The Story of the Fall in Christian Tradition: Doctrinal Development, Gender Hierarchy, and Modern Reinterpretations

قصة السقوط في التقليد المسيحي: التطور العقدي، والتراتبية الجندرية، وإعادة التفسير في العصر الحديث

Abstract

This study examines the development and diversity of interpretations of the Genesis Fall narrative within the Christian tradition, tracing theological, mystical, and cultural perspectives from the early church to the modern era. Beginning with Eastern Orthodox and Greek patristic readings, the Fall is presented as a disruption of humanity’s progression toward divine union, with Christ and Mary as the New Ādam and New Eve. Medieval mystical and allegorical interpretations reframed the narrative as an inward spiritual drama, while scholastic theology, notably in Thomas Aquinas, preserved Augustine’s doctrine of original sin within a philosophical framework that upheld gender hierarchy. The Western tradition also embedded the Fall within Marian typology, linking Eve’s disobedience with Mary’s salvific obedience. In the Reformation, Augustine’s theological legacy was adapted by Luther and Calvin, who reinforced the hierarchical subordination of women as a post-lapsarian reality. Modern feminist theologians and biblical scholars have challenged these gendered readings, offering alternative interpretations that stress mutual culpability and the theological agency of Eve. Literary treatments, from Milton to contemporary fiction, have further expanded the symbolic resonance of the Eden story. Collectively, these interpretations reveal the Fall as both a doctrinal cornerstone of Christian anthropology and a versatile narrative shaping theological, ecclesiastical, and cultural attitudes toward human nature and gender across centuries.