The Grant County herald. (Big Stone City, Grant County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1883, 1879-09-27
lrenaus, Eve and the Virgin Mary

lrenaus, Eve and the Virgin Mary.
| British Quarterly Review.
In regard to the Interpretation of the
| Old Test lament, 1t must be admitted that,
in accordance with the custom of his
times, lrengus gave the relns to his
Imagination, indulging in the most un-
constrained observation Of analogles to
Christian doctrines. And for this he ad-
duces the authority of the ancient pres
byter he SO often quotes. From him he
learned not to reproach the patriarchs
and prophets with those sins for which
the Scriptures reproves them, for they
we're remitted by the advent Of Christ,
while in regard to those which the Scrip
lures only mention, but do not blame,
We should not impute sin, but seek a
type, for none of these are idly told, or
| without some spiritual significance. The
| wonder IS that when his adversaries
| sought to establish their views by arbi-
trary allegorical interpretations. he did
not see that in indulging himself in such
| interpretations, which were also arbritra-
ry, he was not helping rather than OPP
posing them. To one of his analogies
We shall advert particularly, as has been
recently supposed to present some
thing forshadowing the doctrine of
the Immaculate Conception. We mean
the analogy between the circum-
! stances oi Ewes temptation and
cum annunciation Of the Virgin Mary.
lrcn9us was not singular in his day in ob-
| serving this analogy, which is in some re-
spects SO obllvious, that II has at all times
! been noticed even by those who have
| failed TO perceive any special doctrnal
| significance in ii. We shall translate the
| words ef irengus rs nearly as we can from
the edition OF the jesuit Feuarient
when the Lord was coming to his own,
| His own creature bearing Him which was
| borne by Himself, and was making re-
| Icapltulatlon OF that dIsobedience. which
was IN respect to !. tiee4g that obedience
| which was Oh the tree that seduction being
undene by which The Virgin Eve, already
/ destined To a husband, was ill-sedueed.
| the Virgin Mary, alrcady hctrotlri TO d
| husband, Was vel cyangelized through
the truth by an angel For as the one
WAS seiuctd by the discourse ot ai angel,
that she might get rid Of God, going
contrary to his word so fhc other,
by tho discourse Of an angel was
evangellzed, that SHE might beart ,od, be
ing obedlent 10 his word. And - the one
was seducca that she might get lii of God
so til other was persuaded to Abey Goo
OF the Virgin Eve the Virgin Mary might
| become the advocate, mo doubt, parakle-
| tOs, counselor, is meant ! and as tile human
race was bound TO death by means ai a
virgin, by means OF avirgn il nigh, he
loosed, virginia. disobedience being bal
anclng an even scale By virginia. obedience
For til" sin heretofore Of the first created
was receiving emendation by the chastise-
ment of the first begotten, the wisdom OF
the serpent being yanquished in the SIM
pllclty of the dove, while the bonds were
united by which We were bound to death. .
Inc same analogy is drawn out less con-
cisely IN iii.33. There are, however, a
few differences. The assumption that
| Eve was Il virgin at the time Of the tall is
there justified by another pure assum D.
ton, that the newly y-forned couple were
as yet immature. The Virgin Mary, by
/ her obedience, became cause Of salvation,
as Eve, by disobedicnce, became cause
Of death The obedience, however, is
represented as consequence OF plcdesti-
nation, which has clang Of Calvanism
about il which seems strange in so great
an advocate OF free will as our author
was. Goo predistinated the animal man
| first, 10 wit, that he might be saved by
! the spiritual man. As the Saviour pre-
existed, it behooved that what might be
| saved should be created, that the word
| Saviour should not he void of
meaning. Consequently the Virgin
/ Mary is found obedicnt, saying. "Be it
unto me according to my word" This
seems to negative the idea of any merit
on her part. Ii She Is said to have oosed
through faith what Eve had bound
through unbelicf, the way in which the
untying Of the knot is explained implies
/ that Mary was herself entangled in the
knot in "A manner quite inconsistent with
!, the notion in reference to which the an
alogy Is relied on The recircling back
Of Mary upon Eve is faneifully illustrated
/ by the ioosng Of what is tied into 4 knot.
Tits can only be effected by tile turning
back OF one of the tastenings into anoth,
er, whereby there is a loosening Of the
knotted cords. Mary must therefore
| have been herself entangled in the knot
united l-y her being turncl back upon
| Eve.