Abstract

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa’s reading of Original sin is based on a philosophical approach: in the declamation De originali peccato he explains the Fall as a metaphor for sexual intercourse and associates each Biblical character with a faculty of the soul: Adam embodies faith, Eve portrays reason, and the Serpent represents sexual desire. By deliberately disobeying God, Adam and Eve reject chastity and claim the divine power of giving life. Their transgression is therefore rooted in the presumption of overcoming the limits of human nature through concupiscence. Moving from the connection between theology and sexuality, Agrippa examines the role of man/faith and woman/reason, which symbolize existential choices aiming at the spiritual redemption of humankind.

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