SUGGESTION, PLEASURE, AND CONSENT: GREGORY THE GREAT ON THE DEVIL AND TEMPTATION
Initial D: The Fool with Two Demons by the Master of the Ingeborg Psalter.
Pope Gregory I, now better known as St. Gregory the Great, was Bishop of Rome in the late 6th and early 7th centuries. Gregory is responsible for the introduction of Christianity to the Anglo-Saxon people of England. This article will focus on a letter from Pope Gregory to Augustine, the newly established Archbishop of Canterbury in 597. It can be found in Bede’s History of the English Church and People. It is a text that English Christians from all traditions and those of the Anglican and Roman Catholic traditions worldwide can identify as part of their common heritage.
Whilst trying to deal with the difficulties of establishing the faith and building the Church in a foreign land, Augustine sought the Pope’s advice on a variety of issues. The problems that Augustine faced were varied, ranging from the ethics of marriage to the practicalities of consecrating bishops. However, we are concerned with Augustine’s ninth question to Gregory and his subsequent response. Although Gregory is widely known for his role in Christian mission and his liturgical revisions, he was also considered an authority on sin and temptation. In his classic letter to Augustine on the subject, Gregory provides a clear and thorough explanation of what sin is and how it comes into being. He explains that “sin is consummated in three ways, that is, by suggestion, pleasure and consent”.
The soul is vulnerable to the attacks of the devil and his evil companions. As Gregory explains, “suggestion comes through the devil.” Like the Serpent in the Garden of Eden that suggested the first sin, humans today experience the temptation to sin and fail on our quest for the good and beautiful. Eve, “as flesh”, says Gregory, took physical pleasure in the temptation. In the same way, we also receive physical, emotional and spiritual pleasure when we sin. However, this does not mean that suggestion and flesh are separate entities. On the contrary, they are interconnected. When we feel tempted to sin, we not only hear the small voice compelling us, we also feel the temptation as our bodies crave fulfilment and pleasure. We may become stressed, shaken, excited, or relaxed. These are not just the spiritual experiences of our inner life; they are feelings that effect our entire being. This understanding of temptation is not only one we can understand but one we can feel. Therefore, the devil plays a pivotal but not exclusive role in the experience of temptation. This holistic approach focuses neither on the spiritual aspect of temptation, nor the physical. It is a balanced approach that is both accessible and theologically orthodox.
It is important that the Church uses accessible and inclusive language in her liturgy that maintains orthodoxy and is representative of the one apostolic faith. When a person is baptised or confirmed in the Church of England, the presiding minister will ask the baptismal candidate, their friends, family, and the congregation, “do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God?” However, in the accessible liturgy for baptism, this feature is removed. Within this liturgy the minister asks, “Do you turn away from sin?” and, “Do you reject evil?” By doing so, this liturgy implies it is the individual person that is solely responsible for committing sin and choosing evil. It appears this liturgy understands sin to exist in the world through fallen human nature alone, not through temptation from the devil. Each person is tempted because of themselves, their humanity and their brokenness, not because of an external intelligent enemy.
Some of us may think of the Church as a human institution, governed by people, shaped by policy and context. If someone was to ask you what you church was, you might even feel tempted to talk about that parish church you serve at or attend. Although the Church does consist of buildings and sacred spaces, it is primarily a spiritual ‘body’ in which the Holy Spirit dwells and moves, with one of its key proclamations being forgiveness. Not only does this forgiveness stem from Christ’s atoning death on the cross, it comes from the ways in which the Church provides individual-centred support and sanctification. This forgiveness does not provide reconciliation in the same way as an apology to a friend you wronged. The spiritual forgiveness offered by the Church is a recognition of the ways sin taints our soul. Without an understanding of the sometimes-unknowable spiritual elements of sin and temptation, the mystical forgiveness offered by the Church, through its liturgy and sacraments, cannot come to fulfilment. The primary place in which forgiveness can be located in the Church is through the sacrament of penance. Following his resurrection, Jesus gave the disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit along with an instruction which gave them the ability to forgive or retain the sins of others (John 20:23). The idea of Christians confessing their sins to one another is presented in other Biblical texts (e.g. James 5:16) as well as some later Christian writings (e.g. The Didache 4.14). Not only does forgiveness and reconciliation perform the practical function of solving disputes in a community, it also supports of a person in their discipleship.
When spiritual forgiveness is offered, there must be a recognition of the transcendental elements of ourselves and creation - which would therefore result in the affirmation of the role of the devil in sin and temptation. However, this argument may be a little crude. Therefore, affirming the role of the devil not only maintains theological orthodoxy and spirituality but it may also be pivotal to the care of the person seeking spiritual redemption. Pope Francis once said, “one cannot live without forgiveness”: (1) when a person is forgiven, they are redeemed and offered the opportunity to move forward following their reflection and repentance. They understand that although they have made a mistake, they are no longer isolated by their guilt. In the same way, when the devil is recognised as an intelligent enemy that manipulates, we comprehend that we are not entirely responsible for our misdoings, which means we are not unforgivable. We identify that temptation manifests itself through the combination of the devil and our corrupt human nature.
By recognising the suggestion from the devil and the taint of original sin, it is not possible for someone to negate their role in sin or, on the other hand, feel totally responsible and isolated. If temptation was understood as entirely due to the prompting of the devil, someone could always blame him, and culpability would be near impossible. If, on the other hand, someone was to totally fixate on their role in sin and temptation, the forgiveness offered by the Church would become irrelevant. Gregory the Great provides a model of sin and temptation that allows for Christians to be supported and cared for in their spiritual life as they attempt to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and understand that personal forgiveness for sin is possible and they are not alone.
Pope Francis, 2018. Our Father: Reflections on the Lords Prayer, 89.
