Dist. 21
Book II: On the Creation of Things · Distinction 21
DISTINCTIO XXI.
Cap. I.
De invidia diaboli, qua ad tentandum accessit.
« Videns igitur diabolus, hominem per obedientiae humilitatem posse ascendere, unde ipse per superbiam corruerat, invidit ei; et qui prius per superbiam fuerat diabolus, id est deorsum lapsus, zelo invidiae factus est satan, id est adversarius. Unde et mulierem tentavit, in qua minus quam in viro rationem vigere novit1 ». « Eius enim malitia, ad tentandam virtutem timida2, humanam naturam in ea parte, ubi debilior videbatur, aggressa est, ut si forte illic aliquatenus praevaleret, postmodum fiducialius ad alteram, quae
robustior fuit, pulsandam vel potius subvertendam accederet. Primum igitur solitariam feminam exploravit, ut in ea primum omnem suae tentationis vim experiretur ».
Cap. II.
De forma, in qua venit.
« Sed quia illi per violentiam nocere non poterat, ad fraudem se convertit, ut dolo hominem supplantaret, quem virtute superare nequiret. Ne autem fraus illius nimis manifestaretur, in sua specie non venit, ne aperte cognosceretur et ita repelleretur. Iterum, ne nimis occulta foret fraus eius, quae caveri non posset, et homo simul videretur iniuriam pati, si taliter circumveniri permitteret eum Deus, ut praecavere non posset; in aliena quidem forma venire permissus est diabolus, sed in tali, in qua eius malitia facile posset deprehendi. Ut igitur in propria forma non veniret, voluntate sua factum est; ut autem in forma suae malitiae congruenti veniret, divinitus factum est. Venit ergo ad hominem in serpente, qui forte, si permitteretur, in columbae specie venire maluisset. Sed non erat dignum, ut spiritus malignus illam formam homini odiosam faceret, in qua Spiritus sanctus appariturus erat ». « Non ergo nisi per serpentem tentare permissus fuit diabolus, ut per illud quod foris erat, astutiam tentantis animadvertere femina quiret ». Diabolus enim per serpentem tentabat, in quo loquebatur.
Cap. III.
De calliditate serpentis.
Ideoque serpens dictus est esse callidior cunctis animantibus terrae, quia, ut ait Augustinus3, « mali angeli, licet superbia deiecti, natura tamen sunt excellentiores omnibus bestiis propter eminentiam rationis »; « quamvis serpens non rationali anima, sed spiritu diabolico possit sapientissimus dici ». « Non ergo mirum, si diabolus, spiritu suo implens serpentem, sicut vates implebat, sapientissimum reddiderat omnium bestiarum; quem tamen ad tentandum non elegit diabolus, sed per quod animal permissus fuit tentavit ».
Cap. IV.
Utrum elegerit serpentem, ut per eum tentaret diabolus.
Unde Augustinus super Genesim: « Non est putandum, quod diabolus serpentem, per quem tentaret, elegerit, sed cum decipere cuperet, non potuit, nisi per quod animal posse permissus est. Nocendi enim voluntas inest cuique a se, sed potestas a Deo4 ». « Sic autem loquebatur diabolus per serpentem ignorantem, sicut per energumenos vel fanaticos loquitur. Serpente enim velut organo est usus, movens naturam eius ad exprimendos sonos verborum et signa, quibus suam monstraret voluntatem. Serpens ergo nec verba intelligebat nec rationalis est factus; callidissimus tamen dictus est propter astutiam diaboli ». « Locutus est autem sicut asina Balaam5; sed hoc diabolicum, illud angelicum fuit; boni enim et mali angeli similiter operantur ».
« Hic quaeri solet: quare mulier non horruit serpentem? Quia, cum noverit creatum esse, etiam6 officium loquendi a Deo accepisse putavit.
Cap. V.
De modo tentationis.
