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Library / Commentaries and Disputations on Genesis, Volume I

Book Seven — Cain and Abel

A DISPUTATION. Whether Adam is saved

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A DISPUTATION. Whether Adam is saved.1

DISPUTATIO. Utrum Adam sit salvus.

NON est hoc loco quaestio illa praetermittenda, utrum Adam purgato per poenitentiam peccato suo, tandem salutem aeternam consecutus sit, necne. Tacianus qui discipulus fuit Iustini martyris, & magister atque dux haereticorum, qui nominati sunt Encratitae, sensit Adam fuisse aeternis damnatum suppliciis. Hoc scilicet de Taciano prodiderunt Irenaeus lib. 1. adversus Haereses, cap. 31. Eusebius lib. 4. historiae Eccles. cap. 27. Epiphanius disputans contra haeresim 46. Philaster in Catalogo haereseon. S. Augustinus in libro de Haeresibus, numero vigesimoquinto.
This question is not to be passed over in this place: whether Adam, his sin purged by penitence, at length attained eternal salvation, or not. Tatian, who was a disciple of Justin Martyr, and the master and leader of the heretics who are called Encratites, held that Adam was damned to eternal punishments. This about Tatian is handed down by Irenaeus (book 1 against Heresies, ch. 31), Eusebius (book 4 of the Ecclesiastical History, ch. 27), Epiphanius (disputing against heresy 46), Philaster (in the Catalogue of Heresies), and St Augustine (in the book On Heresies, number twenty-five).2
RUPERTUS autem lib. 3. Commentariorum in Genesim, cap. 31. scribit, de Adamo utrum salvus sit an damnatus, & olim nonnullos dubitasse, & suo etiam tempore dubitare multos: propterea quod nusquam Scriptura aliqua canonica testetur egisse eum poenitentiam, nec ullum eius bonum opus commemoret, sed peccatum eius tantummodo narret, cuius in omnes homines diffusione, & quasi contagione omne genus hominum vitiatum, atque corruptum est. Quin etiam Paulus in Epistola, quam scripsit ad Roman. cap. 5. & in priori Epistola quam misit ad Corinth. cap. 15. Adamum opponit Christo, illum faciens peccati, mortis, & condemnationis auctorem; hunc vero iustitiae, vitae, & immortalitatis effectorem.
But Rupert (book 3 of the Commentaries on Genesis, ch. 31) writes that some formerly doubted, and many in his own time also doubt, whether Adam is saved or damned — because nowhere does any canonical Scripture testify that he did penance, nor mention any good work of his, but only narrates his sin, by whose diffusion into all men, and as it were contagion, the whole race of men is vitiated and corrupted. Indeed Paul, in the Epistle to the Romans (ch. 5) and in the first Epistle to the Corinthians (ch. 15), opposes Adam to Christ, making the former the author of sin, death, and condemnation, but the latter the effecter of justice, life, and immortality.3

And although Rupert does not dissimulate that those who first affirmed Adam perished were heretics, nor does he himself state or define anything certain, yet he sufficiently indicates that this opinion seems to him the more probable — but undeservedly indeed. For on the contrary is the concordant opinion of the Fathers, and the common sense of the whole Church, and, what is chief, the manifest testimony of divine Scripture. And these things briefly said by me, Augustine, writing more clearly in Epistle 99 (which is to Evodius), says thus: 'About that first man, the father of the human race — that Christ, when he descended to the lower world, liberated him thence — almost the whole Church agrees; which it must be believed did not believe in vain, from wherever this was handed down, even if the express authority of the canonical scriptures be not brought forward from here. Although that which is written in the book of Wisdom, ch. 10, "She (namely divine wisdom) guarded him who was first made by God, the father of the world, when he was created alone, and led him out from his sin, and gave him the power of ruling all things" — this, I say, which is written there, seems to make for this opinion more than for any other understanding.' Thus Augustine.4

AC licet Rupertus non dissimulet, eos qui primum affirmarunt Adamum periisse, fuisse haereticos, nec ipse quicquam certi statuat ac definiat, satis tamen indicat hanc sibi sententiam videri probabiliorem: sed immerito sane. Ex adverso enim est concors Patrum sententia, & communis Ecclesiae sensus, & quod caput est, manifestum divinae Scripturae testimonium. Atque haec breviter a me dicta enucleatius scribens Augustinus in Epistola 99. quae est ad Evodium sic ait. De illo quidem primo homine patre generis humani, quod Christus cum descendit ad inferos, inde eum liberaverit, Ecclesia fere tota consentit, quod eam non inaniter credidisse credendum est, undecumque hoc traditum sit, etiamsi Canonicarum scripturarum hinc expressa non proferatur auctoritas. Quanquam illud quod in lib. Sapientia cap. 10. scriptum est, Haec (nempe sapientia divina) illum, qui primus factus est a Deo, patrem orbis terrarum cum solus esset creatus custodivit, & eduxit illum a delicto suo, & dedit ei virtutem continendi omnia. Hoc, inquam, quod ibi scriptum est, magis pro hac sententia, quam pro ullo alio intellectu facere videatur. Sic Augustinus.

