On the Imputation of Adam's First Sin · §279

Man. Post. Cap. VI: PLAC moral head; head-ratio ≠ immediate imputation

e learned man think I had so lost my mind as to understand a head properly so called, when I said in express words an improperly so called, or moral, body, as a republic? For it is plain that a republic is not a physical body. And yet, although nature has not bound a republic to its kingly or magisterial head by nerves and ties, no one would say that a man was then head of the republic when he himself lived as a private person, the republic not yet born; nor will the republic which now is be called the body of that prince who a hundred or a thousand years ago ceased to be among the living. Such a head, such a political body, I understood. For otherwise I do not deny, nor have I ever denied, that Adam is the head of the human race in that sense which the learned man explains in this place. But what does that account of the head do for the immediate imputation of Adam's sin? Was Adam head in that way only while he sinned? Or because Abraham was head of the Jewish people, is some action of his in that way imputed to all and each of the Jews?

Latin

PLAC. Putavitne Vir Doctus me ita insanivisse ut caput proprie dictum intellexerim, qui disertis verbis dixi corpus improprie dictum, seu morale, tanquam rempublicam? Manifestum enim est rempublicam non esse corpus physicum: Et tamen, quamvis natura rempublicam cum capite suo rege, vel magistratu non colligaverit nervis & vinculis, nemo dixerit hominem tunc fuisse caput reipublicae, cum ipse viveret privatus, nondum nata republica: neque respublica quae nunc est corpus dicetur illius principis, qui ante centum aut mille annos desiit esse in vivis. Tale caput, tale corpus politicum intellexi. Nam alioqui non nego, neque negavi unquam, quin sit Adamus caput generis humani eo sensu quem Vir doctus hoc loco exponit. Sed quid ad immediatam imputationem peccati Adamici facit ista capitis ratio? An sic caput fuit Adamus duntaxat dum peccavit? An propterea quod Abrahamus gentis Judaicae caput fuit, eo modo ejus aliqua actio omnibus & singulis Judaeis imputatur?

About this text

New English, free to read. Open any section below.

English follows the locked 1661 Saumur Latin of Capita I–XIV partial through Man. Post. Caput IX (eph-ho / eph-ho pantes) before eph-ho / eph-ho pantes, reconstructed from IA PDF page images with Vision OCR and pdftotext as check. No modern English was copied. Cap. IX deepen+ remain.

Catalogue & scope

IA deimputationepri00lapl. Densify: Capita I–XII + Caput XIV + Man. Post. Cap. II–VI through Cap. X Rom. 5:14 tip. Not whole Disputatio; Cap. X Rom. 5:14+ / ~494 pp Disputatio remain.

Witnesses

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.