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pain and for man to eat bread in sweat. And after these things he says, "Behold, Adam has become as one of us; lest he stretch out his hand and touch the tree of life and live forever." And do not suppose, O hearer, that the Lord said declaratively, "Behold, Adam has become as one of us"; for he says it reproachfully, censuring the conceit of Adam who was persuaded by the deceit of the serpent; it is not that what he supposed he became, he became, that is, it is not that Adam has become as one of us; for Adam, desiring to become higher, fell into a lesser state. And the saying "Let us cast him out, lest he stretch out his hand to the tree of life and eat and live forever" God does not say out of envy, but he was taking care of the diminished vessel by himself, so that it might not remain diminished forever; but as the best 2.507 potter, having returned the damaged vessel by himself to its own clay, the earth, he might refashion in the resurrection the righteous man, diminished in nothing, immortal in glory and able to enjoy the kingdom, and the unrighteous man in the final resurrection able to endure the punishment of the judgment. For God did not plant anything evil; may it not be, but he also planted the tree itself, permitting him at the proper, acceptable time through his own command to take from it. But you will say in opposition: How then is the saying fulfilled, "in whatsoever day you eat of it, you shall surely die," if he was able to eat from it? For by eating at whatever time, he would in any case fulfill the "you shall surely die." But to the one who says this, I say again: "God, who knows the future before it happens, knowing before his own command that being deceived he would eat from it, decreed death on account of the transgression that was about to be committed by him." For in this the erring heresies blaspheme God, saying, "The God of the law is good because he envied Adam and cast him out, saying: Let us cast him out, lest he stretch out his hand and take of the tree of life, and live forever." But their slandering foolishness is refuted. For not only did he not forbid eating from the tree of life from the beginning, but he even encouraged it, saying, "of every tree that is in paradise you may freely eat." And the tree of life was one of all the trees of paradise before the eyes of Adam. But only of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil did he say not to eat. But the insatiable mind of Adam, though it was innocent, and * with his wife Eve having been deceived by the devil, acted all the more contrary to the commandment. Since, therefore, Adam came into a state of defect through himself, God did not want him to live forever in a state of defect, but as the best potter, he was pleased to return by himself the ruined vessel to its own clay, so that in the regeneration he might transform it from its own clay again as on the 2.508 wheel, having repaired and renewed the vessel without defect so that it might be able to live forever. Hence, at first he threatens death, but the second time he no longer speaks of death, but "you are earth and to earth you shall return," not having delivered man to death. * * and after other things "and God made tunics of skin and clothed Adam and his companions and cast them out of paradise." And you see, Origen, that the empty talk innovated by you is futile. For how long before did Adam and his companions have bodies? 66. But if this questions you and you are not able, thinking according to the soul, to receive the grace of the spirit, being faithless and beyond the faithless, tell me of each creation made by God, how much wonder-working and astonishment does it have? From where out of non-beings is the heaven stretched out, suspended on high? From where was the sun polished and the moon and the stars created? From what original matter was the earth taken, coming into being out of non-beings? From what natures were the mountains cut? From where the constitution of the whole cosmos, which is from non-beings

