Additional Quotes by the Fathers on the Fall and Redemption

St. Basil the Great

St. Basil – Exegetic Homilies, Homily on Psalm 48
Every captive has need of ransoms for his freedom. Now, neither a brother can ransom his brother, nor can anyone ransom himself, because he who is ransoming must be much better than he who has been overcome and is now a slave. But, actually, no man has the power with respect to God to make atonement for a sinner, since he himself is liable for sin. ‘All have sinned and have need of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus’ our Lord. He shall not give to God his ransom, nor the price of the redemption of his soul (Psalm 48:8, 9). Do not, then, seek your brother for your ransoming, but Him who surpasses your nature, not a mere man, but the Man God Jesus Christ, who alone is able to give ransom to God for all of us, because ‘God has set him forth as a propitiation by his blood through faith.’ Moses was the brother of Israel, and yet he was not able to redeem him. How, then, will any ordinary man be ransomed? Wherefore, the one sentence declares: ‘No brother can redeem,’ and the other with gravity adds interrogatively: ‘Will man redeem?’ Moses did not free his people from sin, but he begged from God the exemption of the punishment due to sin…In fact, what can man find great enough that he may give it for the ransom of his soul? But, one thing was found worth as much as all men together. This was given for the price of ransom for our souls, the holy and highly honored blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He poured out for all of us; therefore, we were bought at a great price… If you are not mindful of your first origin, because of the price paid for you, accept at least some idea of your dignity; look at that which was given in exchange for you and realize your own worth. You were bought with the precious blood of Christ; do not become a slave of sin.

St. Basil the Great – On the Human Condition
For God is life, and the privation of life is death. Therefore Adam prepared death for himself through his withdrawal from God, in accord with what is written, “Behold, those who remove themselves from you are destroyed” [Ps 72.27]. Thus God did not create death, but we brought it upon ourselves by a wicked intention. To be sure, for the reason stated above, he did not prevent our dissolution, so that our weakness might not remain as immortal. It is like someone not allowing a leaky clay pot to be placed in fire [and hardened] until the weakness present in it has been completely mended through refashioning.


St. John Chrysostom

St. John Chrysostom – Homilies on the Gospel of St. John, Homily 78 (John 16:5-15) 
Therefore, just as the spirit of the man knows [the things of a man ] without learning them from another, so also the Holy Spirit ‘will receive of what is mine’; that is, ‘will speak in complete agreement with my words. All things that the Father has are mine. Therefore, since these are mine, and the Spirit will speak from the things that are the Father’s, He will also speak from mine.’ ‘But why did He not come before Christ had departed?’ Because He could not come, since the curse had not yet been lifted, the original sin had not yet been forgiven, but all men were still subject to the penalty for it. ‘Therefore,’ He said, ‘that enmity must be destroyed and you must be reconciled to God, and then you will receive that gift.’

St. John Chrysostom – DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE PAGANS
As Isaiah said: “His resting place shall be glorious.” You will see how great this glory is when you have considered the symbol of his death, a death which was the most cursed and ignominious of all deaths. This kind of death was the only one subject to a curse. Let me give you an example. In ancient times, some malefactors were burned, others were stoned to death, and others ended their lives by some other kind of punishment. But the man who was nailed to a cross and was left hanging on its wood not only endured the harsh punishment to which he had been sentenced but he was also subject to a curse. “Everyone who is hanged on a gibbet is accursed.” But that accursed, abominable symbol of the worst of punishments has now become an object of man’s desire and love.

St. John Chrysostom – Homily 1 On Philemon (i. 1-3)
The offenses against us here are a hundred pence, but those from us against God are ten thousand talents. But you know that offenses are also judged by the quality of the persons: for instance, he who has insulted a private person has done wrong, but not so much as he who has insulted a magistrate, and he who has offended a greater magistrate offends in a higher degree, and he who offends an inferior one in a lower degree; but he who insults the king offends much more. The injury indeed is the same, but it becomes greater by the excellence of the person. And if he who insults a king receives intolerable punishment, on account of the superiority of the person; for how many talents will he be answerable who insults God? So that even if we should commit the same offenses against God, that we do against men, even so it is not an equal thing: but as great as is the difference between God and men, so great is that between the offenses against Him and them.


St. Cyril of Alexandria

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 1, PG 56-57
But then it was absolutely necessary for the man who had come into such glory and delight to understand clearly that God held a position over him as his King and Lord. Lest man should fall by the considerable prosperity that was readily available to him, possibly even wishing to be freed from the authority and supremacy of him who ruled, God immediately issued a law and accompanied it with the threat of punishment should it be transgressed. For the practice of sin did not yet exist upon the earth as there was just one sole Being. But in order that man might also be under law, a certain manner of constraint was contrived for him, for it says, “From every tree which is in the garden, you may eat for food. But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat. On the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”…Now when the woman was carried away into transgression by the trickery of the devil and ate the forbidden fruit of the trees, so did our forefather Adam also fall with her, and human nature was straightway condemned to death. To the woman God said, “In pain you shall bear children,” while to Adam he declared, “Cursed shall the ground be in your labors.”

