Water And Trees

Plantaverat autem Dominus Deus paradisum voluptatis a principio, in quo posuit hominem quem formaverat. Produxitque Dominus Deus de humo omne lignum pulchrum visu, et ad vescendum suave... Ergo paradisus est plurima ligna habens, sed ligna fructifera, ligna plena succi atque virtutis, de quibus est: Exultabunt omnia ligna silvarum; ligna semper florentia viriditate meritorum, sicut illud lignum quod plantatum est secus decursus aquarum, cujus folium non defluet; quia totus in eo fructus exuberat. Hic ergo paradisus est. Locus autem ejus in quo est plantatus, voluptas dicitur. Unde et sanctus David ait: Ex torrente voluptatis tuae potabis eos. Legisti enim: Quia fons procedit ex Eden, qui rigat paradisum. Haec igitur sanctorum ligna, quae plantata sunt in paradiso, quasi profluvio quodam torrentis spiritus irrigantur. De quo etiam alibi ait: Fluminis impetus laetificat civitatem Dei. Est autem civitas illa quae sursum est Hierusalem libera, in qua diversa sanctorum merita pullularunt. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Paradiso, Caput I Source: Migne PL 14.276a-b

And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning, in which He placed the man whom He had made. And from the ground the Lord God brought forth all manner of trees, fair to behold, and pleasant to eat... 1 Therefore paradise has many trees, but they are fruit bearing trees, trees full of vigour and virtue, concerning which it is said, 'Every tree of the wood shall exult.' 2 They are trees that are always flourishing with the bloom of merits, just like that tree which has been planted by the flowing waters, whose leaf does not fall, 3 because its every fruit comes forth in abundance. Here, then, is paradise. And this place which he planted is named 'delight,' whence the holy David says: 'From the stream of your delight you give them drink.' 4 And you read that a fount comes out of Eden which waters paradise. 5 These, then, are the trees of holy people, who have been planted in paradise, which are, as it were, watered by the flood of the rushing Spirit. Concerning which it is said elsewhere, 'The current of the river gives joy to the city of God.' 6 And that city is the free Jerusalem on high, 7 in which the various merits of the holy spring forth. Saint Ambrose, On Paradise, Chapter 1 1 Gen 1.8-9 2 Ps 95.12 3 Ps 1.3 4 Ps 35.9 5 Gen 2.10 6 Ps 45.5 7 Galat 4.26

Paradise Lost And Gained

ΕΡΩΤ ΚΔ’ Τι δήποτε τὸν παράδεισον ἐφύτευσεν ὁ Θεὸς μέλλων ἐκεῖθεν τὸν Ἀδαμ διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν εὐθὺς ἐξορίζειν; Πρῶτον οὐκ ἀνέχεται ἐκ προγνώσεως κατακρῖναι ὁ δεσπότης Θεός. Διὸ καὶ τὴν παράβασιν προορῶν, τῶν ἀγαθῶν αὐτῷ μεταδέδωκεν. Ἔπειτα καὶ γνῶναι αὐτὸν τὰς θείας δωρεὰς ἠβουλήθη· ἵνα τούτων στερηθεὶς μισήσῃ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ὡς τοσούτων αὐτὸν γυμνώσασαν ἀγαθῶν. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, ἔδει τὸν δίκαιον ἀγωνοθέτην τοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀθληταῖς προθεῖναι τῆς νίκης τὰ ἆθλα. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἔφη· Δεῦτε, οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἠτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τὴν Γένεσιν Source: Migne PG 80.121c

Question 24 Why did God plant the paradise from which he was soon going to expel Adam because of sin? 1 Firstly God is not accustomed to condemn from foreknowledge, whence foreseeing the transgression of Adam, He yet gave good things to him. He wished the man to know of the Divine benefactions so that being stripped of them he would deplore sin as that which had deprived him of such goods. Besides it befits the righteous athlete that he should exert himself in the virtues so that he might come to the rewards of victory. 2 Regarding which it is said of the kingdom, 'Come, blessed of my Father, and possess the kingdom which was prepared for you from the beginning of the world.' 3 Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Genesis 1 Gen 2.8 2 1 Cor 9.24-25 3 Mt 25.34

The Cherubim And The Blade

Et collacavit ante paradisum voluptatis cherubim, et flammeum gladium, atque versatilem, ad custodiendam viam ligni vitae Cherubim namque plenitudo scientiae interpretatur. Framea vero versailis, posita ad custodiendam viam ligni vitae, temporales poenae intelliguntur. Nemo enim potest pervenire ad arborem vitae, nisi per has duas res, tolerantiam scilicet molestiarum et scientie plenitudinem, id est, per charitatem Dei et proximi. Plenitudo enim legis charitas est. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis, Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Genesin, Caput III Source: Migne PL 83.222c-223a

And He set the Cherubim before the garden of delight, with a sword of fire, that turned this way and that for the guarding of the way to the tree of life. 1 The name of Cherubim is interpreted as 'fullness of knowledge.' But the turning blade that is placed for the guarding of the way to the tree of life is understood to be temporal suffering. For no one is able to come to the tree of life, unless through these two things, obviously endurance of troubles and the fullness of knowledge, that is, through the love of God and neighbour, for the fullness of the Law is love. 2 Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On Genesis, Chapter 3 1 Gen 3.24 2 Rom 13.10

Paradise And Man

Plantaverat paradisum voluptatis a principio... Id est hortum voluptatis. Graece enim paradisus hortus. Hebraice Eden vocatur. A principio, id est, in initio, remotis aquis a superficie terrae et in unum collectis. Ubi autem nos habemus: Paradisum a principio, quidam codices habent: Eden ad ortum, ex quo possumus conjicere paradisum in Oriente situm. In qucunque autem orbis parte sit, scimus eum terrenum esse, et interjecto Oceano et montibus oppositis a nostro orbe longe remotissimum. Est enim in altissimo loco situs pertingens usque ad lunarem circulum. Unde et illuc aquae diluvii minime pervenisse dicuntur. In quo posuit hominem. Ex quo quod, positus in paradisum homo dicitur, datur intelligi non ibi fuisse conditum, sed in hac nostra mortali terra, quia, divina praescientia, illum peccaturum et ob hoc ab illa sancta terra in hanc convallem miseriae propellendum. Remigius Antissiodorensis, Commentarius In Genesim, Cap II Source: Migne PL 131.60c-d

He planted a paradise of delights in the beginning...1 That is, a garden of delights. For the Greek paradise means garden. In Hebrew is is called Eden. In the beginning, that is, in the start when the waters were removed from the face of the earth and collected into one place. But where we have 'Paradise from the beginning', certain books have: 'Eden in the east.' from which we are able to conjecture that paradise was situated in the east. In whatever part of the world it may be, we know that it is terrestial, and with the ocean between and mountains against, very far from our world. For it is set in a high place, touching even to the circle of the moon. Whence they say that there the waters of the flood were not able to come. In which He placed man.. Because it says man was placed in paradise, it is given us to understand that he was not created there, but somewhere on this our mortal earth, because of, by Divine prescience, that sin to come, and that because of it he was to be driven from that holy earth into this vale of misery. Remigius of Auxerre, Commentary On Genesis, Chap 2 1 Gen 2.8

