commonly considered (1) a mythopoeic image that represents the devil (or at least the diabolical) in a literary way, (2) the visible form assumed by the devil in the garden, or (3) a real serpent whose body is possessed and manipulated by the devil, much as demons are capable of speaking through bodily creatures and controlling their actions (cf. Mk 5:1–13). Whatever the case, Satan was driven by envy to rob man of his blessings and bring death into the world (Wis 2:24; CCC 391, 2539). Jesus thus
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