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 1, PG 57
What then? I imagine one might say that if man was going to fall into such a woeful condition, would it not reasonably be considered much better for him to not to exist? Yet the one who was quickly to become wretched and pitiable, subject to a curse and punishment, God will render most eminent and admirable. So God was not in the least big ignorant about what would happen, seeing that by nature He is the Maker.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 1, PG 60
So in the beginning man was assigned a free and unrestrained disposition of mind with respect to everything he did. But by the trickery of the serpent he was witlessly carried away into improper actions and committed transgression without any justification. Accordingly, he was condemned to death and corruption, although in this event God, I believe, foresaw some greater good. Since man turned aside into sin and his nature was now infirm through its inclination to commit base acts, in the same way perhaps as the unclean spirits, continual evil was to be found upon the earth. For this reason, the death of the flesh was determined. Yet the living creature was not consigned to complete destruction, but rather to renewal and, if we might say it thus, to a refashioning in the same way to that a vessel which has been smashed is later made whole. That in the meantime the living creature would in fact experience corruption, the Maker was not unaware, but he well knew that together with this there would be deliverance from those things that were improper and the removal of corruption, as well as the return to a better state and the restoration of those good things that were there in the beginning. For he knew that he would later send his own Son in human form to die on our behalf, and to destroy the power of death, so that he might have dominion over the dead and the living.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 1, PG 62-64
For then the author of sin deceived Adam in the beginning, he made him to be guilty of the charge of carelessness, and so it came about that he was brought down to death. Then the punishment passed upon all men, this condition coming forth just as things grow out of a root. “For death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of Adam’s transgression”…And just as the disobedience found in that first man brought us into punishment, so the total surrender and complete obedience  in this second man made us to be partakers of heavenly blessing from the Father…And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, so we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man.” And again, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.” For “he humbled himself,” as it is written. And the Only-Begotten Word of God voluntarily came down into our estate, not that he might be ruled over by death along with us, through Adam transmitting deadness to him, since he himself is the one who makes all things alive, but that having manifested that nature which was subject to corruption, he might transform it into life. This is the reason he became flesh. Thus the wise Paul writes, “For since through man came death, also through man came the resurrection of the dead. As in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive.” It is absurd to think that Adam, who was earthly and human, when the curse came upon him, could spread is effects upon the whole of the race, as a kind of inheritance, while Emmanuel, who was from heaven above and God by nature, who also possessed our likeness, having become a second Adam for us, could not make the very ones who wished to participate in a relationship with him by faith to share abundantly in his own life. For through the mystical blessings we have indeed become fellow members of his body. Yet we have also been united with him in another way, because we have become “partakers of his divine nature” through the Spirit.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 1, PG 64-65
For Adam was the beginning of the race, with respect to death, the curse, and condemnation. But Christ was the complete reverse, bringing life, blessing, and justification. Adam received the woman as one flesh with himself, and came to ruin through her. Yet Christ, uniting the church to Himself through the Sprit, rescues and saves her, and accomplishes better things for her than the devil did in his deceit…Our forefather Adam, as the wages of sin, and the punishment for transgression, received corruption. Yet righteousness was attributed to Christ, according to the insanity of the Jews, as an offence.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 1, PG 89
Furthermore, the law given through Moses decreed that the slaying of the lamb should be carried out “between the evenings,” that is, when the lamps were lit at eventide. Likewise, when the time had come, as it were, for the sun to set, through the age that was then present being in effect shortened, the Only-Begotten Word of God became a man and endured being slain for all, freeing them from any penalty or punishment, removing those who believe far from all such fear. For He himself is the true Noah, that is, righteousness and rest, for that is what the name means. For according to the Scriptures, we have been justified, not by works of righteousness that we ourselves have done, but according to his great mercy. So now for us who believe, Christ has become our righteousness and in truth our rest also, for “He was bruised because of our iniquities, and was delivered up on account of our sins; and by His wounds we are healed,” and also, “the Lord delivered Him up for our sins,” as the prophet says.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 1, PG 90
Christ then has become our righteousness and rest, and has also saved us frm the earth which the Lord God cursed. For this is what Lamech was saing when he prophesied to us in regard to Noah. And there is no doubt that the charges brough against the transgression committed in Adam have been remitted in Christ. For he became a curse for us, as it is written so delivering the earth from the ancient curse. For we say that through him God the Father restores all thing to their pristine state. “The old thing have passed away, but all things have become new,” and if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 1, PG 99
Now, that Emmanuel has become a high priest for us, through Whom also we have gained access to God the Father, and that we have been restored to our original state, having been set free from the curse, namely that placed upon the first-formed man, one can observe in those things that are written next…So then, when Christ became our high priest, and through him we were offered spiritually as a pleasing aroma to God the Father, we were then counted worthy of his abundant favor and we have a sure foundation, that death would no longer have power over us. Also, that wrathful condition, even that which stems from the ancient curse, has been dissolved. For we have been blessed in Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to God the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 1, PG 168-169
The prophetic word also convinces us that Christ is termed “joy” by the divine Scripture, as is found here: “And the Lord will cause righteousness and joy to spring up before all the nations.” (Is 61:11) Emmanuel in fact became righteousness and joy not only to those of Israel, but also to the nations and peoples of all the earth. For we have been justified in him, and have been removed from under that ancient an ignominious curse. Having been set free from sin and death, we have been clothed with gladness and joy; and why not, seeing that we have been made rich with good things from God above? Accordingly, we have been taught to give praise, saying, “May my soul rejoice in the Lord; for he has clothed me with the garment of salvation, and the robe of gladness” (Is 61:10). And what is this robe of gladness? The most venerable Paul explains, saying, “For as many of you who have been baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.” And again, “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its lusts.” (Rom 13:14)

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Book 8: Exodus, Page 25
So the fire in the bush, which kept the wood completely unharmed
, indicates in a figure that what had become perishable in its nature, that is, the flesh, Christ rendered more excellent than its perishable state. Since the Word of God was by nature life, how can one doubt that he imparted life to his own temple, and rendered it imperishable and stronger than death? The fire, then, spared the thorns, and to the puny and extremely feeble wood the flame became endurable. For, as I said, deity was circumscribed in humanity. This is the mystery that came to be in Christ. The Word of God came to dwell among us, not seeking retribution, nor inflicting punishment, but encompassing us in the most kind and gentle embrace. For as he himself said in a certain place, “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” So then, although the flame enveloped it, the bush was not consumed. Likewise we were not punished for the sins we had committed, as I just said, but rather Christ encompassed us in light through the Holy Spirit, and through the Spirit he is within us, and in him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Book 9: Exodus, Page 30
Then God visited punishment upon the firstborn of the Egyptians
, and let loose the Destroyer against them. But as it was necessary that those chosen in love on account of their forefathers should not perish along with that ungodly people, God instituted a type in the law of the Passover, and he gave special instructions that the mystery of the wrath of Christ should be enacted ahead of time. It can also be understood from this how it is impossible that death should be abolished through Moses or the law. Rather it is the precious blood of Christ that turns the Destroyer aside and delivers from destruction those who have been consecrated, for he is life from life, and the God of all, as he is God of God.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Book 9: Exodus, Page 36
In addition to this, the Passover was to be kept annually at its appointed time, so that a year would not be whole or would still remain incomplete without it. This was also the case because this most divine feast that relates to suffering would be celebrated on a yearly basis by those who obtain good things from that suffering. It says it should be taken “from the lambs or from the kids.” The lamb is understood by the law to be a victim that is pure and without blemish, while the kind of animal taken from the kids is always offered for the sake of sins at the altar. This same thing you shall find in Christ also. For he himself was, as it were, a sacrificial victim without blemish, offering himself up as a pleasing aroma to God the Father, slain like a kid on behalf of our sins.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Book 9: Exodus, Pg 53
For to those who believe in Christ the law does not bring accusations or punishment, but it is now a giver of life,
the literal sense being wonderfully transformed for us into a spiritual contemplation, and a guide to Christ, who is life and the giver of life. Then the law will also define ordinances and judgments for us. For it will directly lead us to that which pleases him and will show us the path to all that is noble, making us free from fear and the expectation of punishment. For “no plague,” it says, “which I brought upon the Egyptians will I bring upon you.” Surely then, to those under the law who receive this mystery it gives the wonderful hope of being removed from punishment. This, it seems to me, is what the Savior himself said to the people of the Jews at the time of his visitation, “Truly, truly, I say to you that he who hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”  And again, “Whoever believes in the Son is not condemned.”

