
The Transmission of Sin
Augustine and the Pre-Augustinian Sources
Pier Franco Beatrice(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 23. May 2013
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-19-975141-9 (ISBN)
Description
Originally published in Italian in 1978, The Transmission of Sin is a study of the origins of the doctrine of original sin, one of the most important teachings of the Catholic Church. While the doctrine has a basis in biblical sources, it found its classic expression in the work of St. Augustine. Yet Augustine did not work out his theory on the basis of the biblical texts alone, rather he sought to understand them in the context of the religious thinking of his own time. Pier Franco Beatrice's work seeks to illuminate that context, and discover the post-biblical influences on Augustine's thought. Although he made considerable efforts to defend and elaborate the doctrine of hereditary guilt, says Beatrice, the doctrine already existed before Augustine and was in fact widespread in the Christianity of the time, particularly in the West. He locates its origins in Egypt in the second half of the second century CE, in Jewish-Christian circles that saw sexual congress as the source of the physical and moral corruption that afflicts all humans. In reaction to this extreme view, which rejected marriage and procreation as inherently evil, other theologians developed a more moderate position, recognizing only personal sin, which could not be inherited. Beatrice argues that Augustine's doctrine exemplified a synthesis of these two trends which would ultimately triumph as the orthodox Catholic position.
Reviews / Votes
Beatrice's book makes a significant contribution to the study of original sin. Any serious student of Augustine or the doctrines of humanity or sin should consult this work. * Adam Harwood, The Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry * This is an excellent work and based on thorough research and scholarship * Isabella Image, Biblical and Early Christian Studies * ...a compelling read. * Dominic Keech, Augustiniana *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Scholars and students of Religious Studies, Biblical Studies, Patristic Studies, Liturgical Studies, Church History, History of Christian Theology, Systematic Theology, Ancient Philosophy, and Late Antique Studies.
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
691 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-975141-9 (9780199751419)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Pier Franco Beatrice
Transmission of Sin: Augustine and the Pre-Augustinian Sources
Augustine and the Pre-Augustinian Sources
E-Book
04/2013
1st Edition
Oxford University Press, USA
€113.59
Available for download
Persons
Pier Franco Beatrice is Professor of Classics and Religious Studies at the University of Padua. Adam Kamesar is Professor of Judaeo-Hellenistic Literature at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, OH.
Author
Professor of Classics and Religious StudiesProfessor of Classics and Religious Studies, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
Translation
Professor of Judaeo-Hellenistic LiteratureProfessor of Judaeo-Hellenistic Literature, Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Content
Preface to the English Edition ; Translator's Note ; Abbreviations ; Introduction ; Part I: The Doctrine of Original Sin in Its Augustinian Formulation ; Chapter 1: The Pelagian Critique of the Doctrine of Original Sin ; Chapter 2: Original Sin and Its Consequences ; Chapter 3: The Essence and Transmission of Original Sin ; Chapter 4: Infant Baptism and Original Sin ; Part II: The Biblical and Patristic Tradition according to Augustine ; Chapter 5: The Biblical Testimonia ; Chapter 6: Sin and Death in the Theology of Paul ; Chapter 7: Augustine and Ambrosiaster ; Chapter 8: Ambrose and Cyprian, Masters of Augustine ; Chapter 9: Chrysostom, Augustine, and the Pelagians ; Part III: The Origin and Development of the 'Augustinian' Doctrine of Original Sin ; Chapter 10: The 'Legacy of Adam' in Greek Theology from the Second to the Fourth Century ; Chapter 11: The Encratite Origin of the 'Augustinian' Doctrine of Original Sin ; Chapter 12: The Concept of Original Sin as Popular and Manichean Heresy ; Chapter 13: Traducianism, Original Sin, and Infant Baptism in the West ; Chapter 14: Rome and Carthage: Two Traditions Compared ; Conclusion: Towards a New History of the Augustinian Doctrine of Original Sin ; Bibliography ; Supplement to the Bibliography (2011)