The Serpent's Keen Awareness in Genesis 3

The Serpent's Keen Awareness in Genesis 3

"You will not certainly die," the serpent hissed to the woman (Genesis 3:4). The serpent possesses a chilling awareness: God, in His very nature, cannot bring Himself to extinguish life. Yet, the serpent's insidious aim is to sever the bond between God and humanity. It craves a wound so deep in the heart of God, a transgression so profound, that it might somehow alter the divine nature itself. This is a reckless gamble, a provocation the serpent undertakes despite the inevitable consequences, driven by a primal instinct to disrupt the divine-human relationship.

This serpentine nature, I believe, is interwoven within humanity. We often sin, not out of denial of God's existence, but in spite of it. This suggests a struggle not merely of choice, but of inherent nature, something a mere resolution to abstain from sin cannot fully overcome.

The serpent's venom then spreads, fracturing relationships between individuals, and even between humanity and the natural world. Eden, the archetype of creation, declared "good" by God, is marred by the serpent's insidious influence. The Genesis narrative masterfully portrays this cosmic tragedy: creation, Eden's pristine beauty, the serpent's intrusion, and the resulting fall, highlighting the chasm opened between God and humanity. Augustine, interpreting this narrative, replaces humanity with the serpent itself, envisioning a cosmic battle between God and evil, a lens through which he understood the entire biblical narrative.

To read scripture through the framework of this cosmic duel is to anticipate God's ultimate triumph. Yet, in this framework, the profound depths of the serpent’s disruption, the magnitude of humanity's complicity, are somewhat diminished. Augustine, it seems, might have envied the profound spiritual reflection of the Old Testament editors of Genesis and the author of the New Testament's Revelation, who, even amidst the devastation of Judah's exile, were able to achieve such profound theological insight.