Athanasius of Alexandria on Original sin & the human will
Nature wounded but not destroyed; grace perfects it
"she is after all made with power over herself"
THE POSITION
The fall is ontological decay rather than primarily forensic guilt or inability. Man was made from nothing and so mortal by nature; the image and the indwelling Word held corruption off, and the transgression forfeited that grace, so the race began disintegrating back toward non-existence. On the will he runs the opposite way from later Augustinianism: the soul after the fall retains self-determination.
14 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who did not sin in the way that Adam transgressed. He is a pattern of the One to come.
4 OTHERS HOLD THIS
ABOUT THIS FIGURE
Defender of Nicene orthodoxy against Arianism through repeated exiles. On the Incarnation is his central work on why God became man.
Cite this page
"Athanasius of Alexandria on Original sin & the human will", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/athanasius/original-sin (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/athanasius/original-sin).