Adam's Body

Quarendum est, si Adam factus, corpus immortale habuit, an mortale? Deus hominem fecit, qui quamdiu non peccaret, immortalitate vigeret, ut ipse sibi auctor esset aut ad vitam aut ad mortem, ut custodians se a peccato labore suo gauderet se immortalem, negligens vero factus ipse sibi imputaret, quod coeperat esse mortalis. Quamdiu enim in creatoris lege durauit, dignus fuit edere de arbore vitae, ut mori non posses. Nec enim corpus tale erat quod dissolui impossibile videretur, sed gustus arboris vitae corruptionem corporis inhibebat. Denique etiam post peccatum potuit indissolubile manere, si modo permissum esset ei edere de arbore vitae. Nam quomodo immortale corpus habebat, quod cibo sustentabatur? Immortalis enim non eget esca neque potu. Cibus enim vires praestabat. Vitae autem arbor medicinae modo corruptionem omnem prohibebat. Sic enim homini erat quasi inexpungnabilis murus Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Quaestiones Veteris Et Novi Testamenti, Cap XIX Source: Migne PL 35.2227-8

It must be asked: was Adam made with a immortal or mortal body? God made man, who while he did not sin, flourished immortally, so that he was his own author of life and death, insofar that guarding himself from sin's fall he rejoiced in immortality, but in neglect he laid charge against himself, by which he became mortal. Since while he perservered in the law of the Creator, he was worthy to eat of the tree of life, that he not die. For it would seem that his was not such a body that it was impossible to destroy, but it was the eating of the tree of life which warded off the corruption of the body. Then even after sin he would have remained in an indissoluble state, if it were permitted that he could still eat of the tree of life. For how had he an immortal body, when it was sustained by food? That which is immortal does not have need of food or drink. Sustenance is for the support of men. The tree of life was a medicine that guarded from all corruption. So it was for man as an unbreakable wall. Saint Augustine of Hippo, Questions on the Old and New Testament, Chap 19

The Garden And The Waters

Plantaverat autem Dominus Deus paradisum voluptatis a principio.   Paradisus Ecclesia est; sic enim de illa legitur in Canticis Canticorum: Hortus conclusus soror mea. A principio autem paradisus plantatur, quia Ecclesia catholica a Christo, qui est principium omnium, condita esse cognoscitur. Fluvius de paradiso exiens imaginem portat Christi, de paterno fonte fluentis, qui irrigat Ecclesiam suam verbo praedicationis, et dono baptismi. De quo bene per Prophetam dicitur: Dominus Deus noster fluvius gloriosus exsiliens in terram sitientem. Quator autem paradisi flumina quator sunt Evangelia ad praedictionem cunctis gentibus. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis,Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Genesin, Caput III Source: Migne PL 83.216b-c

The Lord God planted a paradise of pleasure in the beginning. 1 Paradise is the Church, so indeed we read about it in the Song of Songs: 'An enclosed garden is my sister.' 2 And in the beginning paradise was planted because the Catholic Church is from Christ, who is the beginning of all things, being known as the foundation. 3 The river going out from paradise bears the image of Christ, flowing from the paternal spring, which waters His Church with the word of preaching and the gift of Baptism. Concerning which it is said by the Prophet: 'The Lord our God is a glorious river flowing out into a thirsty land'. 4 And the four rivers of paradise are the four Gospels given for the preaching to all the peoples. Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On Genesis, Chap 3 1 Gen 2.8 2 Song 4.12 3 1 Cor 3.11 4 Isai 44.3

Comparing Paradise And Earth

Elevatis itaque Lot oculis, vidit omnem circa regionem Jordanis, quæ universa irrigabatur antequam subverteret Dominus Sodomam et Gomorrham, sicut paradisus Domini, et sicut Ægyptus venientibus in Segor. Quod terra Sodomorum et Gomorrhae, antequam deleretur, comparatur paradiso Dei, eo quod erat irrigua, et terrae Aegypti quam Nilus irrigat; satis, ut opinor, ostenditur quomodo intellegi debeat ille paradisus quem plantavit Deus, ubi constituit Adam. Quis enim alius intellegatur paradisus Dei, non video. Et utique si arbores fructiferae in paradiso virtutes animi accipiendae essent, sicut nonnulli exsistimant, nullo corporali in terra paradiso veris lignorum generibus instituto, non diceretur de ista terra: sicut paradisus Dei. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Quaestionum in Heptateuchum, Liber I, Cap XXVII Migne PL 34 555

So Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the region of the Jordan, which was well watered everywhere before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha, like the paradise of God, and like Egypt approached by Segor. 1 Thus the land of Sodom and Gomorrha, before it was destroyed, is compared to the paradise of God, which was watered even as the Nile irrigates the country of Egypt, which is enough, I think, to show how that paradise which God planted should be understood when he created Adam. And how else someone else may understand 'the paradise of God' I do not know. And thus if the fruit bearing trees in paradise should be understood as the virtues of the soul, which not a few judge, there being nothing corporeal established in paradise with its varieties of green trees, it would not have been said concerning this earth: 'like the paradise of God.' Saint Augustine of Hippo, Questions on the Heptateuch, Book 1, Chap 27 1 Gen 13.10

Angels And Guardians

Καὶ ἔταξε τὰ χερουβίμ Οὐ μόνον τὰ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα φυλάσσουσι τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς, ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐναντίαι δυνάμεις φυλάττουσι, κωλύουσαι, τοὺς βουλομένους προσπορεθῆναι τῷ ξύλῳ τῆς ζωῆς. Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Την Γενεσιν, Ἐκλογαι  Source: Migne PG 12.101

And He placed the Cherubim... 1 Not only do the 'serving spirits' guard the way to the tree of life, 'being sent out for those who will inherit salvation,' 2 but they guard against those powerful ones who call away those who would advance to the tree of life. Origen, On Genesis, Fragment  1 Gen 3.24 2 Hebr 1.14

Food Of Paradise

Nunc quae sit illa ratio consideremus, quid sit istud quod cum mandatum daret homini, de illa admirabili beataque vita praescribens, ne contra faciens morte moreretur, de manducando et non manducando putaverit esse mandandum. Sunt enim qui putant nequaquam mandatum istud convenire coeli et terrae atque omnium Creatori; nequaquam dignum incolis paradisi, eo quod illa vita similis angelorum sit. Et ideo non terrenum et corruptibilem hunc cibum esui fuisse possumus aestimare; quia qui non bibunt, neque manducant, erunt sicut angeli in coelo. Cum igitur in cibo neque praemium sit, quia esca nos non commendat Deo; neque magnum periculum sit, quia non quod intrat in os, coinquinat hominem, sed quod exit de ore: videtur sine dubio a tanto auctore non esse praeceptum, nisi hunc cibum ad illum propheticum referas, quia pro magno praemio Dominus sanctis pollicetur suis: Ecce qui serviunt mihi, manducant: vos autem esurietis. Hic est enim cibus in quo vita definitur aeterna, quo quisquis fuerit defraudatus, morte morietur. Quandoquidem panis vivus atque coelestis ipse Dominus est, qui vitam dat huic mundo. Unde et ipse ait: Nisi manducaveritis carnem meam, et biberitis sanguinem meum, non habebitis vitam aeternam. Erat ergo panis aliquis de quo praescripserat edendum paradisi incolis. Quis ille? Accipe quem dicat: Panem, inquit, angelorum manducavit homo. Est enim bonus panis, si facias voluntatem Dei. Vis scire quam bonus panis? Ipse Filius manducat hunc panem, de quo ait: Meus cibus est ut faciam voluntatem Patris mei qui in coelis est. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Paradiso, Caput IX Source: Migne PL 14. 294-295

