And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. And the LORD God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. Genesis 2:16-19
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:45
For [Adam] showed his repentance by his conduct, through means of the girdle [which he used], covering himself with fig-leaves, while there were many other leaves, which would have irritated his body in a less degree. He, however, adopted a dress conformable to his disobedience, being awed by the fear of God; and resisting the erring, the lustful propensity of his flesh. Irenaeus (A.D. 180) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.1 pg.457
Now Adam had been conquered, all life having been taken away from him: wherefore, when the foe was conquered in his turn, Adam received new life; and the last enemy, death, is destroyed, which at the first had taken possession of man. Therefore, when man has been liberated, "what is written shall come to pass, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death where is thy victory? O death where is thy sting?" This could not be said with justice, if that man, over whom death did first obtain dominion, were not set free. For his salvation is death's destruction. When therefore the Lord quickens man, that is, Adam, death is at the same time destroyed. Irenaeus (A.D. 180) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.1 pg.457
But he did not know God's power. Thus also do those who disallow Adam's salvation gain nothing, except this, that they render themselves heretics and apostates from the truth, and show themselves patrons of the serpent and of death. Irenaeus (A.D. 180) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.1 pg. 458
In the beginning, therefore, did God form Adam, not as if He stood in need of man, but that He might have [some one] upon whom to confer His benefits. Irenaeus (A.D. 180) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.1 pg. 478
"But that is not first which is spiritual," says the apostle, speaking this as if with reference to us human beings; "but that is first which is animal, afterwards that which is spiritual," in accordance with reason. For there had been a necessity that, in the first place, a human being should be fashioned, and that what was fashioned should receive the soul; afterwards that it should thus receive the communion of the Spirit. Wherefore also "the first Adam was made" by the Lord "a living soul, the second Adam a quickening spirit." As, then, he who was made a living soul forfeited life when he turned aside to what was evil, so, on the other hand, the same individual, when he reverts to what is good, and receives the quickening Spirit, shall find life. Irenaeus (A.D. 180) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.1 pg.538
Adam readily chose what was wrong, following his wife. So he neglected what is true and good. On which account he exchanged his immortal life for a mortal life – but not forever. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 195) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.369
Adam was perfect as far as his formation. … So the cause [of his sin] lay in his choosing – his choosing what was forbidden. God was not the cause. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 195) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.437
The question propounded to us by the heretics is: Was Adam created perfect or imperfect? If imperfect, how could the work of a perfect God … be imperfect? And if Adam was created perfect, how did he transgress the commandment? They shall hear from us in reply that he was not perfect [or complete] at his creation. Rather, he was adapted to the reception of virtue. … For God created man for immortality and made him an image of His own nature. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 195) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.502
God did not actually curse Adam and Eve, because they were candidates for restoration. That is because they had been relieved by confession. Tertullian (A.D. 198) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.3 pg. 317
Since Adam was a figure of Christ, Adam’s sleep foreshadowed the death of Christ (who was to sleep a mortal slumber). Similarly, the church, the true mother of the living, was pictured by the wound inflicted on His side. Tertullian (A.D. 198) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.3 pg.222
God, having made man, … placed him in Paradise – that is, in a most fruitful and pleasant garden. He planted the garden in the regions of the east with every kind of wood and tree. This was so that man could be nourished by their various fruits. Being free from all labors, man could devote himself entirely to the service of God his Father. Then He gave to man fixed commands, by the observance of which he might continue immortal. Or, if he transgressed them, he would be punished with death. Lactantius (A.D. 304-313) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.7 pg. 62
SEE ALSO: FALL OF MAN, FREE WILL
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Early Christian Dictionary (AD 30 - AD300)
Read freely text sermons and articles from Early Christian Dictionary in text and pdf format. The purpose of any dictionary is to define words and terms. By making use of close to 2,000 quotes from more than 30 different early church writers over a time span of three centuries dating before the time of Constantine, The Early Christian Dictionary lets the early Christians redefine some of the more important Bible concepts. After some investigation, you will probably find their understanding of scripture to be radically different than your own. You may find answers to many questions you�ve always had. The scriptures may come alive to you as you learn to walk in new light.Or you may decide not to put any reliance on their definitions at all. Even so you must remember that every time you pick up your bible you still rely on the Early Christian writers. That�s because they decided what books to include or not include in the New Testament canon that you use. And after all, if you find you have a serious conflict with the writings of men like Polycarp, you still have to grapple with the fact the these men were favored by both the Lord and the Apostles, and proven faithful even unto death. These are not new truths challenging your old ideas, these are old truths challenging your new ideas.