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ὀδύνην καὶ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ ἐν ἱδρῶτι φαγεῖν τὸν ἄρτον. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα λέγει «ἰδού, Ἀδὰμ γέγονεν ὡς εἷς ἐξ ἡμῶν· μή ποτε ἐκτείνῃ τὴν χεῖρα καὶ ἅψηται τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς καὶ ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα». καὶ μὴ ὑπολάβῃς δέ, ἀκροατά, ὅτι ἀποφαντικῶς εἶπεν ὁ κύριος ὅτι «ἰδού, Ἀδὰμ γέγονεν ὡς εἷς ἐξ ἡμῶν»· ἐλεγκτικῶς γάρ, τὴν οἴησιν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ πεισθέντος τῇ πλάνῃ τοῦ ὄφεως μεμφόμενος λέγει· μὴ ὃ ἐνόμισε γενέσθαι ἐγένετο, τουτέστιν μὴ Ἀδὰμ γέγονεν ὡς εἷς ἐξ ἡμῶν· ἐπιθυμήσας γὰρ Ἀδὰμ ὑψηλότερος γενέσθαι εἰς τὸ ἧττον ἐξέπεσε. τὸ δέ «ἐκβάλωμεν αὐτόν, μή ποτε ἐκτείνῃ τὴν χεῖρα εἰς τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς καὶ φάγῃ καὶ ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα» οὐ φθονῶν ὁ θεὸς λέγει, ἀλλὰ ἐπεμέλετο τοῦ ἐλαττωθέντος σκεύους δι' ἑαυτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ μείνῃ ἠλαττωμένον εἰς τὸ διηνεκές· ἀλλ' ὡς ἄριστος 2.507 κεραμεὺς τὸ βλαβὲν δι' ἑαυτοῦ ἀγγεῖον ἐπιστρέψας εἰς τὸ ἴδιον φύραμα τὴν γῆν, ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει ἀναπλάσῃ ἐν μηδενὶ ἠλαττωμένον τὸν δίκαιον, ἐν δόξῃ ἀθάνατον καὶ δυνάμενον ἀπολαύειν τῆς βασιλείας, καὶ τὸν ἄδικον ἐν τῇ τελείᾳ ἀναστάσει δυνάμενον ὑποφέρειν τῆς κρίσεως τὴν τιμωρίαν. οὐ γὰρ πονηρόν τι ἐφύτευσεν ὁ θεός· μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ξύλον ἐφύτευσε, καιρῷ δεκτῷ δέοντι διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου προστάγματος ἐπιτρέπων αὐτῷ λαβεῖν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. ἀλλ' ἐρεῖς δι' ἐναντίας· πῶς οὖν πληροῦται τό «ἐν ᾗ δ' ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγησθε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε», εἴπερ εἶχε φαγεῖν ἐξ αὐτοῦ; πάντως γὰρ φαγὼν οἵῳ δή ποτε καιρῷ ἐπλήρου τό «θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε». πρὸς δὲ τὸν τοῦτο λέγοντα πάλιν φημί «ὁ θεὸς ὁ εἰδὼς τὰ μέλλοντα πρὶν γενέσθαι, γινώσκων πρὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ προστάγματος ὅτι ἀπατηθεὶς ἤσθιεν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, ὥρισε τὸν θάνατον διὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ παράβασιν γενέσθαι.» ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ πλανώμεναι αἱ αἱρέσεις βλασφημοῦσι τὸν θεὸν λέγουσαι «καλὸς ὁ θεὸς τοῦ νόμου ὅτι ἐφθόνησε τῷ Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἐξέβαλεν αὐτὸν λέγων· ἐκβάλωμεν αὐτόν, μή ποτε ἐκτείνῃ τὴν χεῖρα καὶ λάβῃ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα». ἐλέγχεται δὲ αὐτῶν ἡ ἄνοια συκοφαντοῦσα. καὶ γὰρ οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐκώλυσε φαγεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ προετρέψατο φήσας «ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ βρώσει φάγῃ». ἦν δὲ καὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ἓν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ξύλων τοῦ παραδείσου τῶν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν τοῦ Ἀδάμ. μόνου δὲ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ εἰδέναι γνωστὸν ἀγαθοῦ τε καὶ κακοῦ εἶπε μὴ φαγεῖν. ἡ δὲ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἄπληστος διάνοια ἀκέραιος οὖσα καὶ * τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ Εὔας ἀπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου ἀπατηθείσης μᾶλλον ἐναντίον τῆς ἐντολῆς εἰργάσατο. ἐπειδὴ οὖν ἐν ἐλαττώματι γέγονεν δι' ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Ἀδάμ, οὐκ ἠθέλησεν αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς ζῆν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐν ἐλαττώματι, ἀλλ' ὡς ἄριστος κεραμεὺς εἰς τὸ ἴδιον φύραμα τὸ ἀφανισθὲν σκεῦος δι' ἑαυτοῦ ηὐδόκησε μεταβαλεῖν, ἵνα ἐν τῇ παλιγγενεσίᾳ ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου φυράματος πάλιν ὡς ἐπὶ τὸν 2.508 τροχὸν μεταβάλλοι, ἀνασκευάσας καὶ ἀνακαινίσας τὸ σκεῦος ἄνευ ἐλαττώματος εἰς τὸ δύνασθαι διηνεκῶς ζῆν. ἔνθεν τὸ πρῶτον μὲν ἀπειλεῖ θάνατον, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον οὐκέτι θάνατον λέγει, ἀλλὰ «γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ», μὴ παραδεδωκὼς θανάτῳ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. * * καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα «καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς χιτῶνας δερματίνους καὶ ἐνέδυσε τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἐξέβαλεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τοῦ παραδείσου». καὶ ὁρᾷς ὅτι μάταιος ἡ παρὰ σοῦ καινοτομουμένη κενοφωνία, Ὠρίγενες. πρὸ πόσου γὰρ χρόνου ἦσαν σώματα τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀδάμ. 66. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτό σε ἀνακρίνει καὶ οὐ δύνασαι, ψυχικῶς διανοούμενος, τοῦ πνεύματος δέξασθαι τὴν χάριν, ἄπιστε καὶ ἐπέκεινα τῶν ἀπίστων τυγχάνων, λέγε μοι ἑκάστην ὑπόθεσιν ἐκ θεοῦ γεγονυῖαν, πόσην ἔχει τὴν θαυματουργίαν καὶ ἔκπληξιν; πόθεν ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων οὐρανὸς τέταται ἐν μετεώρῳ ἀναπεπετασμένος; πόθεν ἐστιλβώθη ἥλιος καὶ ἐκτίσθη ἡ σελήνη καὶ τὰ ἄστρα; ἐκ ποίου πρωτοτύπου ὕλης ἐλήφθη ἡ γῆ, ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων γινομένη; ἀπὸ ποίων φύσεων ἐτμήθη τὰ ὄρη; πόθεν ἡ σύστασις ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου, ἡ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων