Pelagianism
Can a person climb toward salvation by willpower alone, before grace?
Pelagianism, named for Pelagius, taught that humans can take the first steps toward salvation by free will without prior grace, denying original sin. Augustine opposed it, and it was condemned at Carthage in 418 and Ephesus in 431. The condemnation is shared across the traditions, which together affirm that God's grace precedes and enables every movement of the soul toward salvation.
How it traveled
- Against the PelagiansBethlehem · 420explains
- The Letters of St. JeromeBethlehem · 420applies
- Jerome and Gennadius. Lives of Illustrious MenBethlehem · 420explains
- A Treatise Against Two Letters of the PelagiansHippo Regius · 430applies
- A Treatise on the Grace of Christ, and on Original SinHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Work on the Proceedings of PelagiusHippo Regius · 430explains
- On Marriage and ConcupiscenceHippo Regius · 430challenges
- A Treatise on Nature and GraceHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Treatise on the Predestination of the SaintsHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of InfantsHippo Regius · 430explains
- Letters of St. AugustinHippo Regius · 430applies
- A Treatise on Grace and Free WillHippo Regius · 430challenges
- A Treatise on the Soul and its OriginHippo Regius · 430applies
- A Treatise Concerning Man’s Perfection in RighteousnessHippo Regius · 430challenges
- A Treatise on the Spirit and the LetterHippo Regius · 430challenges
- Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New TestamentHippo Regius · 430challenges
- The Third Ecumenical Council: The Council of EphesusEphesus · 431applies
- The Seven Books of John Cassian on the Incarnation of the Lord, Against NestoriusMarseille · 435challenges
- The Letters and Sermons of Leo the GreatRome · 461applies
- Discussion: First PartWittenberg · 1546applies
- Commentary on GalatiansWittenberg · 1546challenges
- Discussion: Third PartWittenberg · 1546challenges
- Discussion: Second PartWittenberg · 1546challenges
- Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the GospelGeneva · 1564challenges
- XIV Five discourses on the soul's eternal salvationNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758challenges
- The great christian doctrine of original sin defendedNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758challenges
Key passages(20)
A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 4 [IV.]—Pelagians and Manicheans on the Praise of the Creature. These things being so, what advantage is it to new heretics, enemies of the cross of Christ and opposers of divine grace, that
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A. I want to sift your opinions a little, that your followers may know what an inspired genius you are. You say, “It is impossible for any but those who have the knowledge of the law to be without sin
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A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 18.—The Desire of Good is God’s Gift. For they have thought that it was to be objected to us that we say “that God inspires into unwilling and resisting man the desire,” not of any very great
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A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 24 [VIII.]—There are Three Principal Heads in the Pelagian Heresy. When, then, the Pelagians are pressed with these and such like testimonies and words of truth, not to deny original sin; not
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A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 19.—The Craft of the Pelagians. And if these things be so, let the Pelagians cease by their most insidious praises of these five things—that is, the praise of the creature, the praise of marr
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A Treatise on Grace and Free Will · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 6 [IV.]—God’s Grace to Be Maintained Against the Pelagians; The Pelagian Heresy Not an Old One. It is, however, to be feared lest all these and similar testimonies of Holy Scripture (and undo
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A Treatise on Nature and Grace · Augustine of Hippo
A Treatise on nature and grace, against pelagius; by aurelius augustin, bishop of hippo; Contained in One Book, addressed to timasius and jacobus. written in the year of our lord 415. ————————————
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A Treatise on the Grace of Christ, and on Original Sin · Augustine of Hippo
Extract from Augustin’s “Retractations,” Book II. Chap. 50, On the Following Treatise, “De gratia christi, et de peccato originali.” ———————————— “After the conviction and condemnationOn the Grac
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A Work on the Proceedings of Pelagius · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 3.—Discussion of Pelagius’ First Answer. Now to say that “a man is by the knowledge of the law assisted towards not sinning,” is a different assertion from saying that “a man cannot be withou
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A. I am surprised at a prudent man submitting evidence which goes against himself. For the passage in question does not speak of a possibility, but one impossibility is compared with another. As a cam
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Letters of St. Augustin · Augustine of Hippo
Letter CLXXXVIII. (a.d. 416.) To the Lady Juliana, Worthy to Be Honoured in Christ with the Service Due to Her Rank, Our Daughter Deservedly Distinguished, Alypius and Augustin Send Greeting in the
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The Letters of St. Jerome · Jerome
Letter CXXXIII. To Ctesiphon. Ctesiphon had written to Jerome for his opinion on two points in the teaching of Pelagius, (1) his quietism and (2) his denial of original sin. Jerome now refutes these
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A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 9 [V.]—He Replies to the Calumnies of the Pelagians. And now we must look to those things which they objected to us in their letters, and briefly mentioned. And to these this is my answer. We
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Letters of St. Augustin · Augustine of Hippo
8. For doubtless the value of the gift of continence was known to him who said, “I perceived that no man can be continent unless God bestowed the gift.” He not only knew then how great a benefit it wa
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A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 6 [III.]—Grace is Not Given According to Merits. But lest perchance they say that they are aided to this,—that they may “have power to become the sons of God,” but that they may deserve to re
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A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 42 [XXIV.]—He Rebuts the Conclusion of Julian’s Letter. But now the manner in which he concludes the letter by saying, “Let no one therefore seduce you, nor let the wicked deny that they thin
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A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 30.—Secondly, of Marriage. “We say,” says he, “that that marriage which is now celebrated throughout the earth was ordained by God, and that married people are not guilty, but that fornicator
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A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 14.—That the Apostle is Speaking in His Own Person and that of Others Who Are Under Grace, Not Still Under Law. And from this point he now begins—and, it was on account of this that I underto
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A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 4 [II.]—The Calumny of Julian,—That the Catholics Teach that Free Will is Taken Away by Adam’s Sin. Let us now, therefore, reply to Julian’s letter. “Those Manicheans say,” says he, “with who
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A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 13 [VIII.]—The Fifth Calumny,—That It is Said that Paul and the Rest of the Apostles Were Polluted by Lust. He says, “They say that even the Apostle Paul, even all the apostles, were always p
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