Sentences, Books I–II

Chapter 1 (122).

1. The devil’s envy, with which he approached to tempt man. Seeing that through the humility of obedience man could ascend from where he himself had fallen through pride, the devil envied him. He who had first been called devil, that is, one who had fallen downward through pride, became through envious zeal Satan, that is, an adversary¹.

2. Why he first came to the woman *. Hence he tempted the woman, in whom he knew reason to be less vigorous than in the man. His malice, timid in assaulting virtue, attacked human nature in the part where it seemed weaker, so that if he prevailed there to some extent, he might then approach more confidently to assail—or rather overthrow—the other, which was stronger. First, then, he tested the woman alone, to try the full force of his temptation on her.

3. Why he came in another form. But since he could not harm her by force, he turned to fraud, so that he might overthrow by deceit the man whom he could not overcome by strength. But lest his deceit be too evident— He did not come in his own form, lest he be recognized openly and thus driven away. Again, lest his fraud be too hidden to be guarded against, and lest a person seem to suffer an injustice if God permitted him to be deceived in such a way that he could not take precautions, the devil was permitted to come in another's form, but in one in which his malice could readily be detected. Thus, that he did not come in his own form came about by his own will; that he came in a form suited to his malice came about by divine providence.

Apparatus: 1 In ignorantia] ignorans BCX. 2 sciri et add. MNV. 3 Rubrica om. RTW. 14 lapsus et add. BCOP. 17 Rubrica om. MNW. 18 enim om. OPX.

1 See above, Distinction 10, chapter 2, no. 1 (p. 378).

Chapters 1–2: Summa sententiarum III.4 (PL 171, 1123 B; 176, 95 D–96 A); Hugh, On the Sacraments I.7.1–3 (PL 176, 287–288, 290 D–291 A); H. Weisweiler, “The Summa Sententiarum as a Source of Peter Lombard,” Recherches de théologie ancienne et médiévale 6 (1934), 148f.

2. Why he approached only in the form of a serpent *. Accordingly, he came to the human being in a serpent; perhaps, if he had been permitted, he would have preferred to come in the form of a dove. But it was not fitting that the evil spirit make hateful to humanity the form in which the Holy Spirit was to appear. Therefore the devil was permitted to tempt only through a serpent, so that by means of that animal the woman might perceive the cunning of the tempter. For the devil tempted through the serpent, in which he was speaking.

Chapter 3 (124).

Why the serpent was called more crafty than all the animals *. — Augustine, On the Literal Meaning of Genesis *. The serpent was therefore said to be more crafty than all the animals of the earth because, as Augustine says, “Although the evil angels were cast down through pride, they are by nature superior to all beasts because of the preeminence of reason; although the serpent, having no rational soul, can be called wisest through the devil's spirit. It is therefore no wonder if the devil, filling the serpent with his spirit, as he filled the prophets, had made it the wisest of all beasts.”

Chapter 4 (125).

1. That he did not choose the serpent in order to tempt through it. The devil did not, however, choose it for tempting; rather, he tempted through whatever animal he was permitted to use. Hence Augustine, On the Literal Meaning of Genesis: “It is not to be thought that the serpent spoke of its own accord; rather, the evil spirit spoke through it.”

Chapter 5 (126).

1. The manner of the temptation. — Why he began with a question *. The temptation took place in this way. Standing before the woman, the proud enemy did not dare to proceed to words of persuasion, fearing that he would be detected; instead he approached her with a question, so that from her answer he might discern how he could advance in malice.

2. The serpent's words and the woman's reply *. “Why,” he said, “did God command you not to eat from every tree of paradise?” The woman replied: “We eat from the fruit of the trees that are in paradise; but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of paradise, God commanded us not to eat, and not to touch it, lest perhaps we die.”

3. The serpent, gaining confidence from the woman's words, adds a false promise *. By this expression she gave the tempter an opening, when she said, “lest perhaps we die”; whereupon the devil immediately said to the woman: “You will certainly not die”: for God knows that on whatever day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.

4. Observe the order and progress of human ruin. First God had said, “On whatever day you eat from it, you will die the death”; then the woman said, “Lest perhaps we die”; finally the serpent said, “You will certainly not die.” God affirmed; the woman spoke as if expressing doubt; the devil denied. She, then, who doubted withdrew from the one affirming and drew near to the one denying.

5. The devil's cunning: to persuade more easily, he removed the evil and doubled the good in his promise. To support his persuasion fully—that is, to persuade freely of the evil he intended—he both removed by denial the evil the woman feared and added a promise. And so that his persuasion might be accepted sooner, he doubled the promise. For while urging a single eating, he set before her two rewards: promising likeness to God and knowledge of good and evil.

