The Original Sin in the Christian Tradition and in the Russian Literature

  • Stefano M. Capilupi Russian Christian Academy for the Humanities in St Petersburg
Keywords: Sin, Nature, Grace, Anthropology, Salvation, Dualism, Deification,

Abstract

The theme of this research is the vision of original sin held in Eastern and Western Christianity, in the light of the works of Dostoevsky and in the context of Russian religious philosophy (including writers such as Vladimir Solovyov, Vlyacheslav Ivanov, Shestov, Berdyaev, Fedotov, N Fedorov, V Ern, P Evdokimov, S Bulgakov, Florenski, Bakhtin, and Florovsky). In the tradition of Eastern Christianity, I refer to Origen, Maximus the Confessor and Dionysius the Areopagite, and in particular to the following works: Adversus haereses of Irenaeus, Hexaemeron by Basil the Great, De opificio hominis and Oratio catechetica magna by Gregory of Nyssa, and De fide ortodoxa by John of Damascus. Regarding Western Christianity, this paper makes reference to: The treatise on grace and free will by Bernard of Clairvaux, The Summa contra gentiles (Lib. III, caput CXLIII-CLXIII) by Thomas Aquinas, and Libri sententiarum (Lib. II, Distinctiones XXV-XXVII) by Peter Lombard. Particular attention is paid to the theology of the John Duns Scotus regarding the incarnation of God as a possible key concept with which to analyze the relationship between the themes of mortality and transfiguration. Dostoyevsky expresses, at the same time, the dramatic aspect of duality and the possibility of deification of human nature: the intersection between Western and Eastern Christianity in the context of anthropology across Russian-Christian culture  This paper takes these matters into consideration, in connection with the biblical exegesis of the twentieth century. To conclude, Dostoyevsky and Italian writer, Alessandro Manzoni, are considered in relation to the above-mentioned topic.

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Author Biography

Stefano M. Capilupi, Russian Christian Academy for the Humanities in St Petersburg

Stefano Maria Capilupi graduated in literature and philosophy at the University of Rome "La Sapienza" (110/110 with honours, 1999) and his thesis was published by the Roman Historical Archives of the Society of Jesus in 2003. In 2006, he achieved his PhD in philosophy at the St Petersburg State University. He was appointed as a teaching assistant for the history of Italian language at the University of Chieti and Pescara in 2010, following which he became Director of the Department of Italian Language and Culture at the Russian Christian Academy for the Humanities in St Petersburg. His 29 published works include: six of poetic nature, five reviews, and two scientific collections: The War and the Sacredness (Venice-St Petersburg, 2010) and Science and Faith (St Petersburg, 2008), and 16 academic publications. In September 2011, he was appointed “slavista” by ASI. He was the main organizer of the international conference The Italian Risorgimento and the Great Russian Reforms, held in St. Petersburg, 20-21 October 2011.

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Published
2011-11-24
How to Cite
Capilupi, S. M. (2011). The Original Sin in the Christian Tradition and in the Russian Literature. Between, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.13125/2039-6597/295