Christian Art | Eve And Mary | God’s Love Revealed In Jesus Christ
Office Of Readings | Advent Friday Week 2 | A Reading From The Treatise Of Saint Irenaeus Against The Heresies | On Eve And Mary
‘Eve and Mary.’
Saint Irenaeus sets before us one of the earliest and most important Christian ways of understanding salvation: God heals humanity by retracing its steps. What was damaged at the beginning is not abandoned but restored, and it is restored in a way that respects both human freedom and God’s justice.
Irenaeus begins with Christ’s obedience. Humanity’s fall began at a tree, when Adam disobeyed God in the garden of Eden. Christ reverses that act by his obedience on another tree, the cross. Salvation is not an escape from human history but a healing within it. Christ enters fully into creation, is sustained by it, and redeems it from within.
Irenaeus then places Eve and Mary side by side. Eve, still a virgin and promised in marriage, listened to a word that was false and turned away from God. Mary, also a virgin and promised in marriage, listened to a word that was true and turned toward God in obedience. Where Eve fled from God, Mary welcomed God into her life. The contrast is deliberate and careful: the same human situation becomes the place of reversal.
This does not mean that Mary replaces Eve, but that she becomes her advocate. Humanity is not condemned by its first disobedience forever. Through Mary’s obedience, the knot of disobedience is loosened. God’s plan works not by force but by persuasion, not by negating human freedom but by restoring it.
Irenaeus insists that this victory must be just. Since humanity was deceived through a woman, the defeat of the enemy comes through a woman as well. Since death entered through a human act, life must return through a human act. This is why Christ is truly born of a woman and truly human. Salvation is not imposed from outside but won fairly within the same human condition that had fallen.
By calling himself the Son of Man, Christ gathers all humanity into himself. Adam’s defeat had consequences for all; Christ’s victory does the same, but in the opposite direction. What was lost through disobedience is restored through obedience. What was bound by death is released into life.
For Irenaeus, this teaching safeguards the goodness of creation, the dignity of the human body, and the coherence of God’s saving plan. Redemption is not an afterthought. From the beginning, God intended to heal, restore, and raise humanity, leading it not back to Eden, but forward into life with him.
A Reading From The Treatise Of Saint Irenaeus Against The Heresies | On Eve And Mary
The Lord, coming into his own creation in visible form, was sustained by his own creation which he himself sustains in being. His obedience on the tree of the cross reversed the disobedience at the tree in Eden; the good news of the truth announced by an angel to Mary, a virgin subject to a husband, undid the evil lie that seduced Eve, a virgin espoused to a husband.
As Eve was seduced by the word of an angel and so fled from God after disobeying his word, Mary in her turn was given the good news by the word of an angel, and bore God in obedience to his word. As Eve was seduced into disobedience to God, so Mary was persuaded into obedience to God; thus the Virgin Mary became the advocate of the virgin Eve.
Christ gathered all things into one, by gathering them into himself. He declared war against our enemy, crushed him who at the beginning had taken us captive in Adam, and trampled on his head, in accordance with God’s words to the serpent in Genesis: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall lie in wait for your head, and you shall lie in wait for his heel.
The one lying in wait for the serpent’s head is the one who was born in the likeness of Adam from the woman, the Virgin. This is the seed spoken of by Paul in the letter to the Galatians: The law of works was in force until the seed should come to whom the promise was made.
He shows this even more clearly in the same letter when he says: When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman. The enemy would not have been defeated fairly if his vanquisher had not been born of a woman, because it was through a woman that he had gained mastery over man in the beginning, and set himself up as man’s adversary.
That is why the Lord proclaims himself the Son of Man, the one who renews in himself that first man from whom the race born of woman was formed; as by a man’s defeat our race fell into the bondage of death, so by a man’s victory we were to rise again to life.
Christian Prayer With Jesus
God of faithfulness,
you did not abandon us when we fell,
but prepared our restoration with patience and love.
Grant us hearts like Mary’s,
ready to hear your word and obey it,
so that we may share in the victory of Christ,
who restores all things in himself.
Amen.
Glossary Of Christian Terms
Irenaeus of Lyons – Second-century bishop and theologian, defender of apostolic faith against early heresies.
Eve – The first woman, whose disobedience contributed to humanity’s fall (Genesis 3).
Mary – The mother of Jesus, whose obedience made possible the Incarnation (Luke 1).
Obedience / disobedience – Key themes in Irenaeus, describing humanity’s fall and restoration.
