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Objection 1: It would seem that Adam's sin was more grievous than
Eve's. For it is written (1 Tim. 2:14): "Adam was not
seduced, but the woman being seduced was in the transgression": and
so it would seem that the woman sinned through ignorance, but the man
through assured knowledge. Now the latter is the graver sin,
according to Lk. 12:47,48, "That servant who knew the will
of his lord . . . and did not according to his will, shall be beaten
with many stripes: but he that knew not, and did things worthy of
stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes." Therefore Adam's sin
was more grievous than Eve's.
Objection 2: Further, Augustine says (De Decem Chordis 3
[Serm. ix; xcvi de Temp.]): "If the man is the head, he
should live better, and give an example of good deeds to his wife,
that she may imitate him." Now he who ought to do better, sins more
grievously, if he commit a sin. Therefore Adam sinned more
grievously than Eve.
Objection 3: Further, the sin against the Holy Ghost would seem
to be the most grievous. Now Adam, apparently, sinned against the
Holy Ghost, because while sinning he relied on God's mercy
[Question 21, Article 2, Objection 3], and this pertains to
the sin of presumption. Therefore it seems that Adam sinned more
grievously than Eve.
On the contrary, Punishment corresponds to guilt. Now the woman was
more grievously punished than the man, as appears from Gn. 3.
Therefore she sinned more grievously than the man.
I answer that, As stated (Article 3), the gravity of a sin
depends on the species rather than on a circumstance of that sin.
Accordingly we must assert that, if we consider the condition
attaching to these persons, the man's sin is the more grievous,
because he was more perfect than the woman.
As regards the genus itself of the sin, the sin of each is considered
to be equal, for each sinned by pride. Hence Augustine says (Gen.
ad lit. xi, 35): "Eve in excusing herself betrays disparity of
sex, though parity of pride."
But as regards the species of pride, the woman sinned more
grievously, for three reasons. First, because she was more puffed up
than the man. For the woman believed in the serpent's persuasive
words, namely that God had forbidden them to eat of the tree, lest
they should become like to Him; so that in wishing to attain to
God's likeness by eating of the forbidden fruit, her pride rose to
the height of desiring to obtain something against God's will. On
the other hand, the man did not believe this to be true; wherefore he
did not wish to attain to God's likeness against God's will: but
his pride consisted in wishing to attain thereto by his own power.
Secondly, the woman not only herself sinned, but suggested sin to the
man; wherefore she sinned against both God and her neighbor.
Thirdly, the man's sin was diminished by the fact that, as
Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. xi, 42), "he consented to the
sin out of a certain friendly good-will, on account of which a man
sometimes will offend God rather than make an enemy of his friend.
That he ought not to have done so is shown by the just issue of the
Divine sentence."
It is therefore evident that the woman's sin was more grievous than
the man's.
Reply to Objection 1: The woman was deceived because she was first
of all puffed up with pride. Wherefore her ignorance did not excuse,
but aggravated her sin, in so far as it was the cause of her being
puffed up with still greater pride.
Reply to Objection 2: This argument considers the circumstance of
personal condition, on account of which the man's sin was more
grievous than the woman's.
Reply to Objection 3: The man's reliance on God's mercy did not
reach to contempt of God's justice, wherein consists the sin against
the Holy Ghost, but as Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. xi [De
Civ. Dei xiv, 11]), it was due to the fact that, "having had
no experience of God's severity, he thought the sin to be venial,"
i.e. easily forgiven [FS, Question 89, Article 3, ad 1].
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