Pelagius was a British monk who lived in the late 4th and early 5th centuries AD. He was known for his teachings on free will and original sin which were deemed heretical by the early Catholic Church. Pelagius taught that human beings were not tainted by the sin of Adam and Eve but were born essentially good and with free will to choose between good and evil. He rejected the doctrine of original sin as developed by Augustine and affirmed that divine grace assisted humans but was not necessary for salvation. Pelagius’ views were opposed by Augustine and condemned as heresy at the Council of Carthage in 418 and later at the Council of Ephesus in 431. However, Pelagianism continued to have adherents for centuries after his death.
The Bible does not mention Pelagius directly, as he lived after the biblical period. However, his teachings touched on several biblical themes related to human nature, sin, grace and salvation. Key biblical passages related to the Pelagian controversy include:
- Genesis 3 – The fall of humanity into sin through Adam and Eve’s disobedience. Pelagius rejected the idea that all humans inherited the guilt of Adam’s sin.
- Psalms 51:5 – “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Augustine used this verse to argue for inherent sinfulness from birth, which Pelagius denied.
- Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Augustine emphasized human depravity based on verses like this, while Pelagius focused more on human freedom.
- Matthew 7:11 – “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children…” Augustine cited this as evidence of original sin, but Pelagius interpreted it differently.
- John 15:5 – “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Pelagius acknowledged divine aid but not absolute dependence on grace.
- Romans 5:12-21 – Paul’s teaching on Adam’s sin affecting all people. Pelagius felt death spread but not inherent sinfulness.
- Romans 7:14-25 – The inner struggle between good and evil. Pelagius emphasized the ongoing capacity to choose good.
- Romans 9:16 – “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” Emphasizes God’s sovereign choice in salvation, against Pelagius’ views.
- Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Salvation depends wholly on God’s grace, not human effort.
In summary, the Bible does not directly mention Pelagius but includes relevant passages about human nature, sin, grace and free will that provided the theological backdrop for the Pelagian controversy. Both Pelagius and Augustine tried to argue their views from Scripture. In general, Augustine’s perspective of human depravity and dependence on divine grace for salvation aligned more closely with the theology of Paul and Jesus. But the debates surrounding Pelagianism continued for centuries and still influence Christian thought on salvation today.
Pelagius was born around 354 AD, possibly in Britain or Ireland. Little is known about his early life before he went to Rome as an ascetic monk and theologian. He was part of a revival of Stoic philosophy and asceticism in the late 4th century. Pelagius studied Scripture and wrote various commentaries and letters expounding his theology and exhorting Christians to moral living.
Around 405 AD, Pelagius moved to Carthage and then Sicily. There he encountered the teachings of Augustine on original sin, grace and predestination, which he opposed. Pelagius believed humans were not inherently sinful but born with freedom and a natural capacity to avoid sin and live righteously. Divine grace facilitated righteousness but was not absolutely necessary. He rejected the notion that God predestined some to salvation and others to damnation apart from human choice. Pelagius taught that perfection was attainable in this life through human effort and willpower.
Pelagius’ views disturbed Augustine and other church leaders like Jerome. They accused Pelagius of denying the need for God’s grace and the redemptive work of Christ. In 416, Augustine succeeded in having Pelagius and his disciple Caelestius condemned as heretics at the synod of Carthage. Pelagius then went to Palestine and continued spreading his teachings there. But in 431 his views were again condemned, this time at the Council of Ephesus overseen by Augustine’s ally Cyril of Alexandria. The condemnations did not completely erase Pelagianism, but established that its theology was contrary to orthodox Christian doctrine on sin, grace and salvation.
The core tenets of Pelagius’ teaching included:
- Human beings were created by God with free will to choose good or evil.
- Humans are born essentially good, without original sin or inherited guilt from Adam.
- Each person sins through their own voluntary choice, not because of Adam’s sin.
- Human perfection is attainable in this life without sin by exerting human willpower.
- God’s grace facilitates righteousness but is not a prerequisite for human perfection.
- Christ’s death was as an example, not atonement for original sin since we are not guilty of Adam’s transgression.