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2
For the Maker did not entrust that which was so wonderful and glorious to those who had come into being for it then to perish so easily. Rather, death entered due to wrath, because our forefather Adam disregarded the divine command and turned aside to disobedience and waywardness. In Christ, however, the charges were taken up and removed from the midst, through the obedience of one man, for in Him we have been justified. The divine Paul testifies to this when he writes, “For as through one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also through one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” (Rom 5:19). In that one man we were condemned to death, but we have been shown mercy through Christ, and we have been given new life. For to the Father He was “obedient even to the point of death,” “he laid down his life on our behalf,” and “by his wounds we were healed,” in accordance with the Scriptures.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Book 9: Exodus, Pg 79
For who, on seeing death incapacitated, which was once so fearful and loathsome to those upon the earth, on seeing corruption removed, and human nature restored to the hope of unending life, would not be converted to a ready obedience? For as we died with Adam, so we have been raised with Christ. The divine Paul testified to us of this when he writes, “For as in Adam we all die, even so in Christ we all will be made alive.” For he purchased us with his own blood, and counted his life to be an exchange for the life of all.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Book 10: Exodus, Pg 110
Nevertheless, the God of all commanded Moses and Aaron, those who were holy and elect, to ascend the high mountain. So it was necessary that those who were later to come into glory, those who were presented as the first actually to go up that they might draw near to God, should be purified by the blood of Christ, who gave his life in exchange for the life of all, and who offered up the flesh that he had assumed as a pleasing aroma. For he gave himself on our behalf as an offering that was holy and undefiled to God, a spiritual burnt offering. This the divine Moses also showed us in a figure, through the illumination given by the Spirit, and leads the way to the knowledge of things to come.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2
It could be said that although we were afflicted with the disease of sin in Adam with respect to the world, in Christ we have now become a spiritual sacrifice that is fragrant to God the Father, good and acceptable, exceedingly better than the shadow relating to the law. So Christ is our firstfruits, and he has opened up a new way for us. For this is what David says to God the Father in heaven in the book of Psalms: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but you have prepared a body for me; burnt offerings and sin offerings did not please you. Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; I desired to do your will, O God’”

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Book 10: Exodus, Pg 121
Yet Moses persisted in his entreaty, determined to restrain the wrath against all the people. For it was necessary for the one acting as mediator to be like Christ, who warded off the wrath of heaven that was upon us due to our many sins
, and who, being the Son, offered justification by faith to those who had sinned. Moses was, then, on this occasion also, a figure of the mediatorship of Christ. So by his supplications the divine Moses held back the severity of God’s wrath; then he came down from the mountain.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Page 129
Note how he who established the legal ministration clearly described the cleansing that comes through Christ as being incomparably superior to the ministration of the law. For if you transgressed the precepts of Moses, it says, and some did neglect to keep the ordinances of the legal ministration, it is then you find that the passing over of the offense is granted through the shedding of blood when a calf was sacrificed or a goat offered. Yet this was figurative of Christ. So while the law determined the punishment for transgressions, it is the precious blood of Christ that delivers us from punishment and sets us free from condemnation due to sins committed in ignorance, For he laid down his life for us so that he might do away with the sin of the world. In the loaf of bread, therefore, Christ is understood as life and giver of life, while in the calf he is further considered as a burnt offering, dedicating himself as a pleasing aroma to God the Father. Also, in the form of the goat he became a sin offering for us and was slain for our sins.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Page 136
You can now see how God commanded the sin offering to be  sacrificed. A male goat served here as a figure of Christ, who, as I said, became sin for us. For he was counted among the lawless, was crucified with thieves, and was also called a curse, since it is written that “cursed is everyone who is hanged upon a  tree.”… Christ, then, although he became sin, remained that which he was, that is to say, he continued to be holy as he was by nature God. Moreover, “he does not give the Spirit by measure,” in accordance with what John said. Now, that the death of his flesh, which took place for the destruction of the flesh, was holy and pure, being well-pleasing to God the Father in a manner similar to incense offerings, the law clearly spoke of when it said, “In the place where they slay the burnt offerings, they shall also slay the sin offering before the Lord.” Christ is a burnt offering, that is, one which is wholly and entirely, and not just partially, dedicated to God the Father as a pleasing aroma.Therefore, he is truly “most holy.” For in him we have been sanctified, and he is our whole justification, and he is moreover the sanctification of the spirits above, as I said a moment ago.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Book 11: Leviticus, Pg 141
Note how he expressly says, “Return, you who are backsliding, and I will heal your wounds.” And through Ezekiel he also says, “Repent, and turn from all your lawless deeds, O house of Israel, and they shall not be the cause of your punishment for iniquity.”  What, then, is the way of salvation? Who is he that delivers those who have sinned from being punished as they deserve? Who is he that redeems and rescues so readily? It is our Lord Jesus Christ, he who gave himself as a ransom for all, and who sanctifies us by his own blood.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Book 11: Leviticus, Pg 159
The Only-Begotten, although he was God by nature and was from God the Father, brought himself down into our estate, and appeared on earth, as it is written, and lived among us humans. He did this for no other reason than, as the divine Paul says, “that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.” For the law given through Moses, revealed to those of long ago with angels acting as mediators, appointed as priests men who suffered from the common infirmity of human nature, and because of this it was necessary for them to offer sacrifice for their own inadvertent sins as they did for those of the people. “But the word of the oath that came after the law appoints the Son who has been made perfect for ever.” “Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, as he always lives to intercede for them”… It is we who have been saved, and it is he who bore our sins and suffered for us, for he willingly laid down his life for us. Yet he came back to life, for he was by nature God, and he is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father, and he always lives to intercede for the saints, as I just said.

