206 Irenaeus: Life, Scripture, Legacy
Irenaeus, Refutation IV.2.7 (relevant
extract):For the law never hindered them from
believing in the Son of God; nay, but it
even exhorted them so to do, saying that
men can be saved in no other way from
the old wound of the serpent than by
believing in Him who, in the likeness of
sinful flesh, is lifted up from the earth
upon the tree of martyrdom, and draws
all things to Himself, and vivifies the dead.Irenaeus, Refutation V.19.1 (relevant extract):And if the former did disobey God, yet
the latter was persuaded to be obedient to
God, in order that the Virgin Mary might
become the advocate of the virgin Eve. And
thus, as the human race fell into bond-
age to death by means of a virgin, so is it
rescued by a virgin, virginal disobedience
having been balanced in the opposite scale
by virginal obedience. For in the same way
the sin of the first created man [protoplasti]
receives amendment by the correction of
the First-begotten, and the coming of the
serpent is conquered by the harmlessness
of the dove, those bonds being unloosed by
which we had been fast bound to death.Augustine, Against Julian I.3.5:Consider, you who so often accuse us of
Manichaeism, if you are alert, whom and
what kind of men and what great defend-
ers of the Catholic faith you dare insult
with such a detestable charge. Indeed, I do
not promise that I will gather the opinions
of all on this matter, nor all the opinions of
those whom I shall mention; it would take
too long and I do not think it necessary.
But I shall cite a very few, by which, how-
ever, our adversaries may be compelled to
blush and to yield, if they have any fear of
God or shame before men that can over-
come that great evil of their obstinacy.
Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, lived not long
after the time of the Apostles. He says:
“Men cannot be saved in any other way
from the ancient wound of the serpent
except by believing in Him who accord-
ing to the likeness of sinful flesh was lifted
up from the earth on the tree of testimony
and drew all things to Himself and gave
life to the dead.”Again he says: “Just as the human race was
bound to death by a virgin it is released
through a virgin, the obedience of a virgin
evenly counterbalancing the disobedience
of a virgin. For the sin of the first-formed
was wiped out by the chastisement of the
First-born, the wisdom of the serpent was
conquered by the simplicity of the dove,
and we were released from the chains by
which we were bound to death.”
Do you understand the ancient man
of God, and what he thinks about the
ancient wound of the serpent, and about
the likeness of sinful flesh through which
the wound of the serpent is healed in the
sinful flesh, and about the sin of the first-
formed by which we had been bound?