The Literal Meaning of Genesis
BOOK TEN 125
CHAPTER 20
Even if traducianism ts true, the soul of Christ was not transmitted from the soul of Adam.
35. At this point the defenders of traducianism come forth and say that their theory has been established if it is clear that Levi, even according to the soul, was in the loins of Abraham, in whose person he paid tithes to Melchizedek, so that the case of Christ can be distinguished from his in the matter of the tithes. For Christ did not pay tithes, and yet He was in the loins of Abraham according to the flesh, and so it follows that He was not there according to the soul. Hence, the conclusion is that Levi was there according to the soul.
This does not trouble me, for I am more willing to continue listening to arguments on both sides than to establish one of the two theories at this time. Meanwhile, it was my wish with this evidence from Scripture to show that the soul of Christ was not generated from the original human soul. Others will perhaps find what they must say about the rest of human souls. They may say—and this argument has some weight with me—that although no man's soul is in the loins of his father, nevertheless, Levi, being in the loins of Abraham according to the flesh, paid tithes; and Christ, being there according to the flesh, did not pay tithes.
Now, Levi was there according to the seminal reason by which he was destined to enter his mother on the occasion of carnal union; but not by such a reason was the flesh of Christ there, although the flesh of Mary was there according to such a reason. Therefore, neither Levi nor Christ was in the loins of Abraham according to the soul. According to the flesh, however, both Levi and Christ were there; but Levi according to carnal concupiscence, Christ solely according to His corporeal substance. Since in a seed there are both the visible corporeal germ and the invisible formative principle, both of these came from Abraham, or even from Adam, to the body of Mary, which was conceived and born in that manner. Christ, however, assumed the visible substance of the flesh from the flesh of the