What is the Orthodox Perspective on Original Sin?

Summary

The video script discusses the concept of Original Sin, highlighting the divergence between Eastern Orthodox and Western Christian (Catholic and Protestant) interpretations. It traces the Western view to St. Augustine, who introduced the idea of inherited guilt from Adam, contrasting with the Eastern belief that baptism sanctifies rather than cleanses inherited sin. The script also touches on the theological implications, such as the Immaculate Conception, arising from the Western understanding of Original Sin.

Takeaways

• 📖 The term 'Original Sin' originates from Saint Augustine, a Western theologian.
• 🌐 The disconnection between Western and Eastern Christians influenced the development of different theological perspectives.
• 🧬 Traducianism, the idea that Adam's sin is transmitted through the generations, is a concept not found in Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
• 👶 Saint Augustine believed that children are born condemned to hell unless baptized, a view not shared by Saint John Chrysostom.
• 🙅‍♂️ Saint John Chrysostom rejected the idea of inherited guilt and considered it unjust.
• 📚 Augustine's teachings heavily influenced Western Christian theology for centuries.
• 👼 Thomas Aquinas attempted to amend Augustine's views by proposing the concept of limbo for unbaptized children.
• 🛑 Chrysostom argued that children are born without personal sin and do not require forgiveness for Adam's sin during baptism.
• 💧 In the West, baptism is seen as a means to cleanse from original sin, a concept not recognized in the Orthodox Church.
• 👼 The Roman Catholic Church developed the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception to reconcile the virgin birth of Jesus with the concept of original sin.
• ⛪ The Orthodox Church does not entertain the concept of transmitted sin and guilt, viewing it as erroneous.

Q & A

What is the term 'Original Sin' attributed to?

The term 'Original Sin' is attributed to Saint Augustine, a Western saint and theologian.

How did the fall of European civilization affect Western Christians' theological understanding?

The fall led to a loss of connection with Eastern Christians and their teachings, resulting in Western Christians developing theologies that sometimes contradicted existing Christian beliefs.

Who is Ambrosiaster and what concept did he introduce?

Ambrosiaster is considered an unknown person who introduced the concept of traducianism, which is the transmission of original sin from Adam to his children through the seed of the fathers.

What was the understanding of procreation during the time of Saint Augustine?

It was believed that the seed of the man was implanted in the womb of the woman like a seed in a field, with the woman not contributing to the creation of the new person.

How did Saint Augustine view the effects of Adam's sin on humanity?

Saint Augustine believed that Adam's sin led to a broken humanity with a broken relationship with God, aroused passions, defects in human beings, and the introduction of death.

What was Saint Augustine's view on the necessity of baptism for newborns?

Saint Augustine believed that every child born is condemned to hell unless they are baptized, as baptism cleanses a person from the condemnation of original sin.

What was Saint John Chrysostom's stance on the transmission of guilt from Adam's sin?

Saint John Chrysostom condemned the idea that God would condemn a person for the sin committed by someone else, calling it absurd.

How did Thomas Aquinas attempt to correct Saint Augustine's position on original sin?

Thomas Aquinas proposed that children who die before baptism are not condemned to hell but are in limbo, with God deciding their fate.

What is Saint John Chrysostom's view on the purpose of baptism for children?

Saint John Chrysostom viewed baptism as a sacrament for sanctification, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and making children members of the body of Christ, not for the forgiveness of transmitted sin.

How did the Roman Catholic Church address the issue of the Virgin Mary giving birth to God while having original sin?

The Roman Catholic Church developed the theology of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary to cleanse her from the guilt and sin of Adam.

What is the Orthodox Church's view on the transmission of original sin and guilt?

