When Augustine became a priest in Hippo, a monk from Britain named Morgan, or in Latin Pelagius (which means "islander" -- consider the words "pelagic" and "archipelago"), began to preach in Rome.
He denounced what he saw as a reduction of moral standards.
The controversy between Pelagius and Augustine began when this British monk opposed in Rome the famous prayer by Augustine: "Grant what Thou commandest, and command what Thou dost desire." (Confessions 10, 29)
Pelagius recoiled in horror at the idea that a divine gift (grace - gratia in Latin) is necessary to perform what God commands.
For Pelagius and his followers responsibility always implies ability.
If the human species has the moral responsibility to obey the law of God, it must also have the moral ability to do it.
Pelagius saw Christians using human fraility as an absolving excuse for their imperfect living of the Christian life.
His response was: "That is nonsense. God has given you free will. You can choose to follow the example of Adam, or you can choose to follow the example of Christ. God has given everyone the grace he needs to be good. If you are not good, you simply need to try harder."
But Augustine introduced the matter of original sin, and Pelagius intimated that there was no such thing.
Augustine asked him why, then, was it the universal custom of the Church to baptize infants, and Pelagius had no answer to offer.
Augustine saw the teaching of Pelagius as totally undermining the doctrine that God is the ultimate source of all good.
It encouraged the virtuous and well-behaved Christian to feel that he had earned the approval of God by his own efforts.
The heart of the debate, therefore, centred on the doctrine of original sin, particularly with respect to the question of the extent to which the will of fallen humankind is "free".
As with so many historical arguments, reconstructing exactly what each thought can be rather hard: Pelagius views were misrepresented by his opponents, Augustine's views develop as the debates become fiercer, but Pelagianism has come to mean – unfairly to its founder - the view that human beings can earn salvation by their own efforts.
Links
Read more about the theological topic of Pelagianism by clicking on the following selected links below. Be advised that the following authors come from different streams of Christian theology.
Pelagius and Pelagianism. From the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1911.
Pelagianism defined. These issues of human freedom and divine grace have remained central topics of debate throughout the history of Christian theology.
Pelagius. From Britannica.com.
Augustine and Pelagius. An essay by R. C. Sproul.
Augustine and the Pelagian controversy. A detailed coverage by Mark Ritchie.
Augustine & The Pelagian Controversy: The External History of the Pelagian Controversy. By Benjamin B. Warfield. ID2111
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