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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 233.1409
EAN: 9780060783402
ISBN: 0060783400
Label: HarperOne
Manufacturer: HarperOne
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: April 29, 2008
Publisher: HarperOne
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Sales Rank: 66189
Studio: HarperOne
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Product Description:
Essayist and biographer Alan Jacobs introduces us to the world of original sin, which he describes as not only a profound idea but a necessary one. As G. K. Chesterton explains, 'Only with original sin can we at once pity the beggar and distrust the king.'
Do we arrive in this world predisposed to evil? St. Augustine passionately argued that we do; his opponents thought the notion was an insult to a good God. Ever since Augustine, the church has taught the doctrine of original sin, which is the idea that we are not born innocent, but as babes we are corrupt, guilty, and worthy of condemnation. Thus started a debate that has raged for centuries and done much to shape Western civilization.
Perhaps no Christian doctrine is more controversial; perhaps none is more consequential. Blaise Pascal claimed that 'but for this mystery, the most incomprehensible of all, we remain incomprehensible to ourselves.' Chesterton affirmed it as the only provable Christian doctrine. Modern scholars assail the idea as baleful and pernicious. But whether or not we believe in original sin, the idea has shaped our most fundamental institutions—our political structures, how we teach and raise our young, and, perhaps most pervasively of all, how we understand ourselves. In Original Sin, Alan Jacobs takes readers on a sweeping tour of the idea of original sin, its origins, its history, and its proponents and opponents. And he leaves us better prepared to answer one of the most important questions of all: Are we really, all of us, bad to the bone?
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
What makes this book unique is that it is a "cultural history" of original sin, not a work of theology (though, obviously, it does engage with some theological work, particularly Augustine's). It is "an exemplary history - so-called not because it embodies excellence that other historians would do well to imitate, but because it makes its case through examples. ... [It] emphasizes narratives about people, people who engage in a serious and thoughtful way with the idea of original sin - whether by ... Read More
Rating:  -
This book provides a clearly developed overview of the cultural development of the doctrine of original sin. I found it quick reading and enjoyed Prof. Jacobs' prose style and narrative voice. A good book to read for anyone interested in a clear understanding of this key Christian Doctrine. Deacon Warren Hecht
Rating: -
Three out of the five blurbs on the back cover of Original Sin manage to import some wariness over the book's content into their glowing recommendation of the book's execution. Ron Hansen acknowledges that the "even-tempered" Jacobs gives "even the most disagreeable voices their say." Publishers Weekly gives the "brilliant" book a starred review but manages to damn its subject despite this high praise: "In [Jacobs's] hands these abstruse theological disputes are utterly engrossing." And, my favourite ... Read More
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