The talk addresses the Pelagian heresy and its attribution to Pelagius, and how this heresy deviated from traditional theological issues to enter sensitive topics such as human nature, original sin, free will, and the relation of grace to will.

Origin of Pelagius and his character

Pelagius was a British monk and ascetic, renowned for piety and calling to the spiritual life, but he deviated when he exaggerated the power of human nature and human will, even claiming that a person can live without sin without external divine assistance.

Core of the heresy

Pelagius denied the effect of Adam’s sin on his descendants, denied the necessity of baptism for children and the efficacy of grace that grants the power of salvation, and asserted that human nature is capable of perfection without external dependence on God’s grace.

Fathers’ and Church’s response

Two prominent saints, Augustine and Jerome, opposed the heresy; Augustine wrote extensive works defending the necessity of grace, original sin, and infant baptism. Local councils and canons were organized to refute Pelagian teaching.

Historical course and church measures

Pelagius’s ideas spread through his disciples like Colossus and reached North Africa where councils in 416 and thereafter judged Pelagius and Colossus as heretics. Rome issued varying rulings at first, then later affirmed the necessity of baptism and the doctrine of original sin after correspondence, imperial interventions, and exiles against the heresy.

Theological and spiritual outcomes

These debates led to the formulation of a clear ecclesial teaching about the work of grace and humanity’s need for God’s assistance for salvation, and warned against both extremes: overreliance on human ability and the opposite extreme that dismisses human will and action.

Practical and spiritual lesson

The talk stresses the need for balance: acknowledging original sin and humanity’s need for God’s grace, while not negating the value of will and spiritual effort, with a specific caution to monks against exceeding their limits by engaging in complex theological studies without proper knowledge.

For better translation support, please contact the center.