Now let us consider the reason why He gave to man this commandment, prescribing the admirable and blessed life, concerning what he should and should not eat, lest acting contrary to it he die the death. There are indeed some who think that this command does not at all befit the Creator of heaven and earth and of all things, and that it was utterly unworthy of the inhabitants of Paradise, because that life there was like that of the angels. And thus we are able to judge that this food was not earthly and corruptible, because those who neither drink nor eat will be as the angels in heaven. 1 There is no merit, therefore, in food, because food does not commend us to God. Neither is there great danger in it, because 'What goes into the mouth does not defile a man but what comes out of his mouth.' 2 Without doubt, then, it seems that the precept is not from such a Creator unless you understand this food to be prophetic, because as a great reward the Lord makes this promise to His saints: 'Behold they who serve me shall eat and you shall hunger.' 3 This is the food that makes for eternal life, and whoever is deprived of it will suffer death. And the Lord Himself is the living and heavenly Bread which gives life to this world. Hence He says: 'Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you shall not have eternal life.' 4 There was, therefore, some bread, which was prescribed to be eaten by an inhabitant of paradise. And what? Understand when it says: 'Man ate the bread of angels.' 5 It is indeed good bread if you do the will of God. Do you wish to know how good the bread is? The Son of God Himself eats that bread, concerning which He says: 'My food is to do the will of my Father who is in heaven.' 6 Saint Ambrose, from On Paradise, Chapter 9 1 Mt 22.30 2 Mt 15.11 3 Isa 65.13 LXX 4 Jn 6.50 5 Ps 77.25 6 Jn 4.34

The Perils Of Affection

Neque enim frustra et illud quod Apostolus ait: Adam enim primus formatus est, deinde Eva: et Adam non est seductus, mulier autem seducta in praevaricatione facta est; id est, ut per illam etiam vir praevaricaretur. Nam et ipsum dicit praevaricatorem, ubi ait: In similitudinem praevaricationis Adae, qui est forma futuri. Seductum tamen negat. Nam et interrogatus non ait: Mulier quam dedisti mecum, seduxit me, et manducavi; sed, ipsa mihi, inquit, dedit a ligno, et manducavi. Illa vero: Serpens, inquit, seduxit me. Ita Salomon vir tantae sapientiae, numquidnam credendum est quod in simulacrorum cultu credidit esse aliquid utilitatis? Sed mulierum amori ad hoc malum trahenti resistere non valuit, faciens quod sciebat non esse faciendum, ne suas, quibus deperibat atque defluebat, mortiferas delicias contristaret. Ita et Adam, posteaquam de ligno prohibito seducta mulier manducavit, eique dedit ut simul ederent, noluit eam contristare, quam credebat posse sine suo solatio contabescere, si ab eius alienaretur animo, et omnino illa interire discordia. Non quidem carnis victus concupiscentia, quam nondum senserat in resistente lege membrorum legi mentis suae; sed amicali quadam benevolentia, qua plerumque fit ut offendatur Deus, ne homo ex amico fiat inimicus: quod eum facere non debuisse, divinae sententiae iustus exitus indicavit. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, De Genesi Ad Litteram, Liber XI, Cap XLII Migne PL 34 453-454

It is not in vain that the Apostle said, 'Adam was fashioned first, then Eve, and Adam was not seduced but the woman seduced sinned,' 1 that is, by her the man was a sinner. For he calls him a sinner, when he says, 'a likeness of the sinner Adam, who is the type of the one to come.' 2 He does not say seduced. For being asked Adam does not say, 'The woman which you gave me, she seduced me, and I ate,' but 'She gave to me from the tree and I ate.' She, however, does say, 'The serpent seduced me.' 3 Thus Solomon who was a man of such wisdom that surely no one believes that he thought there to be any benefit in the cult of idols, but for love of women he could not resist being drawn into this evil, doing what he knew he should not do, thus he fell into ruin and diminished, lest he grieve them in their death bearing pleasures. 4 So even Adam, after the seduced woman ate from the forbidden tree and gave to him that he likewise eat, was unwilling to grieve her, which he thought he would be able to do without the result of the distress if from his soul she were alienated and utterly she enter into disharmony. For certainly he was not overthrown by the lust of the flesh, since he did not yet feel in the law of his members resistance to the law of his mind, 5 but on account of a certain friendly benevolence, that makes many offend God lest they make a man who was friend an enemy, which he should not have done, the just expulsion of the the Divine judgement was imposed. Saint Augustine of Hippo, On Genesis to the Letter, Book 11, Chap 42 1 1 Tim 2 13-14 2 Rom 5.14 3 Gen 3.12-13  4 cf 3 Kings 11.4  5 Rom 7.23

Beasts And Paradise

Sed quia plerosque movet qui diligentius intuentur, quomodo si vel primo magnum munus Dei fuit circa homines, ut in paradiso homines collocarentur, vel postea magnorum remuneratio videretur esse meritorum, ut ad paradisum justus unusquisque rapiatur, dicuntur etiam bestiae et pecora agri, et volatilia coeli in paradiso fuisse. Unde plerique paradisum animam hominis esse voluerunt, in qua virtutum quaedam germina pullulaverint: hominem autem et ad operandum, et ad custodiendum paradisum esse positum, hoc est, mentem hominis cujus virtus animam videtur excolere, nec solum excolere, sed etiam cum excoluerit, custodire. Bestiae autem agri, et volatilia coeli quae adducuntur ad Adam, nostri irrationabiles motus sunt, eo quod bestiae vel pecora, quaedam diversae sint corporis passiones, vel turbulentiores, vel etiam languidiores. Volatilia autem coeli quid aliud aestimamus, nisi inanes cogitationes quae velut volatilium more nostram circumvolant animam, et huc atque illuc vario motu saepe traducunt? Propterea nullus inventus est menti nostrae similis adjutor, nisi sensus, hoc est, αἴσθησις. Similem sibi solam νοῦς noster potuit invenire. Sed forte arguas, quia haec quoque Deus in tali paradiso locavit, hoc est, passiones corporis, et vanitatem quamdam fluctuantium vel inanium cogitationum, quod ipse nostri fuerit auctor erroris. Considera quid dicat: Habete, inquit, potestatem piscium maris, et volatilium coeli, et omnium repentium quae repunt super terram. Vides quod ille tibi tribuerit potestatem; ut de omnibus judicare tu debeas, singulorum genera judicii tui sobria definitione discernere. Vocavit ad te omnia Deus; ut supra omnia mentem tuam cognosceres. Cur quae tibi similia minime reperisti, adsciscere tibi et copulare voluisti? Dedit tibi certe sensum quo universa cognosceres, et de cognitis judicares, meritoque de illo fecundo paradisi agro ejectus es, quia non potuisti servare mandatum. Sciebat enim Deus esse te fragilem, sciebat judicare non posse; ideo dixit quasi fragilioribus: Nolite judicare ut non judicemini. Ergo quia scivit infirmum te esse ad judicandum, voluit obedientem esse mandato; ideo praeceptum posuit. Quod si non praevaricatus esses, periculum incerti judicii incidere nequivisses. Itaque quoniam judicare voluisti, ideo addidit: Ecce Adam factus est tamquam unus ex nobis, ut sciat bonum et malum. Voluisti tibi arrogare judicium, ideo poenam pravi judicii refutare non debes. Posuit tamen te contra paradisum, ne memoriam ejus possis abolere. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Paradiso, Caput XI Source: Migne PL 14 299c-300b

