While in modern parlance we hear such terms as generational sin or familial curse, we are speaking broadly within what the Church Fathers referred to as inherited guilt or vicarious punishment. In Hebrew, this is referred to as avonavot (“the sins of parents”) from the words of God when He gave the Law at Sinai: “For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation.” Here, God affirms that sinful actions have consequences within a family, even extending to future generations. After examining the biblical, patristic, and theological sources, Professor Dan Schneider concludes that nothing has changed since ancient times.

Church Fathers contextualized the concept of sin and its effects in the debate which produced the dogma of original sin. Notably, St. Augustine argued that God’s words at Sinai were not only evidence for the concept of an inherited guilt, but also proof of an original, or archetypal, sin which set the pattern for all subsequent sin. Thus, the sin of our first parents introduced into the human family a negative effect which, in turn, meant a pathway for diabolic influence. All subsequent sin follows the same pattern as the original one in that there will be a spiritual and temporal effect.

The concept of inherited guilt brings into bas-relief the tension between the justice and mercy of God, the authority structure and the effects of sin upon both families and communities, the interplay between nature and grace, the effects of baptism and a lingering concupiscence, and the need for satisfaction for sin. It also may offer a backdrop for Christ’s mission to the Gentiles where he encounters children afflicted by demons. These accounts, which are examined in detail, are what initially sparked Prof. Schneider’s interest in this topic. At the end of each chapter are modern stories that confirm the reality of generational sin and prayers specifically chosen to help readers overcome its lingering effects.