anti-lapsarian
|an-ti-lap-sar-i-an|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.ti.læpˈsɛr.i.ən/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.ti.læpˈseə.ri.ən/
against/after the Fall (order of divine decree)
Etymology
'anti-lapsarian' originates from modern English, formed by the combining prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'antí', meaning 'against' or 'opposed to') and 'lapsarian', ultimately from Latin 'lapsus' (past participle of 'labi', meaning 'to slip' or 'to fall'), where 'lapsus' meant 'a fall'.
'lapsus' in Latin passed into theological and late-Latin usage as elements like 'lapsus'/'lapsarius' referring to the Fall; English formed 'lapsarian' to describe positions about the Fall and divine decrees, and 'anti-lapsarian' arose in post-Reformation theological debates (17th–18th century) to denote the opposing stance.
Initially rooted in the literal sense of 'fall' from Latin, the term evolved into a technical theological descriptor; 'anti-lapsarian' came to mean specifically the view about the order of God's decrees relative to the Fall rather than a general 'against a fall' sense.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who holds or advocates anti-lapsarianism; someone who maintains that God's decree of election was made after (or in view of) the Fall.
The anti-lapsarian argued that the decree of election was determined with the Fall in view.
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Adjective 1
relating to or supporting anti-lapsarianism — the theological position that God's decree of election (choosing who is saved) is ordered with reference to the Fall (i.e., the decree comes after or in view of the Fall).
He defended an anti-lapsarian interpretation of predestination in the seminar.
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Last updated: 2025/11/02 00:32