Shift on how “ yetser ha- ra ” is understood:

1. Factors that helped shape the doctrine of Original Sin in the Early first three centuries of the Church? • Difficulty posed by Jesus’ resurrection: how could God’s anointed die by crucifixion? Absurd! Ridiculous! This raised Christological and soteriological questions. (Eg. What did the life, death and resurrection of Christ accomplish for humankind?) • Paul’s concept of sin and redemption employing the images of “bondage and freedom.” (creation is in bondage to sin; Christ breaks the power of evil)

2. Shift on how “yetser ha-ra” is understood: • For a Hebrew writer: the origin of evil is in the ambiguity of human desire • Inner struggle between: (a) yetser ha-tov= inclination to do good and (b) yetser ha-ra= inclination to do evil • New Test. Gk translation of yetser ha-ra = epithumia (evil desire; has a negative connotation) • Latin translation of yetser ha-ra= concupiscence (disordered desire) • Thus: • For Hebrew writers:yetser ha-rais why Adam could have sinned. • For Augustine: yetserha-ra(concupiscence) is the penalty of Adam’s sin.

3. Hebrew and Christian Scriptures assume the universality of sin. The question of its origin is not primary. • Human existence – ambiguous: Good is disrupted by evil, joy paralyzed by sorrow, achievement thwarted by failure, life haunted by death • Possibility of choosing the wrong course of action is an intrinsic dimension of human freedom.

4. Early Jesus followers: the preaching of Jesus’ resurrection was an invitation to re-orient one’s life to God. • Through Christ, God offers salvation to all. • But why is Christ’s forgiveness necessary for all? • What is the relation of God to evil? • Human nature? • Reason for divine redemption? • Necessity of Christ? • Practice of infant baptism? • These led to the development of the doctrine of Original Sin.

5. Clement of Alexandria (215) • Proposed that sin was inherited from Adam • But did not employ this idea as an explicit principle of solidarity in sin with Adam

6. Irenaeus of Lyon (200) • Holds that persons are responsible for sin, • But also holds that sin is somewhat inevitable in human life • Imago = human nature: rational, moral (body-soul) • Similitudo = spiritual similarity to God (body-soul-Spirit) ; this was lost by sin. • Redemption consists in the gift of the Spirit; Spirit divinizes (purpose of incarnation is divinization) • He is more interested in the process of conversion, ascent toward divine union than in Adam

7. Justin the Martyr (165) • Holds that infant baptism is necessary – they are born with wayward inclination (no explicit reference to Adam and Eve); People sin (a matter of fact) • Was not concerned in explaining why people sin; Adam’s and Eve’s sin = prototype of personal sin (disobedience) • Holds that even if sin has weakened human freedom, the human capacity to choose, decide to live in ways acceptable to God remains (in need of divine help)

8. Tertullian (220) • Holds: Genesis story reveals a historical sin and historical fall; Adam’s sin caused alienation of human beings from God • To explain relations between Adam and his descendents, Tertullian employed “traducianist theory” (theory in ancient world explaining the origin of the soul: “human body and soul are generated together in sexual intercourse) • Adam’s sin introduced an irrational element into human nature: bias or inclination to sin (impedes freedom) • Such “bias toward sin” is not the equivalent of origin sin; in fact, Tertullian holds that infant baptism was not necessary.

9. Origen (299) • Correlated infant baptism with sin and explicitly named the sin “original sin” • Holds that all are tainted with the stain of original sin; • …That sin must be washed of by water and Spirit; • … that the Church’s mediation for salvation – necessary (universal need for forgiveness) • … that baptism cleanses the defilement; gift of the Spirit generates a pure rebirth.

10. Question concerning the origin of the soul • This question is relevant to the speculation about human solidarity in sin • Traducianism (or generationism) – Tertullian favored this • Divine creation of the individual soul • Preexistence of the soul - Origen favored this; this theory is not dependent on the principle of solidarity in sin with Adam.

11. Cyprian (258) • Holds that Adam’s sin is the primeval contagion inherited by each through physical conception • Baptism cleanses the stain of the primeval contagion and imparts forgiveness.

12. Ambrosiaster (258) • Derived origin sin from Roman 5:12 • Lat vulgate trans: “in whom all sinned” (instead of “because all sinned”) • Two consequences of Adam’s sin: (a) physical death, and (b) all are infected with Adam’s guilt…. Inclination to sin • Original sin is the problem for which Christ is the remedy; Adam’s human nature = body and soul; redeemed human nature = body, soul and Spirit.

13. Conclusion Concerns of early Christian writers was soteriological. Stress was on what God has done for us through Christ. Christ had overcome the estrangement of humanity from God caused by sin. Theological interest: what they saw as God’s remedy to the problem – the remedy is Christ. They were not primarily interested with the problem: sin. Development of baptism from “adult rite” to “infant rite” – lost to historical record. Such practice evoked theological speculation about original sin.