But because there is more to concern those who look more diligently into this, how do we explain the fact that, if in the beginning the great gift of God to men was that men be gathered in paradise, or afterward, as reward for their merits those who are righteous would be brought to paradise, it is said that wild animals and beasts of the field and birds of the air were in paradise? Hence, many would have it that by Paradise is meant the soul of man in which certain seeds of virtue sprouted and that this is the work of man, along with the guarding of paradise, that is, that the mind of man has the cultivation of the soul as its virtue, and not only to cultivate it, but when it has been cultivated to guard it. The beasts of the field and the birds of the air which were brought to Adam are our irrational movements, because beasts and animals represent the diverse passions of the body, whether of the more turbulent or of the more moderate type. And what else are we to consider the birds of the air if not as representations of our idle thoughts which, like winged creatures, flit around our souls and frequently lead us by their varied motions now in one direction, now in another? Whence nothing is found to be a helper to our minds as the sense, which which in Greeks name 'aithesis'. Except for our intellect, the 'nous', it has been unable to find another so like itself. But perhaps you may argue that because God placed these things in paradise, that is, the passions of the body and the vanity of fleeting and empty thoughts, God is Himself the Author of error. Consider what He says: 'Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and all the animals that crawl upon the earth.' 1 You see that He given to you the power of being able to judge everything, with sober discernment of judgement distinguishing every kind. God has called them all to your attention, so that you might know that your mind is superior to all of them. Why finding something so unlike, have you wished to to draw them to yourself and bind them to you? Certainly God has given you a sense by which you can know things in general and from knowledge judge, and thus rightly you were cast from that fertile place of paradise because you were unable to observe God's command. God knew that you were weak, He knew that you could not judge, therefore, He spoke to men as weak things, 'Do not judge that you be not judged.' 2 Thus because He knew you to be infirm in judgement, He wished you to be obedient to His command. If you had not ignored this order, you would have been unable to fall into the peril of flawed judgement. And because you wished to judge, for that reason He added: 'Indeed Adam has become like one of us, knowing good and evil.' 3 You desired to arrogate judgement to yourself, thus you should not decry the punishment for depraved judgment. Nevertheless, He placed you facing against paradise 4 that the memory of it may never leave you. Saint Ambrose, On Paradise, Chapter 11 1 Gen 1.25 2 Mt 7.1 3 Gen 3.22 4 Gen 3.24 Vetus Latina, LXX

The First Incarnation

Et audierunt vocem Domini Dei ambulantis in paradiso ad vesperam. Ea quippe hora tales iam convenerat visitari, qui defecerant a luce veritatis. Fortassis enim aliis intrinsecus vel effabilibus vel ineffabilibus modis Deus cum illis antea loquebatur, sicut etiam cum Angelis loquitur ipsa incommutabili veritate illustrans mentes eorum, ubi est intellectus nosse simul quaecumque etiam per tempora non fiunt simul. Forte, inquam, sic cum eis loquebatur, etsi non tanta participatione divinae sapientiae, quantam capiunt Angeli; tamen pro humano modulo, quantumlibet minus, sed ipso genere visitationis et locutionis; fortassis etiam illo qui fit per creaturam, sive in ecstasi spiritus corporalibus imaginibus, sive ipsis sensibus corporis aliqua specie praesentata vel ad videndum, vel ad audiendum, sicut in Angelis suis solet videri Deus vel sonare per nubem. Nunc tamen quod audierunt vocem Dei ambulantis in paradiso ad vesperam, nonnisi per creaturam visibiliter factum est, ne substantia illa invisibilis et ubique tota, quae Patris et Filii est et Spiritus sancti, corporalibus eorum sensibus locali et temporali motu apparuisse credatur. Et absconderunt se Adam et mulier eius a facie Domini in medio ligno quod est in paradiso  Cum Deus avertit intrinsecus faciem suam, et fit homo conturbatus; non miremur haec fieri, quae similia sunt dementiae, per nimium pudorem ac timorem; illo quoque occulto instinctu non quiescente, ut ea nescientes facerent, quae aliquid significarent, quandoque scituris posteris, propter quos ista conscripta sunt. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, De Genesi Ad Litteram, Liber XI Migne PL 34 447

'And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the Garden in the evening.' 1 And certainly this hour is most fitting for the visitation of those who have fallen from the light of truth. Perhaps in other describable and indescribable ways God had spoken to them before, as He speaks to angels His unchangeable truth with the enlightening of their minds, when the intellect may know at the same time whatever in time does at not once appear. Perhaps he spoke so with them, even if they did not not have such a great participation in the Divine wisdom as angels do; however by human measure, as much as it is less, so is the visitation and the speech. Perhaps then it was through a created thing, either through the ecstasy of the spirit by corporeal images, or in some form of presence to senses of the body, either to sight or hearing, as via his angels God is accustomed to appear, or to speak through a cloud. Now, however, because they heard the sound of God walking in the garden in the evening, it could not be so unless he was made visible as a created thing, so that it should be thought that the invisible substance which is everywhere, The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, appeared to their corporeal senses in space and time and in motion.  'And Adam and the woman hid themselves from the face of the Lord in the midst of the wood that is in paradise.' 1 When God averts his face man is troubled, and thus we should not be amazed that this happened, which is like the acts of madmen, on account of excessive shame and fear, and that by this instinct to hide they found no peace, since they did these things they did ignorantly. Saint Augustine of Hippo, from On Genesis to the Letter, Book 11 1 Gen 3.8

Satan In Paradise

Itaque neque dubitandum, neque reprehendendum quod in paradiso diabolus erat; quando quidem occludere sanctis non potuit iter, ne quis ascenderet. Neque enim justis habitationem incolatus tamquam possessor eripuit. Esto enim ut aliquos desides atque vitiosos ab incolatu supernae possessionis averterit, illud multo augustius multoque pulchrius quod sanctorum orationibus excludetur, cum completum fuerit illud: Videbam satanam sicut fulgur de coelo cadentem. Ergo non metuamus eum, qui eousque infirmus est, ut et ipse casurus sit in terram. Accepit quidem tentandi licentiam: sed non accepit copiam subruendi, nisi sua sponte labatur infirmus affectus, qui sibi auxilium non norit arcessere. Et ideo qua fraude tentaverit primum hominem, quidve in homine putaverit esse tentandum, quo ordine, qua arte cognoscere opus est, ut cavere possimus. Plerique tamen qui volunt in paradiso diabolum non fuisse, licet in coelo astantem cum angelis legerimus, ne nostro sermone videantur offendi, secundum suam accipiant voluntatem interpretationem istius lectionis. Namque ante nos fuit, qui per voluptatem et sensum praevaricationem ab homine memoraverit esse commissam, in specie serpentis figuram accipiens delectationis, in figura mulieris sensum animi mentisque constituens, quam αἴσθησις vocant Graeci: decepto autem sensu praevaricatricem secundum historiam mentem asseruit, quam Graeci νοῦν vocant. Recte igitur in Graeco νοῦς viri figuram accepit, αἴσθησις mulieris. Unde et quidam Adam νοῦν terrenum interpretati sunt. Dominus autem virgines illas in Evangelio accensis facibus vel exstinctis exspectantes sponsi adventum pro sensibus vel integris sapientium, vel corruptis insipientium posuit. Nam si Eva, hoc est, sensus primae mulieris accensas habuisset faces, numquam praevaricationis suae nos criniculis implicasset, neque ex illa virtutis immortalitate cecidisset. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Paradiso, Caput II Migne PL 14 278-279

