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Pelagius (; c. 354–418) was a British theologian known for promoting a system of doctrines (termed Pelagianism by his opponents) which emphasized human choice in salvation and denied original sin. Pelagius and his followers abhorred the moral standards of Christians in Rome, which he blamed on the view of divine grace. Pelagius was accused of heresy at the synod of Jerusalem in 415 and his doctrines were harshly criticized by
Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...
, especially the Pelagian views about humankind's good nature and individual responsibility for choosing ascetism. Pelagius especially stressed the freedom of human will. Very little is known about the personal life and career of Pelagius.


Beginnings

Pelagius was active between about 390 and 418. He was said by his contemporaries, such as Augustine of Hippo, Prosper of Aquitaine, Marius Mercator, and Paul Orosius, to have been of Celtic British origin. Jerome apparently thought that Pelagius was Irish, suggesting that he was "stuffed with Irish porridge" (). He was tall in stature and portly in appearance. Pelagius was also highly educated, spoke and wrote Latin and Greek with great fluency, and was well versed in theology. His name has traditionally been understood as a Graecized form (from , "sea") of the Welsh name Morgan ("sea-born"), or another Celtic equivalent. Pelagius became better known around 380 when he moved to Rome. There he enjoyed a reputation of austerity; he also corresponded with
Paulinus of Nola Paulinus of Nola (; la, Paulinus Nolanus; also Anglicized as Pauline of Nola; – 22 June 431) born Pontius Meropius Anicius Paulinus, was a Roman poet, writer, and senator who attained the ranks of suffect consul () and governor of Campania ...
. Pelagius became concerned about the moral laxity of society. He blamed this laxity on the theology of divine grace preached by Augustine, among others. He began to teach a very strict, rigid moralism, emphasizing a natural, innate human ability to attain salvation. Twenty-five years after the fact, Augustine related that Pelagius had reacted strongly to the statement from Augustine's '' Confessions'' (397–401) "Give what you command and command what you will", as he believed that it undermined human responsibility. However, this incident's historicity is questioned by scholars. When Alaric sacked Rome in 410, Pelagius and his follower
Caelestius Caelestius (or Celestius) was the major follower of the Christian teacher Pelagius and the Christian doctrine of Pelagianism, which was opposed to Augustine of Hippo and his doctrine in original sin, and was later declared to be heresy. Developmen ...
fled to
Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...
, where he continued his work.


Opponents


Augustine of Hippo

Pelagianism quickly spread, especially around Carthage. Augustine wrote (''Three Books on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins'') in 412, and (''On the Spirit and the Letter'') in 414. When in 414 disquieting rumours arrived from Sicily and the so-called , said to be the work of Caelestius, were sent to him, he at once (414 or 415) published the rejoinder, . In these, he strongly affirmed the existence of original sin, the need for infant baptism, the impossibility of a sinless life without Christ, and the necessity of Christ's grace. Augustine stands as an important source on the life and theology of Pelagius, and wrote about him extensively.


Jerome

Pelagius soon left for Palestine, befriending the bishop there. Jerome, who also lived there, became involved as well. Pelagius had criticized his commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians. Jerome wrote against Pelagius in his Letter to Ctesiphon and . With Jerome at the time was Orosius, a visiting pupil of Augustine, who had similar views on the dangers of Pelagianism. Together, they publicly condemned Pelagius. Bishop John of Jerusalem, a personal friend of Pelagius, called a council in July 415. Church sources claim Orosius' lack of fluency in Greek rendered him unconvincing and John's Eastern background made him more willing to accept that humans did not have inherent sinfulness, yet the council rendered no verdict and passed the controversy to the Latin Church because Pelagius, Jerome, and Orosius were all Latin.


Diospolis

A few months later in December of 415, another synod in synod in Diospolis (
Lydda Lod ( he, לוד, or fully vocalized ; ar, اللد, al-Lidd or ), also known as Lydda ( grc, Λύδδα), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Shephe ...
) under the bishop of Cæsarea was called by two deposed bishops who came to the Holy Land. However, neither bishop attended for unrelated reasons and Orosius had left after consultation with Bishop John. Pelagius explained to the synod that he did believe God was necessary for salvation because every human is created by God. He also claimed that many works of
Celestius Caelestius (or Celestius) was the major follower of the Christian teacher Pelagius and the Christian doctrine of Pelagianism, which was opposed to Augustine of Hippo and his doctrine in original sin, and was later declared to be heresy. Developmen ...
did not represent his own views. He showed letters of recommendation by other authoritative figures including Augustine himself, who for all their disagreements, thought highly of Pelagius' character. The Synod of Diospolis therefore concluded: "Now since we have received satisfaction in respect of the charges brought against the monk Pelagius in his presence and since he gives his assent to sound doctrines but condemns and anathematises those contrary to the faith of the Church, we adjudge him to belong to the communion of the Catholic Church."


