Our interpretive lenses: one example

One example of a presupposition that is deeply rooted in several Christian traditions is the notion of the 'fall' of mankind in Genesis 3.1-24. This notion is a complex of several ideas: mankind prior to the fall existed in a state of perfection ('edenic' perfection no less), subject to immortality, and a sinless human nature. Nature also was perfect - meaning that it was precisely how the Creator intended it. Things like death and decay did not yet exist prior to humankind's disobedience. Subsequently, however, these things were lost. Humankind inherited a 'sinful human nature,' became subject to death and decay, and brought the entire created order into a similar state. Nature is no longer how the Creator intended it to be; it is now in need of redemption. This is the theological foundation for the Christian theology of atonement. Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection is the answer to this predicament. Again, the specifics of this concept differ according to one's tradition, and how one defines the specifics of the fall will shape and influence one's theology of redemption. It is fascinating to do a historical study of these ideas and how they change over time. The Christian Church historically has had three broad 'theories of atonement': Christus victor, ransom theory, and now the most current (at least within Protestant circles) is know as 'penal substitutionary atonement.' What often hinders us from seeing the richness of the New Testament writers' own theology of Jesus' death is that we are limit-bound in presupposing the fall was a specific thing.

One significant historic 'interpretation' that has played a large role in shaping our views about the fall of humankind is from a man in the early 5th century. This man is named Augustine of Hippo and he is often called the father of Western theology. While reading Paul's letter to the Roman's in Latin rather than the original Greek, he came to understand the fall as bequeathing to us 'Original sin.' This was based off of a reading of Romans 5.12 that was mistranslated into Latin from the original koine Greek. Augustine on several occassions admitted the fact that he did not know how to read Greek (some passages in his Confessions is actually quite humorous in this regard). This notion became predominate in the Western church and set the tone of discussion in the later Protestant church in the fifteenth century. It is also the great-grandparent of the Evangelical notion of a 'sinful nature' (a phrase used to translate Paul's phrase 'flesh' in the NIV). Prior to this the broader Christian church believed in what has come to be called 'Original guilt.' The Eastern Orthodox churches to this day still preserve this original idea and it in fact was one of the contributing reasons for the Great schism of 1054. It is also why the Orthodox do not consider Augustine a saint but instead refer to him as 'Blessed Augustine.'