Thus let it not be doubted nor censured  that the Devil was in Paradise, when  certainly he was not able to obstruct the way of the holy that they not ascend. Not as a rightful possessor did he cast the righteous from their habitation. Let it be that he turned away from the possession of that high estate some who were slothful and vicious, that much more majestically and beautifully is he excluded from the prayers of the saints as the result of an event which was to happen: 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.' 1 Therefore let us not fear one who is so weak that he shall fall to earth. He certainly received licence to tempt us but not the power to overthrow us, unless our own selves fall, our weak disposition, which to itself does not know how to summon aid. Thus we need to know with what deceit he tempted the first man, what in man he thought to bring to trial, the method and manner, so that we may be able to take precautions. Many, however, there are who wish that the Devil was not in Paradise, although we have read that he stood with the angels in heaven, 2 who lest by our word they seem to be offended, interpret this passage according to their own will. There was one before us who had it that sin was committed by man because of the pleasure of sense, understanding in figure of the serpent enjoyment and in the figure of the woman the emotions of the mind and heart which is called by the Greeks 'aisthesis'. When according to this theory the senses are deceived, the mind, he says, which the Greeks call 'nous', falls into error. Rightly, therefore, the writer understands 3 the Greek word 'nous' as a figure of a man and 'aisthesis' as that of a woman. Hence, some have interpreted Adam to mean an earthly 'nous'. In the Gospel the Lord sets forth the parable of the virgins who waited for the coming of the bridegroom with either lighted or extinguished lamps which are given as the pure senses of the wise or the corrupted ones of the unwise. 4 For if Eve, that is, the emotions of the first woman, had kept her lamp lighted, she would not have entangled us in the meshes of her sin, nor would she have fallen from the immortality of virtue. Saint Ambrose, On Paradise, from Chap 2 1 Lk 10.18 2 Zech. 3.1 3 Cf. Philo, De Opificio Mundi 59 4 Mt 25.1

The Tree Of Life

Et erit tanquam lignum quod plantatum est secus decursus aquarum, quod fructum suum dabit in tempore suo. Et folium ejus non defluet, et omnia quaecunque faciet, prosperabuntur. Quae ista beatitudo est, quae ligno arboris comparatur nisi intelligamus in paradiso, illo beatorum loco, lignum vitae in medio lignorum aliorum de terra productum? Inter multa enim ligna quae erant speciosa ad aspectum, et bona ad escam, etiam hoc lignum terra produxit, et in medio paradisi erat; ut caetera ligna ejus viriditate florerent. Quod esse hoc lignum dicimus, nisi per quod nobis salus venit? Et recte hoc terra produxit, qui eum Virgo generavit, quae erat terra secundum auctoris sententiam, quae in eum dictat, 'Terra es, et in terram ibis'  Pulchre quoque in medio legitur lignorum aliorum; qui erat in medio apostolorum discentium, vel quia in medio erat mentis et cordis, sicut ipse ait: 'Medius vestrum stat, quem vos nescitis. Et alibi ait: 'Ego autem in medio vestrum sum. Denique et de ipso Salomon dixit: Lignum vitae est omnibus percipientibus eam. Qui ergo beatus est, imitator erit Domini Jesu, qui est lignum vitae, lignum sapientiae, plantatum in utero Virginis, voluntate Patris: a quo in perpetuum mansurum plantatur, ut fructum daret in tempore suo. Non enim potuit arescere ista plantatio, quae habebat ubertatem in se manentem gratiae spiritalis. Denique plenus Spiritu sancto Jesus regressus est ab Jordane. Hi sunt decursus aquarum de quibus dicitur in Evangelio: Flumina de ventre ejus fluent aquae vivae. Hoc autem dicebat de spiritu quem incipiebant accipere qui credituri erant. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Enarrationes In XII Psalmos Davidicos, Enarratio in Psalmum I  Migne PL 14 940-41

'And he shall be as a tree planted by flowing waters, which gives its fruit in its time. And the leaf of it shall not pass away, and in all that he does he will prosper.' 1 What is this blessing, which is compared to to the wood of the tree, unless we understand that in paradise, that place of the blessed, in the midst of other trees, the tree of life is produced? Among many trees that are fair to see and good for eating, even this tree the land produces, and in the midst of paradise it was, that other trees by its viridity flourish. What shall we say of this wood unless that by it salvation comes to us? And rightly here the land produced this one whom the Virgin bore, she who is the land according to the understanding of the Creator, who said to him, 'You are earth and into earth you shall go.' 2 And rightly also in the midst of the other trees it is said to be, He who taught in the midst of the Apostles, or because He was in the midst of mind and heart, as He himself said, 'Among you stands Him whom you do not know.'  3 And elsewhere He says, 'In the midst of you I am.' 4 Then Solomon says of Him : 'A tree of life it is to everyone who grasps it.' 5 So he who is blessed, he shall be an imitator of our Lord Jesus, who is the tree of life, the tree of wisdom, planted in the womb of the Virgin by the will of the Father, which is planted to remain forever, and that gives its fruit in its own time. For he was not able to destroy this which has been planted which has in it the fruit of spiritual grace. 6 Then full of the Holy Spirit Jesus withdrew from the Jordan. These are the flowing waters of which it is said in the Gospel. 'Rivers of living water will flow from his bosom. This He spoke concerning the spirit which they would began to receive who believed in him.' 7 Saint Ambrose, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.3 2 Gen 3.19 3 Jn 1.26 4 Luc 22.27 5 Prov 3.18 6 cf Mt 15.13 7 Jn 7.38-39

