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Theophilus to Autolycus

Theophilus of Antioch

Book 2 · Chapter 26

About this work

Three books addressed to a pagan friend defending the invisible God, creation, resurrection, Christian morality, and the antiquity of the Hebrew Scriptures against Greco-Roman religion and literature.

Author: Theophilus of Antioch
Date: c. AD 180–185
Origin: Antioch
Genre: Apology

Chapter XXVI.—God’s Goodness in Expelling Man from Paradise.

And God showed great kindness to man in

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 25 Book 2 · Chapter 27 ›

this

,

that

He

did

not

suffer

him

to

remain

in

sin

for

ever

;

but

,

as

it

were

,

by

a

kind

of

banishment

,

cast

him

out

of

Paradise

,

in

order

that

,

having

by

punishment

expiated

,

within

an

appointed

time

,

the

sin

,

and

having

been

disciplined

,

he

should

afterwards

be

restored

.

Wherefore

also

,

when

man

had

been

formed

in

this

world

,

it

is

mystically

written

in

Genesis

,

as

if

he

had

been

twice

placed

in

Paradise

;

so

that

the

one

was

fulfilled

when

he

was

placed

there

,

and

the

second

will

be

fulfilled

after

the

resurrection

and

judgment

.

For

just

as

a

vessel

,

when

on

being

fashioned

it

has

some

flaw

,

is

remoulded

or

remade

,

that

it

may

become

new

and

entire

;

so

also

it

happens

to

man

by

death

.

For

somehow

or

other

he

is

broken

up

,

that

he

may

rise

in

the

resurrection

whole

;

I

mean

spotless

,

and

righteous

,

and

immortal

.

And

as

to

God’s

calling

,

and

saying

,

Where

art

thou

,

Adam

?

God

did

this

,

not

as

if

ignorant

of

this

;

but

,

being

long

-

suffering

,

He

gave

him

an

opportunity

of

repentance

and

confession

.