The Curse and the Mother of the Living

Virtue is difficult to attain through toil, because the hearts of men are carefully inclined toward evil. For he says, 'Through many tribulations you must enter the kingdom of heaven' (Acts 14:22). The first stages of virtue are like a good introductory fodder, perhaps an ear of grain, when one begins to receive great introductory lessons of perfection by hearing.

'But solid food is for the perfect, who, having trained their senses through the six faculties, have the capacity to distinguish between good and evil' (Hebrews 5:14). Therefore, virtue is a struggle where the hearts of men lie carefully toward evil; because of this, he says, 'Eat your bread with sweat all the days of your life' (Genesis 3:19), which could not be said of angels, for the works of virtue are easier for them.

One must also interpret allegorically the phrase, 'Until you turn back to the land from which you were taken.' For having risen in a spiritual body, you will have a heavenly citizenship, becoming in the land of the meek. For 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth' (Matthew 5:5), even if instead of this earth, a man has exchanged it for a desert because of his own faults.

For among ourselves we become either earth or heaven; the wise Paul instructs this by saying, 'And just as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly' (1 Corinthians 15:49), which the disciples defend in their prayer, saying, 'Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth' (Matthew 6:10). When will this be? Either when men walking upon the earth have a citizenship in heaven.

It should be noted, however, that if something is interpreted allegorically, it is not always necessary to smooth everything over; for if the literal sense is understood to be appropriate for an allegory, once this is understood, it is not necessary to accept everything as an upward leading, such as regarding 'you shall not muzzle an ox while it is trampling' (Deuteronomy 25:4), which, because it is fitting, allows one to recognize the teacher and the labors which he endures for the sake of those being instructed.

It has been said that it is not necessary to speak of the ox in a dual sense or what this leads to, for it was not omitted for that reason. These things have been said so that no one, being brought into Christ from Adam, should demand of Christ all the familiar things pertaining to Adam. For He Himself became a curse on behalf of humanity, having the Church as a symbol, which was the woman, so that through His labor and His emptying, life might come to those who are falling away; for He 'made sin on behalf of us, not knowing sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him' (2 Cor 5:21). But sin is not entirely non-existent, for if it were not, it would not have been productive of righteousness. For it also became a curse, so that we might obtain a blessing; and just as Adam was not deceived, but followed after the woman being deceived, so, the humanity having been tripped up, He 'emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave' (Phil 2:7). For if the race had not happened to transgress, He would not have had need of the healer, since no wound had occurred, which was calling out the epidemic among men.

Adam called the name of his wife Life, because she is the mother of all the living. Adam, moved by foresight and knowing that they would be outside the paradise because of the transgression, pre-proclaims the future Life calling the woman, 'for she will be mother of all the living' (Gen 3:20). For from her the whole succession has come, and it is not necessary to pre-assume that this also applies to the irrational. For it is not fitting to include and take along those which do not belong, even if something is said in general. For if the saying says, 'I will pour out from my spirit upon all flesh' (Joel 2:28), it would be following to include the flesh of the irrational; nor if it says again, 'And all flesh shall see the salvation of our God' (Isa 27:9), would it be fitting to pre-assume this also regarding the flesh of the irrational. So also now Eve is the mother of all the living, it being evident that she does not have the flesh of humans as mother. If this were also to be brought to the Church, who would...