576

But it is also possible to think something else wonderful concerning these things, concerning both Eve and Mary. For Eve became a pretext of death for mankind; for through her "death entered into the world." But Mary is a pretext of life, through whom life was born for us. And for this reason the Son of God came into the world. And "where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." And from where death came, there life anticipated it, so that life might come in place of death, shutting out the death that came from a woman, He again who through a woman has become life for us. And since there, while still a virgin, Eve came to be in a transgression of disobedience, again through the virgin came the obedience of grace, when the incarnate presence of the descent from heaven and of eternal life was announced. For there he says to the serpent, "And I will put enmity between you and between her, and between your seed and between her seed." But nowhere is the seed of a woman found, * except that, according to the riddle, in the case of Eve the enmity is taken against the things begotten by him, both of the serpent and of the devil and envy which came to be in the serpent. 19. But yet in the most perfect sense the whole cannot be fulfilled in her. But it will be truly fulfilled in the holy seed, the exceptional, the unique, which was found from Mary alone and not from the union of a man. For he came "to destroy" both the power "of the dragon and the fleeing crooked serpent" and who says he has seized the whole world. For this reason the only-begotten came from a woman, for the destruction of the serpent, that is of evil teaching and corruption and deceit, of error and lawlessness. This is truly the one "opening the mother's womb." For all who were born firstborn, that we may speak more reverently, were not able to fulfill this but 3.470 only the only-begotten, "opening the womb of a virgin." For in this alone it has been perfected and in no other. But it is also possible to see from the subject itself. For the saying is taken in the case of Mary, and concerning the church this will be for me saying, "For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh." But the holy apostle says, "This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church." And see for me the precision of the scriptures: that in the case of Adam he says "formed," but in the case of Eve he no longer says "formed," but "built." For he says, "he took one of his ribs and built it for him into a woman," in order to show that the Lord formed a body for himself from Mary, but that from his very side the church was built, when his side was pierced and the mysteries of blood and water became a ransom in us. 20. But nevertheless Joseph knew Mary, not according to a knowledge of use, nor according to a knowledge of intercourse, but he knew her, honoring the one honored by God. For he did not know that she was of such glory, until he saw the Lord born of a woman. And the phrase, "before they came together, she was found with child," so that the argument of those who think the mystery ordained by God was from the intercourse of a man might never prevail. For he said, before this happened which was expected. But this thing did not happen. For even if the virgin was expected for Joseph for union, though she was not even receptive because of his old age, nevertheless scripture anticipates and suggests to us and secures the thought, since the subject is capable, in regard to the divine birth, of persuading us that it was no longer permitted for a man to approach the virgin for union, just as the angel also persuaded Joseph that the suspicion which he himself thought was not so. For similar to the aforementioned "before they came together," as being expected, but not happening, is the phrase "being a just man, sought not to make her a public example, but to put her away privily," as