« Tentatio autem hoc modo facta est ». « Stans coram femina hostis superbus non audet in verba persuasionis exire, metuens deprehendi; sed sub interrogatione eam aggreditur, ut ex responsione colligeret, qualiter in malitia procedere posset. Cur, inquit, praecepit vobis Deus, ut non comederetis de omni ligno paradisi? Cui respondit mulier: De fructu lignorum, quae sunt in paradiso, vescimur; de fructu vero ligni, quod est in medio paradisi, praecepit nobis Deus, ne comederemus et ne tangeremus, ne forte moriamur7. In quo verbo dedit locum tentanti, cum dixit, ne forte moriamur; unde mox diabolus dixit ad mulierem: Nequaquam moriemini; scit enim Deus, quod in quocumque die comederitis ex eo, aperientur oculi vestri, et eritis sicut dii, scientes bonum, et malum. Attende ordinem ac progressum humanae perditionis. Primo Deus dixerat: Quocumque die comederitis ex eo, morte moriemini. Deinde mulier dixit: Ne forte moriamur. Novissime serpens dixit: Nequaquam moriemini. Deus affirmavit, mulier quasi ambigendo illud dixit, diabolus negavit; quae igitur dubitavit, ab affirmante recessit et neganti appropinquavit ».
Qui ad suam persuasionem pleniter suffulciendam, id est, ut malum, quod intendebat, libere persuaderet, « et malum, quod mulier timuit, negando removit, et repromissionem addidit, et ut eius persuasio citius reciperetur, promissionem duplicavit. Unam nempe comestionem suadens, duo in praemio proposuit, similitudinem Dei scientiamque boni et mali spondens. Ubi tribus modis hominem tentavit, scilicet gula in persuasione cibi, cum dixit: In quocumque die comederitis; inani gloria in promissione deitatis, cum dixit: Eritis sicut dii; avaritia in promissione scientiae, cum dixit: Scientes bonum et malum. Gula est immoderata cibi aviditas, vana gloria amor propriae excellentiae, avaritia immoderata habendi cupiditas, quae non est tantum pecuniae, sed etiam altitudinis et scientiae, cum supra modum sublimitas ambitur8 ».
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DISTINCTION XXI.
Chapter I.
On the envy of the devil, by which he came to tempt.
“Seeing therefore that man could ascend by the humility of obedience to that place from which he himself had fallen through pride, the devil envied him; and he who was first diabolus through pride, that is, one fallen downward, was made satan, that is, adversary, through the zeal of envy. Hence also he tempted the woman, in whom he knew reason to flourish less than in the man1.” “For his malice, being timid about tempting virtue2, assailed human nature in that part where it seemed weaker, so that if perchance he prevailed there in some measure, afterwards he might approach with greater confidence to assail and rather to overthrow the other,
which was more robust. First, therefore, he sounded out the solitary woman, that in her he might first try the whole force of his temptation.”
Chapter II.
On the form in which he came.
“But because he could not harm him by violence, he turned to fraud, that he might supplant man by guile, whom he could not overcome by strength. Now lest his fraud be too manifest, he did not come in his own form, lest he be openly recognized and so be repelled. Again, lest his fraud be too hidden — which then could not be guarded against, and man at the same time would seem to suffer injustice, if God permitted him to be deceived in such a way that he could not foresee it — the devil was permitted to come in an alien form, but in such a one in which his malice could easily be detected. Therefore that he should not come in his own form was done by his own will; that he should come in a form fitting his malice was done by divine arrangement. He came therefore to man in a serpent, who perhaps, if it had been permitted, would have preferred to come in the form of a dove. But it was not fitting that the malign spirit should make that form hateful to man in which the Holy Spirit was to appear.” “Therefore the devil was permitted to tempt only through the serpent, so that through that which was outward the woman might perceive the cunning of the tempter.” For the devil tempted through the serpent, in which he was speaking.
Chapter III.
On the cunning of the serpent.
Therefore the serpent is said to be more cunning than all the animals of the earth, because, as Augustine says3, “the evil angels, although cast down by pride, are nevertheless by nature more excellent than all beasts on account of the eminence of reason”; “although the serpent, not by a rational soul but by the diabolical spirit, can be called most wise.” “It is no wonder, then, if the devil, filling the serpent with his own spirit (as he filled the soothsayers), made him the wisest of all beasts; yet the devil did not choose him to tempt, but tempted through that animal which he was permitted to.”
Chapter IV.
Whether the devil chose the serpent, that he might tempt through it.
Hence Augustine, on Genesis: “It is not to be supposed that the devil chose the serpent through which he tempted; but since he desired to deceive, he could not, except through that animal through which he was permitted to be able. For the will to do harm is in each one from himself, but the power is from God4.” “Now the devil spoke through the unknowing serpent just as he speaks through the possessed or the frenzied. For he used the serpent as an organ, moving its nature to express the sounds of words and signs, by which he might make known his will. Therefore the serpent neither understood the words nor was made rational; yet he is called most cunning on account of the cunning of the devil.” “He spoke moreover as Balaam’s ass5; but the latter was diabolical, the former angelic; for good and evil angels operate in like manner.”
