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Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

4.

What does Faustus find strange in the curse pronounced on sin, on death, and on human mortality, which Christ had on account of man's sin, though He Himself was sinless? Christ's body was derived from Adam, for His mother the Virgin Mary was a child of Adam. But God said in Paradise, "On the day that ye eat, ye shall surely die." This is the curse which hung on the tree. A man may deny that Christ was cursed who denies that He died. But the man who believes that Christ died, and acknowledges that death is the fruit of sin, and is itself called sin, will understand who it is that is cursed by Moses, when he hears the apostle saying "For our old man is crucified with Him." ¹ The apostle boldly says of Christ, "He was made a curse for us;" for he could also venture to say, "He died for all." "He died," and "He was cursed," are the same. Death is the effect of the curse; and all sin is cursed, whether it means the action which merits punishment, or the punishment which follows. Christ, though guiltless, took our punishment, that He might cancel our guilt, and do away with our punishment.

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Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

4.

Quid ergo miratur Faustus maledictum esse peccatum, maledictam esse mortem, maledictam esse mortalitatem carnis sine peccato Christi, ex peccato tamen hominis etiam in Christo factam? Ex Adam quippe corpus assumpsit, quia ex Adam virgo Maria, quae peperit Christum. Dixerat autem deus in paradiso: Qua die tetigeritis, morte moriemini. Hoc est maledictum, quod pependit in ligno. p. 406,1 Ille neget Christum maledictum, qui negat et mortuum; qui autem confitetur et mortuum et negare non potest mortem de peccato esse et ob hoc etiam ipsam peccatum vocari, audiat apostolum dicentem: Quoniam vetus homo noster simul cum illo crucifixus est, et intellegat, quem maledictum Moyses dixerit, ideoque securus apostolus ait de Christo: Factus est pro nobis maledictum, sicut non timuit dicere: Pro omnibus mortuus est. Hoc est enim mortuus est, quod Vmaledictus*, quoniam mors ipsa ex maledicto est et maledictum est omne peccatum, sive ipsum, quod fit, ut sequatur supplicium, sive ipsum supplicium, quod alio modo vocatur peccatum, quia fit ex peccato. Suscepit autem Christus sine reatu supplicium nostrum, ut inde solveret reatum nostrum et finiret etiam supplicium nostrum.