 St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Book 12: Numbers, Pg 174
You should also understand that it was so with respect to Christ. For the Pharisees were heedless of the meekness and benevolence that he possessed, to the point of disdain. But one could surely see that they would not escape punishment from heaven. For if one abuses the Son, God the Father will become angry. For, even without being told, he knew through his divine knowledge the words spat out by the Pharisees in their contempt for him.  Following these matters it says, At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Go out, the three of you, to the tabernacle of witness.” Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the entrance of the tabernacle of witness. The account further indicates that God would be the judge of those who speak against our Savior Jesus Christ, and that he would come down to execute his wrath as a punishment upon those who dared to revile him and to strive after the same honor as himself. Yet the judgment comes wholly through the Son, as it is evidently the case that the one who begat him is not to

 St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Pages 46-47
“Everything that first opens the womb of the donkey, shall be exchanged for a lamb.”
And what is this saying? According to the law a donkey was unholy and profane, but a lamb was holy, and so it was presented on behalf of the donkey. Once more the law figuratively represents in these matters the fact that what is profane and unholy is made holy in Christ, and that through him that which is unacceptable is made acceptable. For when we were sinful and unclean, for our sakes he became a holy sacrifice and a pleasing aroma. For he died for sinners, the righteous for the unrighteous, the clean for the unclean, just as the lamb died for the donkey. So the firstborn of men were redeemed by offerings, which were most likely given in payment for those who were being presented. For what reason? Because that which was wholly dedicated and consecrated to God needed to be completely sacrificed. Yet God, who created everything in a state of incorruptibility, refrains from the killing of men. For “he did not create death, nor does he delight in the destruction of living creatures, “as it is written. Nor does he take pleasure from those who are perishing, as he does from the destruction of the unclean demons. Rather, he commands that a ransom should be laid down on their behalf, and so we ought to confess openly that, in essence, we owe even our very lives to him. For he indicated this ransom when he commanded that the sum called the “two drachmas” should be paid. So the true ransom given for all is to be understood as Christ himself, through whom and in whom we have overcome corruption, for he gave himself for us.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2
Now Adam was the firstfruits of the older lump of dough, but as he disregarded the commandment that was given, he fell into transgression. And in him the human race was immediately placed under a curse, and sentenced to death and corruption. Christ, however, was the firstfuits of the second lump of dough. He was free of the curse evidently through becoming a curse for us himself. And he overcame the power of corruption through himself being “left alone among the dead”.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Page 79
This is an extraordinary and manifest sign, by means of which the remnant of Israel is drawn to faith, and the multitude of the nations is also summoned. For who, on seeing death incapacitated, which was once so fearful and loathsome to those upon the earth, on seeing corruption removed, and human nature restored to the hope of unending life, would not be converted to a ready obedience? For as we died with Adam, so we have been raised with Christ. The divine Paul testifies to us of this when he writes, “For as in Adam we all die, even so in Christ we all will be made alive.’ For he purchased us with his own blood, and counted his life to be an exchange for the life of all.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Numbers, Page 205
“God did not create death, nor does he delight in the destruction of living creatures,” according to what is written. For he created everything to have being and the generations of the world to be preserved. But as the first person of our race, Adam, was plagued by disobedience and ignored the divine command, he offended God the Maker, and so fell into corruption. Human nature came under a curse, and the race was subject to punishment. And we wretches, even though we were made in incorruption after we barely flourished like shadows and like the grass of the field for a short season, we descend ingloriously back to the earth, our mother.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Page 131
Now by means of the incense we may understand that the death of Christ was not for any justifiable causes, or for any offense of his, but it was a most wonderful and wholly faultless sacrifice for us (for he was presented as an offering so that he might do away with sin and with the death that came through it and because of it). For our forefather Adam by the transgressions committed in the beginning received the curse that was most properly deserved. So when he first became infected with that truly malodorous disease of sin, he was justly condemned. But the Lord and Savior of all, as he could not be charged with any wrongdoing (for he did not commit any sin), became a beautiful and fragrant offering for us, being the first, as it were, of the new fruit, and of every kind, that is to say, both of wheat and of legumes. For he died for all, great and small, Jew and Gentile, and through him and in him we have become a memorial portion for God the Father.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Page 135
Accordingly, the divine Paul clearly articulated the deep mystery of the economy of the Incarnation when he wrote, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin He condemned sin in the, flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” For Christ became sin for our sake, as it is written, and yet he was certainly not guilty of sin in any way. Now it is not our habit to speak foolishly in this matter, since Christ did not know how to commit transgression, being God by nature, and having come forth from God the Father. Yet he became a sacrificial offering for sin, for “Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us.” We say therefore that he also became sin. For he was sacrificed, as I said, so that by his blood he might gain possession of everything under heaven. For “we were bought with a price,” in accordance with the Scriptures,” and we are not our own, but belong to him who became sin for us, in order that he might deliver us from the original transgression and make us holy through partaking of his holy flesh and of his blood also.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Page 192
Now Adam was the firstfruits of the older lump of dough, but as he disregarded the commandment that was given, he fell into transgression. And in him the human race was immediately placed under a curse, and sentenced to death and corruption. Christ, however, was the firstfruits of the second lump of dough. He was free of the curse evidently through becoming a curse for us himself. And he overcame the power of corruption through himself being “left alone among the dead.”  For having trodden down death, he came back to life again. He was, in effect, both a wonderful dedicatory offering and a bringer of gifts, and was in a kind of way the firstfruits of humanity, since having been made new with regard to incorruption he ascended to the Father. So in the bringing of the bread into the sacred tabernacle and in the dedication of it to God in the holy of holies, it quite appropriately indicates Emmanuel’s return into heaven…