The Orthodox Church does not entertain the concept of transmission of sin and guilt, as it is not present in Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Orthodox vs. Western Views on Original Sin

The paragraph discusses the concept of Original Sin, its origin from Saint Augustine, and the divergence between Eastern Orthodox and Western Christian (Roman Catholic and Protestant) interpretations. It highlights the Western view, influenced by Augustine, which includes the idea of 'traducianism'—the transmission of Adam's sin to his descendants. This concept is absent in Eastern Orthodoxy. The fall of Adam is seen as causing a broken relationship with God, aroused passions, defects in human nature, and the introduction of death. Augustine further believed that every child is born condemned to hell unless baptized, a view not shared by Eastern Orthodox figures like Saint John Chrysostom, who opposed the idea of inherited guilt.

05:02

🙏 Chrysostom's Objections and Western Theological Developments

This section contrasts Saint John Chrysostom's rejection of the idea of inherited guilt with Augustine's teachings that became foundational in the Western Church. Chrysostom argued against the notion that God would condemn someone for another's sin, a view that was contrary to Augustine's. Despite Augustine's influence, later theologians like Thomas Aquinas attempted to refine the concept by introducing the idea of limbo for unbaptized children. Chrysostom, on the other hand, saw baptism as a means of sanctification and receiving the Holy Spirit, not as a remedy for inherited sin. The Western Church's understanding of baptism as a necessity to cleanse from Original Sin is also discussed, along with the theological implications for the Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception.

10:06

🛐 Calvinist Adoption and Orthodox Rejection of Original Sin Concepts

The final paragraph addresses the continued influence of Augustine's understanding of Original Sin in Calvinist theology, including the concepts of predestination and inherited sin. It contrasts this with the Orthodox Church's stance, which does not entertain the idea of sin and guilt being transmitted from Adam to his descendants. The Orthodox view is that such transmission is not possible, reflecting a fundamental difference in theological perspective between the Orthodox and Western traditions.

Keywords

💡Original Sin

Original Sin, in Christian theology, refers to the state of sin into which each human is born, resulting from Adam and Eve's disobedience to God in the Garden of Eden. It is considered the 'fall' of humanity, introducing a broken relationship with God, an inclination towards sin, and the introduction of physical death[^1^]. The concept is foundational to understanding the need for salvation and the redemptive role of Jesus Christ in Christianity.

💡Eastern Orthodox Approach

The Eastern Orthodox approach to Original Sin differs from Western interpretations, particularly in its view of the transmission of sin. While acknowledging the impact of Adam's sin, the Orthodox Church does not emphasize the inherited guilt of Original Sin. Instead, it focuses on the consequence of death and the human condition's inclination towards sin as a result of the Fall[^8^].

💡Western Approach

The Western Approach, as developed by theologians like Saint Augustine, views Original Sin as the transmission of both the guilt and the consequences of Adam's sin to all of humanity. This approach sees baptism as necessary to cleanse the stain of Original Sin and aligns with doctrines such as the Immaculate Conception, which posits Mary's conception without Original Sin[^8^].

💡Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine was a Western saint and theologian who significantly influenced the Western understanding of Original Sin. He proposed that the sin of Adam was transmitted to all of humanity, leading to a state of inherent guilt and corruption that could only be remedied through divine grace and baptism[^7^].

💡Traducianism

Traducianism is a concept associated with Saint Augustine and refers to the transmission of the sin of Adam to his children through the 'seed' of the fathers, implying a biological inheritance of sin. This concept is not present in Eastern Orthodox Christianity and represents a divergence in the understanding of Original Sin between Eastern and Western traditions[^1^].

💡Baptism

In the context of Original Sin, baptism is viewed as the sacrament that cleanses an individual from the stain of Original Sin, restoring the relationship with God and removing the inherent guilt and consequences of Adam's sin. The necessity and timing of baptism have been points of contention between Western and Eastern Christian practices[^7^].

💡Immaculate Conception

The Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic doctrine that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was conceived without Original Sin. This doctrine developed in part as a response to the question of how Mary could give birth to God if she carried the stain of Original Sin, as understood in Western theology[^1^].

