Erdő Péter (szerk.): Bűn és isteni irgalom mint a mai ember problémája - Studia Theologica Budapestinensia 30. (2002)

László Vanyó: The Patristic interpretation of 'Redemptio'

ever Satan is not a legitimate owner of man bacause his rule is based on lie and treachery.

But it cannot be contested that man's present destiny is a result of a certain righteousness.60 61 God owes nothing to Satan, He does not even pays a ransom to him for man. The righteuosness of redemption does not stands of falls with the right of Satans but alone whith the fair procedure of God against Satan. The deliverance of man from the power of Satan is not the redemption itself, because to this latter still belongs man's finding the way back to God, to bliss, to himself; in one word he regains the whole freedom which is only possible by the intervention of God's power Man is unable to redeem himself.62 It can only be a work of grane. The condition of redemption is that an must realize: he does need redemption. Neither his intellect nor his vili are sufficient to lead him back to his original state. Sin confused the relation of intellect and will, man is able to manipulate even his own will and he can be delivered to his will when he comes under the domination of his habits. Thus the intellct gets into the snare of the sinful will. After redemption man is conscious of what state from he has been liberated, that's why he glorifies grace, not in order to sentence nature. Redemption is not only an invitation to semthing more sublime, but first of all is a liberation from misery. Jesus' name, on the one hand espresses that salvation comes from God, on the other hand is nearly a precise definition of His mission.63

Sometimes Augustine speaks similarly to lrenaeus about the grudge of God which weights heavily on us and which expresses His indignation because of sin, but it does not exclude, rather heighten His love to the sinner. God knows that from a sinner springs a new sin as a punishment of sin. This, then, is irresistibly followed by damnation, if He did not heard the cry of the helpless man and, by His eternal grace, had not saved man from his helpless and impossible situation.64

60 Enchr. 8,26 PL 40;245 De Trin IV,13,16

61 De Trin XIII, 12, 16 PL 42; 1026

62 De nat. et gr. XXIII, 25 XXX, 34 PL 44;259 and 263; De Trin XIV, 15,21; Enchr XXX PL 40;246

63 De pecc. mer. et rem. 111,4,7 De nat. et gr. 20-21 PL 44;189 and 257.

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