Rivers and Virtues

Et dividitur, inquit, hic fons in quatuor initia. Nomen est uni Phison: hic est qui circuit omnem terram Evilath, ubi est aurum. Terrae autem illius aurum bonum est, ubi est carbunculus, et lapis prasinus. Et nomen secundo Geon: hic est qui circuit omnem Aethiopiam. Et flumen tertium Tigris: hic est qui vadit contra Assyrios. Et flumen quartum est Euphrates.  Haec igitur quatuor sunt flumina, Phison, hoc est, secundum Hebraeos. Ganges autem secundum Graecos, qui fluit contra Indiam. Geon autem Nilus, qui circuit terram Aegypti vel Aethiopiam. Mesopotamia autem dicitur, quod Tigris et Euphrates incluserint eam; eo quod inter duo haec flumina constituta sit, quod etiam longe positis nomen ipsum et opinio communis expressit. Sed quemadmodum fons dicitur Sapientia Dei. Fons enim est secundum Evangelium dicens: Si quis sitit, veniat ad me, et bibat; fons est et secundum prophetam qui ait: Venite et edite de meis panibus, et bibite vinum quod miscui vobis. Sicut ergo fons vitae est Sapientia, fons gratiae spiritalis: ita fons virtutum est caeterarum, quae nos ad aeternae cursum dirigunt vitae. Ex hac igitur anima quae culta est, non ex ea quae inculta fons iste procedit, ut irriget paradisum, hoc est, quaedam diversarum fruteta virtutum, quarum sunt quatuor initia in quae sapientia ista dividitur. Quae sunt quatuor initia virtutum, nisi unum prudentiae, aliud temperantiae, tertium fortitudinis, quartum justitiae. Quae etiam sapientes istius mundi ex nostris assumpta, in suorum scripta librorum transtulerunt. Itaque sicut fons sapientiae, ita etiam flumina ista quatuor quaedam ex illo fonte emanatia sunt fluenta virtutum. Phison igitur prudentia est, et ideo habet bonum aurum, splendidum carbunculum, et prasinum lapidem. Aurum enim pro inventis prudentibus frequenter accipimus. Unde et Dominus per Prophetam ait: Dedi illi aurum et argentum. Et David de prudentibus dicit: Si dormiatis inter medios cleros, pennae columbae deargentatae, et posteriora dorsi ejus in specie auri: eo quod veteri et novo qui inhaeserit Testamento, in ipsa secreta sapientiae Dei disputationis possit ubertate procedere. Hoc ergo bonum aurum dicit, non illud monetale quod corruptibile ac terrenum est. Habet etiam splendidum, inquit, carbunculum, in quo quidam animae nostrae vivit igniculus. Habet et prasinum lapidem, qui viride quiddam atque vitale coloris sui specie ostentare videtur. Virent enim arbusta quae vivunt, arescunt contra quaecumque moriuntur: viret terra dum floret, virent et semina dum prorumpunt. Et bene primo loco hic fluvius positus est Phison, qui secundum Hebraeos Phison dicitur, hoc est, oris mutatio; quia non unam gentem circumfluit, sed etiam per Lydiam fluit. Non enim angusta quaedam, sed dives utilitatum prudentia est, quae pluribus prosit. Ideo prima, ut si quis de paradiso fuerit egressus, velut quoddam eum prudentiae flumen excipiat, ne cito possit arescere: sed per hanc ad paradisum facile revertatur. Hic fluvius a multis hominibus frequentatur, pulchritudinemque et fertilitatem maximam habere perhibetur. Et ideo prudentia in specie hujus accipitur, quae plurimos fructus attulit in Domini adventu. Atque in extrema terrarum fluit, quia per Sapientiam omnes homines sunt redempti. Unde et dictum est: In omnem terram exivit sonus eorum, et in fines orbis terrae verba eorum . Secundus est fluvius Geon, juxta quem lex data est Israelitis, cum essent in Aegypto constituti; ut ex Aegypto recederent, et succincti lumbos ederent agnum, quod insigne est temperantiae. Castos enim et sanctificatos oportet Domini pascha celebrare. Et ideo juxta istum fluvium legitima primo observantia constituta est; quia significat nomen hoc quemdam terrae hiatum. Sicut igitur terram et quaecumque vel purgamenta vel frondes in ea sunt, hiatus absorbet: ita castitas omnes corporis passiones abolere consuevit. Meritoque ibi primum observantiae constitutio, quia per legem absorbetur carnale peccatum. Bene ergo Geon, in quo figura est castitatis, circumire terram Aethiopicam dicitur; ut abluat corpus abjectum, et carnis vilissimae restinguat incendium. Aethiopia enim abjecta et vilis Latina interpretatione signatur. Quid autem abjectius nostro corpore? Quid tam Aethiopiae simile, quod etiam nigrum est quibusdam tenebris peccatorum? Tertius est fluvius Tigris, qui vadit contra Assyrios, ad quem praevaricator Israel captivus est ductus. Hic fluvius dicitur velocior esse omnibus, quem incolunt Assyrii, hoc est dirigentes hoc enim significat interpretatio. Ergo quicumque fortitudine animi praevaricantia corporis vitia captivaverit dirigens ad superna, iste hujus fluminis similis aestimatur. Et ideo etiam fortitudo de illo qui est in paradiso, fonte emanat. Fortitudo autem quodam cursu rapido resistentia quaeque transverberat, nec aliquibus cursus ejus impedimentorum haeret obstaculis. Quartus est fluvius Euphrates, qui Latine fecunditas atque abundantia fructuum nuncupatur, praeferens quoddam insigne jutitiae, quae omnem pascit animam. Nulla enim abundantiores videtur fructus habere virtus, quam aequitas atque justitia, quae magis aliis quam sibi prodest, et utilitates suas negligit communia emolumenta praeponens. Plerique Euphratem ἀπὸ τοῦ εὐφραινεσθαι dictum putant, hoc est a laetando, eo quod hominum genus nullo magis quam justitia et aequitate laetetur. Causam autem cur caeteri qua commeant fluvii, describuntur regiones locorum, qua Euphrates commeat, non describantur, illam accepimus, quia aqua ejus vitalis asseritur, et quae foveat atque augeat. Unde eum Auxen Hebraeorum et Assyriorum prudentes dixerunt: contra autem fertur esse aqua aliorum fluminum. Deinde quia ubi prudentia, ibi et malitia: ubi fortitudo, ibi et iracundia: ubi temperantia plerumque, ibi intemperantia est, aut alia vitia sunt: ubi autem justitia, ibi concordia virtutum est caeterarum; ideo non ex locis qua fluit, hoc est, non ex parte cognoscitur. Non enim pars est justitia, sed quasi mater est omnium. In his ergo fluminibus quatuor virtutes principales quatuor exprimuntur. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Paradiso, Caput II

'The river,' it says, 'is separated into four branches. The name of one is Phison which encircles all the land of Hevila, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good, where is bdellium and green gems. The name of the second river is Gihon. This river encircles all the land of Ethiopia. The name of the third river is Tigris, which river flows by the Assyrians. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.' 1 There are, then, four rivers. Phison, called so by the Hebrews, but by the Greeks named Ganges, flows by India. Gihon is the Nile, which flows around the land of Egypt or Ethiopia. Mesopotamia is so called because it is enclosed by the two rivers of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which name expresses even from afar its location  and popular opinion. But how is the fount called the Wisdom of God? For a fount it is according to the Gospel which says,'If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink.' 2 A fount it is  according to the Prophet who says: 'Come and eat my bread and drink the wine which I have mixed for you.' 3  As fount of life is Wisdom, so it is the fount of spiritual grace, and it is also the fount of other virtues which direct us to the course of eternal life. From this, then, the soul that is cultivated, and not from one that is uncultivated, flows this fount that it water Paradise, and produce the fruit trees of diverse virtues, of which there are four which constitute the divisions of Wisdom. These are the four primary virtues: one prudence, another temperance, the third fortitude, and the forth justice. And these the wise of this world have taken up and transferred it to their own writings. So the fount of Wisdom acts as the source from which these four rivers take their rise, producing streams that are composed of these virtues. Phison, therefore, stands for prudence, and therefore it has pure gold, bdellium and green gems. We often refer to prudent discoveries as gold, as the Lord says, speaking through the Prophet: 'I gave to them gold and silver.' 4  And David says concerning the prudent: 'If you sleep among the midst of the folds, you shall be as the wings of the dove covered with silver and the hinder parts as gold.' 5 by which he who cleaves to the Old and New Testament can by  inquiry profitably proceed to  secrets of the Wisdom of God. Here, therefore, it says is good gold, not that which is used as money, and is corruptible and belongs to this earth. And here, it says, there is found bdellium in which there lives the  spark of our souls. Here, too, is the green gem which by its color seems to show forth vitality. Tress which are alive give forth greenness, while the dead wither. The earth grows green when it blooms, the seeds send forth their green. And well it is that here the river Phison is given first place, which the Hebrews call Phison, which means 'change of mouth,' because it flows not merely around one nation but even through Lydia. For prudence is not narrow but rich in usefulness and benefits many. Thus, if a person were to leave Paradise, the river of prudence lest quickly he become arid, but by this river he may easily return to Paradise. Many men come to this river, which is regarded to be beautiful and must fecund. Therefore it is understood as a figure of prudence which gives manifold fruits in the coming of the Lord. It  to the ends of the earth it flows because by Wisdom all men have been redeemed. Wherefore it is said: 'Their sound has gone forth into all the earth and their words to the end of the world.' 6 The second river is Gihon, by which the law was given to the Israelites when they were sojourning in Egypt, that they should leave Egypt, 7 and having girded their loins they should eat of a lamb as a sign of temperance. For it befits the chaste and sanctified should celebrate the Pasch of the Lord. Thus the observance of the Law was first carried out beside this river, the name of which signifies an opening of the earth. Therefore, just as an opening absorbs the earth and whatever impurities and waste there is in it, so chastity tends to destroy all the passions of the body. Appropriately, the observance of the established Law first took place there, because carnal sin is absorbed by the Law. And so Gihon, in which is a figure of chastity, is said to surround the land of Ethiopia that it wash our lowly bodies and quench the fires of the vile flesh. The meaning of Ethiopia in Latin signifies 'holy and vile.' What is more lowly than our body? What is so like Ethiopia, than that which is black with the darkness of sin? The third river is the Tigris, which flows by the land of Assyrians, to which the deceiver Israel was dragged captive. This river is said to be the swiftest of all rivers, where the Assyrians dwell, directing it, for this is the meaning of its name. Therefore, those who by fortitude of soul bind up the treacherous vices of the body, directing themselves to higher things, are judged to have something in common with this river. And thus fortitude emanates from that source in Paradise. Fortitude in its rapid course casts aside everything that resists it and like this river and in no place will it be fixed by any impeding obstacle. The fourth river is the Euphrates, which in Latin means 'fecundity and abundance of fruits.' It presents a symbol of righteousness, nourishing every soul. No virtue seems to have such abundant fruits than equity and righteousness, it benefits others more with itself, neglecting its own advantage and preferring the common good. Many think Euphrates comes from the Greek ἀπὸ τοῦ εὐφραινεσθαι, that is, from 'rejoicing,' because the human race rejoices in nothing more than righteousness and equity. The reason why, although the passage of the other rivers is reported, we have no description of the passage of the Euphrates, we understand as this: the waters of this river are considered to have a vitality quality which warms and gives growth. Whence the wise among the Hebrews and the Assyrians called this river Auxen, that is, increase, in contradistinction to the waters of other rivers. Now because where there is prudence there is malice, and where there is fortitude there is anger, and where the is temperance, intemperance,The opposition has been well established between wisdom and malice, fortitude and irascibility, temperance, and other vices, where there is righteousness there is the harmony of all the other virtues. Thus it is not known from the places from whence it flows, that is, it is not known in part. There is not a part of righteousness but it is like the mother of the virtues. In these four rivers, then, the four principle virtues are symbolized. Saint Ambrose, On Paradise, Chap 2 1 Gen 2:10 14 2 Jn 7:37 3 Prov 9:15 4  Hosea 2:8 5 Ps 67:14  6 Ps 18:5 7 Exod 12:11