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra on the Pentateuch Vol 2, Book 13: Deuteronomy, Page 231
Having a right understanding of both the mystery of Christ and the nature of the Mosaic ministration, the wise John declared, “The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The law was set to bring wrath, and for those who committed a transgression, it imposed a grievous punishment that was both instant and undiscriminating. In general, it denounced base conduct and brought about the condemnation of sin. “For sin,” it says, “is not reckoned when there is no law,” and also, “I would not have known sin except through the law.” But Christ forgives us our transgressions. For he justifies and sanctifies believers by grace, and he brings to fulfillment the promises made long ago to the fathers. Yet that both of these facts are true Paul made clear when he wrote, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”


Festal Letters 13 -30

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Festal Letters 13- 30, Letter 13, PG 9
Now in what does the mystery consist? Or where will we find the beauty of the truth hidden in the shadow that is in the law? Well, the true stater, the image of the great king, the Son that is, the imprint and reflection of the Father’s substance, gave him-self for us. And he gave his own soul in exchange for the life of all, not that he might save Israel alone, even though Israel seemed to be rich in the knowledge of the law, but that he might rescue as well from the devil’s greed the innumerable flock of the nations, “who had no hope,” as Paul says, and who suffered from the lack of every good. The divine, heavenly stater was therefore given for two peoples. “For we have been ransomed not with perishable things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or stain.” “We are debtors, therefore, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh,” but to Christ, who ransomed and redeemed us.

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Festal Letters 13- 30, Letter 19, PG 89, 97
It is time for us once again to say to you what was sung to those of old by the Psalmist’s lyre: “All you nations, clap your hands; shout to God with a voice of exultation”; let us, that is, sing victory songs to Christ. For he has conquered the world for us, as he himself certainly says, and “he triumphed over the principalities, powers, dominions, and the world rulers of this darkness, the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” He thus withdrew everyone from their perversity, and removed them from their ancient guilt, “nailing the bond that stood against us to the cross,” in order that, in our joy at this very thing, we might say, “Where, O death, is your sting? Where is your victory, hell? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.” But through Christ we have been removed even from the punishment in the law. The divinely inspired Paul will testify to this when he writes, “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under the law but under grace.”…For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” In order, therefore, that he might render us free from punishment and penalty, and from his denunciation, the One who is above all creation became a human being truly as we are: the Word from God the Father. He remained what he was: the Free One among slaves, the Legislator under the law, the Maker of the ages with us in a birth both carnal and effected in time.

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Festal Letters 13- 30, Letter 21, PG 110
Rejoicing with one another in the churches, therefore, let us lift up songs of thanksgiving through our common, sacred, united assembly, in Christ the Savior, who has redeemed us all from the stain rubbed into us from of old through the transgression of him who was first formed; let us cry aloud the words spoken wisely of old: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.” For through the devil’s greed we fell from paradise and its delights, having drawn upon ourselves our Maker’s just wrath and heard those frightful, unbearable words: “Earth you are, and into earth shall you go”; and thus we appeared as prey to the devil’s tyranny, not daring for an instant to lift our eyes on high, wretches that we were. What way to salvation was left, then, to those who longed for it? What means of gaining forgiveness could be found for those who had transgressed the Master’s commandment? Only God’s kindness: the compassion and mercy of the power so unspeakable and indescribable.

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Festal Letters 13-30, Letter 24, PG 141
For we ourselves are God’s sons by adoption, in comparison to the one who is Son by nature, begotten from him. For if in fact there is no Son who is truly such, then upon whom are we, who are such by adoption, modeled? Whose features do we bear? Is there any possibility of imitation unless we say that the truth subsists? But they knew nothing whatever of the august and salvific proclamation of the Incarnation, nor did they understand what Moses said, nor for that matter the predictions about him made by the holy prophets through the Holy Spirit. For he was not a human being who made himself God’s Son; the converse is true: being by nature and in truth Son of the God who is over all, he became a human being, in order that, by giving his own blood in exchange for the life of all, he might rescue all from both death and sin.

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Festal Letters 13-30, Letter 26, PG 159
And he said to me, “Have you seen, son of man? Is it a small matter to the house of Israel to practice the iniquities which they have practiced here? Because they have filled the land with iniquity, and have turned to provoking me to anger, I will deal with them in wrath; my eye will not spare, nor will I have any mercy.” (Ezekiel 8:17-18) For it could not be that those who were so inconstant in outlook, so wantonly wicked and rebellious, would not be wholly and completely subjected to the very worst of punishments. 

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Festal Letters 13-30, Letter 27, PG 175
For just as he died in Adam, the punishment in his case spreading to the whole race that is from him, so also we have lived in Christ. For since he is a second root of humanity, and a second Adam, he will transmit his own life to all human beings. And just as there was in Adam the nature on which was inflicted the curse and the penalty of death, so also there is again in Christ the human nature blessed by God the Father and through him rendered superior to death. He suffered willingly in his own flesh, accordingly, and has remained impassible in his own nature. But his, we say, is the suffering. For it was his own body that has suffered, that he might release us from suffering.


COMMENTARY ON THE TWELVE PROPHETS

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Commentary on the Twelve Prophets Vol 2, On Amos, Chapter 1, PG 17
He [Moses] offered songs of thanksgiving: “The Lord God is compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, rich in mercy and truthful, keeping steadfast love to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquities, wrongs, and sins, not clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquities of the parents on the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.” The Jewish populace did not correctly understand this, thinking that God was so harsh, inexorable, and persistent in his wrath as to impose the crimes of parents on their children’s children. They said as much, for instance, in claiming, “The parents ate sour grapes, and the children’s teeth were set on edge.” Consequently, God said to the prophet Ezekiel, “Son of man, what do you mean by repeating this proverb in Israel, The parents ate sour grapes, and the children’s teeth were set on edge? As I live, says the Lord, let this proverb no more be recited in Israel, because all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child are mine. Someone who is righteous shall not die; the child will not take on his parent’s sin, nor a parent take on his child’s sin.” After all, how could the Lord of all still be long-suffering, rich in mercy, and truthful if he did not forgive sins and clear the guilty, but extended his anger to the third and fourth generation? What is the reasoning, then? While he is patient, as I said, and incomparably good, and does not immediately inflict punishment on sinners, he postpones it even to the second generation in the hope that perhaps some repentance may intervene and terminate the wrath. If this does not happen, however, and the third generation after the first and the fourth do likewise, or they are caught up in still worse evils, and are found to imitate their forbears’ impiety, then and only then does he impose punishment after having already shown the family sufficient patience for past sins. This is the meaning of inflicting sins of parents on the third and fourth generations.

