Victory over evil through the New Adam and the New Eve

St. Bonaventure emphasized the traditional parallel between Eve and Mary, and explained how both Jesus and Mary repaired the sin of Adam and Eve:

"As the fall happened through both sexes – the sin was initiated by the woman, and consumed by the man – so in the mystery of reparation, the woman, believing and conceiving, began in secret the victory over the devil, and then her Son fulfilled the victory publicly ...on the cross." (in III Sententiarum, d 12, a 3).

St. Bonaventure pushes further the parallel between Eve and Mary with a parallel between Eve and the Church:

"As Abel and his descendants were formed from Adam and Eve, so from Christ and his Church the whole Christian people is formed. And as Eve is the mother of Abel and of us all, so the Christian people have the Virgin as their mother." (De Donis Spiritus Sancti, collectio 6, 14 and 20)

Saint Bonaventure

And also