The Literal Meaning of Genesis
iii2 THE LITERAL MEANING OF GENESIS
It is not without reason that Adam himself by a marvelous inspiration then gave the name Life to his wife saying, for she ts the mother of all the living.'*° These words, indeed, are not a statement or declaration of the author, but they are to be taken as the words of the first man himself. In saying for she is the mother of all the living, he seems to give a reason for the name he has conferred on her, explaining why he called her Life?
CHAPTER 39
The garments of skin; the condemnation of man's pride.
52. And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and hts wife and clothed them.\*? This was done for the sake of a symbolic meaning, but nonetheless it was done; and similarly the words which were spoken for the sake of a symbolic meaning were nonetheless spoken. I have often said, and I do not hesitate to say it again and again, that we must demand of the author of a historical narrative that his account contain the events that actually occurred and the words that were actually spoken.'49 Now in considering an event, we ask what happened and what it signifies; and in like manner, in considering words, we ask what was said and what it signifies. For we must not take as figurative the fact that something was said, whether what is said has a figurative or literal meaning.'**
53. And God said: "Behold Adam has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil."'*5 Now by whatever means or in whatever manner God spoke, it is certainly true that He said this; and therefore in the expression one of Us the plural reference must be to the Trinity, as was true in the expression Let Us make mankind,'4® just as the Lord also referred to Himself and the Father in the expression We will come to him and make Our abode with him. +47
God, then, replied to man's proud ambition, showing the results of man's desire for what the Devil had suggested in the words You will be like gods. Behold, God said, Adam has become like one of Us. God spoke these words not so much to heap oppro-