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Commentary on the Twelve Prophets Vol 2, On Nahum, Chapter 1, PG 285,286
But you will reply, The Lord is long-suffering. True, I agree: he is like this by nature. But he will certainly not absolve the guilty; that is, he will in no way discharge from blame and punishment those who offend him, and this without cessation or restraint. He will, in fact, on the one hand, postpone his wrath out of his inherent clemency, and sometimes bear with people who sin, awaiting their repentance; but when they put it off and delay it at length, he then punishes them and inflicts penalties as on the hard-hearted…Now, the verse God is jealous and the rest would properly apply also to those not wishing to follow the straight and narrow path of godliness, but rather to be diverted to a fleshly style of life. After all, there is no doubt that he will take vengeance by inflicting punishment and subjecting to penalties the stubborn and guilty, especially if it is true that “all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.”

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Commentary on Hosea, Chapter 6
If, on the other hand, we should apply the force of the prophecy to everyone on earth, the sense we shall give it is as follows. In the beginning, remember, Adam seized human nature; he immediately put [the human being] under a curse, subjecting him to death and corruption. Therefore, wrath struck him, but grace bound up his wounds; he was healed by Christ, who called him to knowledge of the true vision of God, confirmed them in observance of the commandments through the Spirit, in turn made us devout by rendering us proof against corruption and ridding us of the ailments of the ancients, namely, sin and passions. Now, this was the lot of those on earth, not on the first or second occasion, but on the third, that is, the eventual and final one. All time, you see, is divided into three—the first, the middle, and the last, when Christ was made manifest to us. Consequently, they are saying that the time of binding up wounds will come to us, as it were, as a result of surgical intervention after two days, the prophetic verse assigning us the period of a day.   

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Commentary on Habakuk, Chapter 3
In the disturbance of my soul you will remember mercy in wrath  (v.2). Humankind offended the Creator as a result of the transgression by Adam, who showed extremely little regard for the commandment given him. Accordingly, we were both disturbed and destroyed; in our wretched state we fell foul of curse and retribution, and were under the power of death for having provoked GodNow, the fact that we have been condemned to death for offending God, and in turn saved by being shown mercy, blessed David confirms by saying to the Creator of all things, “When you avert your face, they will be disturbed and return to their dust; when you send forth your Spirit, they will be created, and you will renew the face of the earth.” In other words, we suffered the aversion on account of the transgression by Adam, and returned to the dust from which we were made; but when in turn we were enriched with the divine Spirit in Christ and through Christ, we became sharers in his nature, according to the Scriptures, and we were restored to our original condition, and have been renewed and saved.

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Commentary on Hosea, Chapter 13
I shall rescue them from the hand of Hades, and ransom them from death. Death, where is your vengeance? Hades, where is your goad? (v.14) After mentioning the effects of his anger on sinners, and foretelling the future results of his being offended, he re-turns to the clemency proper to God. The fact that, far from his being at odds with the whole race on earth and banishing them to unbridled and never-ending destruction, there will be some compassion and a summons to return in due time to the original condition through Christ, he mentions, adding that he will rescue them from the hand of Hades, and ransom them from death, obviously meaning those subject to him on account of the sin against the Creator and the original transgression of Adam. Such a promise had in fact been made, not to Ephraim alone, or those of the bloodline of Israel, but to everyone on earth; the divinely inspired Paul writes, remember, “He is the God not only of Jews but also of gentiles, for he has justified the circumcised on the grounds of faith, and the uncircumcised through faith.” In other words, he has ransomed us from the hand of Hades, that is, from the tyranny of death, and the form that that redemption takes is to be seen as the death of Christ. He willingly underwent execution on the cross for us, in fact, and disarmed principalities and powers by nailing to it the record that stood against us; then it was that “all iniquity stopped its mouth,” and the power of death was undone with the removal of sin, this being the victory of death and the goad of Hades. Paul in his wisdom interpreted it this way for us, saying, “The goad of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law.” With the removal of the sin of all through Christ, therefore, we, too, would rightly say, Death where is your victory? Hades, where is your goad? “If it is God who justified, who is there to condemn? It is Christ Jesus who died” for us, or rather, who “gave himself as a ransom for all,” one person who is more worthy than all, through whom and in whom we have been enriched so as to return to incorruption.

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Commentary on Micah, Chapter 7
Christ said somewhere, “The one who believes in the Son is not condemned, whereas the one who does not believe is already condemned for not believing in the name of the Son of God.” He therefore bypasses sins and leaves to one side offenses, and did not retain his wrath as a witness, by as a witness meaning “forever” or “always.” Though we were cast out in Adam, we were welcomed back in Christ; we were cursed in the former, but in turn blessed in the latter. Scripture says, remember, “Just as many died through one man’s trespass,” so, too, will people in general have life through one man’s being righteous. He forsook his wrath, then, because his wish is for mercy; at the time of the conversion of all—namely, the Incarnation—he will submerge the sins of all in the sea, as it were.

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Commentary on Hosea, Chapter 4
The priest, therefore, was taken as a mediator between God and man, accepting the gifts from the people and having a share in what is sacrificed on the altar, as Scripture says; he sacrificed himself, as it were, for the sins of the people, as of course our Lord Jesus Christ also did. For proof that what I say is true, I shall cite the Law dealing with the he-goat; it goes as follows: “Moses made an inquiry about the he-goat of the sin offering, and it had already been burnt. Moses was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and said, Why did you not eat the sin offering in a holy place? For it is a holy of holies, and he has given it to you to eat there for you to remove the sin of the assembly, to make atonement on their behalf before the Lord.” Do you see how those assisting at the holy altar and appeasing wrath for sinners with pure prayers act as mediators by eating the sin offerings, as it were, offering to God their own souls as a sweet-smelling odor for the sins of the people? As in the case of the divinely inspired Aaron, of course, when the people took ill, Scripture says, he seized the censer, put on the incense, “stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.” The blessed Moses likewise acted as mediator as well and placated God when the people of Israel had made a golden heifer in the wilderness; he submitted himself to justice and made an appeal, “If you will forgive their sin, forgive it; but if not, blot me also out of this book you have written.”  