RUPERTUS tamen hoc testimonium de libro Sapientiae petitum, nimis profecto audacter reiicit, affirmans eum librum non esse canonicum, & eorum quae narrantur in illo ipso capite, quaedam esse plane
But Rupert rejects this testimony, taken from the book of Wisdom, too boldly indeed, affirming that that book is not canonical, and that of the things narrated in that very chapter, some are plainly...5
plane falsa, quale est illud: Datam esse Adamo virtutem continendi omnia, quod nulli homini, praeter Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, convenire potest. Verum demiror equidem ignorasse Rupertum, multis ante suam aetatem saeculis relatum esse in numerum librorum Canonicorum librum Sapientiae ab Ecclesia in Conciliis Carthaginensi & Laodicensi, necnon & a quibusdam summis Pontificibus, & ab ipsomet B. Augustino. Illud autem: Continere omnia, si quis Graecam Scripturam eius loci consulat, intelliget non aliud significare, quam dominari & imperare omnibus: nam pro illo verbo Continere Graece est [κρατῆσαι] kratesai, quod est dominari. Alluditur enim eo loco ad id quod traditum est a Mose 1. cap. Genes. & a Davide in Psal. 8. Deum Adamo dedisse principatum, dominationem, & imperium in cunctas animantes.
...plainly false, such as that: that the power of ruling all things was given to Adam, which can befit no man except our Lord Jesus Christ. But I indeed wonder that Rupert was ignorant that, many centuries before his age, the book of Wisdom was reckoned in the number of the canonical books by the Church, in the Councils of Carthage and Laodicea, and also by certain supreme Pontiffs, and by blessed Augustine himself. But that phrase 'to contain all things,' if anyone consults the Greek Scripture of that place, he will understand to signify nothing else than to have dominion and command over all: for instead of that word 'to contain' the Greek is [κρατῆσαι] 'kratesai,' which is 'to have dominion.' For allusion is there made to what was handed down by Moses (Genesis ch. 1) and by David (Psalm 8): that God gave Adam the principate, dominion, and command over all living things.6
NOS igitur tam aperto Sacrarum litterarum testimonio persuasi, & communi Patrum, ac totius Ecclesiae sensu commoti, sine ulla dubitatione credamus Adamum fuisse salvum. Ad quod persuadendum complures, neque parvipendendas rationes adducunt Patres, quas in praesentia brevitatis studio a nobis praetermissas reperiet lector apud Irenaeum lib. 3. in quo hac de re disputat a cap. 34. usque ad 40. & apud Epiphanium ubi disputat contra haeresim 46. denique apud Alphonsum de Castro, in lib. 2. adversus haereses in voce Adam atque in confutatione primi erroris.
We, therefore, persuaded by so open a testimony of the Sacred writings, and moved by the common sense of the Fathers and of the whole Church, let us believe without any doubt that Adam was saved. To prove which, the Fathers bring many and not-to-be-slighted reasons, which the reader — [they being] presently omitted by us for the sake of brevity — will find in Irenaeus (book 3, where he disputes on this matter from ch. 34 to 40), and in Epiphanius (where he disputes against heresy 46), and finally in Alphonsus de Castro (in book 2 against heresies, in the entry 'Adam' and in the confutation of the first error).7
INTER alias autem rationes, illa meo iudicio in postremis habenda non est, quod olim permultis Patribus persuasum fuerit, memoriaeque proditum, Adamum esse sepultum in monte Calvariae, in quo post tria annorum millia Dominus noster crucifixus est, ut qui primus peccati fuerat auctor, primus etiam peccati medicinae salutaris, hoc est, sanguinis Christi vim experiretur. Hoc accepimus ab Origene tractatu in Matthaeum 35. Athanasio in libro de Passione Domini, Cypriano in sermone de Resurrectione, Ambrosio libro 5. Epistolarum, Epistola 19. & in 23. cap. Lucae, August. in serm. 71. qui est de immolatione Isaac, Theophylacto in 27. cap. Matth. 15. Marci, Lucae 23. & Ioannis 19. Euthymio in 27. cap. Matth. aliisque viris doctis. Licet autem huic opinioni, quasi eam illudendo, contradicat S. Hieronymus in 27. cap. Matth. & in illa verba Pauli, quae sunt in cap. 5. Epist. ad Ephes. Surge qui dormis, & exurge a mortuis, & illuminabit te Christus, illud opponens pro magno argumento: quod in libro Iosue cap. 14. scriptum sit, Adamum in civitate Hebron fuisse sepultum: verum tamen infirmum esse hoc argumentum Hieronymi, nec eo loco libri Iosue tradi primum hominem sepultum esse in civitate Hebron, supra ostendimus in 4. libro horum Commentariorum, cum eam quaestionem tractaremus, Utrum Adam fuerit gigas & procerissimus omnium mortalium.
But among the other reasons, that one, in my judgment, is not to be held among the least: that formerly very many Fathers were persuaded, and it was handed down to memory, that Adam was buried on Mount Calvary — on which, after three thousand years, our Lord was crucified — so that he who had first been the author of sin might also first experience the power of the salutary medicine of sin, that is, of the blood of Christ. This we have received from Origen (treatise on Matthew, 35), Athanasius (in the book on the Passion of the Lord), Cyprian (in the sermon on the Resurrection), Ambrose (book 5 of the Epistles, Epistle 19, and on ch. 23 of Luke), Augustine (in sermon 71, which is on the immolation of Isaac), Theophylact (on ch. 27 of Matthew, 15 of Mark, 23 of Luke, and 19 of John), Euthymius (on ch. 27 of Matthew), and other learned men. But although St Jerome contradicts this opinion, as if mocking it (on ch. 27 of Matthew, and on those words of Paul in ch. 5 of the Epistle to the Ephesians, 'Rise, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you'), opposing this as a great argument — that in the book of Joshua, ch. 14, it is written that Adam was buried in the city of Hebron — yet that this argument of Jerome is weak, and that in that place of the book of Joshua it is not handed down that the first man was buried in the city of Hebron, we showed above in the fourth book of these Commentaries, when we treated that question, 'Whether Adam was a giant and the tallest of all mortals.'8

