Pelagius
Pelagius was a theologian born around 354 CE in Great Britain, known for his strong beliefs regarding free will and morality. While often labeled a monk, he did not formally join any religious order, instead adopting monastic practices during his studies in Ireland and Scotland. His most notable teachings emerged after he moved to Rome, where he expressed concern over the low moral standards he observed. Pelagius rejected the concept of original sin, arguing that individuals were born with the capability to choose between good and evil, thereby placing the responsibility for moral behavior on the individual rather than divine grace.
His ideas gained traction, especially through his student Caelestius, but also led to significant controversy and conflict with church authorities, including charges of heresy. Despite initial exoneration by some bishops, Pelagius was ultimately excommunicated around 418 CE and spent his later life in exile. His teachings continued to influence various Christian communities for centuries, with notable discussions around them continuing even into the 21st century. Pelagius's legacy reflects ongoing debates about the relationship between divine grace and human free will in the context of moral responsibility.
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Subject Terms
Pelagius
Theologian
- Born: c. 354 CE
- Birthplace: Place of birth: Great Britain
- Died: c. 420 CE
- Place of death: Place of death: Palestine
Significance:Pelagius was a pious man with monastic training and believed that humans were innately able to achieve holiness without God's grace. This belief, known as Pelagianism, was considered a heresy, or false teaching, by church leaders and led to Pelagius's condemnation by the religious authorities of his time.
Background
Pelagius was born around 354 CE in Great Britain. Very little is known about his early life. His letters demonstrate that he was capable of writing fluently in both Greek and Latin. He had a vast knowledge of theology and was considered highly educated.
Although Pelagius was a Roman Catholic and is often referred to as a monk, there is no record of him making a profession or commitment to any particular monastery, and he is not associated with any specific religious order. Instead, he seems to have studied for a time in the monasteries in Ireland and Scotland and adopted the piety, disciplines, and practices of a monk without ever formally joining an order.
As a teacher, writer, and theologian, Pelagius shared his thoughts on the goodness of God. Somewhere around the early part of the fifth century, Pelagius left Great Britain and travelled to Rome. He found the low levels of morality there appalling and began writing about them around 405. These writings, and what Pelagius proposed to counter the immorality of the Roman people, would eventually land him in trouble with church authorities.
Life's Work
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that all are born with original sin because of Adam and Eve's disobedience, and that it is only through God's grace that humans can avoid sin and gain forgiveness for their transgressions. In contrast, Pelagius taught that there is no such thing as original sin, and that people are born with the ability to decide whether to sin.
The Romans around Pelagius excused their immoral behavior as being part of the sinful human nature brought on by original sin. Pelagius believed this took too much responsibility for behavior off people and put too much blame on God for not distributing enough grace for people to resist sin. His teachings sought to put the responsibility for avoiding sin back on individuals by making it a matter of each person's choice whether to sin, not a matter of what grace God gave or did not give. For Pelagius, the attainment of holiness and moral behavior was a matter of free will and good decisions, not grace.
Pelagius's teachings began to spread and gained much attention when he and his student, Caelestius (or Celestius), fled to Carthage when Rome was attacked in 410. Caelestius was vocal in sharing Pelagius's teachings, and this brought him to the attention of Bishop Aurelius of Carthage. The bishop charged Caelestius with six separate heresies related to Pelagianistic teachings and had him excommunicated, or removed from membership in the Roman Catholic Church. It was around this time that Augustine of Hippo, a Catholic bishop, issued writings condemning the beliefs put forth by Pelagianism, although they did not mention Pelagius or Caelestius by name.
By this time, Pelagius had traveled to Palestine, where he was living relatively peacefully. In 415, however, Pelagius was summoned before the local church authorities and charged with preaching that people are capable of avoiding sin if only they desire to do so, which was considered a heresy. The court proceedings broke down, however, and Pelagius was subsequently called again before a tribunal of local bishops later in 415. While he acknowledged some of his teachings, Pelagius also added that people can avoid sin because God gives them the ability to do so. This appeased the officials, and he was released from charges. This was not the end of the matter, however; a total of four synods, or regional meetings, were held about Pelagianism between 411 and 418, some involving Caelestius and some involving Pelagius. In 417, the Bishop of Rome cleared Pelagius of all charges, but in 418, a group of African bishops condemned his teachings as heresy. The Roman authorities were persuaded to exile Pelagius from Rome; the church then had no choice but to follow the governmental authority's lead and excommunicate Pelagius.
He left Rome for Great Britain, most likely ending up in Wales, and is believed to have retired to a monastery.
Impact
Despite being branded as heretical, Pelagius's teachings did not die. A form of Pelagianism became popular in France for a time. His teachings lingered to the point where the Second Council of Orange, a gathering of religious authorities held in 529, felt it necessary to reiterate the importance of God's grace in avoiding sin. More than two centuries after his death, Celtic Christians continued to put forth the beliefs that Pelagius taught about individuals' ability to avoid sin through the application of free will.
In the twenty-first century, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (later Pope Francis) spoke against Pelagianism and emphasized the need for God's grace. Since ascending to the papacy in 2013, Pope Francis has spoken in opposition to Pelagianistic beliefs, demonstrating the staying power of Pelagius's teachings more than sixteen centuries after his death.
Personal Life
Pelagius lived a monastic life. He served as a spiritual director to both clergymen and laypeople and spread his teachings concerning individuals' ability to avoid sin through their own free will and not through the grace of God. Even though Pelagius did not believe in original sin, he did believe that God wanted humans to succeed in leading sinless lives and that God instructed people through the commandments delivered by Moses and the example set by Jesus to live without sin.
Bibliography
González, Justo L. The Story of Christianity: Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. New York: HarperCollins, 2010. Print.
Horton, David. The Portable Seminary: A Master's Level Overview in One Volume. Bloomington: Bethany House, 2006. Print.
Jones, Timothy Paul. Christian History Made Easy. Torrance: Rose Publishing, 2009. Print.
MacCulloch, Diarmaid. Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years. New York: Penguin, 2009. Print.
"Pelagius (350?–418) August 28th." Northumbria Comunity. Northumbria Comunity. Web. 9 May 2016.
Ziegler, J.J. "Pope: Ancient Heresy Plagues Modern Church." Our Sunday Visitor. Our Sunday Visitor Inc., 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 9 May 2016.