Preaching Adam in John Chrysostom and Augustine of Hippo

Is Adam merely a bad moral example, or has his first sin left a lasting impact on the human condition? The current paper revisits the traditional juxtaposition between John Chrysostom and Augustine of Hippo as holding, respectively, a preference for humankind’s autonomy and heteronomy. The way both...

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Bibliographic Details
Author:Anthony Dupont, Douglas Finn
Published: S.n., s.l., 2019
Volume:73
Pages:190-217
Language:English
Periodical:Vigiliae Christianae
Number:2
ISSN:0042-6032
Format:Article
Topic:- Biography > Relations and Sources > Greek Christian writers > John Chrysostom - Pseudo Chrysostom - Latin Chrysostomus > John Chrysostom
- Doctrine > From man to God > Divine revelation > Exegesis > [Exégèse. Personnages. Lieux. Thèmes] > [Personnages] > Adam
Status:Active
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Summary:Is Adam merely a bad moral example, or has his first sin left a lasting impact on the human condition? The current paper revisits the traditional juxtaposition between John Chrysostom and Augustine of Hippo as holding, respectively, a preference for humankind’s autonomy and heteronomy. The way both perceived Adam as an example serves, in this paper, as a concrete case study. First, we investigate how both preachers understand the notion of exemplarity, and how they develop their own pedagogy based on examples. Next, we observe how both preachers apply these pastoral didactics to the first man as a role model. The historical person of Adam, and the eschatological consequences of his fall, play a prominent role in their respective homiletic oeuvres. Chrysostom understands Adam’s primordial sin as a bad example—an instructive example of behavior to be avoided and a therapeutic example that instils in us gratitude for God’s mercy. Augustine, by contrast, is quite hesitant to consider Adam merely an example, since he prefers to stress the ontological solidarity that the whole of humanity shares with Adam.

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