Translator’s notes

  1. Major divider: a disputation on whether Adam attained eternal salvation. Verso running head 'COMMENTARIORVM' number '772'; true printed page 782. ↩
  2. The question: whether Adam, having repented, was ultimately saved. Tatian — disciple of Justin Martyr and leader of the Encratite heretics — held that Adam was eternally damned. This is reported of Tatian by Irenaeus (Adv. Haer. 1.31), Eusebius (Eccl. Hist. 4, ch. 27), Epiphanius (against heresy 46), Philaster, and Augustine (De Haeresibus 25). Marginal gloss: 'Error Taciani.' ↩
  3. Rupert (Comm. in Gen. bk 3, ch. 31): some formerly, and many in his day, doubt Adam's salvation — because no canonical Scripture records his penitence or any good work, only his sin, whose contagion corrupted the whole race; and Paul opposes Adam to Christ (Rom 5, 1 Cor 15) as author of sin/death/condemnation vs. Christ the author of justice/life/immortality. Marginal gloss: 'Rupertus inclinat in opinionem Taciani, sed refellitur.' ↩
  4. Pererius rebuts Rupert (who leans, undeservedly, to the damnation view): against it stand the Fathers, the whole Church, and Scripture. Augustine (Ep. 99 to Evodius): almost the whole Church holds that Christ, descending to hell, freed Adam — not believed in vain, however handed down, even without express canonical proof; and Wisdom 10:1-2 ('wisdom guarded the first-formed father... led him out of his sin... gave him power to rule all') best supports this. Marginal gloss: 'Locus libri Sapientiae. cap. 10.' ↩
  5. Rupert boldly rejects the Wisdom testimony, denying the book's canonicity and calling some of its statements plainly [false — continued next page]. Catchword 'plane' (continues on the next page). ↩
  6. Rupert's objection (that giving Adam 'power to rule all' fits no man but Christ) fails, and his denial of Wisdom's canonicity is answered: Wisdom was canonized by the Councils of Carthage and Laodicea, by popes, and by Augustine himself. GREEK GLYPH verified: κρατῆσαι (kratēsai, 'to have dominion/to master' — the LXX word at Wisdom 10:2, which the Vulgate rendered 'continere omnia'); it alludes to Adam's God-given dominion over the animals (Gen 1:28; Ps 8:6-8), not to divine omnipotence. Marginal gloss: 'Liber sapientiae canonicus esse monstratur.' Odd-side running head 'IN GENESIM, LIB. VII.' number '773'; true printed page 783. ↩
  7. Conclusion: Adam was saved (the plain testimony of Scripture, the Fathers, and the whole Church). Further proofs are in Irenaeus (Adv. Haer. 3.34-40), Epiphanius (against heresy 46), and Alphonsus de Castro (Adv. haereses, bk 2, s.v. 'Adam'). Marginal gloss: 'Vera sententia, Adamum esse salvum.' ↩
  8. A further argument for Adam's salvation: the tradition (Origen, Athanasius, Cyprian, Ambrose, Augustine, Theophylact, Euthymius, etc.) that Adam was buried on Mount Calvary, where Christ was crucified 3,000 years later — so the first author of sin first felt the power of its remedy, Christ's blood (cf. Eph 5:14). Jerome mocks this (Adam buried at Hebron, Josh 14:15), but Pererius calls Jerome's argument weak — that Joshua text does not say the first man was buried at Hebron (as he showed in book 4 of these Commentaries, on whether Adam was a giant). This ends the disputation 'Whether Adam is saved.' Marginal glosses: 'memoria sepultum fuisse, multorum Patrum fuit sententia'; 'Defenditur opinio multorum Patrum de sepultura Adami adversus S. Hieronymum.' Catchword 'DISPU' (a new disputation begins on the next page). ↩