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Ancestral Sin
Scene: Paradise Key Players: The Devil & Man Plot: The Fall Consequences: Death Original or Ancestral Sin is not about guilt for sin of Adam, but about death, the consequence of his sin.
Paradise?
Then the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man He formed. (Gen 2:8) Saint Ambrose: He placed man in Paradise, just as He placed the sun in the heaven. At time of Adams creation Paradise was a place where God put Adam bodily.
Where is Paradise?
Saint Paul the Apostle I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knowssuch a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a manwhether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (2Cor 12:2-4) At the time of Paul, Paradise was beyond earth in the third heaven.
Paradise is Beautiful
God caused every tree beautiful to the sight and good for food to grow from the ground. (Gen 2:9)
Saint Gregory the Sinaite.
Placed between corruption and incorruption, it is always both abundant in fruits and blossoming with owers, both mature and immature.
Mankind in Paradise?
Saint John Chrysostom Before the fall men lived in Paradise like angels; they were not inamed with lust, were not kindled by other passions either, were not burdened with bodily needs; but being created entirely incorruptible and immortal, they did not even need the covering of clothing.
Homilies on Genesis 13:4, 15:4
Paradise
Its site is higher in the East than all the earth: it is temperate and the air that surrounds it is the rarest and purest: evergreen plants are its pride, sweet fragrances abound, it is ooded with light, and in sensuous freshness and beauty it transcends imagination: in truth the place is divine, a meet home for him who was created in God's image: no creature lacking reason made its dwelling there but man alone, the work of God's own hands. John of Damascus
Mankind in Paradise
Made from dust and potentially immortal. Made in Gods Image and placed in Paradise. Not deied but created for deication. Free of bodily needs yet bodily - like the angels Free from suffering. Free from passions. Given a challenge and responsibilities.
The Devil
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
(Rev 12:7-9)
Stage set for Fall of Mankind Man created in Image of God Lives in Paradise Devil working to deceive world
Fall of Mankind
Michelangelo's Temptation and Fall from the Sistine Chapel Ceiling.
Now the serpent was more cunning than all the wild animals the Lord God made on the earth. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God said, You shall not eat from it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. Then the serpent said to the woman, You shall not die by death. For God knows in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree beautiful to contemplate, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave it to her husband with her, and he ate. (Gen 3: 1-6)
He was envious. He saw man as an inferior creature yet he as a superior creature is part of a non-spiritual existence.
He is devious, shrewd and clever. He knew what was in the human heart: Mans desire for worldly things. They were not willing to submit to Gods will.
Genesis continues the story: Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed g leaves together and made themselves coverings. (Gen 3:7)
Responded with self-justication. Adam blamed Eve Eve blamed the snake. There was no humility, no remorse.
Death
Evil force which came into the world by sin. Primary power of Satan - god of this world. Why Paul says the following:
Apostle Paul
For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I nd then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the esh the law of sin. (Romans 7:19-15)
Then the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to ti$ the ground %om which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a aming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
(Gen 3:22-24)
Man was created in Paradise in full communion with God Rejected own vocation making what is created the object of his desire. Looked at things of this world for fulllment rather than his Creator, we separate ourselves from God.
God
God Soul
Body Body
Soul
Review
What is the fallen nature of mankind? How does this compare to his Natural or created nature? What is Adam and Eve do to cause this condition? Who was responsible?
Other views?
Many Western Churches have a innovative view of Sin. Original Sin Leads to different view of Salvation.
SAINT AUGUSTINE
Augustine (354 430) introduced the notion that death was a personal punishment for Adams sin. Paul views the Fall as a battle between God and Satan. According to Paul, Eve was deceived by Satan and they both were taken captive by the Devil through death. Last enemy to be destroyed is death (1Cor 15:26) the sting of death is sin. Death is the weapon of the devil. This is how Christ freed us from our enslavement. The idea of guilt is misleading. We have a disease.
The main act of Christ was His victory over death. He destroyed the greatest power of the Devil. The spiritual war against the devil and the striving for seless love is centered in the Eucharistic life of the Church Body of Christ who is the head.
We need the help of the Holy Spirit to overcome our sinful tendencies. We get this only in union with Him as part of the body of Christ, the Church. Requires relationship not atonement. Our goal is to perfect ourselves in cooperation with God so we can live in union with Him.
God gave us the gifts of freedom, reason, and love. With freedom there is the possibility of wavering in ones choices thus temptation is possible.
Love In place of love for God and ones neighbor, Loves ourselves and everything that satises lower desires and gives earthly enjoyment.
What is Evil?
God did NOT create evil or death. Evil is the moral order that results from exercising our free will separating us from God.
Is Misfortune Evil?
Misfortunes are in themselves neither evil or good. Part of our fallen condition - fear of death One must have reverence for the all-wise order of the world.
Endlessly, the various and mutually opposed strivings of blind elemental powers and organic creatures are colliding with each other at every moment, and are brought into harmony becoming a source for continual renewal in the world.
Evil is a deviation from the original condition of Paradise. God is not the cause of moral evil. Due to a separation from God, willingness to do as He commands, and the inability to do moral law which is written in the human conscience because of death. This Separation is called sin.
Review
Man has free will. Human action responsible for Sin. Consequence of rst sin was a separation from God Death and expulsion from Paradise. Mankinds nature was changed - image tarnished. We inherit consequences of death and loss of the kingdom. We are in need of healing to nd union with God.
Ancestral Sin