st parents was by
suggestion. Now the devil is able to make suggestions to man without
making use of an outward sensible creature. Since then our first
parents were endowed with a spiritual mind, and adhered less to
sensible than to intelligible things, it would have been more fitting
for man to be tempted with a merely spiritual, instead of an outward,
temptation.

Obj. 3: Further, one cannot fittingly suggest an evil except through
some apparent good. But many other animals have a greater appearance
of good than the serpent has. Therefore man was unfittingly tempted
by the devil through a serpent.

Obj. 4: Further, the serpent is an irrational animal. Now wisdom,
speech, and punishment are not befitting an irrational animal.
Therefore the serpent is unfittingly described (Gen. 3:1) as "more
subtle than any of the beasts of the earth," or as "the most prudent
of all beasts" according to another version [*The Septuagint]: and
likewise is unfittingly stated to have spoken to the woman, and to
have been punished by God.

_On the contrary,_ That which is first in any genus should be
proportionate to all that follow it in that genus. Now in every kind
of sin we find the same order as in the first temptation. For,
according to Augustine (De Trin. xii, 12), it begins with the
concupiscence of sin in the sensuality, signified by the serpent;
extends to the lower reason, by pleasure, signified by the woman; and
reaches to the higher reason by consent in the sin, signified by the
man. Therefore the order of the first temptation was fitting.

_I answer that,_ Man is composed of a twofold nature, intellective
and sensitive. Hence the devil, in tempting man, made use of a
twofold incentive to sin: one on the part of the intellect, by
promising the Divine likeness through the acquisition of knowledge
which man naturally desires to have; the other on the part of sense.
This he did by having recourse to those sensible things, which are
most akin to man, partly by tempting the man through the woman who
was akin to him in the same species; partly by tempting the woman
through the serpent, who was akin to them in the same genus; partly
by suggesting to them to eat of the forbidden fruit, which was akin
to them in the proximate genus.

Reply Obj. 1: In the act of tempting the devil was by way of
principal agent; whereas the woman was employed as an instrument of
temptation in bringing about the downfall of the man, both because
th