Abelard
seeks to clarify and correct contemporary assumptions about what constitutes
sin, what constitutes good action, and how it is possible to tell the
difference. Instead of accepting the
traditional view of sin as a single entity, Abelard breaks sin down into four
categories. He examines each and
supports his claims through examples and by quoting St. Augustine who, like Abelard,
felt that the measure of sin or goodness was in the intention, and not
necessarily in the deed.
The first step in the direction
of sin that Abelard describes is the imperfection of soul, which makes us
liable to sin. He describes these
imperfections, or defects, as the contrary of our qualities- for example, while
one person may be charitable, another may harbor the defect of greed. However, possession of these defects does
not make one a sinner, because in the same way one can have the defect of lameness,
yet only exhibit it when one walks.
Since they, and the temptations they result in, are always present, they
cannot be identical to sin in the traditional sense, because it is unfair to
hold someone accountable for something not in their control. These inherent imperfections or defects are
equivalent to original sin.
Secondly,
there is sin itself, which Abelard defines as “consent to evil or contempt of
God.” Abelard, unlike other thinkers of
his time, believed that simple desire could not possibly be sinful because it
is a natural, involuntary reaction to stimuli.
As Abelard saw it, the sin enters into the equation when one not only
experiences desire, but also consents to it, neglecting to exercise temperance
and control over the temptation. From
this step forward, a person is engaged in sin, irrespective of whether they
carry out an action in response to the temptation
Thirdly, there is the will or desire of evil. This occurs when one has not only
entertained the temptations they are faced with, but is also fully prepared to
act on these temptations should an opportunity arise. Fourthly and last is the evil deed itself, which is evil only to
the extent that the intentions that led to it are evil.
Where had traditionally been the single step of sin as action (or at most, two steps as in Augustine’s desire and will), Abelard attempts to have four steps in the process of sinning. In addition, he seeks to change sin from an outwardly identifiable action to an internal moment of decision. His goal is to promote a more flexible and complete understanding of sin, since it seems to him that the Church’s methods of penance and reconciliation at the time failed to take a person’s circumstances into account.
Posted
By: Sarah Magruder
Last
Updated: 12-12-00
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