Chapter XV.
Why is the sin of the woman deserving of forgiveness; and what does it signify through the serpent, the woman, and the man? What is the nature of the serpent's condemnation; and in what ways does it differ from Adam's condemnation?
73. The serpent, he says, convinced me; and this seemed acceptable to God; because it knew that the serpent has many ways to deceive (because it transforms into an angel of light, and its ministers are like ministers of righteousness) by falsely assigning names to each thing, so that it may call recklessness a virtue, and assign the name of diligence to greed. For the serpent deceived the woman, and the woman led the man into transgression from the truth. The pleasure of the serpent takes the form of bodily delight: woman is the symbol of our senses, man of our mind. Pleasure therefore moves the senses, and the senses transfer to the mind whatever passion they have received. Pleasure is therefore the first origin of sin, and therefore it is not surprising that the serpent is condemned by the judgment of God before the woman, and the woman before the man. In accordance with the order of error, the order of condemnation is also observed. For pleasure tends to captivate the senses, and the senses in turn tend to enslave the mind. So that you may know, however, that the serpent is a type of delight, be aware of its damnation.
74. Above your chest, He says, you will walk in your womb (Gen. III, 14). Who are those who walk in their womb, except those who live for their belly and throat, whose god is their belly, and glory in their private parts, who are set on earthly things and are weighed down by food? Therefore, he rightly says of the delight that seems intent on devouring the earth with its food: Above your chest, you will walk, and in your womb you will eat the earth all the days of your life. Every excuse of the devil must be eliminated; lest he may be able to make some excuse for his wickedness, saying that his injustice comes from condemnation; and therefore he persistently strives to harm men, because he was condemned to harm them: which seems to be closest to the opinion, if we take this sentence as a condemnation. For God did not condemn the serpent for the purpose of harm; but he showed what would happen. And indeed, we have shown above (ch. 2, n. 9) that that temptation is more beneficial to men: but nevertheless, when we read what is written, with God saying: Those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed (1 Samuel 2:30), we can still infer something from these words. For God works what is good, not what is evil. Therefore, divine words teach us that God works for glory and leaves punishment. He says, 'Those who honor me, I will honor,' indicating that honor is the result of their good work. And he says, 'Those who despise me,' he does not say that he will deprive them of honor, but rather, they will deprive themselves of honor; he does not attribute their wrongdoing to his own work, but he shows what will happen. Therefore, he did not say, 'I will make you walk on your chest, and you will eat the earth all the days of your life,' but rather, he says, 'You will walk and eat,' as if he were foretelling what would happen with the serpent, rather than prescribing what to do. For the earth, he says, will be your food, not the soul: for even this benefits sinners. Therefore the Apostle handed down this, that the flesh may be destroyed, so that the spirit may be saved on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. And he says that the serpent crawls in the chest and belly, not so much because of the form of the body, but because he has fallen into earthly thoughts about heavenly blessedness. For the chest is often taken as a metaphor for wisdom. And therefore the Apostle reclines his head on the breast of Christ, he does not cast it down to the ground. Therefore, if the wisdom of the devil is compared to the most savage wild beasts, for whom the chest is within their feet: and also men who are wise in earthly matters are not raised up with inner devotion towards heaven, but seem to crawl on the ground; certainly, we should not fill the belly of our soul with the corruptible things of this world, but rather satisfy it with the word of God. Therefore, David, taking on the role of Adam, well says: My soul has been humbled in the dust, my belly has clung to the earth (Ps. 44:25). For he adhered while being transformed into a serpent, who feeds on earthly wickedness. And therefore the Apostle says that it is necessary for us to be transformed into Christ (Rom. 6:5), so that the power of Christ may be manifested in us. This statement is not considered severe towards the serpent, since even Adam, who sinned more lightly, is condemned by such a sentence.
For it is written: Cursed is the ground in thy work; with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life (Gen. III, 17). There appears certainly to be a certain resemblance in the sentence, but yet there is great difference in the very resemblance itself. For it makes a difference whether anyone eats the earth, as it was said to the serpent, because thou shalt eat the earth; or whether, as it was said to man, thou shalt eat it in sorrow. For this addition, In sorrow, makes the difference. Consider how powerful discretion is. It is good for me to eat earth in sadness more than in pleasure, that is, to seem to be saddened in some act and sensation of the body, rather than be delighted in sin. For many, because of their excessive impieties, do not undertake the consciousness of sin. But truly he who says, 'I chastise my body and reduce it to servitude' (1 Cor. IX, 27), is saddened in our repentance for sins; because he did not have such great offenses that he should be saddened in them. Finally, he also persuades us that this sadness is useful, which is according to God, not according to the world. 'It is necessary,' he says, 'for you to be saddened unto repentance according to God (2 Corinthians 7:9-10); for according to God, sadness produces salvation, but sadness according to the world produces death. But also consider from the Old Testament that those who were saddened by bodily works found favor, but those who delighted in the works of this world remained in punishment.' Finally, the Hebrews who groaned in the labors of Egypt obtained the grace of the righteous (Exodus 2:24). And because they ate bread in sorrow, they were given spiritual food (Exodus 16:13 et seq.). But the Egyptians, who celebrated such works with exultation, serving a detestable king, did not obtain any forgiveness.
But there is also that distinction, that the serpent is said to eat the earth; but to Adam he said: 'In sorrow you shall eat, and in the sweat of your face you shall eat bread from the earth' (Gen. 3:18-19); so that we may understand that there is a certain process in these things and when we eat the earth, we seem to be in a certain evil: when hay, in a certain process; but when bread, when strength is complete. Therefore, let us also have a process of this life, just as Paul had, who says: 'But I live now, not I' (Gal. 2:20), that is, not I who used to eat the earth before; not I who ate hay, for all flesh is hay: But Christ lives in me, that is, that living bread which comes from heaven lives, wisdom lives, grace lives, justice lives, resurrection lives.
77. Then consider that man is not cursed, but the serpent is cursed: neither is the earth cursed in itself; but Cursed, it says, in your works, which was said to Adam. So the earth is cursed, if you have earthly works, that is, secular works. And it is not cursed in entirety; but that it may generate thorns and thistles, unless it is cultivated by human effort. And if we cultivate it, we will indeed eat bread in toil and sweat, but nonetheless we will eat. For the law of the flesh is at odds with the law of the mind. And we must labor and strive to discipline the body, and bring it into servitude, and sow what is spiritual. For if we sow what is carnal, we shall reap what is carnal; but if we sow what is spiritual, we shall reap what is spiritual. (St. Augustine, Book II against Julian of Eclanum, Chapter 5)