576

ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερον περὶ τούτων διανοεῖσθαι ἔστι θαυμαστόν, περί τε τῆς Εὔας καὶ τῆς Μαρίας. ἡ μὲν γὰρ Εὔα πρόφασις γεγένηται θανάτου τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· δι' αὐτῆς γὰρ «εἰσῆλθεν ὁ θάνατος εἰς τὸν κόσμον». ἡ δὲ Μαρία πρόφασις ζωῆς, δι' ἧς ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν ζωή. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ παρεγένετο εἰς τὸν κόσμον. καὶ «οὗ ἐπλεόνασεν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ὑπερεπερίσσευσεν ἡ χάρις». καὶ ὅθεν γέγονε θάνατος, ἐκεῖ προέλαβεν ἡ ζωή, ἵνα ζωὴ ἀντὶ θανάτου γένηται, ἐκκλείσασα τὸν θάνατον τὸν ἐκ γυναικός, πάλιν ὁ διὰ γυναικὸς ἡμῖν ζωὴ γεγενημένος. καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐκεῖ μὲν ἔτι οὖσα παρθένος ἡ Εὔα ἐν παρεκβάσει παρακοῆς γέγονε, πάλιν διὰ τῆς παρθένου γέγονεν ἡ ὑπακοὴ τῆς χάριτος, εὐαγγελισθείσης τῆς ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ καθόδου ἐνσάρκου παρουσίας καὶ ζωῆς αἰωνίου. ἐκεῖ γάρ φησι πρὸς τὸν ὄφιν «καὶ ἔχθραν θήσω ἀνὰ μέσον σοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον αὐτῆς καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματός σου καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς». οὐδαμοῦ δὲ σπέρμα εὑρίσκεται γυναικός, * ἀλλ' ἢ κατὰ τὸ αἴνιγμα ἐπὶ τῆς Εὔας λαμβάνεται ἡ ἔχθρα πρὸς τὰ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γεννώμενα τοῦ τε ὄφεως καὶ τοῦ ἐν τῷ ὄφει γενομένου διαβόλου καὶ φθόνου. 19. Ἀλλ' οὖν γε κατὰ τὸ τελειότατον οὐ δύναται ἐν αὐτῇ τὸ πᾶν πληρωθῆναι. πληρωθήσεται δὲ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐν τῷ σπέρματι τῷ ἁγίῳ, τῷ ἐξαιρέτῳ, τῷ μονωτάτῳ, τῷ ἀπὸ Μαρίας μόνον εὑρεθέντι καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ συζυγίας ἀνδρός. οὗτος γὰρ ἦλθεν «ἀνελεῖν» τήν τε δύναμιν «τοῦ δράκοντος καὶ σκολιοῦ ὄφεως φεύγοντος» καὶ τὴν πᾶσαν οἰκουμένην κατειληφέναι λέγοντος. διὰ τοῦτο παρεγένετο ἐκ γυναικὸς ὁ μονογενής, εἰς ἀναίρεσιν μὲν τοῦ ὄφεως, τουτέστι τῆς κακοδιδασκαλίας καὶ φθορᾶς καὶ ἀπάτης, πλάνης τε καὶ ἀνομίας. οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς «ἀνοίγων μήτραν μητρός». πάντες γὰρ ὅσοι ἐγεννήθησαν πρωτότοκοι, ἵνα καὶ σεμνότερον εἴπωμεν, οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν τοῦτο πληροῦν ἀλλ' 3.470 ἢ μόνος ὁ μονογενής, «μήτραν παρθένου ἀνοίξας». ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ μόνῳ τετελείωται καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενί. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. ἐπὶ Μαρίας γὰρ λαμβάνεται ἡ λέξις, καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἔσται μοι τοῦτο λέγον «ἕνεκεν τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ προσκολληθήσεται τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν». ὁ δὲ ἅγιος ἀπόστολός φησι «τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο μέγα ἐστίν· ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω εἰς Χριστὸν καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν». καὶ ὅρα μοι τὴν τῶν γραφῶν ἀκρίβειαν· ὅτι ἐπὶ μὲν τῷ Ἀδὰμ «ἔπλασε» λέγων, ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ Εὔᾳ οὐκέτι πεπλάσθαι λέγων, ἀλλ' «οἰκοδομεῖσθαι». «ἔλαβε» γάρ φησι «μίαν τῶν πλευρῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν αὐτῷ εἰς γυναῖκα», ἵνα δείξῃ τὸν μὲν κύριον ἀπὸ Μαρίας ἀναπλάσαντα ἑαυτῷ σῶμα, ἀπ' αὐτῆς δὲ τῆς πλευρᾶς οἰκοδομηθῆναι ἐκκλησίαν, ἐν τῷ νυχθῆναι αὐτοῦ τὴν πλευρὰν καὶ τὰ μυστήρια τοῦ αἵματος καὶ ὕδατος ἐν ἡμῖν λύτρα γενέσθαι. 20. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔγνω τὴν Μαρίαν ὁ Ἰωσήφ, οὐ κατὰ γνῶσίν τινα χρήσεως, οὐ κατὰ γνῶσιν κοινωνίας, ἀλλ' ἔγνω αὐτήν, τιμῶν τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ τετιμημένην. οὐ γὰρ ᾔδει αὐτὴν τοιαύτης δόξης οὖσαν, ἕως ὅτε εἶδε κύριον ἐκ γυναικὸς γεγεννημένον. καὶ τὸ «πρὶν ἢ συνελθεῖν αὐτοὺς εὑρέθη ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα», ἵνα μή ποτε κρατήσῃ ὁ λόγος τῶν νομιζόντων ἐκ κοινωνίας ἀνδρὸς εἶναι τὸ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκονομηθὲν μυστήριον. ἔλεγε γάρ, πρὶν ἢ τοῦτο γενέσθαι ὅπερ προσεδοκᾶτο. οὐ γέγονε δὲ τοῦτο τὸ πρᾶγμα. εἰ γὰρ καὶ προσεδοκᾶτο ἡ παρθένος τῷ Ἰωσὴφ εἰς συνάφειαν, ὡς οὐδὲ ἐπεδέχετο διὰ τὸ γηραλέον, ὅμως προλαμβάνει ἡ γραφὴ καὶ ἡμῖν ὑποτίθεται καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν ἐπασφαλίζεται, δυνατῆς οὔσης τῆς ὑποθέσεως κατὰ τὸν θεῖον τόκον, τοῦ πεῖσαι ἡμᾶς μηκέτι ἐξεῖναι ἐγγίζειν ἀνδρὶ πρὸς συνάφειαν τῇ παρθένῳ, ὡς καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ἔπεισε μὴ εἶναι τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ἥνπερ αὐτὸς ἐνόμιζεν. ὅμοιον γὰρ τῷ προρρηθέντι «πρὶν ἢ συνελθεῖν αὐτούς», ὡς προσδοκωμένου, οὐ γενομένου δέ, τὸ «δίκαιος ὢν ἐζήτει μὴ παραδειγματίσαι αὐτήν, ἀλλὰ λάθρᾳ ἀπολῦσαι αὐτήν», ὡς