Reason And The Serpent

Ερώτησις ΛΒ' Ἄλογος ὤν ὄφις πῶς διελέχθη τῇ Εὔα; Ὄργανον ἦν αὐτὸς τοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθροῦ. Καὶ τοῦτο δεδήλωκεν ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς θείοις Εὐαγγελίοις. Εἰρηκὼς γὰρ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις· Ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστε, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἐκεῖνος ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς. Οὕτος τοίνυν διὰ τοῦ ὄφεως διελέχθη τῇ Εὔ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῶν ἀλόγων ἀπάντων παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων τὴν ἡγεμονίαν εἰλήφεισαν, δι' ἑνὸς αὐτῇ τῶν ὑπηκόων τὴν παγίδα προσήνεγκε, πιθανωτέραν οὕτω τὴν ἀπάτην κατασκευάζων. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν διὰ τοῦ ὄφεως ἐνεργήσαντα, ὄφιν ἡ θεία προσαγορεύει Γραφὴ, μάρτυς Ἠσαῗας ὁ προφήτης βοῶν, τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐπάξει ὁ θεὸς τὴν μάχαιραν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἁγίαν, τὴν μεγάλην, καὶ τὴν ἰσχυρόν, ἐπὶ τὸν δράκοντα τὸν ὄφιν τὸν φεύγοντα, τὸν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ. Καὶ ὁ Κύριος δὲ τοῖς ἱεροῖς εἴρηκε μαθηταῖς· Ιδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων, καὶ σκορπίων, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Την Γένεσιν Source: Migne PG 80.129a-b

Question 32 A serpent is irrational, so how did it speak to Eve? The serpent was an instrument of the enemy of truth. The Lord declares this in the holy Gospel when He says to the Jews: 'You are of your father the devil.' and after: 'He was a murderer from the beginning.' 1 Therefore the devil spoke to Eve through the serpent. For when from God they received rule over all irrational things, 2 the devil by use of one of these prepared his trap and by way of persuasion arranged his beguiling plots. And because of this use of the serpent for his minister Divine Scripture names him a serpent, with the Prophet Isaiah bearing witness, saying: 'On that day the Lord shall draw His holy, great and strong sword against the dragon serpent, coiled and mighty, against the the dragon serpent fleeing, who is in the sea. ' 3 And the Lord says to His blessed disciples: 'Behold I shall give you power to trample on serpents and scorpions, and on every power of the enemy.' 4 Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Genesis 1 Jn 8.42 2 Gen 1.26 3 Isaiah 27.1 4 Lk 10.19