💡Saint John Chrysostom

Saint John Chrysostom, an Eastern Father of the Church, opposed the idea of inherited guilt from Original Sin. He argued against the notion that God would condemn a person for the sins of another, emphasizing that baptism is for sanctification and becoming a member of the body of Christ, rather than for the forgiveness of inherited sin[^1^].

💡Anthropology

The theological study of human nature and the understanding of Original Sin significantly shape the Christian understanding of anthropology. In Western Christianity, influenced by Augustine, the anthropology is often one of inherent corruption and need for redemption. In contrast, Eastern Orthodoxy views humanity as fallen but not inherently guilty, focusing on the restoration of the image of God in humans[^1^].

💡Concupiscence

Concupiscence, or the inclination to sin, is a concept closely tied to Original Sin. It arises from the Augustinian understanding of the consequences of Original Sin, where human nature is not only corrupted but also inclined towards sin. This concept is present in Western theologies but is not as central to Eastern Orthodox understandings of the human condition post-Fall[^7^].

Highlights

The Orthodox Perspective on Original Sin differs from Western approaches.

Original Sin term originates from Saint Augustine, a Western theologian.

Augustine's theology was influenced by the fall of European civilization and loss of Eastern Christian teachings.

Traducianism, the concept of transmitting Adam's sin to children, is not present in Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

The fall of Adam is seen as causing a broken humanity and the introduction of death.

Augustine believed that every child born is condemned to hell unless baptized.

Saint John Chrysostom, a contemporary of Augustine, objected to the idea of transmitted guilt.

Chrysostom argued against the concept of God condemning a person for another's sin.

Augustine's teachings formed the foundation of Western Church's understanding of humanity.

Thomas Aquinas attempted to correct Augustine's position regarding unbaptized children.

Chrysostom viewed baptism as a sacrament for sanctification and receiving the Holy Spirit.

In the West, baptism was seen as necessary to eliminate Original Sin and Adam's guilt.

The Roman Catholic Church developed the Immaculate Conception doctrine to address the Virgin Mary's supposed Original Sin.

John Calvin embraced Augustine's concepts, including predestination and Original Sin.

The Orthodox Church does not discuss the transmission of sin and guilt.

Transcripts

What is the Orthodox Perspective on Original Sin?

The topic that we are going to discuss today is Original Sin and what exactly is that

and how is that affecting theology in general and what the differences are

between the Eastern Orthodox approach in the Western approach -- both the Roman Catholic

as well as Protestant understanding. The term Original Sin actually is a term

that comes from Saint Augustine, a Western saint and theologian

and the primary theologian of the West for a long time and especially from the

time of the destruction of European civilization by the Germanic tribes that

invaded starting at the beginning of the fifth century in the early four hundreds

and the devastation they left behind which destroyed learning, it

eliminated schools and the Western Christians from Italy they

lost their connection with the Eastern Christians and the

Eastern Christian teachings and the Christian works,

theological works because Greek was lost and the theologians of the West did not

have the ability to be enriched and be corrected in some ways as they expressed

theology and in many cases they created theology that contradicted what was

there already in Christianity. And one of these people was Saint Augustine a

brilliant man and a bishop in the Western Church from Carthage who ... he was

based, he expressed an understanding of Original Sin based on a writing by

somebody that he thought was Saint Ambrose of Milan who was the bishop that

baptized him but in fact modern scholars consider him as an unknown person and

they give him the title Ambrosiaster. Ambrosiaster introduces

the concept of traducianism which is the transmission of the sin of

Adam or original sin as he calls it from Adam to his children from the

fathers to their children through the seed of the fathers. It's also

a time when there is no understanding of how

procreation happens and and how a person is born is not scientifically correct

because they thought at this point that the seed of the man is

implanted in the womb of the woman just like a regular seed is implanted

in a field and the woman really doesn't contribute anything to the creation of

the new person and everything comes from the man. So it is Adam that

contributes the human, the whole humanity to his children and from them the man

again are the ones who transmit their humanity to their children and the sin

of Adam is transmitted again as I said from one man to another and from him to

his children. So this traducianist concept is new to Christianity it's not

present in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, it's not present in the Eastern Fathers,

