Original Sin: A Cultural History (Paperback)

Starred Review. In this brilliant account, Wheaton College literature professor Jacobs (The Narnian) traces the idea of original sin from the Bible to the present day. The doctrine has inspired fierce debate for the last two millennia. In every generation, it seems, someone defends the doctrine, pointing to all manner of evidence that people are (as Jacobs, in one of his rare stylistic lapses, too cutely puts it) bad to the bone. Their opponents in turn ridicule the notion, noting the unfettered greatness of human potential. Thus Augustine tangles with Julian of Eclanum, and John Wesley clashes with Rousseau. It is a compliment to Jacobs that in his hands these abstruse theological disputes are utterly engrossing. Jacobs makes clear that he has a dog in this fight—he thinks original sin is the most persuasive explanation of the world he lives in (though he dissents, irenically and charitably, from some classic Christian formulations, such as Augustine's view on infant damnation). Jacobs hazards some quirky and intriguing ideas, such as the notion that the kind of kinship created by a universal doctrine of original sin is perhaps as good a basis as any for a brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity, in which no one lords it over anyone else. This book is truly sui generis. (May)
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"Follows the history of thinking about original sin from Augustine to 'Hellboy' and rewards the curious reader with unique knowledge (of good and evil) on every page." (Beliefnet (Best Religious Book of the Year) )

"A deep pool of wisdom . . . an expression of what's wrong with all of us. Jacobs' prose often sings . . . Careful when you open this book--it could keep you up at nights." (Christianity Today )

"A strangely entertaining cultural survey . . . " (The Wall Street Journal )

"With extraordinary erudition and just enough lightness of touch to leaven the lump, Alan Jacobs traces the tangled ways that we have tried to think about human cussedness. (Frederick Buechner, author of Secrets in the Dark )

I do not believe in original sin. I do believe in Alan Jacobs. He is one the smartest and wittiest writers around on matters involving religion, and ORIGINAL SIN is a gem. (Alan Wolfe, Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Boston College )

Replete with examples drawn from a number of different cultural expressions, including literature, film, and philosophy, [Original Sin] is intended to introduce a broad genearl audience to the complexity of explaining how human beings act evilly toward one another. (Library Journal )

Jacobs's discussion is terrifically worthwhile for exposing how the idea of "evil," as enunciated iwthin the doctrine, undergoes permutations and translations over time (BN.com )

Splendid...a book endeavoring to help us say and do something about the sin which so easily ensares. Strikingly, Jacobs argues that the 'confraternity' of humanity is best grounded not in our being made in the image of God but in our being made sinful in Adam. Truly a revolutionary thought-that the roots of our common humanity might be found, not in our dignity or even our potential, but in our depravity." (Books & Culture )

A brilliantly illuminating, deeply thought-provoking intellectual journey. (Booklist )

Alan Jacobs presents an engagingly written, eminently humane, and insightful account of an all-important subject that is both timeless and timely. (George Marsden, author of Jonathan Edwards: A Life )

"Alan Jacobs' cultural history of the controversies that Saint Augustine's concept gave birth to is fascinating, entertaining, wonderfully researched, and thoroughly even-tempered, giving even the most disagreeable voices their say. Original Sin may well become the definitive book on the subject." (Ron Hansen , Author of Exiles and A Stay Against Confusion )

"Jacobs is a superb writer whose work is beginning to get the wider notice it has long deserved." (Books & Culture ("Top Ten Books of the Year") )

"One wouldn't expect a book about original sin to be entertaining, but Jacobs makes it so with deft prose and a touch of humor." (Christian Century )

In this brilliant account, Wheaton College literature professor Jacobs traces the idea of original sin from the Bible to the present day. . . . In his hands these abstruse theological disputes are utterly engrossing. (Publishers Weekly, starred review )

"Jacobs's flowing prose keeps the book moving at a nice pace." (Weekly Standard )

"[A]n engaging and lucid work by a sophisticated Evangelical from the American South. . . . For all its American bias, Alan Jacobs's highly readably ORIGINAL SIN might fill one of the gaps in the post-Christian memory banks." (Times Literary Supplement (London) )