(generic sinful condition), the idea of the sin nature, as distinct from concrete sinful acts or sinning persons, gained currency in Western theology. Moreover, the Greek Fathers’ term propatorikon amartema is best translated “ancestral sin” (literally, it means “forefatherly sin”). This term predates St. Augustine’s Latin term meaning “original sin.” It was revealing to learn that “ancestral sin” does not convey the idea of the passing on of sin. In contrast, “original sin” does imply this, as it