baptism, the two sacraments that as it were constitute the Church; but Augustine here seems to
Book II 97 consort the Church might be formed for him. Of this falling asleep the prophet sings as he says: lfell asleep and took my rest (Ps 3:5). So then the Church was formed for him as his consort from his side, that is, from faith in his death and in baptism, because his side was pierced with a lance and poured out blood and water.53 He was made, however, as I have just remarked,/rom the seed ofDavid according to theflesh, as the apostle says, that is, as though from the mud of the earth when there was no man to work on the earth, because no man "worked" on the Virgin ofwhom Christ was born. But a spring was coming upfrom the earth, and was watering all theface of the earth (Gn 2:6). lt is entirely appropriate and right to take the face of the earth, that is, the dignity and worth of the earth, as being the Lord's mother the Virgin Mary, watered by the Holy Spirit, who is given the name of spring and water in the gospel;54 so that from that kind of mud, as it were, that man might be made who was set up in paradise to work there and guard it—that is, set up in the will of his Father to fulfill it and keep it.
Heretics, especially Manichees, prophetically signified by the serpent
25. 38. The instruction which he received, after all, we too received in him, because every Christian not inappropriately represents the person and plays the part ofChrist, seeing that the Lord says himself: Whatyou did to one of the least ofmineyou did to me (Mt 25:40). And ifonly we didjust enjoy, as he was told to, the fruit of every tree in Paradise, which all together signify spiritual delights: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faith fulness, gentleness, and self-control, as the apostle says, and did not touch the tree of knowledge of good and evil planted in the middle of Paradise, did not want, that is, to be over-proud of our own nature, which as we have already remarked is just a mid-point in the scheme of things! lf only, that is, we hadn't been led astray and so learned by bitter experience what the difference is between single-minded Catholic faith and the deceptions of heretics! That, you see, is how we came to distinguish between good and evil. For there also have to be heresies, he says, so that those who are ofapproved worth among you may show up (I Cor 11:19).
For indeed in terms of prophecy that serpent signifies the various heretical poisons, and above all the one of these Manichees, and any others which are opposed to the Old Testament. l am convinced, you see, that nothing is more manifestly foreshadowed in that serpent than this crew—or rather that it is he
53. See Jn 19:34. The blood has traditionally been taken to represent the eucharist, and the water baptism, the two sacraments that as it were constitute the Church; but Augustine here seems to take them both as signifying baptism, no doubt having 1 John 5:6 in mind: This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not in water onh but in water and blood. 54. See Jn 7:37-39; 4:14.