Salvation Through the Second Eve

Tertullian

c. 210 A.D.

On the Flesh of Christ

For into Eve, as yet a virgin, had crept the devil's word, the framer of death. Equally into a virgin was to be introduced God's Word, the builder of life; so that what had been lost through one sex might by the same sex be restored and saved. Eve had believed the serpent, Mary believed Gabriel. The fault which the other one committed by believing, by believing the other emended. "But Eve at that moment conceived nothing in her womb from the devil's word!" Ah, but she did conceive. For her the word of the devil was seed, that she might from the time forth give birth as an outcast, in sorrow give birth.As a consequence, she gave birth to a devil, his brother's murderer. Mary, on the other contrary, bore Him who was one day to save Israel, His own brother according to the flesh, His murderer. God, therefore, sent down into the Virgin's womb His Word, our good Brother, to blot out the memory of that evil brother.

Unknown

Author

AB-Philosophy undergraduate at Notre Dame of Marbel University.