Three Homilies on the Power of Satan

Give me your attention on this point, that the woman was able to understand the deceit. For he immediately announced his enmity, and his warfare against God, he immediately contradicted Him. Let it be so. Before this you declared the judgment to one who wished to learn it. After this why did you follow one who said the opposite? God said “you shall die the death.” The Devil made answer to this and said “you shall not die the death.” What could be clearer than this warfare? From what other quarter ought one to learn the enemy and the foe, than from his answer returned to God?

She ought then immediately to have fled from the bait, she ought to have started back from the snare. “You shall not die the death,” says he “for God knows, that on the day on which you eat, your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as Gods.” In hope of a greater promise she cast away the goods in her hand. He promised that he would make them Gods, and cast them down into the tyranny of death. Whence then O woman did you believe the Devil? What good did you discern? Was not the trustworthiness of the lawgiver sufficient to prove that the one was God, both creator and framer of the world, and the other the Devil and an enemy?

And I do not say the Devil. You thought that he was a mere serpent. Ought a serpent to claim such equality that you should tell him the Master's judgment? You see that it was possible to perceive the deceit, but she would not, and yet God gave many proofs of his own beneficence and showed forth his care of his works. For he formed man, who had not existed before; and breathed a soul into him, and made him according to his image, making him ruler of all things upon the earth, and granted him a helpmate, planted Paradise, and having committed to him the use of the rest of the trees, refused him the taste of one only: and this very prohibition he made for man's advantage.

But the Devil manifested no good things by his deed, whether little, or great: but exciting the woman with mere words and puffing her up with vain hopes, thus he deceived her. But nevertheless she considered the Devil to be more worthy of credit than God, although God showed forth his good will by his works. The woman believed in one who professed mere words, and nothing else. Do you see how, from folly alone and sloth, and not from force, the deceit happened? And in order that you may learn it more clearly hear how the scripture accuses the woman: For it does not say, being deceived, but “seeing the tree that it was fair, she ate.”

So that the blame belongs to her uncontrolled vision, not to the deceit alone which comes from the Devil. For she was defeated by yielding to her own desire, not by the wickedness. of the Demon. On this account she did not have the benefit of pardon, but though she said, “the serpent deceived me,” she paid the uttermost penalty. For it was in her power not to have fallen. And in <!--<spank2class="pb">195</span>-->order that you may understand this more clearly, come, let us conduct our discourse to the case of Job; from the defeated to the vanquisher, from the conquered to the conqueror.

For this man will give us greater zeal, so that we may raise our hands against the Devil. There he who deceived and conquered was a serpent; here the tempter was a woman, and she did not prevail: and yet at least she was far more persuasive than he. For to Job after the destruction of his wealth, after the loss of his children, after being stripped bare of all his goods, her wiles were added. But in the other case there was nothing of this kind. Adam did not suffer the destruction of his children, nor did he lose his wealth: he did not sit upon a dunghill, but inhabited a Paradise of luxury and enjoyed all manner of fruits, and fountains and rivers, and every other kind of security.

Nowhere was there labour or pain, or despair and cares, or reproaches, and insults, or the countless ills which assailed Job: but nevertheless, when nothing of this kind existed, he fell and was overthrown. Is it not evident that it was on account of sloth? Even so therefore as the other, when all these things beset him, and weighed upon him, stood nobly and did not fall, is it not evident that his steadfastness was owing to his vigilance of soul?