Athanasius, in Against the Arians, Book 3, Paragraph 33, affirmed the personal sinlessness of Jeremiah:
33.
Who will not admire this? Or who will not agree that such a thing is truly
divine? For if the works of the Word's Godhead had not taken place through the
body, man had not been deified; and again, had not the properties of the flesh
been ascribed to the Word, man had not been thoroughly delivered from them ;
but though they had ceased for a little while, as I said before, still sin had
remained in him and corruption, as was the case with mankind before Him; and
for this reason:— Many for instance have been made holy and clean from all sin;
nay, Jeremiah was hallowed even from the womb, and John, while yet in the womb,
leapt for joy at the voice of Mary Bearer of God ; nevertheless 'death reigned
from Adam to Moses, even over those that had not sinned after the similitude of
Adam's transgression Romans 5:14;' and thus man remained mortal and corruptible
as before, liable to the affections proper to their nature. But now the Word
having become man and having appropriated what pertains to the flesh, no longer
do these things touch the body, because of the Word who has come in it, but
they are destroyed by Him, and henceforth men no longer remain sinners and dead
according to their proper affections, but having risen according to the Word's
power, they abide ever immortal and incorruptible. Whence also, whereas the
flesh is born of Mary Bearer of God , He Himself is said to have been born, who
furnishes to others an origin of being; in order that He may transfer our
origin into Himself, and we may no longer, as mere earth, return to earth, but
as being knit into the Word from heaven, may be carried to heaven by Him.
Therefore in like manner not without reason has He transferred to Himself the
other affections of the body also; that we, no longer as being men, but as
proper to the Word, may have share in eternal life. For no longer according to
our former origin in Adam do we die; but henceforward our origin and all
infirmity of flesh being transferred to the Word, we rise from the earth, the
curse from sin being removed, because of Him who is in us , and who has become
a curse for us. And with reason; for as we are all from earth and die in Adam,
so being regenerated from above of water and Spirit, in the Christ we are all
quickened; the flesh being no longer earthly, but being henceforth made Word ,
by reason of God's Word who for our sake 'became flesh.’
This would be quoted again during
Session 1 (June 22, 431) of the Council of Ephesus (see The Council of
Ephesus of 431: Documents and Proceedings [Translated Texts for Historians
72; trans. Richard Price; Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2020, 2022],
260).
