Numerous Parents

Duo parentes nos genuerunt ad mortem, duo parentes nos genuerunt ad vitam. Parentes qui nos genuerunt ad mortem, Adam est et Eva; parentes qui nos genuerunt ad vitam, Christus est et Ecclesia. Et pater meus qui me genuit ad mortem, Adam mihi fuit; et mater mea Eva mihi fuit. Nati sumus secundum istam progeniem carnis, ex munere quidem Dei; quia et istud munus non est alterius, sed Dei: et tamen, fratres, quomodo nati sumus. Verte ut moriamur. Pracessores genuerunt sibi successores: numquid genuerunt sibi cum quibus hic semper vivant? Sed tamquam decessuri, qui illis succederent, genuerunt sibi. Deus autem pater et mater ecclesia, non ad hoc generant: generant autem ad vitam aeternam, quia et ipsi aeterni sunt. Et habemus haereditatem promissam a Christo vitam aeternam. Secundum quod Verbum caro factum est, et habitavit in nobis, nutrius crevit, passus, mortuus et resuscitatus accepit haereditatem regnum coelorum. In ipso homine accepit resurrectionem et vitam aeternum, in ipso homine accepit: in Verbo autem non accepti; quia incommutabiliter manet ab aeterno in aeternum. Quia ergo accepit resurrectionem et vitam aeternam caro illa, quae resurrexit et vivificata ascendit in coelum, hoc nobis promissum est. Ipsam haereditatem exspectamus, vitam aeternam. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensis, Sermons ad Populum, Sermones De Scripturis Veteris et Novi Testamenti, Sermo XXII

Two parents birthed us into death, two parents birthed us into life. The parents who birthed us into death are Adam and Eve, the parents who birthed us into life are Christ and the Church. My father who birthed me into death was my Adam and my mother was my Eve. We were born according to the family of the flesh, certainly from the gift of God, because even this gift is not from another but from God, and yet, brethren, in this way being born truly we shall die. Predecessors give birth to their successors. Has there ever been born here those who will live always? But as they pass away, those who succeed them, they give birth. Yet God is also my father and my mother is the church, and not in the way mentioned do they give birth, for they give birth into eternal life, because they themselves are eternal. And we have the promise of the inheritance of eternal life from Christ. 'The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us,'1 and nourished he grew and he suffered and he died and being resurrected he received the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven. In his humanity he received the resurrection and life eternal, in his humanity he received it, for in the Word he did not receive it, because he remains immutable from eternity to eternity. Therefore because that flesh received resurrection and eternal life, which being resurrected and revivified ascended to heaven, this also is promised to us. This same inheritance we hope for, life eternal. Saint Augustine of Hippo, Sermons on the Old and New Testament, Sermon 22 1 Jn. 1.14