The Church as Paradise and the Serpent's Error

A paradise of luxury exists while living. In that paradise the serpent danced and deceived; in this paradise the Savior says: 'Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall ever harm you' (Luke 10:19).

In the paradise, the way of life was closed to Adam because of the transgression; and so that God might show that a virtuous soul is not hindered, those outside the paradise receive greater things than those in the paradise. Paradise is shut off from Adam, but Peter is trusted with the keys of heaven; Adam is cast out of paradise, but Paul is caught up to the third heaven; the tree of life is barred from Adam; for God said, it is said, 'Lest Adam touch the tree of life' (Genesis 3:22). There life is forbidden, and the tree of life was forbidden by the transgressor; here the wood of the cross was brought, and all who desire to reap life eternal.

In the paradise, after the transgression, Adam hides from God, being struck by his conscience; he is called by Him who seeks all things, and says: 'Adam, where are you?' (Genesis 3:9). For did you not know where you were? 'Adam, where are you?' Rebuking his lawlessness, He says, 'Where are you?' instead of, 'In what state are you?' Did the deception of the serpent not bring you equality with God? Did you see how you became naked? 'Where are you?' 'I heard your voice, and I was afraid and hid.' That one hides in paradise; the apostles say, 'We all, with unveiled faces, reflect the glory of the Lord, from glory to glory' (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Did you see boldness outside the paradise? Did you see shame inside the paradise? In the paradise, after the transgression, God clothed Adam in tunics of skin. Let us see what he put on. That one there put on a tunic; here, 'as many as were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ' (Galatians 4:4). Having been shut out from paradise, the Cherubim and the turning sword were blocking the way of paradise; and it was like a wall and a fortification to Adam, not allowing him to enter because of the misconduct in the paradise after the transgression. I am not speaking against the paradise, but that that God-befitting place did not benefit the one who, not having willed to live with a good intention, desired to turn back. And there was a wall of fire surrounding the paradise, and not allowing the transgressor to enter...

to show that it was not the fire that was an enemy to him, but the transgression which prevented Adam from entering the wall of fire; and Elijah snatched up a chariot of fire into heaven (2 Kings 2:11). The Church of God does not lie, saying: God clothed me with a garment of salvation (Ps 18:10), and as a bride he adorned me with beauty, as a land increasing its offspring, and as a great garden of truth. This great garden is the universal Church.

Christ reigns, and as a lawgiver he is believed, unless someone should be found in the Church suffering from a heretical wandering, under the teaching of serpents—I am speaking indeed of heretical wandering—and being cast out from here, like Adam from paradise. For just as there, he who was persuaded by the teaching of the serpent was exiled from paradise, so also in the Church those not obeying Paul, not being taught by Peter, but being persuaded by the teachings of serpents, are cast out from this paradise.

Whence is this evident? Paul says: For I am zealous for you with a zeal of God; for I have betrothed you to one man, to present a pure virgin to Christ (2 Cor 11:2). But I fear lest, just as the serpent deceived Eve (Gen 3:13), so your minds might be corrupted. But there is no place here for the teaching of the serpent, since the Great Shepherd crushes the head of the serpents with the staff of faith. For just as a shepherd, our wonderful Father, crushes the heads of the dragons with the evangelical faith and the hope toward Christ; and as an excellent gardener and keeper, he nurtures the plants of the Church, but uproots if there is any illicit seed or shoot; he delivers the disease of impiety, the Greek wandering, as thorns to the fire; but the heretical wandering he casts out like wild weeds, clothed with the zeal of God, which many do not recognize.

For some have become accustomed to sophistically arguing against the Church and the holy shepherds, just as also against this wonderful father; and many, in the form of leniency, introduce laziness, and they insult zeal, and they attempt to blunt the word of God which is at its peak. For one can find someone in the form of leniency saying: What do we have in common with the Greeks? Does he wish to be saved? Let him be saved. He who says these things has not yet been inflamed with the zeal of piety; he who sees someone perishing, and does not mourn that person's loss, and his own ruin.