Recapitulation – Irenaeus’s teaching that Christ ‘sums up’ or re-lives human history in order to heal it.
Son of Man – Title used by Christ to express his full solidarity with humanity.
Christian Art | Life Of Jesus In The Gospels | King James Audio Bible KJV The Gospel Of Saint John 14: 1-7 | King James Audio Bible YouTube: Connection With The Life Of Jesus In The Gospels | King James Audio Bible The Gospels are not just a collection of stories or teachings, but a window into the life of Jesus. By reading and reflecting on the Gospels, we gain a deeper understanding of who Jesus was and what he came to do. As we read the Gospels, we see that Jesus was a man of great compassion and love. Jesus showed mercy to the outcasts and the marginalized, and he offered healing and hope to those who were in need. He also taught with authority, challenging the religious leaders of his day and offering a new way of living based on love and service. But the Gospels are not just a history lesson. They are also an invitation for us to enter into a relationship with Jesus. By reading and meditating on the Gospels, we can come to know Jesus more personally and deeply. We can learn from his example and seek to follow in his footsteps. So we may be encouraged to read the Gospels, perhaps starting with the Gospel of Mark or the Gospel of John, as we read paying attention to how Jesus interacted with others and how he responded to different situations. We may ask ourselves what you can learn from his words and actions, and how we can apply them to our own lives. And as we read, we can allow ourselves to be drawn into a closer relationship with Jesus. There truly is an historical Jesus. May the Gospels be a source of guidance, inspiration, and transformation for us all. How Much In The Gospels Is Historical, And How Much Is Myth, Legend, Trope, Figurative Thinking? It is difficult to say with certainty how much of the Gospels is historical in the modern sense of the word and how much is myth, legend, trope, or figurative thinking. The Gospels were written some years after the events they describe, and they were written from the perspective of the early Christian community. This means that the Gospels may contain a mix of historical facts and interpretation, as well as elements of myth, legend, and figurative thinking. That being said, scholars believe that the Gospels contain a good deal of historical information. For example, the Gospels describe specific places and events, such as the places where Jesus preached and the events of his trial and Crucifixion. These details suggest that the writers of the Gospels had access to historical information and intended to provide an accurate account of what happened. On the other hand, the Gospels also contain elements that are not seen by all as historical, howsoever this goes to the root of the faith, such as the miracles performed by Jesus and the accounts of his resurrection. Some see these as legends or myths that were added to the Gospels to help convey the message of the early Christian community. The question of how much of the Gospels is historical and how much is myth, legend, or figurative thinking is complex. What is important is that we approach the Gospels with an open mind and a willingness to engage with the stories and teachings they contain. We are in the Gospels in conversation with God – and with the many people who have had such faith and conversations – as with the historical Jesus. Why Do The Gospels Say Were People Afraid Of Jesus? There are several reasons why people may have been afraid of Jesus, according to the Gospels. One reason is that Jesus was a powerful and charismatic figure who challenged the religious and political authorities of his time. He spoke out against corruption and injustice, and he called on people to repent and turn to God. This type of behaviour was seen as threatening by those in positions of power, and they may have been afraid of losing their influence or authority. Another reason is that Jesus performed many miracles, such as healing the sick and casting out demons. These miracles were seen as evidence of his divine power, and they may have made people afraid of him. Some people may have been afraid of being healed or possessed by Jesus, while others may have been afraid of what would happen if they did not believe in him. Finally, some people may have been afraid of Jesus because of the prophecies and expectations of the coming of a messiah. The Jews of Jesus’ time were looking for a saviour who would deliver them from oppression and establish a kingdom of God on earth. When Jesus arrived on the scene, he may have been seen as a threat to the status quo, and some people may have been afraid of what he might do. Might The Fear Be Related To The Fear Of God – The Injunction To Fear God? Yes, it is possible that the fear of Jesus mentioned in the Gospels may be related to the fear of God. In the Old Testament, the fear of God is often used to describe a deep reverence and awe for God, as well as a sense of humility and obedience in the face of his greatness. This fear of God is seen as a positive and necessary quality for a faithful believer, and it is often linked to the idea of fearing God’s punishment or judgement. In the New Testament, the fear of God is also mentioned, but it is often portrayed in a more positive light. For example, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells his followers not to be afraid of those who can only kill the body, but to fear God, who can destroy both body and soul (Luke 12:4-5). This suggests that the fear of God is not just about punishment, but about a deep respect for […]
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