Re: Original Sin (was Re: RATE)

From: Dr. Blake Nelson (bnelson301@yahoo.com)
Date: Mon Oct 06 2003 - 10:50:27 EDT

  • Next message: Dr. Blake Nelson: "Causality (was Re: RATE)"

    I am sure George M. has more to offer than I, but I
    wanted to correct my last post and comment on Ted's.

    I meant Tertullian, not Origen. The doctrine in the
    Western Church stems from the dispute between
    Augustine and Pelagius. Even though some church
    fathers, prior to this point, held some beliefs that
    are associated with Original Sin, the doctrine that
    Augustine propounded was due, in part, to his not
    knowing Greek and not having read the Greek fathers.

    A quote from C. G. Bretschneider's Manual of Dogmatic
    History:

    "Neither the doctrine of Pelagius, nor that of
    Augustine, coincided entirely with the views of the
    ancient fathers. For the later Greek fathers
    [distinguishing from the early Greek fathers] had at
    least explained physical death to be a consequence of
    the fall, and some of them had admitted a growth. of
    moral deterioration originating from it; but it is
    also true that the Latin Church fathers had at least
    taught no imputation of Adam's guilt, no loss of free
    will, and no damnation of the race, already
    experienced in consequence of this birth from Adam.
    Pelagius and Augustine were both in the wrong when
    they each maintained that he had only followed the
    already established Church doctrine; but the greater
    wrong was on the side of Augustine. We must pardon him
    however for this because, being ignorant of the Greek
    language he had never read the Greek fathers."

    So, perhaps, Ted is right about some mistranslation
    along the way.

    --- Ted Davis <TDavis@messiah.edu> wrote:
    > Echoing what Blake Nelson just wrote, it is my
    > understanding that Augustine
    > and the western tradition actually mis-interpreted a
    > key Pauline text about
    > original sin, b/c they were working from the vulgate
    > rather than from the
    > original Greek text. I suspect that George Murphy
    > or someone else knows the
    > full story here and can illuminate us?
    >
    > ted
    >

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