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Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching
St Irenaeus of Lyons, tr. Robinson, 1920
Chapter 13
And, whilst man dwelt in Paradise, God brought before him all living things and commanded him to give names to them all; and1 whatsoever Adam called a living soul, that was its name. And He determined also to make a helper for the man: for thus God said, It is not good for2 the man to be alone: let us make for him a helper meet for him.3 For among all the other living things there was not found a helper equal and comparable and like to Adam. But God Himself cast a trance upon Adam and made him sleep; and,4 that work might be accomplished from work, since there was no sleep in Paradise, this was brought upon Adam by the will of God; and God took one of Adam’s ribs and filled up the flesh in its place, and the rib which He took He builded into a woman; 5 and so He brought her to Adam; and he seeing (her) said: This is now bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh: she shall be called woman, because she was taken from her husband.
Notes
- Gen. ii. 19.
- Gen. ii. 18.
- As LXX, κατ᾽ αὐτόν.
- Gen. ii. 21 ff.
- As LXX, ᾠκοδόμησεν . . . εἰς γυναῖκα.