The Fall of Man.
But the grace and gifts of the Spirit were given to the first
man from outside. Therefore it was possible for them to be lost, and indeed man
did lose them at the Fall. Man turned away from the contemplation of God, ceased
his intellectual striving toward Him, mid became shut up in himself, giving
himself over to "self-consideration." It was then that passions and desires
flared up in trim, and his life disintegrated and became fragmented. People fell
into "self-love" and the soul turned from the intellectual to the corporeal,
forgetting that it had been made in the image of God, Who is good. The soul
"turned its thoughts to that which does not exist," gave it form, and thus
became the inventor of evil. For evil is nothingness. It has no example for
itself in God and is derived by human reasoning. The multitude of corporeal
desires which crowded together in the soul hid the mirror it contained by Which
it could and should have seen the image of the Father. The soul no longer saw or
contemplated the God of the Word, in Whose image it was created, but gave its
thoughts to a variety of things and saw only what was subject to the senses.
This was the intoxication and bewilderment of the mind.
By breaking God's commandments the first man was deprived of
the light of intellect and was returned to his "natural condition." He became
the slave of the "natural" law of decay. Man's mind turned to vanities and was
poisoned by sensual desires, and humanity was lost in the darkness of
paganism.
Grace and the Renewal of Creation.
At the Fall man was impoverished and nature was deprived of
grace. In this way it became necessary for a "reunion," a "renewal of creation,
"which was created in the image of God," to take place. The lost grace of God's
image had to be restored. The as the Creator or Demiurge, had to "take on
Himself the renewal of creation." And this was accomplished. "The Word became
flesh." The Word assumed human nature which, while being similar to our nature,
was enlightened and freed from weaknesses that are natural to it. "In this same
way a straw, if it is covered by asbestos to oppose the action of fire, will no
longer be afraid of fire, since it is safe in its nonflammable covering."
Although it is condemned to decay "by its essence," human
nature was created and called to immortality. Indirect participation in the
Word, which had existed from the beginning, was insufficient to preserve
creation from decay. Repentance and forgiveness would be adequate only if
transgression were not followed by decay, for "repentance does not lead man out
of his natural condition, but only stops sin." Death, however, had become
established in the body and had taken power over it.
God, of course, is omnipotent and could have driven death from
the world with a single command, but this would not have healed man, who had
become accustomed to disobedience. It would not have been in accord with divine
justice. Such a complete forgiveness would show the power of the one who ordered
it but man would remain the same as Adam, and once again grace would be given to
him from outside. In that case the possibility of a new Fall would not be
excluded. But through the Incarnation of the Word grace was given to humanity
immutably. It became inalienable and remains with man constantly. The Word was
clothed in a body in order to dress the body anew in life, in order to preserve
it from decay not only externally but also to truly join the body to life. In
this way "the body is clothed in the incorporeal Word of God and thus no longer
fears death or decay, for it has life as a robe and decay is destroyed in
it."
The Word was in the world from the beginning. As if the world
were some large body, the Word gave it life and order. It was fitting for the
Word to also appear in a human body and give life to it as well. The image of
the Word was already outlined on man but when it became dirty and invisible "it
was fitting to restore it." This was accomplished by the Incarnation of the
Word.
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