἐλεγχόμενος ἀποκρίνεται «τὴν φωνήν σου ἤκουσα καὶ ἐκρύβην, ὅτι γυμνός εἰμι». γυμνὸν δὲ ἄρα ποῖον ἔλεγε; τὴν ψυχὴν ἔλεγεν ἢ τὸ σῶμα; τὰ δὲ φύλλα τῆς συκῆς τίνα ἔσκεπε, τὴν ψυχὴν ἢ τὸ σῶμα; «καὶ τίς σοι εἶπε» φησίν «ὅτι γυμνὸς εἶ, εἰ μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου οὗ ἐνετειλάμην σοὶ τούτου μόνου μὴ φαγεῖν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, ἔφαγες»; καί φησιν «ἡ γυνὴ ἣν ἔδωκάς μοι ἔδωκέν μοι, καὶ ἔφαγον». πόθεν δὲ ἐδόθη ἡ γυνὴ ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τῆς πλευρᾶς τουτέστιν ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος, πρὶν ἢ τοὺς χιτῶνας αὐτοῖς δοθῆναι; καὶ τῇ γυναικί φησι «τί ὅτι τοῦτο ἐποίησας»; ἡ δὲ εἶπεν «ὁ ὄφις ἠπάτησέ με καὶ ἔφαγον καὶ ἔδωκα καὶ τῷ ἀνδρί μου». ὁ δὲ θεὸς τῷ ὄφει ἐπιφέρει τὴν κατάραν καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ τὴν