Dist. 22, Art. 1, Q. 3
by St. Bonaventure
Source text: Public Domain Mark 1.0. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://bonaventure.wrootpress.com/browse/2/d/22/q/bon-sent-II-d22-a1-q3
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### Question III. *Which of them sinned more gravely, the man or the woman.*

Thirdly it is asked which of them sinned more gravely, the man or the woman. And that the man sinned more gravely seems to be the case.

1. A sin is graver where the ingratitude is greater; but where the gifts are greater, there the ingratitude in sinning is greater; but Adam excelled the woman in natural and gratuitous endowments: therefore when he sinned, he was more ungrateful: therefore etc.

2. Likewise, a sin is the greater the higher the rank in which the sinner is constituted; for a prelate sins more gravely than a subject in the same kind of sin; but the man was the head of the *woman* and set over her: therefore it seems that he sinned more gravely.

3. Likewise, a fault is the graver the greater the contempt in it; but the contempt is greater in the transgression of a command received immediately from the Lord than through another: if therefore the command had reached the woman through the man, it seems that the man showed more contempt than the woman: therefore etc.

4. Likewise, a fault is the graver the greater the injury and corruption in it, since sin of itself is corruption; but Adam's sin was more corruptive than Eve's sin, since from Adam's sin came the corruption of all posterity, according to what is said in Romans 5: *Through the disobedience of one, many were made sinners*: therefore etc.

**On the contrary:** 1. Augustine on Genesis, and the Master reports in the text: « They sinned in an unequal sex with equal pride »; but where the pride is equal, there the transgression is equal: therefore it does not seem that the man sinned more than the woman.

2. Likewise, just as among goods what is more like the better is better, so what is more like the worse is worse, speaking *per se*; but Eve's sin was more like Lucifer's sin than Adam's, on account of the greater elation of pride: therefore Eve's sin was greater than Adam's.

3. Likewise, a fault is the graver the greater the punishment it deserves; but the woman was punished more than the man, as is clear from Genesis 3, and by God, who punishes justly: therefore she sinned more than the man.

4. Likewise, he sins more gravely who sins against himself and against another, than he who sins against himself alone; but the woman sinned against herself and against the man, when she drew him into sin, whereas the man sinned against himself alone, speaking of the actual sin: therefore the woman sinned more gravely than the man.

> **Conclusion.** Although Eve's sin is in one way exceeded by Adam's sin, in another way it exceeds it; yet, speaking absolutely, it was graver than that one.

**I respond:** It must be said that, as was stated above, one sin can be called graver than another in three ways, namely by ingratitude, by lust, and consequently by corruption. — If therefore we speak of greater gravity as to ingratitude, the man sinned more gravely than the woman, in that he had received more abundant gifts; and so, when, forgetful of the benefits, he despised and offended his benefactor, he was more ungrateful and in his greater ingratitude proved more culpable. — But if we speak of the greater measure as to lust, then the woman sinned more than the man, in that she sinned with a more wicked will, when she desired to be made like to God; and she desired more ardently, when she believed that she could obtain that which the devil suggested to her; and therefore on account of the more wicked will the woman sinned out of greater lust, and as to this was more culpable than the man. — But if we speak of the greater measure of fault as to the consequent corruption, a distinction must be made, because something can be said to corrupt in two ways: either by way of cause, or by way of occasion. If by way of cause, then, since the man's sin was the cause of the transfusion of sin into his descendants, and so corrupted himself and others, a greater corruption followed from the man's sin, and as to this the man's fault is said to have been graver. But if by way of occasion, then, since the woman's sin was the occasion of the man's sin and so consequently of all the others, in this way the woman can be said to have corrupted the rest, not only her posterity, but even her own husband. Hence she sinned not only against herself, but also against her neighbor. And as to this it can be said that the sin was graver in the woman. — By this distinction a reply can be made to the reasons brought forward for both sides, in that they proceed according to the different members of this distinction.

It could be put otherwise, and it comes back to the same thing, namely that one sin can be called graver than another either by weighing the conditions on the part of the one sinning, or by weighing the conditions on the part of the sin. If therefore we weigh the conditions on the part of the one sinning, the man is said to have sinned more gravely than the woman, both on account of the excellence of his gifts and also on account of his rank of presidency, since he was in a certain way set over the woman. — But if the conditions on the part of the sin are weighed, the woman sinned more gravely than the man, both on account of the impiety against God and on account of the iniquity against her neighbor. For by her ambition she dishonored God, and by her suggestion she cast down her neighbor. — And according to this the reasons likewise proceed for the opposite sides.

As for what Augustine says, that they sinned with equal pride; this is to be understood not as to the interior affection, but as to the exterior transgression of the command, to which each of them was equally bound. — Or *equal pride* is said not by an utter equality, but by a certain conformity.

And so from what has been said it is gathered that Eve's sin in some way exceeded Adam's sin, and in some way the contrary. — But if anyone asks which of them more exceeded the other; to this it must be said that, since Eve's sin exceeds Adam's sin in the conditions which regard the sin essentially, namely in the greater wickedness of lust, in that she both desired more and desired greater things, Eve's sin exceeded more and was graver, speaking absolutely. And a sign of this is that she was punished more, and if she had descended into hell, she would have had a greater punishment.

Nor do the reasons adduced for the opposite stand in the way, since they are drawn from the conditions of the one sinning, which do not make a sin graver absolutely, but in a certain way.