RT Article
T1 The Augustinian Perspective on the Transmission of Original Sin and Assisted Reproductive Technologies
JF Religious studies and theology
VO 37
IS 1
SP 79
OP 91
A1 Richie, Cristina
LA English
PB Equinox Publ.
YR 2018
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1837301336
AB St. Augustine of Hippo believed that original sin is transmitted through concupiscent intercourse. The new assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) now allow humans to create children without any intercourse, thus opening the theological possibility for circumventing the transmission of original sin, if Augustine was correct in his theory. This article will first examine Augustine’s speculative theology of prelapsarian sexual intercourse and procreation, followed by his view on the postlapsarian transmission of original sin. Second, I will describe assisted reproductive technologies, with a focus on in-vitro fertilization. I will then, third, place ARTs within an Augustinian theology of the transmission of original sin, underscoring the implications for a free will, Protestant Christian anthropology, Christology, soteriology, and missiology. I will conclude the article by considering the role of historical theology for modern scientific advancements such as ARTs.
K1 Augustine of Hippo
K1 Christian Theology
K1 assisted reproductive technologies
K1 Original Sin
K1 Sexuality
DO 10.1558/rsth.31054