Orthodox view of original sin

[lovelylife22]

How is the Orthodox view of original sin different from the Western view but we know that death and sin came into the world through Adam? The Orthodox do not believe we are guilty of Adams sin.

 

[Shiranui117]

How is the Orthodox view of original sin different from the Western view but we know that death and sin came into the world through Adam? The Orthodox do not believe we are guilty of Adams sin.

Welcome to the forums, lovelylife!

Correct, we Orthodox do not believe that we are guilty of Adam's sin, as the West claims. Rather, when Adam and Eve fell, their human existence became mortal, subject to sin, death, disease and suffering. We became separated from God through our sins. Adam and Eve sold themselves into slavery to sin and death (see Romans 5, 6 and 8 on this note especially). Death came to reign over all of mankind because of Adam and Eve's fall, and because all of humanity after Adam and Eve sinned. We Orthodox believe that, while humanity remained fundamentally good and we still had our free will (as opposed to the Calvinists and Lutherans who say that humanity's free will was destroyed after the fall), we are subjected to the effects of sin and death. The image of God within us was not destroyed, but corrupted and dirtied. We are not guilty of Adam's or Eve's sin (Ezekiel 18:20 says that a son shall not bear the guilt of his father's sin), but we do suffer from the consequences of their actions. This is the principle difference between the Eastern and Western views on the matter--the West charges that we bear the guilt of Adam's and Eve's sin, whereas the East simply says that we suffer from the effects of their actions.

The Orthodox view is the more ancient understanding; the Western view, first explained by St. Augustine and later expanded on by Anselm of Canterbury and John Calvin, is a later innovation by Augustine, who had to literally make up defenses for Christianity since he wasn't aware of the fact that many of the questions he came up with answers for had already been answered in the Byzantine Empire, where the bulk of Christian learning and theological study was taking place. And many of his answers, while strikingly similar to those of the Greeks in many regards, differed in numerous places from the long-established Apostolic Tradition. This is due to the Latin Vulgate being a sloppy translation of the Scriptures, and due to Augustine being trained in classic Latin philosophy, and not Christian theology.

 

[JayJayDee]

Correct, we Orthodox do not believe that we are guilty of Adam's sin, as the West claims. Rather, when Adam and Eve fell, their human existence became mortal, subject to sin, death, disease and suffering. We became separated from God through our sins. Adam and Eve sold themselves into slavery to sin and death (see Romans 5, 6 and 8 on this note especially). Death came to reign over all of mankind because of Adam and Eve's fall, and because all of humanity after Adam and Eve sinned. We Orthodox believe that, while humanity remained fundamentally good and we still had our free will (as opposed to the Calvinists and Lutherans who say that humanity's free will was destroyed after the fall), we are subjected to the effects of sin and death. The image of God within us was not destroyed, but corrupted and dirtied. We are not guilty of Adam's or Eve's sin (Ezekiel 18:20 says that a son shall not bear the guilt of his father's sin), but we do suffer from the consequences of their actions. This is the principle difference between the Eastern and Western views on the matter--the West charges that we bear the guilt of Adam's and Eve's sin, whereas the East simply says that we suffer from the effects of their actions.

Thanks for that Shiranui. I did not know that the Eastern Orthodox Catholic view was the same as JW's on this topic.
At least we can agree on something.

 

[Shiranui117]

Thanks for that Shiranui. I did not know that the Eastern Orthodox Catholic view was the same as JW's on this topic.
At least we can agree on something.

Haha, yeah, the Bible's pretty clear on this one. If one uses that and that alone, and not later innovations, then yup, we're going to have the same view on this one! Glory to God!