Concupiscence

From New World Encyclopedia

Concupiscence usually refers to sexual desire or lust, derived from the Latin word concupiscentia meaning "a desire for worldly things." In its widest sense, concupiscence is any yearning of the soul; in its strict and specific sense, it means a desire of the lower appetite contrary to reason. The term has become especially important through discussions on the Christian concept of original sin, especially as developed by Augustine of Hippo.

For Protestants, concupiscence often refers to what they understand as the orientation, inclination or innate tendency of human beings to do evil.

There are nine occurrences of the word in the Douay-Rheims Bible: Wisdom 4:12, Romans 7:7, Romans 7:8, Colossians 3:5, Epistle of James 1:14, James 1:15, 2 Peter 1:4, and 1 John 2:17.

There are three occurrences of the word in the King James Bible: Romans 7:8, Colossians 3:5 and I Thessalonians 4:5.

Jewish background

In Judaism, a parallel concept to concupiscence is the yetzer hara (Hebrew: יצר הרע‎ for "evil inclination"), refering to the tendency to do evil by violating the will of God. Unlike in Christian theology, however, yetzer hara is not a demonic force nor the product of original sin, but a natural tendency to misuse things the physical body needs to survive. Thus, the need for food becomes gluttony, the natural urge to procreate leads to unethical sexual activity, etc. In Judaism, this tendency toward evil is a natural result of God's creation, and God gives his commandments in order to guide and help mankind to master the yetzer hara.

Christian view

The Catholic teaching on concupiscence developed in the context of the so-called Pelagian controversy of the late fourth century CE. Pelagius held that Christ had set a moral and spiritual example which other Christians could follow through ethical discipline to perfect their characters, in accordance with Jesus' command, "be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect."

Augustine of Hippo countered this optimistic view with the doctrine of original sin, in which he taught that, through their sin Adam and Eve had passed on an innate tendency to sin—concupiscence— which could never be overcome be overcome by human effort, but required God's intervening grace for salvation. In opposition to Pelagius' perfectionist ideal, he appealed to such scriptures as Saint Paul's tortured question:

I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:23-25)

The Catholic Church eventually declared Pelagianism to be heresy and adopted the Augustinian view. The Eastern Orthodox Church likewise rejected Pelagius, but went slightly less far than the Catholics, holding that while humans indeed inherited a sinful nature from Adam and Eve, they are nevertheless capable of theosis (become divinized) through a combination of God's grace and prayerful effort.

Catholic Teaching on Concupiscence

In contrast to the Jewish teaching that the yetzer harah was endowed by God to Adam and Eve (who had to overcome it by obeying God's commandments),the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches that Adam and Eve were originally constituted in a state of holiness free from concupiscence (CCC 337). By sinning, however, Adam lost this original state, not only for himself but for all human beings (CCC 416). However, human nature has not been totally corrupted; rather, it has only been weakened and wounded, subject to ignorance, suffering, death, and an irrestible inclination to sin (CCC 405, 418). This inclination toward sin and evil is called "concupiscence" (CCC 405, 418). Baptism (preceded by repentance) erases original sin and turns a person back toward God. The inclination toward sin and evil persists, however, and the original sin is passed on to one's children through the sexual act. Sex, while not evil in itself, is to be avoided except for purposes of procreation. Even after baptism, the struggle against concupiscence continues (CCC 2520) until Christ comes again to redeem mankind completely.

The Catholic Church teaches that its widest sense, concupiscence may be understood as any yearning of the soul for good. But in its strict and specific sense, it is "a desire of the lower appetite contrary to reason." Due to original sin, the lower appetite is unrestrained and seeks to pursue sensual gratifications without regard to demands of reason and conscience. Hence desires contrary arise and dispose the bodily organs to tempt a person to sin. The rational will is able to resist such desires, but it is not capable of eliminating the effects they produce in the body. Thus, freedom of will in fallen humans is to some extent diminished. If a person resists the pull of concupiscence, a struggle ensues, the sensual appetite rebelliously demands gratification, while reason, clinging to its own spiritual interests attempts to assert it control. Thus Paul wrote in Galatians 5:17: "The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please."

Concupiscence, however, should not be confused with sin. The latter is the deliberate transgression of the law of God, and thus an act of will. Temptations to sin, on the other hand, naturally arise from concupiscence. The first parents, Adam and Eve, were originally free from concupiscence; and were supposed to transmit this freedom to their posterity, provided they observed the commandment of God. This freedom was not a result of Adam and Eve's own efforts but was a gift of God. By the sin of Adam, freedom from concupiscence was forfeited not only for himself, but also for all his posterity, with the exception of the Virgin Mary by special privilege. (In Catholic theology, Jesus is not the physical progeny of Adam's sinful lineage, but the eternally begotten Son of God conceived without sexual intercourse or original sin through Mary.) Human nature was deprived God's special gifts and graces through the Human Fall, and thus the lower appetite began to lust against the spirit. Evil habits, brought on by personal sins, wrought disorder in the body, obscured the mind, and weakened the power of the will, although without destroying its freedom. Hence that lamentable condition of which St. Paul complained in Romans 7:21-25

Christ by his death redeemed mankind from sin and its bondage. In baptism the guilt of original sin is wiped out and the soul is cleansed and justified by the infusion of sanctifying grace. But freedom from concupiscence is not restored to man, any more than immortality. Abundant grace, however, is given him, by which he may obtain a degree of victory over rebellious sense and deserve life everlasting.

Protestant views

The Reformers of the sixteenth century, especially Martin Luther, proposed new views respecting concupiscence, adopting the following propositions:

  • Original righteousness was an integral part of human nature, rather than a special gift granted particularly to Adam and Eve.
  • Concupiscence is of itself sinful, constituting the sinful corruption of human nature caused by Adam's transgression and inherited by all his descendants. It is thus the very essence of original sin;
  • Baptism, since it does not extinguish concupiscence, does not do away with the guilt of original sin, although it does signal that God will not hold the repentant believer liable for it. (This position is held also by the Anglican Church in its Thirty-nine Articles and its Book of Common Prayer).

The Catholic Church condemned these doctrines as erroneous or heretical. However, it should be kept in mind that the Protestant tradition has evolved into a very diverse one, with many differing positions on the subject. Many Protestant denominations, in fact, did not develop formal theological statements on the question of concupiscence as such.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Robert Merrihew Adams, "Original Sin: A Study in the Interaction of Philosophy and Theology," p. 80ff in Francis J. Ambrosio (ed.), The Question of Christian Philosophy Today, Fordham University Press (New York: 1999), Perspectives in Continental Philosophy no. 9.
  • Joseph A. Komonchak, Mary Collins, and Dermot A. Lane, eds., The New Dictionary of Theology (Wilmington, Delaware : Michael Glazier, Inc., 1987), p. 220.

See also

  • Incurvatus in se
  • Prevenient Grace
  • Seven deadly sins
  • Sin

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