Part 1: From Apostles to Apostates
The only other intellectual person of a caliber capable of challenging Augustine on a philosophical level, was Pelagius. He was an educated Monk from Britain whose temperament, lifestyle and personal experience was very different from that of Augustine.
His chief concern was the immorality of the Roman Empire. Augustine’s conclusions, as far as he was concerned, would have a very damaging effect on the faith of the people. More specifically, he concluded, it killed the incentive of those who might be inclined to think of themselves as elect or already saved. How could they repent? Why would they feel it necessary when there was nothing they could do, good or bad, which could alter their God given status. And what about those who were not elect? Would this not have a detrimental effect if they were doomed to rot in hell regardless of what good they might do? What incentive would they have to improve their lot both here and in the here-after? The idea of such an arrangement most appealed to those who wanted salvation but were not interested in living the gospel to acquire it.
Pelagius rejected the concepts of:
1/ Infant baptism.
2/ Inherited sin. (We inherited Sin of Adam and Eve’s partaking of the fruit of the tree.)
3/ Adam having been born mortal.
4/ Grace being for only select individuals.
His own Doctrine included:
1/ Confession of faults and responsibility for choices.
2/ 10 commandments were an obligation to personal, moral cleanliness.
3/ Free agency or the ability of man to choose salvation or reject it for himself.
4/ Salvation obtained through obedience to God’s commandments.
5/ Saving power of Good Works contributes to Salvation.
6/ Baptism and Redeeming Blood of Christ (atonement) was essential.
7/ Man was not inherently evil, but by his own volition, he could overcome evil by doing good without recourse to Grace.
8/ No original sin resulted from the fall of man.
9/ Man responsible for his own sins.
10/ God does not pre-destine man to Heaven or Hell. Man makes this choice though his own behaviour.
Pelagius began his teaching in Rome where he met no opposition. However, when he went to Africa the reaction to his teaching was violent. There he was brought before a council in Carthage and his teachings condemned. In Palestine he was attacked by Jerome, even though Pelagius had the support of Bishop John of Jerusalem. The source of his main opposition came from the influence of Augustine. In the Western world, Augustine’s word on things theological was considered to be the ultimate authority.
Pope Innocence I of Rome condemned Pelagius and his teachings. When he refused to acquiesce, Pelagius was excommunicated and banned from Rome. This effectively silenced him as he no longer had credentials or access to an audience.
Their differences however divided the Church. The timing was not in his favour. At the first opportunity, Pelagius would be labelled a heretic. With Augustine’s new powers, he achieved far more from connections than corrections. Pelagius was eliminated. We do not know if he was executed but history lost contact with him about 422.A.D. We cannot help but wonder how much better off the fledgling church might have been had this power struggle ended differently.