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 | Genesis 1: The first few chapters in the Book of Genesis describe what Christians have called the "fall of mankind" and the transmission of "original sin" from Adam and Eve's transgression in the Garden of Eden to their children, grand-children and even down about 800 generations to the present day. Judaism, which was responsible for the preservation of Genesis for many centuries prior to the advent of Christianity share the same text but reject the concept of original sin. |
| Genesis 6: This describes the flood of Noah. God was said to have been displeased with almost the entire human race and decided to commit the most serious genocide in history. Not only the adults responsible for God's anger were to be killed. So also were the youths, children, infants and newborns. |
| Exodus 20: One of the three versions of the Ten Commandments appears in Exodus 20:5, God is reported as saying that he will punish children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and perhaps even great-great-grandchildren of anyone who worships idols: |
"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them (idols), nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." 1
There are numerous other examples of this transmission of sin, both in the Hebrew Scriptures and in the Christian Scriptures (New Testament).
There is a lack of consensus about when the Pentateuch was written. Most conservative Christians believe that the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures were written by Moses circa 1450 BCE. Most liberal Christians believe that they were written by three Hebrew authors (or groups of authors) between 922 and 622 BCE. Either way, they were recorded before the ministry of Ezekiel who turned belief in the transferability of sin on its ear -- at least temporarily -- in the 6th century CE.
No they are not to be punished: Ezekiel was a prophet from the Southern Kingdom of Judah whose ministry lasted from about 593 to 570 BCE -- just before the time of the Babylonian captivity. He wrote that God told him that transferring sin from one generation to another is not longer valid. Instead, every person would be judged separately, according to his good and bad works:
| Exekiel 18:1 to 9: states: "What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? As I live, ... ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, .... hath executed true judgment between man and man, Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live." |
| Ezekiel 18:10 to 13: states: A man who "... is a robber, a shedder of blood, ... Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him." |
| Ezekiel 18:14 to 17: states: A man who sees "... all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live." |
| Ezekiel 18:19 & 20: states: "Yet say ye, Why? Doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." (Emphasis ours). |
Life after death:
Religious liberals and conservatives reached very different conclusions about how belief in the afterlife evolved during biblical times. For purposes of illustration, we will describe below only the liberal analysis. Their conclusions are based on a study of the Bible as a historical document, in the light of findings from archaeological studies. The conservative view is based on interpreting the Bible as inerrant text, inspired by God. It is covered elsewhere in this website.
| The afterlife as described in the Hebrew Scriptures (a.k.a. Old
Testament): Hebrew beliefs about life after death gradually evolved as they
incorporated Pagan concepts from two other religions: Zoroastrianism and the Greek Pagan
religion:
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| The afterlife as described in the Christian Scriptures (a.k.a.
New Testament): Various authors had different concepts about who would be
saved and go to Heaven. They also disagreed on the fate of the unsaved.
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The status of women.
During Biblical times, the status of women went through three phases:
| Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures: A few extraordinary women achieved
a high
status. However, the vast majority were considered little better than
slaves:
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| During Jesus ministry: He overthrew centuries of Jewish law and custom. He almost always treated women and men as equals. He violated numerous Old Testament regulations, which required gender inequality. He ignored ritual impurity laws by curing a woman who suffered from untreatable menstrual bleeding. He talked freely to women -- even foreign women. Jesus taught women -- a forbidden act. Of the ten or so followers of Jesus whose characters are developed in the Gospels, about half were women. The author of Luke and Acts told many pairs of parallel stories, in which one referred to a woman, the other to a man. He appeared first to women after his resurrection. "Mary Magdalene and the other Mary" receive the first apostolic commission of any human - to tell the good news of the resurrection to the disciples. More details. | ||||||||
| After Jesus' execution: The Epistles give mixed messages
concerning the status of women.
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Related essays on this web site:
| Three additional examples of progressive revelation, including:
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| Types of sin, as defined by the Mosaic Code in the Hebrew Scriptures | ||||||
| Satan: His early history: 300 BCE to 100 CE | ||||||
| Satan: More recent history: 100 CE to now |
References:
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B.M. Metzger & M.D. Coogan, "The Oxford Companion to the Bible", Oxford University Press, New York, NY, (1993), P. 806 to 818.
Copyright © 2003 to 2006 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2003-DEC-24
Latest update: 2006-NOV-18
Author: B.A. Robinson
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