The Devil and Evil

Πόθεν ὁ διάβολος, εἰ μὴ παρὰ Θεοῦ τὰ κακὰ; Τί οὖν φαμεν; Ὅτι ὁ αὐτὸς ὑμῖν ἀρκέσει καὶ περὶ τοῦ ζητήματος τούτου λογος, ὁ καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐν ἀνθρώποις μονηρίας ἀποδοθείς. Πόθεν γὰρ ποννρὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπος; Ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας οὐτοῦ προαιρέσεως. Πόθεν κακὸς ὁ διάβολος; Ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς αἰτίας, αὐθαίρετον ἔχων καὶ αὐτός τὴν ζωὴν, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ κειμένην τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ἤ παραμένειν τῷ Θεῷ, ἢ ἀλλοτριωθῆναι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ. Γαβριὴλ ἄγγελος, καὶ παρέστηκε τῷ Θεῷ διηνεκῶς. Ὁ Σατανᾶς ἄγγελος, καὶ ἐξέπεσε τῆς οἰκείας τάξεως παντελῶς. Κἆκεῖνον ἡ προαίρεσις διεφύλαξεν ἐν τοῖς ἄνω, καὶ τοῦτον κατέῥῥιψε τῆς γνώμης τὸ αὐτεξούσιον. Ἐδύνατο γὰρ κἀκεῖνος ἀποστατῆσαι, καὶ οὖτος μὴ ἐκπεσεῖν. Ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν διεσώσατο τῆς ἀγάπης τοῠ Θεοῦ τό ἀκόρεστον, τὸν δὲ ἀποβλητον ἔδειχεν ἡ ἐκ Θεοῦ ἀναχώρησις. Τούτο ἐστιν τὸ κακὸν, ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀλλοτρίωσις. Μικρὰ περιστροφὴ ὀφθαλμοῠ ἢ μετά ἡλίου ἡμᾶς εἶναι ποιεῖ, ἢ μετὰ τῆς σκιᾶς τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν. Κἀκεῖ μέν ἀναβλέψατι ἔτοιμον τό φωτισθῆναι, ἀπονεύσαντι δὲ πρὸς τὴν σκιὰν ἀναγκαία ἡ σκότωσις. Οὔτω πονηρίαν, οὐ φύσις ἀντικειμένη τῷ ἀγαθῷ. Πόθεν οὖν αὐτῷ ὅ πρὸς ἡμᾶς πόλεμος; Ὅτι, δοζεῖον ὤν πάσης κακίας, ἐδέξατο καὶ τοῦ φθόνου τὴν νόσον, καὶ ἐβάσκηνεν ἡμῖν τῆς τιμῆς. Οὐ γὰρ ἤνεγκεν ἡμῶν τὴν ἅλυπον ζωὴν τὴν ἐν τῷ παραδέισῳ· δόλοις δὲ καὶ μηχαναῖς ἐξαπατήσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν αὐτοῦ, ἥν ἔσχε πρὸς τό ὁμοιωθῆναι τῷ Θεῷ, ταύτῃ πρὸς τὴν ἀπάτην ἀποχρήσαμενος, ἔδειξε τὸ ξύλον καὶ ἐπηγγείλατο δια τῆς βρώσεως αὐτοῦ ὅμοιον τῷ Θεῷ καταστήσειν. Ἐὰν γὰρ φάγητε, φησὶν, ἒσεσθε ὡς θεοι, γινώσκοντες καλὸν καὶ πονηρόν. Οὐκ ἐχθρὸς τοίνυν ἡμῖν κατεσκευασθη, ἀλλ' ἐκ ζηλοντυπίας ἡμῖν εἰς ἔχθραν ἀντικατέστη. Ὁρων γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ἐν τῶν ἀγγέλων καταῥῥιφέντα, οὐκ ἔφερε βλέπειν τὸν γήινον ἐπὶ τὴν ἀξίαν τῶν ἀγγέλων διὰ προκοπῆς ἀνυψούμενον. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ὁτι Οὐκ Ἐστιν Αἰτιος Των Κακων Ὁ Θεος.

