Pelagius was born around the year 360 A.D. in either Ireland or Celtic Britain. Becoming a monk and a missionary, he came to Rome around 400 A.D.
St. Augustine and Pelagius
Pelagius didn’t have a chance when St. Augustine took the Pelagian heresy upon himself as his personal mission. St. Augustine was a staunch defender of the authority of the church. But ironically, the dispute between doctrines held at the time would not hold today within the Catholic Church. Pelagius would have emerged the victor if the same debate were held today in the Catholic Church.
Pre-Destination or Moral Choice
Pelagius was disgusted by the way that so many in the church had embraced a doctrine of pre-destination, which allowed them to take no responsibility for their choices and actions in this life. He opened the debate which continues today between many Christian denominations as to whether it is the free will of human beings or the actions of God’s grace which determine the salvation of a soul.
In simpler terms, Pelagius believed that humanity needed to take responsibility for doing the work of salvation and to stop blaming the will of God or pre-destination for their failings. St. Augustine held firmly to the belief in pre-destination which is not a doctrine held today in the Catholic Church, but rather it is a Protestant issue.
St. Augustine ultimately outlined that he believed that only some had been chosen by God for salvation and these would be saved. This enraged Pelagius who was eventually forced to leave Jerusalem because of his views.
The issue of Pelagius and St. Augustine is a controversy which rages today. Catholic doctrine teaches today that men choose their salvation – or not. Why the Pelagian controversy could not find middle ground with the Church and ended up becoming such an area of antagonism in the fifth century is unknown to scholars today.
It is thought by some that St. Augustine held such firm views upon the importance of the authority of the Church, that he attacked this particular view with unusual force which in hindsight makes little sense.
Pelagius died in exile around 420 A.D. But his ideas have lived on ever since.
Heresy According to the Early Church Fathers
The Early Church Fathers found great difficulty with the heretical sects in part because they wouldn’t accept the basics of Roman Catholic teachings, scripture and tradition.
“It comes to this, therefore, that these men accept neither Scripture or tradition. Such are the adversaries with whom we have to deal,” according to (Irenaeus) A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers.
Other huge heresies in their time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church included Nestorianism and the Waldensians.
Sources:
- Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics, by Charles S. Clifton.
- A Catholic Dictionary, by William E. Addis and Thomas Arnold, M.A.
- Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, by Dr. Ludwig Ott.
- A Short History of Christian Doctrine: From the First Century to the Present, by Bernhard Lohse.
- The Church in Crisis: A History of the General Councils, 325 - 1870, by Philip Hughes.
- A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers, Edited by David W. Bercot.
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