“Eve was seduced by the word of the [fallen] angel and transgressed God’s word so that she fled from Him. In the same way, [Mary] was evangelised by the word of an angel and obeyed God’s word, so that she carried Him [within her]. And while the former was seduced into disobeying God, the latter was persuaded to obey God, so the virgin Mary became an advocate (advocata) of the virgin Eve. And just as the human race was bound to death because of a virgin, so it was set free from death by a Virgin since the disobedience of one virgin was counterbalanced by a Virgin’s obedience. If, then, the first-made man’s sin was mended by the right conduct of the firstborn Son of [God], and if the chains that held us bound to death have been broken, then the heretics are fools; they are ignorant of God’s economy, and they are unaware of His economy for [the salvation of] man.”
Irenaeus of Lyon, Adversus haereses 5, 19; PG 7, 1175-76
“Adam had to be recapitulated in Christ so that death might be swallowed up in immortality, and Eve [had to be recapitulated] in Mary, so that the Virgin, having become another virgin’s advocate, might destroy and abolish one virgin’s disobedience by the obedience of another virgin”
Irenaeus of Lyon, Proof of the Apostolic Preaching 33, SC 62, 83-86
If you are interested in more quotes on Virgin Mary, you can find them in Mary and the Fathers of the Church on Amazon in both in Kindle and paperback formats.
Reference:
Gambero, L., 1999. Mary and the Fathers of the Church 1st ed. Translated by Buffer, T., San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
