インフラプサリアン

解説

付記

二人の神学者が礼拝堂へ向かう道すがら、 激しい口論を始めた。 「アダムの堕落の原因は何か？」 「予定説だ！」ひとりが叫ぶ。 「主は、彼が自ら堕ちるように定めたのだ」 「違う、自由意志だ！」もう一人が反論する。 「主が定めた道を、彼自身が選んだのだ」 議論はますます白熱し、 拳で決着をつけるほかないとまでなった。 法衣も帽子も脱ぎ捨て、 “聖霊”に駆られた手が飛ぶ。 だが勝負が始まる前に、 一人の老教授が現れた。 杖を手に、険しい顔つきで。 彼は二人の口論の理由を聞き取り、怒鳴った。 「愚か者ども！　殴り合うほどの違いはない！ お前たちの属する派閥を、名前からして勘違いしているぞ。 ――インフララプサリアンの道化の子よ、 主張すべきは“アダムは滑り落ちた”ということだけだ。 ――スープララプサリアンの子犬よ、 お前の言うべきは“アダムは滑り上がった”ということだけだ。 落ちようが上がろうが同じこと。 結局は茶色いバナナの皮で転んだだけだ。 アダム自身だって、自分の失敗を分析せず、 “雷に足を滑らせた”と思っていたのだからな！」 ―― G.J.

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Original

One who ventures to believe that Adam need not have sinned unless he had a mind to—in opposition to the Supralapsarians, who hold that that luckless person's fall was decreed from the beginning. Infralapsarians are sometimes called Sublapsarians without material effect upon the importance and lucidity of their views about Adam.

Additional notes

Two theologues once, as they wended their way To chapel, engaged in colloquial fray— An earnest logomachy, bitter as gall, Concerning poor Adam and what made him fall. Twas Predestination, cried one—"for the Lord Decreed he should fall of his own accord." Not so—'twas Free will, the other maintained, Which led him to choose what the Lord had ordained. So fierce and so fiery grew the debate That nothing but bloodshed their dudgeon could sate; So off flew their cassocks and caps to the ground And, moved by the spirit, their hands went round. Ere either had proved his theology right By winning, or even beginning, the fight, A gray old professor of Latin came by, A staff in his hand and a scowl in his eye, And learning the cause of their quarrel (for still As they clumsily sparred they disputed with skill Of foreordinational freedom of will) Cried: "Sirrahs! this reasonless warfare compose: Atwixt ye's no difference worthy of blows. The sects ye belong to—I'm ready to swear Ye wrongly interpret the names that they bear. You—Infralapsarian son of a clown!— Should only contend that Adam slipped down; While you—you Supralapsarian pup!— Should nothing aver but that Adam slipped up. It's all the same whether up or down You slip on a peel of banana brown. Even Adam analyzed not his blunder, But thought he had slipped on a peal of thunder! G.J.