In hierdie artikel is betoog dat die Gereformeerde Ortodoksie se begrip van die sondeval
’n belemmering was vir die gesprek tussen teologie en natuurwetenskap. Die rede
hiervoor was dat dit ten eerste ’n bepaalde verstaan van liniêre tyd nahou en ten tweede
dat dit ’n bonatuurlike ingryp veronderstel het. Albei hierdie aspekte het die debat onnodig
problematiseer. Die argument is ontwikkel deur eerstens die probleem te definieer, gevolg
deur ’n uiteensetting van die standpunte van Augustinus en Calvyn onderskeidelik oor die
sondeval. As ’n heuristiese sleutel is die konsepte van infralapsarisme en supralapsarisme
aangewend om die tema te ontleed. Die artikel is afgesluit met die oortuiging dat die imago Dei
’n beliggaamde menslike persoon is wat biologies in die geskiedenis in terme van selfbewussyn
en morele verantwoordelikheid ontluik het.
In this article it was argued that the Reformed Orthodoxy’s interpretation of the Fall
had become an impediment in the dialogue between theology and science. The reason was
that it assumed firstly a specific understanding of linear time and secondly a metaphysical
intervention. Both events were unnecessarily problematising the debate. The argument was
deployed by stating the problem, followed by an exposition of the views of Augustine and
Calvin on the Fall. As a heuristic key, the concepts of infralapsarism and supralapsarism were
applied respectively to analyse the topic. The article concluded with the conviction that the
imago Dei is an embodied human person that had biologically emerged in history as a center
of self-awareness, and moral responsibility.
