Everyone has heard of St. Augustine and all his great writings and contributions to theology. But a lesser-known man, Irenaeus, also contributed much to theology in his day. In my Christian beliefs class we read about Irenaeus and his relation to Augustine's thinking on sin, and it got me thinking about the origin of "original sin."

Irenaeus incorporates Genesis 2 (like Augustine), but comes up with a very different explanation and theory for the enigma of sin in the world. Essentially, this perspective says that the story of Adam and Eve is really an allegory for all humankind rather than a literal history (the Hebrew term "adam" means simply "mankind"). Following from this thought there was no original state of perfection (unlike Augustine), and therefore no "fall from grace," but rather a developing of the human person and the culture over time to reach this perfect state.

Irenaeus also cites a different reason for our human tendency toward sin. Since we have been born into a world full of sin, it is only natural that we will sin. Individuals, societies and systems within societies constantly sin. When we, as children, are surrounded by these actions we cannot help but succumb to them ourselves, which further perpetuates the system of sin. This is the "original sin" Irenaeus speaks of.

The first two readings for this coming Sunday (Acts 2:14, 36-41 and 1 Peter 2:20-25) speak about sin. When Peter says in the Acts of the Apostles, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins," he mentions nothing of the Jewish tradition of "original sin," but it started me thinking, again, about the nature of sin. I began to ponder whether or not sin was actually a product of my being born, or if it was a product of my relationships with God, others and myself.

I realized that in the past I was always acting out of an Augustinian viewpoint, as most Roman Catholics do, but with Irenaeus I had been challenged. If the human race was not initially born into this state of perfection, then what does this mean for the way I live and pray?

Irenaeus saw the first humans as infants, and ever since then the human race has been developing and progressing toward a state of perfection. Jesus, both fully human and fully divine, is the fulfillment of this perfection of humanity. Being a human, in fullness, he was also able to realize his full divine being in his embrace and oneness with God. This is the end to which humanity is hopefully striving.

I feel like this revelation has allowed me to pray at a more genuine, hopeful level. Since I am confident that I am striving to live a good life and serve God, I feel like I am headed in the right direction and should be helping the rest of the world to do so as well. I think that Irenaeus' theory provides a greater call to action and instills more responsibility in each individual by giving him the ability to help himself, others and the whole world towards a state of grace.

I personally think that Irenaeus' explanation of the human tendency to sin is better than Augustine's "fall from grace." It changes our view of "original sin" from a tragic condemnation to a hopeful development. Being only exposed to the Augustinian viewpoint until now, I think that adopting and implementing the viewpoint of Irenaeus will continue to revolutionize the way I think and interact with God.

Thom Parker, a sophomore studying geophysics, is in the Liturgical Internship Program this year at the Center for Liturgy. Liturgical interns are funded by the VOICES Project, which seeks to enhance a sense of vocation in all members of the University community. For other reflections by SLU students in the VOICES program go to: http://studentmass.slu.edu.