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Commentary on the Twelve Prophets Vol 3, On Zephaniah, Chapter 3, PG 41
The Lord is righteous in its midst, and will not commit injustice; morning by morning he will deliver his judgment, and not allow injustice to prevail (v.5). Justice and injustice can never be reconciled, nor would what is pure have anything in common with what is profane. After all, “what does light share with darkness?” In fact, such things are at odds, and you would find them quite at variance. So since God, who controls all things, loves righteousness and has no truck with injustice, how were the awful crimes of the Jews likely to prevail or attain their goal without being nipped in the bud? It seems, however, that it is somehow a form of injustice not to subject the sinner to punishment, and not call to account the one who opts for a licentious and sacrilegious life, paying no heed to the laws, and being so inclined to injustice as to set no store by better behavior, and take as a credit and a boast what should be found a source of shame. Accordingly, since the Lord is righteous in its midst, and will not commit injustice, showing no tolerance for those in the habit of being unjust, morning by morning he will deliver his judgment, that is, at daybreak, in the open and, as it were, in daylight he will no longer postpone the effects of wrath, instead, bringing them forth, making them obvious, and, as it were, putting what he promised in full view. In fact, he will not allow injustice to prevail. Now, by prevail he means achieve complete victory; when wrongdoers are punished, the form of injustice will cease, there being no one to engage in it any longer.  

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Commentary on the Twelve Prophets Vol 3, On Zechariah, Chapter 13, PG 255
Now, the fact that in surrendering his own Son to death for us the God and Father is said to strike him, or at least to let him suffer in every possible way, the Son himself confirms in the verse of the psalmist about those guilty of unholy crimes against him—namely, the Jews—“They persecuted the one you struck, and added to the distress of my wounds; add iniquity to their iniquity.” He voluntarily underwent the Passion, therefore, as I said, so that the achievement of his sufferings might be resplendent. But the fact that for the crucifiers the crime would be the source of ruin, and that those responsible for such a scheme and such exploits—namely, the leaders of the people—would be subjected to the evils arising from divine wrath, he makes clear in saying, And I shall raise my hand against the shepherds.


Three Christological Treatises   

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Three Christological Treatises, To Theodosius, PG 73
You see, we have not simply been baptized into some man, but into the God-made-man, into him who frees from their punishment and from their former sins any who have accepted faith in him. This is why Peter, God’s mouthpiece, urged the Jews to “repent and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

St. Cyril of Alexandria – Three Christological Treatises, AGAINST BISHOPS OF ORIENS , PG 73
In reality he did not himself “become” either a sin or a curse. He was, however, “counted among the lawless,” despite being innocent, so as to abolish sin, and he was called “accursed,” despite being the one who blessed creation, so as to remove the curse that hangs over us and set free from punishment those who believe in him. So, strictly speaking, he did not become a curse and a sin, but rather he was given these names so that he might abolish both the curse and the sin.


St. Cyril of Jerusalem

St. Cyril of Jerusalm – CATECHESIS XVIII
Consider also the very principle of justice and reflect within yourself.
You have a variety of servants, let us say, of whom some are good, some bad. You esteem the good and you punish the bad. If you happen to be a judge, you praise the good and chastise the bad. Do you think that while justice is preserved before you, a mortal man, before God, the ever-changeless King of all, there is no just requital? To deny it would be impious. Or consider this. Many murderers have died in their beds, unpunished; where, then, is the justice of God? Oftentimes a murderer, guilty of fifty murders, is beheaded once; how will he pay the penalty for the forty-nine? If after this world there is no justice and retribution, you charge God with injustice. But do not wonder at the delay of the judgment. Everyone who contends for a prize is crowned or put to shame only after the contest is over; never does the presiding judge crown men while they are still contending; he waits until all the contestants have finished, intending afterwards, having sifted them, to award the prizes and the crowns. So God also, while the strife in this world goes on, assists the just only in part; but afterwards he bestows on them their rewards in all fullness.


Pope Leo I

Pope Leo I – Sermon 72, on Good Friday (April 21, 444 A.D)
That nature which took us up did not break off the shoot of our race from the common stock. Yet it separated from that shoot the contagion of the sin which passes over into all human beings. Certainly that weakness and mortality (which were not sin but the punishment for sin) were accepted by the world’s Redeemer as a penalty, in order that he might pay the price. As a result, that which used to be the transmission of condemnation onto all human beings becomes in Christ a “mystery of compassion.” ( 1 Tm 3.16) He offered himself (though free of debt) to his cruel taskmaster, allowing the violence of Jews (as servants of the devil) to crucify his sinless flesh. He wanted this flesh to be subject to death until his speedy Resurrection.


Maximus the Confessor

Maximus the Confessor – ON DIFFICULTIES IN SACRED SCRIPTURE, Question 61
Thus, just as in Adam, sin based on pleasure condemned our nature to corruption through death and signaled the “time” for our nature to be condemned to death because of its sin, so too in Christ, on the basis of His righteousness, human nature condemns sin through death and inaugurates the “time” for sin to be condemned to death because of righteousness, inasmuch as in Christ our nature has been completely stripped of birth through pleasure. For it was on account of this birth that death, like a debt owed by everyone, necessarily accompanied our condemnation, so that in Adam the very same death was the condemnation of human nature because of sin, whereas in Christ it is a condemnation of sin because of His righteousness. The one who suffers because of sin resulting in the condemnation of his nature justly endures death, whereas the one who does not suffer because of sin, but instead bestows His grace on human nature in the divine dispensation for the condemnation of sin, willingly submits to the death caused by sin in order to destroy sin. It follows, then, that because of Adam, who by his disobedience established the law of birth through pleasure and the condemnation of death that was consequently imposed on human nature, all those who received their being from Adam (according to this law of birth through pleasure) are necessarily subject—even if unwilling—to the death that is powerfully bound up with this birth and which serves to condemn our nature. Thus it was “time” for nature to be condemned because of sin, since the law of birth based on pleasure held nature in its power.