Why is the devil sundered from God but by evil? What shall we say? The same reason that we gave for man's separation suffices for an answer to this question. Whence comes evil to man? From his own will. Whence comes evil to the devil? From the same cause. When he had freedom he could have either adhered to God in perseverance or separated himself from the good. Gabriel is an angel and stands with God.1 Satan was also an angel, and from that order cut himself off. One remained in heaven by free will the other by free will fell from there. For he was able to not do as he did and so not fall. But one delighted in the service of God and another made himself reprobate by withdrawing from God. This is evil: to withdraw from God. A little movement of the eye and one sees the sun, or one is in the shadow of one's body. Thus it may be seen with swift illumination that if one turns to shadows one will by necessity dwell in darkness. In this way the devil is evil, from freely choosing wickedness, not in nature being adversary to the good. Why then does he war against us? Because receptive of every evil he has received the infection of envy, and to plot against us is his glory. For he did not wound our life in paradise by a direct act, but with cunning and cleverness man was deceived, and that was his desire with the suggestion of becoming like God, and by use of lies, showing the tree, by promise of the future, that if one ate of it, one would become like God. 'For if , he said, you eat you shall be like gods knowing good and evil.'2 Thus he is not an enemy to us other that from envy he is made an enemy to us. For when he saw himself thrown from the angelic hosts and then that man, who was of earth, was to the dignity of angels able to be exalted by virtue, he was not able to endure it. Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homily on God not Being a Cause of Evil. 1 cf Lk 1.19 2.Gen 3.5

The Garden of the Soul

Hinc hortum illum sibi Plato composuit, quem Jovis hortum alibi, alibi hortum mentis appellavit. Jovem enim et deum et mentem totius mundi dixit. In hunc introisse animam, quam Venerem nuncupat, ut se abundantia et divitiis hujus horti repleret, in quo repletus potu jaceret porus, qui nectar effunderet. Hoc igitur ex libro Canticorum composuit, eo quod anima Deo adhaerens in hortum mentis ingressa sit, in quo esset abundantia diversarum virtutum, floresque sermonum. Quis autem ignorat quod ex paradiso illo, quem legimus in Genesi habentem lignum vitae, et lignum scientiae boni et mali , et ligna caetera, abundantiam virtutum putaverit transferendam, et in horto mentis esse plantandam? Quem in Canticis canticorum Salomon hortum animae significavit, vel ipsam animam. Sic enim scriptum est: 'Hortus clausus, soror mea sponsa, hortus clausus, fons signatus, transmissiones tuae paradisus.' Et infra ait anima: Exsurge, aquilo, et veni, auster, perfla hortum meum, et defluant unguenta mea. Descendat frater meus in hortum suum. Quanto hoc pulchrius quod anima ornata virtutum floribus hortus sit, vel in se paradisum habeat germinantem. In quem hortum invitat Verbum Dei descendere, ut anima illa Verbi imbre coelestis, et ejus copiis irrigata fructificet. Verbum autem Dei pascitur animae virtutibus,quoties obedientem sibi et opimam invenerit, et carpit fructus ejus, atque his delectatur. Cum autem descenderit in eam Dei Verbum, defluunt ex ea salubrium unguenta verborum, et diversarum flagrant longe lateque redolentia gratiarum spiramina. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Bono Mortis, Cap V

Hence that garden which Plato arranged, which elsewhere he named the garden of Zeus, or the garden of the mind. For Zeus he named both god and the mind of the whole world. Into this entered the soul, which he called Venus, that it take its fill of the abundance and riches of the garden, in which Plenty replete with drink lay, pouring forth nectar.1 This is derived from the book of the Song of Songs, by which the soul adhering to God enters into the garden of the mind, in which there are an abundance of diverse virtues and flowers of words. For who is ignorant that from that paradise, which we read in Genesis possessed the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,2 and other trees, Plato has thought to transfer the abundance of virtues and plant it in the garden of the mind, that which in the Song of Songs Solomon names the garden of the soul, meaning the soul itself? So it is written, 'An enclosed garden, my sister bride, an enclosed garden, a fountain sealed , going though your paradise.'3 And below the soul says, ' Rise up, north wind, and come, south wind, blow through my garden and let flow my scents. Let my brother come down into his own garden.'4 How much more beautiful a garden is a soul adorned with the flowers of virtue, or which in itself has planted paradise. In which garden he invites the Word of God to descend, that the soul with rain of the heavenly Word watered may bear rich fruit. The word of God feeds on the virtues of the soul, as many times as it finds it richly obedient, and he picks its fruit and with them he is delighted. When indeed the Word of God  descends into it, there flows from his salutary words perfumes and a diversity of redolent graces is breathed out far and wide. Saint Ambrose, On the Good of Death, Chap. 5 1 cf Plato, Symposium 203b 2 Gen. 2.8 3 Song 4.12 -13  4 Song 4. 16

A Liberal Sect in the Early Church

Adamites ex Adam dicti cuius imitantur in paradiso nuditatem, quae fuit ante peccatum. Unde et nuptias aversantur, quia nec priusquam peccasset Adam nec priusquam dimissus esset de paradiso, cognovit uxorem. Credunt ergo quod nuptiae futurae non fuissent si nemo peccasset. Nudi itaque mares feminaeque conveniunt, nudi lectiones audiunt, nudi orant, nudi celebrant sacramenta, et ex hoc paradisum suam arbitrantur ecclesiam.   Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensis, De Haeresibus ad Quodvultdeum

The Adamites, who are named from Adam, imitate the nudity of paradise before there was sin. They are averse to marriage since there was no marriage before there was sin, nor did Adam know his wife prior to being expelled from paradise. Thus they believe there will be no future nuptials if no one sins. Male and female they come together in the nude, they listen to the readings in the nude, they pray in the nude, they celebrate the sacraments in the nude, and because of this they adjudge their church to be paradise. Saint Augustine of Hippo, On Heresies, To Quodvultdeus.

Adam and Enoch

Adam protoplastus, et colonus paradisi, princeps humani generis et delicti, ad imaginem Dei factus, universitati praelatus, qui creaturis nomina dedit atque in eis potestatem dominandi accepit. Hic in deliciis florentis paradisi constitutus, inter redolentes armoratum sylvas ac vernantia floribus arva, ruris habitator, novae vitae gaudia peragebat: ubi tellus fecunda viret perpetuo vere, ubi fons decurrens quadrifluo labitur amne. Sed postquam serpentis dolo, lingua etiam pollutus feminea, per tactum ligni, loci beatitudinem profanavit, paradiso projectus, terra, sentibus squallentem operaius gemens incoluit. Amissaque immortalitate, in pulverem, unde carnis sumpserat ortum, post cursum annorum nongentorum triginta rediit. Hinc jam posteritas in crimine hujus parentis exsutem se paradiso factam, ac labori mortique subactam ingemuit. Enoch filius Jared, septimus ab Adam, placens Deo, malorum nescius, mortis ignarus, qui sceleratorum hominum non ferens angustias, a perniciosis contractibus mundi substractus, meruit in eum locum transferri vivens unde fuerat protoplastus expulsus. Sublatus est autem annorum trecentorum sexaginta quique. Manet autem haetenus in corpore; in consummatione mundi restituet cum Elia mortalem vitae conditionem.  Sanctus Isidorus Hispaliensis, De Ortu Et Orbitu Patrum Qui in Scriptura Laudibus Efferuntur

Adam the first fashioned and a farmer of paradise, head of the human race and of crime, made according to the image of God, preeminent before everything, who gave names to the creatures and received power to rule over them. Here among the fair flowers of paradise he was established, among sweets scented breezes and lush green fields, an inhabitant of the country he took joy in new life, where the earth put forth its fruits continually, where a spring produced four flowing rivers. But after the deceit of the serpent, defiled by the tongue of the women, through the touch of the wood, profaning the blessedness of the place, he was expelled from paradise, and he dwelt groaning in squalid work. Having lost immortality, he returned to dust, from whence he had taken flesh, after the course of nine hundred and thirty years. Hence the posterity of this parent by crime is exiled from paradise and groans subjected to travail and death. Enoch the son of Jared, of the seventh generation from Adam, pleasing to the Lord, ignorant of evil, having no experience of death, who did not enter into the troubles of the crimes of men, was from the pernicious touch of the world taken, meriting to be placed living in the same place from where the first fashioned was expelled. He was aged three hundred and sixty five years. He remains in the body. At the consummation of the world he shall be restored with Elijah to the mortal condition of life. Saint Isidore of Seville,On the Birth and Death of The Fathers