Raúl Villegas Marín: Original Sin in the Provençal Ascetic Theology

This paper aims to show the way how some Provençal theologians belonging to the monastic communities of St. Victor of Marseille and Lérins incorporated the concept of original sin in a theological system which was built up as the theoretical basis for Christian ascetic life. While far from sharing Augustine’s views on the effects of Adam’s sin upon his posterity, these thinkers hold that original sin explains the frailty of man’s free will and the human depence on God’s grace. Adam’s fall and its consequences, then, should be kept in mind by any ascetic in order to avoid falling into the sin of pride. According to these theologians, original sin was also considered an argument for God’s universal salvific will. They hold that, just as all humans sinned in Adam, so all are called by Christ to follow the way of life which leads to salvation.