The Literal Meaning of Genesis
BOOK ELEVEN 165 gels and by their participation in eternity preserves them from corruption.
When Adam and Eve, therefore, lost their privileged state, their bodies became subject to disease and death, like the bodies of animals, and consequently subject to the same drive by which there is in animals a desire to copulate and thus provide for offspring to take the place of those that die. Nevertheless, even in its punishment the rational soul gave evidence of its innate nobility when it blushed because of the animal movement of the members of its body and when it imparted to it a sense of shame, not only because it began to experience something where there had been no such feeling before, but also because this movement of which it was ashamed came from the violation of the divine command. In this, man realized with what grace he had previously been clothed when he experienced nothing indecent in his nakedness. Then was accomplished the saying of the Psalmist, O Lord, by Thy favor Thou hast given strength to my beauty; but Thou hast turned away Thy face, and I have become troubled.\\4
Finally, in this troubled state they hastened to get fig leaves, they sewed aprons together, and, because they had abandoned what was to their glory, they hid what was to their shame. But I do not think they had anything particular in mind in using fig leaves as if they were especially appropriate for covering the parts of the body affected by lust; but rather I believe that in their troubled state it was by an instinct deep within them that they were impelled to do this, with the result that in spite of their ignorance they would emphasize this aspect of their punishment, and thus this action would reveal the sinner and the narrative of it would instruct the reader.'!°
CHAPTER 33
The voice of the Lord God as He walked in Paradise.
43. And they heard the voice of the Lord God as He walked in Paradise in the late afternoon.'\© This had been the hour when God