6. The human being was tempted in three ways: gluttony, vainglory, and avarice. — Augustine. There he tempted the human being in three ways: gluttony, in the urging of food, when he said, “On whatever day you eat”; vainglory, in the promise of divinity, when he said, “You will be like gods”; and avarice, in the promise of knowledge, when he said, “Knowing good and evil.” Gluttony is an immoderate appetite for food; vainglory, love of one's own excellence; avarice, an immoderate desire to possess, which concerns not only money but also eminence and knowledge, when one seeks elevation beyond measure.

Chapter 6 (127).

1. The two kinds of temptation. It should further be known that there are two kinds of temptation, namely, interior and exterior.

2. What exterior temptation is and from whom it comes *. Exterior temptation occurs when evil is visibly suggested to us from outside, by a word or some sign, so that the one tempted may be inclined to consent to sin. Such temptation comes only from the adversary.

3. What interior temptation is and from whom it comes *. Interior temptation, on the other hand, occurs when evil is invisibly suggested to us within. This temptation sometimes comes from the enemy, sometimes from the flesh. For the devil invisibly suggests evils, and from the corruption of the flesh there arises an illicit impulse and a depraved stirring. Therefore temptation arising from the flesh does not occur without sin; but temptation from the enemy, unless one consents to it, is not sinful and is instead an occasion for exercising virtue. Interior temptation of the flesh is harder to overcome, because the enemy attacking from within is strengthened against us by what belongs to us.

Chapter 7 (128).

1. Why a human being could be raised up through another but the devil could not; and why human sin can be remedied but the devil's cannot. The human being, then, who fell after being struck only by external temptation, deserved to be punished all the more severely in proportion to the lightness of the impulse by which he was overthrown. Yet because he had some occasion for falling, however slight, he could be aided by God's grace toward pardon, so that the one who had fallen through another might be raised up through another. Therefore, one who had an instigator to evil was not unjustly given a restorer to good. But because the devil sinned without anyone tempting him, he ought not to have been aided by another to rise; nor could he rise by himself, and so his sin proved irremediable. Just as human sin began through another, so it fittingly had its remedy through another.

2. Why the human being, but not the angel, was redeemed. Moreover, angelic nature was not redeemed because it had not wholly perished, but had partly remained; human nature, however, had wholly perished, and therefore, lest it be utterly lost, it was redeemed in part, so that from it the angelic fall might be made good. — Hence Augustine in the Enchiridion: “It pleased the Creator and governor of the universe that, since not the whole multitude of angels had perished by abandoning God, that those who had perished in everlasting ruin; while those who had remained with God when the others abandoned him should rejoice forever in the sure knowledge of their own happiness; but that the rational creature present in human beings, since it had wholly perished through sins and punishments, should be restored in part, so that from it the angelic company might be replenished for what that fall had diminished. For this has been promised to the saints: that they will be equal to the angels of God.

1 Gen. 3, 4–5. 2 Gen. 2, 17. 3 Gen. 3, 3. 4 Gen. 3, 4. 5 Potius Gregorius, ut in alia serie notarum indicatur.

Apparatus: 2 quocumque quacumque] CTVWX. om. alii. 5 comederitis… moriemini] comederis… moriemini BCNRVWX. 17 Augustinus om. LMRVWX. 19 quocumque] quacumque CTVWX. 20 Rubrica om. LVW. 27 penitus repente add. BCOPX.

1 Chapter 6, nos. 1–2: Summa sententiarum III.5 (PL 171, 1123 D; 176, 96 C); Hugh, On the Sacraments I.7.9 (PL 176, 290 C).

Chapter 7: Summa sententiarum III.5 (PL 171, 1123 D; 176, 96 C); Hugh, On the Sacraments I.7.9 (PL 176, 290 C). Quoted phrase: “The human being … might be raised up” (lines 15–19).

Chapter 8 (129).

1. The command was not given to the man alone. It should also be noted that the command seems not to have been given to the man alone, since the woman herself bears witness that it was also commanded to her, saying, “God commanded us,” and so forth. Yet above we read that, before the woman was made, God said to the man, “Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”; he did not say, “Do not eat.” — Augustine, On the Literal Meaning of Genesis. Perhaps because he was going to make the woman, he gave the command in such a way that it would reach her through the man: for the woman, who was subject to the man, ought to receive the divine command only through the mediation of the man. Hence the Apostle: “If women wish to learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home.”

2. How they could speak or understand one who spoke. — Augustine, On the Literal Meaning of Genesis. If it is asked how they could speak or understand one who spoke, since they had not learned by growing up among speakers or through instruction, we answer that God had made them such that they could speak and learn from others, if there were any.