- Predestination to hell denies free will. God foreknows but does not predetermine human choice.
Pelagius’ motivation was to encourage moral responsibility and push back against what he saw as fatalism in Augustine’s predestinarian theology. But critics like Augustine argued Pelagius arrogantly denied humanity’s need for God’s grace purchased by Christ. The Pelagian view was seen as too optimistic about natural human goodness and abilities apart from divine aid.
There are a few key reasons Pelagius was condemned as unorthodox by early church authorities:
- His view of human nature contradicted the doctrine of original sin developed by Augustine based on passages like Psalm 51:5 and Romans 5:12-21. The Council of Carthage affirmed all people bear Adam’s guilt and inherit a sinful nature.
- Pelagius was perceived to deny the universal need for God’s grace and the redemptive work of Christ. This contradicted important biblical themes like humans’ dependence on God (John 15:5) and salvation by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).
- By asserting human perfection was attainable without grace, Pelagius was accused of gross theological overconfidence. His critics argued even biblical heroes like Paul confessed struggling with sin (Romans 7:14-25).
- Pelagius’ denial of predestination was contrary to biblical passages teaching God’s sovereignty in election (Romans 9:16, Acts 13:48). The Council of Ephesus upheld election by grace, not foreseeable human choice.
- On a practical level, Pelagius’ views were seen to reduce motivation for baptizing infants and seeking God’s grace. This threatened important church practices and theological emphasis.
The condemnations of Pelagius aimed to repudiate teachings perceived as arrogant, unbiblical and spiritually dangerous. Affirming human depravity and dependence on divine grace for salvation was deemed essential to orthodox theology.
Despite repeated condemnations, Pelagian teachings did not disappear entirely. Some key ways Pelagian ideas continued influencing Christian thought included:
- Semi-Pelagianism – This modified view affirmed original sin but said humans cooperated in salvation by making the initial step of faith before receiving grace. Semi-Pelagian ideas were present in 5th century writers like John Cassian and Faustus of Riez. The Council of Orange (529 AD) condemned semi-Pelagianism and affirmed Augustine’s theology of grace and predestination.
- Medieval Catholic theology – While Augustine’s theology of grace prevailed in the early middle ages, later medieval scholastic theologians like Duns Scotus and William of Ockham emphasized divine acceptance of human merits and downplayed strict predestinarianism. This represented a shift back towards Pelagian notions of human choice cooperating in salvation.
- Erasmus – The Renaissance humanist scholar Erasmus of Rotterdam revived controversy in the early 1500s by opposing Luther’s strict Augustinian views of grace. Erasmus underscored free will, mirrored some Pelagian emphases, and ignited disputes that influenced the Reformation.
- Arminianism – Jacob Arminius, a Dutch Reformed theologian, explicitly rejected Pelagianism but challenged some of Calvin’s predestinarian teachings. The Synod of Dort (1618) condemned Arminianism, but it spread to the Anglican church and John Wesley’s Methodism.
- 19th Century liberal theology – Rationalist approaches to theology in the 1800s led some liberal scholars like Adolf von Harnack to portray Pelagius positively as a defender of human ethical responsibility against the immorality of Augustine’s determinism.
In modern times, Pelagian controversies continue influencing Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox thought on the nature of sin, grace, free will and salvation. It remains a perennial debate in Christian history. Most traditions uphold a moderately Augustinian view, but Pelagian notions persist in various forms.
In conclusion, Pelagius was an ascetic British monk who taught controversial views on human nature, sin and grace in the late 4th and early 5th centuries AD. His teachings were condemned as heretical by councils in Carthage and Ephesus presided over by Augustine and other critics who affirmed human depravity and need for divine grace. But modified forms of Pelagius’ thought continued influencing Christian theology on sin and salvation throughout history, down to the present day. The Pelagian controversy highlighted the difficulty of balancing human responsibility and divine sovereignty which remains unresolved. While deemed unorthodox in his day, Pelagius continues to provoke important theological discussion, debate and mindfulness of extremes in articulating the dynamics of grace and free will.