John Chrysostom, On the Tempting Devil

to these he said: You shall not surely die. What is clearer than this war? from where else was one to learn of the enemy and foe, but from here, from his speaking against God? Therefore, it was necessary to flee the bait immediately, it was necessary to leap away from the trap. You shall not surely die, he says; for God knew that on whatever day you eat, your eyes will be opened, and you will be as gods. In the hope of a greater promise she cast away even the good things in her hands; he promised to make them gods, and cast them down into the tyranny of death. From where then did you believe the devil, O woman? what good did you perceive? Was the trustworthiness of the lawgiver not enough, that the one is God and creator and maker, but the other is the devil and an enemy? And I do not yet say devil; you thought it was a mere serpent; a serpent, then, tell me, was it right to deem worthy of such equal speech, as to have it declare the Master's mind? Do you see that it was possible to perceive the deceit, but she was not willing? And yet God gave sufficient proofs of His own beneficence, and showed His care through his works; for indeed He formed man when he did not exist, and breathed a soul into him, and made him in His image, making him ruler of all things on earth, and granted him a helper, and planted a paradise, and having permitted the use of the other trees, He forbade him to touch one only; and this very thing He usefully forbade. But the devil by deed showed no good thing, neither small nor great, but by mere words having lifted up the woman, and puffing her up with vain hopes, thus he deceived her. But nevertheless she considered the devil to be more trustworthy than God, although He had demonstrated His good will through His works 49.270; to the one who offered only mere words, and nothing else, the woman gave her faith. Do you see how the deceit happened from folly and carelessness alone, not from force? And that you may learn this more clearly, hear how the Scripture also accuses the woman. For it did not say, Being deceived, but, Seeing the tree, that it was beautiful, she ate. So the crime was of unrestrained sight, not of the deceit from the devil alone; for she was overcome by her own desire, not by the wickedness of the demon. For this reason she did not receive pardon, but having said, The serpent deceived me. and thus she paid the ultimate penalty; for it was in her power not to fall. And that you may learn this more clearly, come let us bring the discourse to Job, from the defeated to the one who prevailed, from the vanquished to the victor; for he will give us greater eagerness, so as to lift up our hands against the devil. There a serpent was the deceiver, and it prevailed; here a woman, and she did not have the strength; and yet she was far more persuasive than it. And to Job, the device was brought to bear after the loss of his possessions, after the loss of his children and the stripping away of all he had; but there, there was nothing of the sort; Adam did not lose children, did not lose possessions, he did not sit on a dunghill, but inhabited a paradise of delight, and enjoyed all kinds of trees and a spring and rivers and all other security. Nowhere was there toil nor pain, nor despondency and cares, nor reproaches and revilings, nor the countless evils which descended upon Job; but nevertheless, when none of these things were present, he fell and was tripped up. Is it not clear that it was through carelessness? Therefore, just as that one stood nobly while all these things pressed down and weighed upon him, and did not fall, is it not clear that this was also due to vigilance of soul? εʹ. From both sides, therefore, beloved, reap the greatest profit, and flee the zeal of Adam, knowing how many evils are born from carelessness; but emulate the piety of Job, having learned how many good things sprout from earnestness; constantly consider this crowned victor, and you will have sufficient consolation for every pain and circumstance. For just as