the Greek Fathers. For the Greek Fathers and also for Augustine the

understanding is that the fall of Adam brings about the fall of humanity,

it brings a broken humanity, a humanity where the relationship with God is broken,

a humanity where the passions are aroused and defects are introduced into

the human being and where death is introduced

which is the biggest one of the effects that the sin of Adam has on his

descendants. So all human beings die because of the sin of Adam. But Augustine

added to all of that the understanding of the transmission of the guilt of the

sin and of the guilt of Adam and therefore every new person every child

that is born he is really condemned to hell unless they're baptized and baptism

is the event and the mystery of the sacrament that cleanses a

person from this condemnation. Now, Saint John Chrysostom who comes at the end

of the fourth century beginning of the fifth century and basically contemporary

of Augustine does not have such a teaching, but what he has are actually things

that are contrary to Augustine's understanding and he argues because he

somehow he knows that this idea of the guilt transmitted has been circulating

-- he must have heard about it -- he objects to it and he calls it absurd.

The interesting thing is that Augustine read some of these texts from Chrysostom

because he knew a little Greek but he tells us in his "Confessions" that he

hated Greek so I don't think that he read Chrysostom in-depth so although he

looked at them he thought that Chrysostom was saying the same thing as he was

saying but in fact Chrysostom was totally different. Chrysostom condemns

the understanding that God will ever condemn a person for the

sin committed by someone else. He says that very clearly and he actually says

that no human judge will ever condemn anyone for the sin of someone else and

how could God who is the most just of all judges do such

a thing and be so unjust. So as I said before, because Augustine

was the primary theologian of the Western Church for many centuries

-- especially the during the four hundred years of what we call the Dark Ages of

Europe -- his teaching was propagated in the Western Church and

that became the foundation of the understanding of what the condition of

humanity is and the Anthropology of the Western Church was that which comes

out of this Augustinian position. Later, Thomas Aquinas tried to correct this

position by Augustine by coming up with the idea that children that die before

they're baptized are not condemned to hell but they are in limbo

and that God is in charge of that and he can decide what that is.

Chrysostom, of course, has said that children have no sin of their own

and therefore there is no sin to be forgiven during baptism and of course

they have no sin from Adam because there is no such concept as

transmitted sin. Chrysostom speaks about baptism as

the sacrament in which there is sanctification, there is the gift of the

Holy Spirit, the person becomes the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and

becomes a member of the body of Christ. He says that that is why we

baptize children. We don't baptize them so that any kind of sin can be forgiven

but we baptize them so that we can make them members of the body of Christ and

give them sanctification and make them a dwelling place of the Holy

Spirit and give them the opportunity to have the fullness of the

grace of God and that's why we baptize them.

In the West for a long time the understanding was that baptism

eliminates original sin, the sin of Adam and the guilt of Adam, and therefore

that's why we baptize infants and that's why the necessity for the baptism

of infants is there. The interesting thing is that based on this concept of

the transmission of the Original Sin and the guilt and responsibility of Adam, the

Roman Catholic Church proceeded to develop another theology when it was

confronted with the thought of how can the Virgin Mary give birth to God if

she was never baptized and since she had the sin of Adam. So they came up

with the theology of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary which has

become a dogma in the Roman Catholic Church in order to cleanse the mother of

God from the guilt and sin of Adam since that conflicted with the understanding

that how can she give birth to God if she was sinful and she was condemned to

hell herself. So we have this development, this theological development which

is based on this erroneous concept but we also have among the Reformers John

Calvin who embraced a lot of the Augustinian concepts including

predestination and he also embraced the understanding of Original Sin and the

transmission of sin and guilt and the responsibility of Adam

based on Augustine's understanding and that has been the case until this day for

those who have followed the Calvinist understandings. Of course in the Orthodox

Church this is not even a topic to be discussed because we do not see any such

possibility of transmission of sin and guilt and responsibility in any possible

way.