Hamartiology is the branch of Christian theology that is concerned with the study of sin.

Substantial branches of hamartiological understanding subscribe to the doctrine of original sin, which was popularized by Saint Augustine. He taught that all the descendents of Adam and Eve are guilty of Adam's sin without their own personal choice.

In contrast, Pelagius argued that humans enter life as essentially tabula rasas. The Fall that occurred when Adam and Eve disobeyed God was held by his group to have affected humankind only minimally. But few theologians continue to hold this hamartiological viewpoint.

A third branch of

The degree to which humankind is impacted by the Fall determines very largely the role of human participation in the conflict between the forces of good and of evil. Hence, hamartiology plays a central role in how Christians understand what salvation means and how they should relate to their role as projected in the Apocalyptic Scriptures (mostly the Bible books of Daniel and Revelations).