Teachings

Manichaeism stressed that the spirit was God-created, while material substance was corrupt and evil. Theologian Gerald Bonner felt that part of Pelagius' analysis was an over-reaction to Manicheanism. Pelagius held that everything created by God was good, therefore, he could not see how God had made humans fallen creatures. (Augustine's teaching on the
Fall of Adam The fall of man, the fall of Adam, or simply the Fall, is a term used in Christianity to describe the transition of the first man and woman from a state of innocent obedience to God in Christianity, God to a state of guilty disobedience. * * * * ...
was not a settled doctrine at the time the Augustinian/Pelagian dispute began.) The Pelagians accused Augustine of bringing Manichaeian theology into the Christian church, which Augustine himself denied. The view that mankind can avoid sinning, and that humans can freely choose to obey God's commandments, stands at the core of Pelagian teaching. Pelagius stressed human autonomy and freedom of the will; an illustration of Pelagius' views on man's "moral ability" not to sin can be found in his Letter to Demetrias. For Pelagius, "
grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninc ...
" consisted of the gift of free will, the
Law of Moses The Law of Moses ( he, תֹּורַת מֹשֶׁה ), also called the Mosaic Law, primarily refers to the Torah or the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The law revealed to Moses by God. Terminology The Law of Moses or Torah of Moses (Hebrew ...
, and the teachings of Jesus. According to Augustine, Pelagians saw baptism of infants as useless because they had no sin. Celestius, who was a disciple of Pelagius, also denied original sin and the necessity of infant baptism for salvation.


Pope Zosimus

Seeking to undo his condemnation, Pelagius wrote a letter and statement of belief to
Pope Zosimus Pope Zosimus was the bishop of Rome from 18 March 417 to his death on 26 December 418. He was born in Mesoraca, Calabria. Zosimus took a decided part in the protracted dispute in Gaul as to the jurisdiction of the See of Arles over that of Vien ...
, Innocent I's successor, arguing that he was orthodox. In these he articulated his beliefs so as not to contradict what the synods condemned. Zosimus was persuaded by Celestius to reopen the case, but opposition from the African bishops and
Emperor Honorius Honorius (9 September 384 – 15 August 423) was Roman emperor from 393 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla. After the death of Theodosius, Honorius ruled the western half of the empire whil ...
forced Zosimus to condemn and excommunicate Celestius and Pelagius in 418. Pelagianism was condemned at the Council of Carthage in 418. Augustine, shocked that Pelagius and Celestius were not denounced as heretics, had called the Council of Carthage in 418. The synod issued eight canons * Canon I: Adam was not created subject to death. * Canon II: Infants are to be baptized for the remission of sins. * Canon III: Grace not only gives remission of sins but aid that we sin no more. * Canon IV: Grace gives knowledge, inspiration and desire to perform required duty. * Canon V: Without the grace of God we can do no good thing. * Canon VI: The statement “If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves” should not be said out of humility but because it is true. * Canon VII: In the Lord's Prayer, the Saints pray “Forgive us our trespasses” not only for others but also for themselves. * Canon VIII: The Saints pray “Forgive us our trespasses” not out of humility but because they have sinned.


Death and later

After his condemnation, Pelagius was expelled from Jerusalem, and Saint
Cyril of Alexandria Cyril of Alexandria ( grc, Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας; cop, Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ Ⲕⲩⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲩ ⲁ̅ also ⲡⲓ̀ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲕⲓⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲥ;  376 – 444) was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444 ...
allowed him to settle in Egypt. He is not heard of thereafter. His death did not end his teachings, although those who followed him may have modified those teachings. Because little information remains with regard to Pelagius' actual teachings, some of his doctrines possibly were subject to revision and suppression by his enemies (followers of Augustine and the Church leadership as a whole at that time). Pelagius and Caelestius were declared heretics by the
First Council of Ephesus The Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II. This third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the church thro ...
in 431. Belief in Pelagianism and
Semipelagianism Semi-Pelagianism (or Semipelagianism) is a Christian theological and soteriological school of thought on salvation. Semipelagian thought stands in contrast to the earlier Pelagian teaching about salvation, Pelagianism (in which people are born un ...
was common for the next few centuries, especially in Britain, the Holy Land, and North Africa. St Germanus visited Britain to combat Pelagianism in or around AD 429. In Wales,
Saint David Saint David ( cy, Dewi Sant; la, Davidus; ) was a Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th century. He is the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and tradition has preserved a relatively large amount of detail abo ...
was credited with convening the
Synod of Brefi The Synod of Brefi was a church council held at Llanddewi Brefi in Ceredigion, Wales, around 545. The synod was apparently called in order to condemn the heretical teachings of Pelagius. It was an important milestone in the rise of Saint David. ...
and the
Synod of Victory The Synod of Victory (Synod of the Grove of Victory, Synod of Caerleon) was a church council held in Caerleon, Wales, around AD 569. While some sources say it was a continuation of the Synod of Brefi to condemn the heresy of Pelagianism, others, su ...
against the followers of Pelagius in the sixth century.


