- Felix culpa
Felix culpa is a
Latin phrase that literally translated means a "blessed fault" or "fortunate fall". As a religious term it referstoAdam and Eve 's fall and the loss of theGarden of Eden , known theologically as the source oforiginal sin . The phrase is sung annually in theExsultet of the Easter Vigil: "O felix culpa quae talem et tantum meruit habere redemptorem," "O happy fault that merited such and so great a Redeemer." The medieval theologianThomas Aquinas ["Summa Theologica", "III, 1, 3, ad 3", [http://www.newadvent.org/summa/4001.htm#3] ] cited this line when he explained how the principle that "God allows evils to happen in order to bring a greater good therefrom" underlies the causal relationship between original sin and the Divine Redeemer's Incarnation.The phrase "Oh happy fault!" is used in colloquial English, especially among intellectuals.Fact|date=June 2008
In a literary context, the term "felix culpa" can be used to describe how a series of miserable events will eventually lead to a happier outcome. The theological concept is one of the underlying themes of
Raphael Carter 's science fiction novel
The Fortunate Fall; the novel's title is explicitly derived from the Latin phrase.John Milton also invokes ideas of felix culpa in his epic poemParadise Lost .References
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