Maximus the Confessor – ON DIFFICULTIES IN SACRED SCRIPTURE, Question 62
The primal disobedience ushered in the curse through transgression, preventing the commandment from bearing fruits of righteousness, through which creation would have received the blessing. In response, He who by nature is the Blessing of God the Father placed Himself under the curse of Adam, becoming a curse upon the curse in order to oppose sin and cast down the disobedience that was increasing the growth of the fruits of unrighteousness, and at the same time to render creation barren of its growth in sin.  For according to the divine Apostle, He who loosed my curse and “took away the sin of the world” became for my sake a sin and a curse. For I was subject to two curses: the one was the fruit of my own free will, that is, sin, through which the soul’s fecundity for virtue fell to earth; the other was death, to which nature was justly condemned on account of my free will, pushing nature by necessity, and apart from its own wishes, to that place where the movement of my own free choice had sown it by the inclination of my free will. Thus God, who gave existence to the generation of nature, voluntarily took upon Himself the curse to which nature had been condemned, by which I mean death. And the curse that was also living within me on account of my free choice for sin, He slew and put to death by His own death on the cross. Thus the curse and death of my sin became the curse of my God, which prevented the transgression from progressing and producing the fruits of unrighteousness, but instead, in accordance with the commandment and divine righteousness, became a blessing and life without end.

Maximus the Confessor – ON DIFFICULTIES IN SACRED SCRIPTURE, Question 61
Therefore, death, which came about because of the transgression, was ruling powerfully over all of human nature, having as the basis of its rule the pleasure that set in motion the whole process of natural generation, which was the reason why death was imposed on our nature. But the Lord, when He became man without any unrighteous pleasure (because of which the just condemnation of death was imposed on our nature) preceding His birth in the flesh, and when He naturally willed to undergo death itself in the passibility of His human nature—obviously through the suffering of His Passion—He converted the use of death, so that henceforth in Him death would no longer be a condemnation of nature, but clearly only of sin. That is, it was not possible for death to be the condemnation of nature in one whose birth was not based on pleasure, but rather to be the destruction of the sin of the forefather, through which the fear of death held sway over the whole of human nature. For if, in Adam, death was the condemnation of his nature, inasmuch as it possesses the beginning of its own generation in pleasure, it stands to reason that, in Christ, death became the condemnation of sin, with the result that in Christ human nature has recovered a birth free of pleasure. Thus, just as in Adam, sin based on pleasure condemned our nature to corruption through death and signaled the “time” for our nature to be condemned to death because of its sin, so too in Christ, on the basis of His righteousness, human nature condemns sin through death and inaugurates the “time” for sin to be condemned to death because of righteousness, inasmuch as in Christ our nature has been completely stripped of birth through pleasure. For it was on account of this birth that death, like a debt owed by everyone, necessarily accompanied our condemnation, so that in Adam the very same death was the condemnation of human nature because of sin, whereas in Christ it is a condemnation of sin because of His righteousness. The one who suffers because of sin resulting in the condemnation of his nature justly endures death, whereas the one who does not suffer because of sin, but instead bestows His grace on human nature in the divine dispensation for the condemnation of sin, willingly submits to the death caused by sin in order to destroy sin.

Maximus the Confessor – On the Cosmic Mystery of  Jesus Christ
What I am saying is that in the beginning sin seduced Adam and persuaded him to transgress God’s commandment, whereby sin gave rise to pleasure and, by means of this pleasure, nailed itself in Adam to the very depths of our nature, thus condemning our whole human nature to death and, via humanity, pressing the nature of (all) created beings toward mortal extinction. For all this was contrived by the sower of sin and father of evil, the wicked Devil, who in his arrogance exiled himself from the glory of God and, in his envy both toward us and toward God, banished Adam from paradise in the attempt to destroy God’s handiwork and to ruin what was basic to the origin of humankind. For the Devil, utterly defiled, is jealous not only of us for the glory before God that we may attain because of our virtue, but even jealous of God him—self for the praiseworthy power he exercises over us for the sake of our salvation.


John of Damascus

John of Damascus – The Orthodox Faith, Book Three
One should, moreover, know that there are two kinds of appropriation, the one being natural and substantial and the other apparent and relative. Now, the natural and substantial is that by which the Lord out of His love for man assumed both our nature and all that was natural to it, and in nature and in truth became man and experienced the things that are natural to man. It is apparent and relative, however, when one assumes the appearance of another relatively, as out of pity or love, and in this other’s stead speaks words in his behalf which in no way concern himself. It was by this last kind of appropriation that He appropriated our curse and dereliction and such things as are not according to nature, not because He was or had been such, but because He took on our appearance and was reckoned as one of us. And such is the sense of the words, ‘being made a curse for US.’

John of Damascus – The Orthodox Faith, Book Two, Chap 27
Some of those things which do not depend upon us have their origin, or cause, in things which do depend upon us. Such are the recompenses for our deeds, which we receive both in the present world and in that to come. All the rest, however, depend upon the divine will. The creation of all things is due to God, but corruption came in afterwards due to our own wickedness and as a punishment and a help. ‘For God made not death: neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the living’; rather, it was through man, that is to say, Adam’s transgression, that death came with the other punishments. All the rest, however, are to be attributed to God. Thus, our creation is due to His creative power, our permanence to His providential power, and to His goodness the eternal enjoyment of the good things reserved for them that keep the law of nature-for which reason we were made.


St. Vincent of Lérins

St. Vincent of Lérins – The Commonitories
Indeed, when did a heresy ever boil up except under a definite name, at a definite place, and at a definite time? Who ever introduced a heresy who had not first separated from the common agreement prevailing in the universal and traditional Catholic Church? A few examples will support these statements by clearer evidence. Who, before the profane Pelagius, ever dared to attribute such power to free will as not to believe in the indispensable help of God’s grace for our good deeds in every act? Who, before his monstrous disciple, Celestius, denied that the entire human race was bound by the guilt of Adam’s transgression? Who, before the sacrilegious Arius, was audacious enough to split the Unity of the Trinity, or, before the wicked Sabellius, to confuse the Trinity of the Unity?

2 thoughts on “Additional Quotes by the Fathers on the Fall and Redemption”

  1. What does it mean “For just as he died in Adam” in the 27th festal letter of St Cyril? Does he mean that Christ died in Adam?

  2. Steven, it is likely St. Cyril was speaking about the Prophet Habakkuk. In the paragraph before, St. Cyril writes:

    “For it was possible then to find the prophet Habakkuk sharing what he had to say on the occasion of this miracle, and in-
    deed crying out, ‘Lord, I heard the report of you and was afraid. I considered your deeds and was amazed.'”

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