“Here it is usually asked: why was the woman not horrified at the serpent? Because, since she knew it to be a creature, she supposed it had also6 received the office of speaking from God.”
Chapter V.
On the manner of the temptation.
“The temptation was carried out in this manner.” “The proud enemy, standing before the woman, does not dare to enter into words of persuasion, fearing to be detected; but he attacks her under the form of a question, that from the answer he might gather how he might proceed in his malice. Why, he said, did God command you not to eat of every tree of paradise? To whom the woman replied: Of the fruit of the trees which are in paradise, we feed; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God commanded us that we should not eat, and that we should not touch, lest perhaps we die7. In which word she gave place to the tempter, when she said, lest perhaps we die; whence presently the devil said to the woman: You shall not die the death; for God doth know that in whatever day you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Attend to the order and progress of human ruin. First God had said: In whatever day you shall eat thereof, you shall die the death. Then the woman said: Lest perhaps we die. Last the serpent said: You shall not die the death. God affirmed; the woman as it were doubting said the same; the devil denied. She therefore who had doubted withdrew from the one affirming and drew near to the one denying.”
He, in order to support his persuasion more fully — that is, in order freely to persuade the evil he intended — “both removed the evil which the woman feared by denying it, and added a counter-promise, and, that his persuasion might be received the more quickly, he doubled the promise. Persuading one act of eating, he set forth two things in reward: likeness to God and the knowledge of good and evil. Here he tempted man in three ways, namely by gluttony in the persuasion of food, when he said: In whatever day you shall eat thereof; by vainglory in the promise of deity, when he said: You shall be as gods; by avarice in the promise of knowledge, when he said: Knowing good and evil. Gluttony is the immoderate appetite for food, vainglory is the love of one’s own excellence, avarice is the immoderate desire for having — which is not only of money, but also of high status and of knowledge, when sublimity is sought beyond measure8.”
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- Hugo, Sum. Sent. tr. 3. c. 4. Ex hoc capitulo nec non ex seq. atque ex eiusdem libro I. de Sacram. p. VII. c. 4, 6, 9, 3, Magister sumsit quae sequuntur usque ad finem dist.Hugh (of St. Victor), Summa Sententiarum tr. 3, c. 4. From this chapter as well as the following one, and from the same author’s book I On the Sacraments part VII, cc. 4, 6, 9, 3, the Master has taken what follows down to the end of the distinction.
- Alluditur ad Sap. 17, 10: Cum sit enim timida nequitia.Allusion to Wisdom 17:10: For wickedness, being timid…
- Libr. XI. de Gen. ad lit. c. 2. n. 4. Quae sequuntur usque in cap. V. excerpta sunt ex eodem loco, c. 2, 3, 27, 28, 29.(Augustine), Book XI On Genesis according to the Letter c. 2, n. 4. What follows down to chapter V is excerpted from the same place, cc. 2, 3, 27, 28, 29.
- Cod. Erl. adnotat: Illud in Glossa ad Gen. 3, 1. et non in Augustino [scil. quoad verba]. — In eadem Glossa inveniuntur plura alia, quae a Magistro hic afferuntur.Codex Erl. notes: That is in the Gloss on Gen. 3:1 and not in Augustine [namely as to the wording]. — In the same Gloss are found many other things which the Master here adduces.
- Num. 22, 28.Numbers 22:28.
- Vat. contra codd. et edd. 1, 3, 5 praemittit etiam, et paulo superius post boni omittit enim.The Vatican edition, against the codices and editions 1, 3, 5, prefixes etiam (“also”), and a little above, after boni, omits enim.
- Gen. 3, 1-3, et seq. locus ibid. 4. seqq.Genesis 3:1–3, and the following passage at the same place, 4 ff.
- Hunc locum sumsit Hugo (l. de Sacram. p. VII. c. 6.) ex Gregorio super Evang. Hom. 16. n. 1. 2.Hugh (of St. Victor) took this passage (book On the Sacraments part VII, c. 6) from Gregory on the Gospels, Homily 16, nn. 1–2. ---