The Literal Meaning of Genesis
one would be able to say that the woman had forgotten the command of God. Of course, forgetting a command, especially this unique command which was so necessary, would involve culpable negligence and serious sin. But the sin is more evident when the command is retained in memory and God as present in His command is despised. Thus, when the Psalmist said, Those who are mindful of His commandments, it was necessary for him to add, in order to keep them.'°? For many people hold them in memory to despise them, and their transgression is the more serious in so far as forgetfulness does not excuse them.
39. Then The serpent said to the woman: "You will not die the death. For God knew that on the day on which you would eat of it your eyes would be open, and you would be like gods, knowing good and evil."103 How could these words persuade the woman that it was a good and useful thing that had been forbidden by God if there was not already in her heart a love of her own independence and a proud presumption on self which through that temptation was destined to be found out and cast down? Finally, not content with the words of the serpent, she also gazed on the tree and saw that it was good for food and a delight to behold; and since she did not believe that eating it could bring about her death, I think she assumed that God was using figurative language when He said, /f you eat of it, you shall die. And so she took some of the fruit and ate and gave some also to her husband, who was with her, using perhaps some persuasive words which Scripture does not record but leaves to our intelligence to supply. Or perhaps there was no need to persuade her husband, since he saw that she was not dead from eating the fruit.
CHAPTER 31
In what sense the eyes of Adam and Eve were opened.
40. Therefore, they ate, and the eyes of both were opened. Opened to what except to concupiscence for one another in punishment for sin, born of the death of the flesh?!°5 Their,bod-