Theological Theses · §1694 · Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu

Rome's common teaching: Adam before the fall had true righteousness and holiness (Trent, Session 5)

The common teaching of the Roman Church is that the first man, before he sinned at the devil's prompting, was endowed with true righteousness and holiness, on account of which he was pleasing and acceptable to God for eternal life.

The Council of Trent itself teaches this plainly in its fifth session, in the decree on original sin. There it pronounces anathema on anyone who does not confess that the first man, Adam, when he had broken God's command in paradise, at once lost the holiness and righteousness in which he had been placed. It pronounces it too on anyone who asserts that the holiness and righteousness Adam received from God and then lost, he lost for himself alone and not for us as well.

Latin

I. Communis Ecclesiae Romanae Doctrina est, primum hominem, antequam Diabolo instigante peccaret, praeditum fuisse vera justitia & sanctitate, cujus respectu Deo gratus & acceptus erat ad vitam aeternam. Id manifeste docet Concilium ipsum Tridentinum Sessione quinta decreto De peccato Originali. Ubi anathema dicit, illi qui non confitetur primum hominem Adam, cum mandatum Dei in paradiso fuisset transgressus, statim sanctitatem & justitiam in qua constitutus fuerat amisisse. Et praeterea illi qui asserit Adamum acceptam a Deo sanctitatem & justitiam quam perdidit, sibi soli, & non nobis etiam perdidisse.

Report a mistake in this passage