Eve And the Serpent

Τῷ οὖν ἀλόγῳ τούτῳ χρησάμενος πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς κατασκευὴν, δι᾽ αὐτοῦ τῇ γυναικὶ διαλέγεται, καί φησι· Τί ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς, Οὐ μὴ φάγητε ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου; Σκοπεῖτε ἐνταῦθα κακουργίας ὑπερβολὴν λεπτοτάτην.  Τὸ μὴ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τάξει συμβουλῆς καὶ ἐρωτήσεως εἰσάγει, καὶ ὡσανεὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν κηδεμονίαν ποιούμενος· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἐνδεικνυμένου, τὸ λέγειν, Τί ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς, Οὐ μὴ φάγητε ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου; μονονουχὶ λέγων ὁ πονηρὸς οὗτος δαίμων, Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀπεστέρησεν ὑμᾶς τῆς τοσαύτης ἀπολαύσεως; διὰ τί οὐ συγχωρεῖ μετέχειν τῶν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἀγαθῶν, ἀλλὰ τῆς μὲν θέας τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν ἐδωρήσατο, οὐκ ἀφίησι δὲ μεταλαβεῖν, καὶ πλείονα καρπώσασθαι τὴν ἡδονήν; Τί ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ Θεός; Διὰ τί, φησὶ, τοῦτο; τί τὸ ὄφελος τῆς ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ διαγωγῆς, ὅταν μὴ ἐξῇ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ ἀπολαύειν, ἀλλὰ ταύτῃ μάλιστα πλείονα τὴν ὀδύνην ἔχειν, ὅταν θέα μὲν ᾖ, ἀπόλαυσις δὲ ἡ ἀπὸ τῆς μεταλήψεως μὴ γίνηται; Εἶδες πῶς, καθάπερ δέλεαρ, διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων ἐνίησιν αὑτοῦ τὸν ἰόν; Δέον τὴν γυναῖκα ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως κατανοῆσαι τῆς μανίας τὴν ὑπερβολὴν, καὶ ὅτι τὰ μὴ ὄντα ἐπίτηδες λέγει, καὶ ἐν τάξει δῆθεν κηδεμονίας, ἵνα μαθεῖν δυνηθῇ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐτοῖς ἐνταλθέντα, καὶ οὕτω πρὸς τὴν παράβασιν αὐτοὺς ἑλκύσῃ. Δυναμένη τοί νυν εὐθέως συνιδεῖν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀπάτην, καὶ ἀποστραφῆ ναι λοιπὸν τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν διάλεξιν ὡς περιττὰ λέγοντα, καὶ μὴ ἑαυτὴν εἰς τοσαύτην ταπεινότητα καταγαγεῖν, οὐκ ἠθέλησεν. Ἔδει μὲν γὰρ μηδὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀνασχέσθαι τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν διαλέξεως, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ διαλέγεσθαι, δι᾽ ὂν παρήχθη, καὶ κοινωνὸς κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν γέγονε, καὶ εἰς βοήθειαν ἐδημιουργήθη. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ οἶδ᾽ ὅπως παρασυρεῖσα ἠνέσχετο τῆς ὁμιλίας τῆς πρὸς τὸν ὄφιν, καὶ ἐδέχετο τὰ ὀλέθρια ῥήματα τοῦ διαβόλου διὰ τούτου ὡς δι᾽ ὀργάνου, ἀκόλουθον ἦν εὐθέως μαθοῦσαν ἐκ τῶν παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ λεχθέντων τὴν ἐναντίωσιν τῶν ῥημάτων, καὶ ὅτι ἕτερα μὲν ὁ δημιουργήσας προσέταξεν, ἕτερα δὲ οὗτος καὶ ἀπεναντίας τῷ δημιουργῷ ἔλεγεν, ἀποστραφῆναι καὶ φυγεῖν λοιπὸν τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁμιλίαν, καὶ βδελύξασθαι τὸν τολμήσαντα τὴν οἰκείαν γλῶσσαν ἀκονῆσαι κατὰ τῆς δοθείσης αὐτοῖς ἐντολῆς. Ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἀπροσεξίαν οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀπεστράφη, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐντολὴν ἅπασαν αὐτῷ ἐκκαλύπτει, καὶ τοὺς μαργαρίτας τῷ χοίρῳ προτίθησι, καὶ πληροῦται τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰρημένον· Μὴ βάλητε γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς μαργαρίτας ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων, μήποτε καταπατήσωσιν αὐτοὺς ἐν τοῖς πο σὶν αὐτῶν, καὶ στραφέντες ῥήξωσιν ὑμᾶς· ὃ δὴ καὶ νῦν γέγονε. Παρέθηκε γὰρ τῷ χοίρῳ, τῷ πονηρῷ τούτῳ θηρίῳ, ἤτοι τῷ δαίμονι τῷ δι᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐνεργοῦντι, τοὺς θείους μαργαρίτας, καὶ οὐ μόνον αὐτοὺς κατεπάτησε, καὶ ἀντετάξατο τοῖς ῥηθεῖσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ στραφεὶς οὐκ αὐτὴν μόνον, ἀλλὰ μετ᾽ αὐτῆς καὶ τὸν πρωτόπλαστον εἰς τὸ τῆς παρακοῆς ῥῆγμα κατήγαγε. Τοσοῦτόν ἐστι κα κὸν ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε πᾶσιν ἐκκαλύπτειν τὰ θεῖα μυστήρια. Ἀκουέτωσαν οἱ ἁπλῶς καὶ ἀδιαφόρως πρὸς ἅπαντας διαλεγόμενοι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖ περὶ χοίρου αἰσθη τοῦ ὁ Χριστὸς λέγει, ἀλλὰ τοὺς χοιρώδεις τῶν ἀνθρώπων αἰνιττόμενος, καὶ ὁμοίως τοῖς ἀλόγοις ἐγκυλινδουμένους τῷ τῆς ἁμαρτίας βορβόρῳ, παιδεύων ἡμᾶς εἰδέναι καὶ προσώπων διαφορὰν, καὶ πολιτείας ἐπιζητεῖν ἀκρίβειαν, ἡνίκα ἂν δέῃ τι τῶν θείων λογίων ἐκκαλύπτειν, ἵνα μὴ κἀκείνους καὶ ἑαυτοὺς λυμαινώμεθα. Οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν κερδαίνουσιν ἀπὸ τῶν λεγομένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀνεξετάστως παραθέντας τοὺς καλοὺς τούτους μαργαρίτας, εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ αὐτοῖς βάρα θρον τῆς ἀπωλείας πολλάκις κατήγαγον. Διὸ χρὴ μετὰ ἀκριβείας ταῦτα παραφυλάττεσθαι, ἵνα μὴ τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς νῦν ἀπατηθεῖσιν ὑπομένωμεν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ νῦν ἡ γυνὴ ἐβουλήθη τοὺς θείους μαργαρίτας μὴ προθεῖναι τῷ χοίρῳ, οὐκ ἂν οὔτε αὐτὴ εἰς τὸν κρημνὸν τοῦτον κατηνέχθη, οὔτε τὸν ἄνδρα συγκατέσπασεν.   Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς Την Γενεσιν, Ὁμιλια ΙϚ' Source: Migne PG 53.127-128

