Original Sin

Abstract

This chapter discusses Hilary’s doctrine of original sin (literally ‘sins of our origin’, peccata originis). This denotes a category of sin different from our individual personal sins, which is related to our origin (origo) and is hereditary. Hilary’s doctrine may have crystallized through his concern to show Christ as different from other humans, since he emphasizes Christ’s distinct origin (origo). Humans are not merely guilty of original sin but somehow participated in it. Lastly, unlike personal sin, original sin is somehow mitigated by baptism. In all this, Hilary clearly foreshadows important details of Augustine’s doctrine of original sin; indeed, it arguably pre-dates Hilary since he uses the concept without explanation, suggesting that his readers are already aware of it.