Chapter IV.—Some
Things Here Hard and Too Slightly Treated, and Apparently Not
Sufficiently Brought Out According to the Rule of Theology.
Such, then, I consider to be the objections urged
by many who, despising, as it seems, the wisdom of Paul, dislike the
comparing of the first man to Christ. For come, let us consider
how rightly Paul compared Adam to Christ, not only considering him to
be the type and image, but also that Christ Himself became the very
same thing, because the
Eternal Word fell upon Him. For it was fitting that the
first-born of God, the first shoot, the only-begotten, even the wisdom
of God, should be joined to the first-formed man, and first and
first-born of mankind, and should become incarnate. And this was
Christ, a man filled with the pure and perfect Godhead, and God
received into man. For it was most suitable that the oldest of
the Æons and the first of the Archangels, when about to hold
communion with men, should dwell in the oldest and the first of men, even Adam. And thus, when renovating those things which were from the beginning, and forming them again of the Virgin by the Spirit, He frames the same just as at the beginning. When the earth was still virgin and untilled, God, taking mould, formed the reasonable creature from it without seed.