So by use of this irrational creature the devil arranged his snare and by it made conversation with the woman, saying: 'Why did God say to you: You are not to eat from every tree in paradise?' 1 Consider here the subtle cleverness of the wickedness. He introduces by arrangement of thought and question that which was not said by God, 2 as if he had care for such things, which is evident when he says, 'Why did God say you are not to eat of every tree of paradise?' As if the wicked demon had said: 'For what reason does He deny you the pleasure of such things? Why does He not allow you to partake of the goods which are in paradise, but He has given sight of enjoyment and yet you are not allowed to enjoy it, even the greatest pleasure.' 'Why did God say it? What is this?' he says. 'What advantage is it to dwell in paradise when you do not have enjoyment of the things that are in it, but rather you have the greatest grief, that what you see you are not allowed to enjoy?' Do you see how by words, as a bait, the venom found entry? The woman should have been able to guess at the cunning of his raving, for he had spoken in his cleverness of what was not, and as if he had care for such, that he might know what was the command of God to them, and so draw them into transgression against it. But even though she was immediately able to perceive the imposture, and to repulse the foolish words, and not be drawn into his vileness, she did not choose to. For she should have not, I say, from the beginning tolerated his conversation, but she should have spoken to him alone whose helper she was fashioned to be and made to be a sharer in his dignity. But indeed, I know not what enticed her, she did allow the speech of the serpent and through that which was his instrument received the wicked words of the devil, which as soon as they had been said should have been understood as hostile words , being opposed to what the Creator had commanded and in contradiction to  what He had said, which counsel, then, she should have not allowed and fled, cursing him who with sharp tongue had dared speak against the commandments given to them. But in truth, on account of great negligence, she was not attendant, so that she was not only not hostile to him, but she disclosed the whole commandment to him, and in doing so cast her pearls before the swine, doing what had been said by Christ: 'Do not cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample on them with their feet and they turn and tear you.' 3 This indeed is what happened. For she placed before the swine, that evil beast, that demon, who was working through the serpent, the divine pearls, and he not only trampled on them, opposing them with his own words, but he turned on her, and not only her, but the man also, and cast them down headlong into transgression. So evil it is to reveal by choice and without prudence the Divine mysteries. And let them hear who without discrimination openly speak with all. For Christ did not teach about material pigs in that passage, but he indicated men who have the morals of swine, who like beasts wallow in the filth of sin, teaching us that we should consider the difference in persons and inquire into the way of their lives when we would take to the work of expounding the Divine words, lest we do harm to others and to ourselves. For those who are pigs do not only fail to profit from such words, but along with themselves they drag into the abyss of ruin those who without any discretion cast before before them the good pearls. Therefore, let us be diligent in our observation of these things, that we do not suffer the same thing which here seduced. For if the woman had thought not to cast her pearls before the swine, she would not have fallen into ruin, nor would she have dragged the man down with her. Saint John Chrysostom, On Genesis, from the Sixteenth Homily 1 Gen 3.1 2 Gen 2.16-17 3 Mt 7.6