Did the Holy Virgin Mary Have Original Sin (ጥንተ አብሶ)? The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Perspective: Part 1

To understand whether the Holy Virgin Mary was subject to ጥንተ አብሶ (Original Sin), we must first understand ጥንተ አብሶ and ድቀተ ባሕርይ (Fallen Nature) according to the teaching of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The Fall of Adam and Eve changed the condition of human nature and brought profound consequences upon humanity. What, then, did humanity inherit as a result of the Fall, and how do these consequences relate to the Holy Virgin Mary? This first part lays the foundation for exploring these profound questions.

The term “Tente Abso” (ጥንተ አብሶ) means “Original Sin,” literally referring to “የቀደመው በደል፣ የቀደመው ኃጢአት.” It refers to the consequence of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God’s command—namely, the degradation (መጎስቆል/ድቀት) of human nature—which was subsequently inherited by their descendants. Thus, ጥንተ አብሶ does not mean the inheritance of Adam’s personal sin itself, but rather the consequences of that sin, particularly the degradation of human nature.

Because Adam broke God’s command and became separated from God, sin entered the world, bringing death and corruption to humanity. Scripture explains this mystery: “ኃጢአት በአንድ ሰው ወደ ዓለም ገባ በኃጢአትም ሞት፥ እንደዚሁም ሁሉ ኃጢአትን ስላደረጉ ሞት ለሰው ሁሉ ደረሰ፤” (Romans 5:12). Therefore, humanity inherited the consequences of Adam’s disobedience—most fundamentally, a fallen and mortal condition—rather than Adam’s personal guilt for his transgression (መተላለፍ).

There is a clear difference between Adam’s condition before he broke God’s command and his condition after he sinned. After his transgression, he came under the consequences of sin: his human nature became fallen, he was separated from God, and he became subject to sin, the devil, and death. Since Adam was the head of humanity, the consequences of his fall extended to all who would be born of him. Thus, humanity inherited from Adam and Eve a fallen human condition, together with the consequences of their disobedience.

What Are the Consequences of Original Sin (ጥንተ አብሶ) and Fallen Nature (ድቀተ ባሕርይ)?

As recorded in Genesis 3:1–24, the following consequences came upon humanity as a result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience and the judgment that followed their sin:

• Separation from God – Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden and separated from the presence of God: “ስለዚህ እግዚአብሔር አምላክ ከዔደን ገነት አስወጣው።”  (Genesis 3:23–24). Scripture further teaches that sin separates humanity from God: “ነገር ግን በደላችሁ በእናንተና በአምላካችሁ መካከል ለይታለች፥ እንዳይሰማም ኃጢአታችሁ ፊቱን ከእናንተ ሰውሮታል” (Isaiah 59:2).
• Mortality and Death – God declared to Adam, “አፈር ነህና፥ ወደ አፈርም ትመለሳለህና…።” (Genesis 3:19). Paul confirms that “ኃጢአት በአንድ ሰው ወደ ዓለም ገባ በኃጢአትም ሞት፥ እንደዚሁም ሁሉ ኃጢአትን ስላደረጉ ሞት ለሰው ሁሉ ደረሰ።” (Romans 5:12).
• Pain and suffering – The Fall brought pain and suffering into human life, including the pain of childbirth: “በፀነስሽ ጊዜ ጭንቅሽን እጅግ አበዛለሁ፤ በጭንቅ ትወልጃለሽ፤” (Genesis 3:16). Scripture further describes creation as suffering under the consequences of the Fall: “ፍጥረት ለከንቱነት ተገዝቶአልና…” (Romans 8:20–22).
• Labor and hardship – Because of Adam’s sin, the ground was cursed (መረገም), making human labor difficult and burdensome: “ከእርሱ እንዳትበላ ካዘዝሁህ ዛፍም በልተሃልና ምድር ከአንተ የተነሣ የተረገመች ትሁን፤ በሕይወት ዘመንህም ሁሉ በድካም ከእርስዋ ትበላለህ” (Genesis 3:17–19).
• Corruption and bondage to decay – The Fall subjected creation to decay, perishability, and mortality, affecting the creation as a whole. Paul writes that creation itself awaits freedom from the bondage to corruption: “ተስፋውም ፍጥረት ራሱ ደግሞ ከጥፋት ባርነት ነፃነት ወጥቶ ለእግዚአብሔር ልጆች ወደሚሆን ክብር ነፃነት እንዲደርስ ነው።” (Romans 8:21).
• Universal experience of sin – Adam’s transgression (መተላለፍ) affected the entire human race, and humanity came to experience the reality of sin. Scripture declares, “በአንዱ ሰው አለመታዘዝ ብዙዎች ኃጢአተኞች እንደ ሆኑ፥ እንዲሁ ደግሞ በአንዱ መታዘዝ ብዙዎች ጻድቃን ይሆናሉ።” (Romans 5:19). Scripture further states, “ሁሉ ኃጢአትን ሠርተዋልና የእግዚአብሔርም ክብር ጎድሎአቸዋል።” (Romans 3:23).

The Fall of Adam and Eve brought death, corruption, suffering, separation from God, and the fallen condition of human nature. These became realities that marked the human condition after the Fall. Yet God, in His divine plan of salvation, prepared and sanctified a dwelling place for the Incarnation of His Word. The question, therefore, arises: What was the condition of the Holy Virgin Mary, whom God chose to become the Mother of the Incarnate Word?

Conclusion:

The curses and their consequences described above remained upon humanity until our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came in the flesh, paid the debt of our sin, and delivered humanity from the curse. But was the Holy Virgin Mary subject to these consequences of the Fall, or was she preserved from them from the womb of her mother? Stay tuned as we explore this profound subject in the upcoming parts.