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Thursday, September 30, 2021

Original guilt

 This is an incomplete article with citations for references to the "guilt of original sin"

Orthodox claim the Catholic Church abandoned the doctrine of original guilt.

"Guilt of original sin" is mentioned a few times. either as "reatum originalis peccati" or "originalis culpae"

Baltimore Catechism:

Q. 268. Was any one ever preserved from original sin? 

A. The Blessed Virgin Mary, through the merits of her Divine Son, was preserved free from the guilt of original sin, and this privilege is called her Immaculate Conception.

 30 day catechism:

7. Has all of mankind contracted the guilt and stain of original sin?
All except the Blessed Virgin who was conceived without the least guilt or stain of original sin (the Immaculate Conception). 

Day 9:

5. What is original sin?  The guilt and stain of sin which we inherit from Adam, the origin of all mankind. 

7. Has all of mankind contracted the guilt and stain of original sin?
All except the Blessed Virgin who was conceived without the least guilt or stain of original sin (the Immaculate Conception). 

The Catechism of Trent (Roman Catechism), on Article II, uses another phrase:

When Adam had departed from the obedience due to God and had violated the prohibition, of every tree of paradise thou shalt eat: But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat, for in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death, he fell into the extreme misery of losing the sanctity and righteousness in which he had been placed, and of becoming subject to all those other evils which have been explained more fully by the holy Council of Trent.

Wherefore, the pastor should not omit to remind the faithful that the guilt and punishment of original sin (peccatum et peccati poenamwere not confined to Adam, but justly descended from him, as from their source and cause, to all posterity. The human race, having fallen from its elevated dignity, no power of men or Angels could raise it from its fallen condition and replace it in its primitive state. To remedy the evil and repair the loss it became necessary that the Son of God, whose power is infinite, clothed in the weakness of our flesh, should remove the infinite weight of sin and reconcile us to God in His blood.

The Council of Trent itself states:

5. If any one denies, that, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is conferred in baptism, the guilt of original sin (reatum originalis peccati) is remitted; or even asserts that the whole of that which has the true and proper nature of sin is not taken away; but says that it is only rased, or not imputed; let him be anathema. For, in those who are born again, there is nothing that God hates; because, There is no condemnation to those who are truly buried together with Christ by baptism into death; who walk not according to the flesh, but, putting off the old man, and putting on the new who is created according to God, are made innocent, immaculate, pure, harmless, and beloved of God, heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ; so that there is nothing whatever to retard their entrance into heaven. But this holy synod confesses and is sensible, that in the baptized there remains concupiscence, or an incentive (to sin); which, whereas it is left for our exercise, cannot injure those who consent not, but resist manfully by the grace of Jesus Christ; yea, he who shall have striven lawfully shall be crowned. This concupiscence, which the apostle sometimes calls sin, the holy Synod declares that the Catholic Church has never understood it to be called sin, as being truly and properly sin in those born again, but because it is of sin, and inclines to sin. 

 The council of Trent is most authoritative document using the phrase here translated "guilt of original sin"--"reatum originalis peccati". Another translation says, "liability of original sin." This is a response to Luther's total depravity claim that even after regeneration a person cannot perform any good works before God because of the taint of original sin. 

The language is used by St Thomas Aquinas:

Reply to Objection 1. The energumens are so-called from "laboring inwardly" under the outward operation of the devil. And though not all that approach Baptism are troubled by him in their bodies, yet all who are not baptized are subject to the power of the demons, at least on account of the guilt of original sin (saltem propter reatum originalis peccati).--Summa Theologiae, part 3, section 71, Article 2

Elsewhere,

Reply to Objection 2. The holy Fathers while yet living were delivered from original as well as actual sin through faith in Christ; also from the penalty of actual sins [reatu poenae actualium peccatorum], but not from the penalty of original sin [reatu poenae originalis peccati], whereby they were excluded from glory, since the price of man's redemption was not yet paid: just as the faithful are now delivered by baptism from the penalty of actual sins, and from the penalty of original sin [reatu originalis] as to exclusion from glory, yet still remain bound by the penalty of original sin [reatu originalis peccati] as to the necessity of dying in the body because they are renewed in the spirit, but not yet in the flesh, according to Romans 8:10: "The body indeed is dead, because of sin; but the spirit liveth, because of justification." --Summa Theologiae, Part 3, Question 52,  Article 5

 Again, St Thomas:

On the contrary, Augustine says (Retract. i, 15): "Concupiscence is the guilt of original sin." (concupiscentia est reatus originalis peccati)--Summa Theologiae, First part of the second part, Question 82, Article III

St Augustine uses "originalis peccati reatum"

"The grace of Christ takes away the guilt of original sin [Tollit gratia Christi originalis peccati reatum], but it takes away something invisible in an invisible way. It also forgives all sins which human beings have added on to it by living bad lives. Judgement, of course, comes after the one sin and leads to condemnation because that one in which is contracted by those who are born draws them to eternal condemnation if it is not forgiven."--St Augustine, Second Book again Julian, 97

Catechism of Pope Pius IX lacks the language of guilt:

41 Q. Is this sin proper to Adam alone?
A. This sin is not Adam's sin alone, but it is also our sin, though in a different sense. It is Adam's sin because he committed it by an act of his will, and hence in him it was a personal sin. It is our sin also because Adam, having committed it in his capacity as the head and source of the human race, it was transmitted by natural generation to all his descendants: and hence in us it is original sin.

42 Q. How is it possible for original sin to be transmitted to all men?
A. Original sin is transmitted to all men because God, having conferred sanctifying grace and other supernatural gifts on the human race in Adam, on the condition that Adam should not disobey Him; and Adam having disobeyed, as head and father of the human race, rendered human nature rebellious against God. And hence, human nature is transmitted to all the descendants of Adam in a state of rebellion against God, and deprived of divine grace and other gifts.

43 Q. Do all men contract original sin?

A. Yes, all men contract original sin, with the exception of the Blessed Virgin, who was preserved from it by a singular privilege of God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. 

2 Q. What is original sin?
A. Original sin is the sin in which we are all born, and which we contracted by the disobedience of our first parent, Adam.

3 Q. What evil effects has the sin of Adam brought upon us?
A. The evil effects of the sin of Adam are: The privation of grace, the loss of Paradise, together with ignorance, inclination to evil, death, and all our other miseries.

4 Q. How is original sin cancelled?

A. Original sin is cancelled by holy Baptism. 

"originalis culpae" is used in Vatican II:

But since it has pleased God not to manifest solemnly the mystery cf the salvation of the human race before He would pour forth the Spirit promised by Christ, we see the apostles before the day of Pentecost “persevering with one mind in prayer with the women and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and with His brethren”,(Act 1,14), and Mary by her prayers imploring the gift of the Spirit, who had already overshadowed her in the Annunciation. Finally, the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all guilt of original sin [ab omni originalis culpae labe praeservata immunis],(12*) on the completion of her earthly sojourn, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory--Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 59

Which is referring to the ex-cathedra defining the immaculate conception:

“We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin [originalis culpae labe], is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful." --Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus

In my opinion, concerning the church teaching on original sin alone being sufficient for damnation shows that it separates us from God, but the church likewise teaches us the punishment in Hell in not equal to those who deliberately sinned. In fact, the theologians generally taught that the punishment is Hell is nothing other than being in Hell, St Thomas said the souls in limbo in Hell are actually experiencing natural happiness, this was taught also by Dante too.  

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