While claiming that the Roman Catholic dogmatic understanding of Original Sin finds attestation earlier than many believe (e.g., Ireaneus, Against Heresies, 3.22.4), one Catholic apologist noted that
It is worth noting that this more developed view of
original sin was not universally held in the second century. Neither St.
Theophilus of Antioch nor St. Justin Martyr affirm the transmission of sin in
infants. However, both do affirm that Adam’s sin is the cause of death in the
world. Indeed, this is one of the central arguments in Justin’s Dialogue
with Trypho. These fathers then can still be said to hold the doctrine
albeit it not fully. Their view was certainly not universal though, as shown by
the example of Irenaeus. Justin and Theophilus ought not to be read in
isolation, but within the larger context of the consensus partum.
(Gideon Lazar, “Analyzing Augustine’s Doctrine of Original Sin: A Response to
John Romanides and John Meyendorff,” in I Believe in the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and Earth: Studies in the Theology of Creation, ed.
Gideon Lazar [St. Basil Institute Press, 2024], 1:46)