τούτοις ἐκεῖνος, καὶ εἶπεν· Οὐ θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε. Τί τοῦ πολέμου τούτου σαφέστερον; πόθεν ἄλλοθεν ἔδει μαθεῖν τὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ πολέμιον, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐντεῦθεν ἐκ τοῦ ἀντιφθέγξασθαι τῷ Θεῷ; Ἔδει τοίνυν φυγεῖν εὐθέως τὸ δέλεαρ, ἔδει τῆς παγίδος ἀποπηδῆσαι. Οὐ θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε, φησίν· ᾔδει γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε, διανοιχθήσονται ὑμῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ, καὶ ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοί. Ἐλπίδι μείζονος ὑποσχέσεως καὶ τὰ ἐν χερσὶν ἐξέβαλεν ἀγαθά· ἐπηγγείλατο ποιήσειν θεοὺς, καὶ κατέβαλεν εἰς τὴν τοῦ θανάτου τυραννίδα. Πόθεν οὖν ἐπίστευσας, ὦ γύναι, τῷ διαβόλῳ; τί συνεῖδες ἀγαθόν; οὐκ ἤρκει ἡ ἀξιοπιστία τοῦ νομοθέτου, ὅτι ὁ μὲν Θεὸς καὶ δημιουργὸς καὶ ποιητὴς, ὁ δὲ διάβολος καὶ ἐχθρός; Καὶ οὔπω λέγω διάβολον· ὄφιν αὐτὸν ἐνόμιζες εἶναι ψιλόν· ὄφιν οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, τοσαύτης ἰσηγορίας ἀξιῶσαι ἐχρῆν, ὡς καὶ ∆εσποτικὴν γνώμην ἐξαγγεῖλαι αὐτῷ; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι δυνατὸν ἦν συνιδεῖν τὴν ἀπάτην, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἠθέλησεν αὕτη. Καίτοι ὁ μὲν Θεὸς ἱκανὰς ἔδωκε τῆς εὐεργεσίας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ τὰς ἀποδείξεις, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔργων τὴν κηδεμονίαν ἐπεδείξατο· καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ὄντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἔπλασε, καὶ ψυχὴν ἐνέπνευσε, καὶ κατ' εἰκόνα αὐτὸν ἐποίησεν, ἄρχοντα τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ποιήσας ἁπάντων, καὶ βοηθὸν ἐχαρίσατο, καὶ παράδεισον ἐφύτευσε, καὶ τὴν χρῆσιν τῶν λοιπῶν ἐπιτρέψας δένδρων, ἑνὸς ἀπηγόρευσε μὴ ἅψασθαι μόνου· καὶ τοῦτο δὲ αὐτὸ χρησίμως ἐκώλυσεν. Ὁ δὲ διάβολος ἔργῳ μὲν οὔτε μικρὸν, οὔτε μέγα ἐπεδείξατο ἀγαθὸν, ῥήμασι δὲ ψιλοῖς ἐπάρας τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ φυσήσας ταῖς ματαίαις ἐλπίσιν, οὕτως ἠπάτησεν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν διάβολον ἀξιοπιστότερον εἶναι ἐνόμισε, καίτοι διὰ τῶν ἔργων 49.270 ἐπιδειξαμένου τὴν εὔνοιαν· τὰ ῥήματα ψιλὰ προσενεγκόντι μόνα. ἄλλο δὲ οὐδὲν, ἐπίστευσεν ἡ γυνή. Ὁρᾷς ὅπως ἐξ ἀνοίας μόνης καὶ ῥᾳθυμίας, οὐκ ἀπὸ βίας ἡ ἀπάτη γέγονε; Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς αὐτὸ σαφέστερον, ἄκουσον, πῶς καὶ ἡ Γραφὴ κατηγορεῖ τῆς γυναικός. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἀπατηθεῖσα, ἀλλ', Ἰδοῦσα τὸ ξύλον, ὅτι ὡραῖόν ἐστιν, ἔφαγεν. Ὥστε τῆς ὄψεως τῆς ἀκρατοῦς τὸ ἔγκλημα, οὐ τῆς ἀπάτης τῆς παρὰ τοῦ διαβόλου μόνης· ὑπὸ γὰρ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἡττήθη τῆς οἰκείας, οὐχ ὑπὸ τῆς πονηρίας τοῦ δαίμονος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ συγγνώμης ἀπήλαυσεν, ἀλλ' εἰποῦσα, ὅτι Ὁ ὄφις ἠπάτησέ με. καὶ οὕτω δίκην ἔδωκε τὴν ἐσχάτην· ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ ἦν τὸ μὴ πεσεῖν. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς τοῦτο σαφέστερον, φέρε ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰὼβ τὸν λόγον ἀγάγωμεν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἡττηθέντων ἐπὶ τὸν κρατήσαντα, ἀπὸ τῶν νενικημένων ἐπὶ τὸν νενικηκότα· καὶ γὰρ πλείονα ἡμῖν οὗτος δώσει προθυμίαν, ὥστε ἀντᾶραι χεῖρας κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου. Ἐκεῖ ὄφις ἦν ὁ ἀπατῶν, καὶ ἐκράτησεν· ἐνταῦθα γυνὴ, καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσε· καίτοι γε αὕτη πολλῷ πιθανωτέρα ἐκείνου. Καὶ τῷ μὲν Ἰὼβ μετὰ τὴν ἀπώλειαν τῶν χρημάτων, μετὰ τὴν ἀποβολὴν τῶν παίδων καὶ τὴν γύμνωσιν τῶν ὄντων ἁπάντων ἡ μηχανὴ προσήγετο· ἐκεῖ δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἦν· οὐκ ἀπέβαλε παῖδας, οὐκ ἀπώλεσε χρήματα ὁ Ἀδὰμ, οὐκ ἐπὶ κοπρίας ἐκάθητο, ἀλλὰ παράδεισον ᾤκει τρυφῆς, καὶ δένδρων ἀπήλαυε παντοδαπῶν καὶ πηγῆς καὶ ποταμῶν καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἀδείας ἁπάσης. Οὐδαμοῦ πόνος οὐδὲ ὀδύνη, οὐδὲ ἀθυμία καὶ φροντίδες, οὐδὲ ὀνείδη καὶ λοιδορίαι, οὐδὲ τὰ μυρία κακὰ, ἅπερ κατέσκηψεν εἰς τὸν Ἰώβ· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδενὸς ὄντος τοιούτου, κατέπεσε καὶ ὑπεσκελίσθη. Οὐκ εὔδηλον, ὅτι διὰ ῥᾳθυμίαν; Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐκεῖνος πάντων τούτων ἐπικειμένων καὶ βαρούντων ἔστη γενναίως, καὶ οὐ κατέπεσεν, οὐκ εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ οὗτος διὰ νῆψιν ψυχῆς; εʹ. Ἑκατέρωθεν οὖν, ἀγαπητὲ, κάρπωσαι μέγιστον κέρδος, καὶ φύγε τὸν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ζῆλον, εἰδὼς ὅσα ἀπὸ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας τίκτεται κακά· ζήλωσον δὲ τὴν τοῦ Ἰὼβ εὐλάβειαν, μαθὼν ὅσα ἀπὸ τῆς σπουδῆς βλαστάνει καλά· τοῦτον διαπαντὸς λογίζου τὸν στεφανίτην, καὶ πάσης ὀδύνης καὶ περιστάσεως ἱκανὴν ἕξεις παραμυθίαν. Καθάπερ γὰρ