Evaluation

Because of the fifth-century condemnations of him, Pelagius became known as "a
heresiarch In Christian theology, a heresiarch (also hæresiarch, according to the '' Oxford English Dictionary''; from Greek: , ''hairesiárkhēs'' via the late Latin ''haeresiarcha''Cross and Livingstone, ''Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' 197 ...
of the deepest dye". Evaluation of him changed after the publication of a 1943 biography by
Georges de Plinval Georges may refer to: Places *Georges River, New South Wales, Australia *Georges Quay (Dublin) * Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses *Georges (name) * ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas * "Georges" (song), a 197 ...
and more recent scholars have viewed him as an orthodox Christian theologian who was a victim of denunciation. His Pauline commentaries were popular during the Middle Ages but frequently claimed to be the work of other authors. An objective view of Pelagius and his effect is difficult. His name has been used as an epithet for centuries by both Protestants and Catholics, and he has had few defenders. The very early church denounced his ideas and the Reformation accused Roman Catholics of adhering to his beliefs and condemned both Pelagius and the Catholic Church. Modern scholarship suggests that Pelagius did not take the more extreme positions later associated with his followers.
Ronald Hutton Ronald Edmund Hutton (born 19 December 1953) is an English historian who specialises in Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and Contemporary Paganism. He is a professor at the University of Bristol, has written 14 ...
describes him as "a first-rate theologian". The theologian
Carol Harrison Carol Harrison (born 8 February 1955) is an English actress and writer. She is known mostly for her work on British television, in particular her role as Louise Raymond in BBC's ''EastEnders''. Career Harrison made her acting debut in 1976, in t ...
commented that Pelagius presented "a radically different alternative to Western understandings of the human person, human responsibility and freedom, ethics and the nature of salvation" which might have come about if Augustine had not been victorious in the Pelagian controversy. According to Harrison, "Pelagianism represents an attempt to safeguard God's justice, to preserve the integrity of human nature as created by God, and of human beings' obligation, responsibility and ability to attain a life of perfect righteousness." However, this is at the expense of downplaying human frailty and presenting "the operation of divine grace as being merely external". According to the scholar Rebecca Weaver, "what most distinguished Pelagius was his conviction of an unrestricted freedom of choice, given by God and immune to alteration by sin or circumstance." In 1956, John Ferguson wrote:


Writings

Of his surviving works, only few are known in full. These are: * ("On Faith in the Trinity: Three Books") * ("Excerpts out of Divine Scriptures: Book One") * ("Commentary on the Epistles of Saint Paul") Unfortunately, most of his work survives only in the quotations of his opponents. Only in the past century have works attributable to Pelagius been identified as such. Other writings include ''On Nature'', parts of which are quoted in Augustine's '' On Nature and Grace'', and ''Defense of the Freedom of the Will'', quoted in Augustine's ''On the Grace of Christ''. Also surviving are his letter to Demetrias, along with fragments of other letters, and the written statement of faith which was received by Pope Zosimus.


See also

* Julian of Eclanum


References


Sources

* * * * *


Further reading

Translations * ''Pelagius's Commentary on St Paul's Epistle to the Romans'' (translated with introduction and notes by Theodore de Bruyn), Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993 * ''Pelagius's Expositions of the Thirteen Epistles of St. Paul'' (edited by A. Souter) Texts and Studies; 9, 3 vols. in 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1922–1931 1: Introduction'' 2: Text – 3: Pseudo-Jerome interpolations Other works * * Bonner, Ali, ''The Myth of Pelagianism'', Oxford University Press, 2018. *
Brinley Rees Brinley Roderick Rees (27 December 1919 – 21 October 2004) was a Welsh academic. He wrote extensively on Classics, particularly the study of the Greek language. His early work was devoted to Greek papyri; a later publication was devoted to th ...
, ''Pelagius A Reluctant Heretic'', The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 1988. * Brinley Rees (ed.)
''Pelagius: Life and Letters''
The Boydell Press, Woodbridge:1989, 1991. Translation of 18 letters, including ''Epistle to Demetrias'', and minor treatises attributed at various times to Pelagius or his followers. * *Nelson, Eric, ''The Theology of Liberalism: Political Philosophy and the Justice of God'', Harvard University Press, 2019 * Robert Van de Weyer (ed.), ''The Letters of Pelagius: Celtic Soul Friend'', Little Gidding books, Evesham: Arthur James, 1995. * Pelagius, ''Epistula ad Demetriadem. Brief an Demetrias'', Einleitung, Edition und Übersetzung von Gisbert Greshake, ontes Christiani Band 65, Herder, Freiburg, 2015 * Squires, Stuart. The Pelagian Controversy: An Introduction to the Enemies of Grace and the Conspiracy of Lost Souls. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2019. *Yamada, N. (2020). Pelagius' View of Ideal Christian Women in his Letters, Scrinium, 1-22. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/18177565-00160A17


External links

* *
The Patristics in English Project
provides English translations of several of Pelagius's writings.

an analysis of the letter and a brief biography by Deacon Geoffrey Ó Riada. * {{authority control 418 deaths 4th-century births 5th-century Christians 5th-century Christian theologians 5th-century Latin writers 5th-century philosophers Ascetics Founders of religions Latin letter writers People declared heretics by the first seven ecumenical councils Romano-British Christians Pelagians