To advocate Pelagianism was to battle Augustine, and Julian did this until Augustine’s death, though he was never able to gain as great a following as Pelagius. In the early church, Pelagianism was carried on by Julian, Bishop of Eclanum, one of eighteen Italian bishops who refused to sign the papal decree and who were consequently exiled. Though church councils condemned Pelagianism as heresy, this did not immediately crush the teaching. What men and women need is moral direction, not a new birth therefore, Pelagius saw salvation in purely naturalistic terms-the progress of human nature from sinful behavior to holy behavior, by following the example of Christ.” Followers and Modern Adherents Salvation is a matter chiefly of following Christ instead of Adam, rather than being transferred from the condemnation and corruption of Adam’s race and placed ‘in Christ,’ clothed in his righteousness and made alive by his gracious gift. Monergism summarizes it this way: “Jesus Christ was a good example. Essentially, he believed that man is basically good and moral and that even pagans can enter heaven through their virtuous moral actions. This led Pelagius to deny the doctrines of original sin and predestination, and to deny the need for special grace to be saved.
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Pelagius believed that man had not been entirely corrupted by Adam’s fall and that he could, by his own free will, do works that pleased God, and thus be saved. In 431, at the Council of Ephesus, Pelagius and Celestius were officially declared heretics by the entire church. He settled in Egypt, and was never heard from again. In May of 418, the Council of Carthage once again branded Pelagianism as a heresy and Pelagius was expelled from Jerusalem. Zosimus listened to these pleas and commanded that another council be convened to consider and decide the matter. When he did so there was alarm in North Africa and yet another synod was immediately convened to beg him not to repeal the prior pope’s sentence until it could be proven that the two men had clearly denounced their false beliefs. Pelagius and Celestius asked Zosimus to reconsider the previous pope’s decision. However, less than two months later, pope Innocent died and he was succeeded by Zosimus. Their results were sent to pope Innocent I for his decision, and upon receiving them he excommunicated Pelagius and Celestius. In 416 the church in North Africa held two separate synods to examine Pelagius’ teachings and both of them condemned him. Jerome, too, labored to prevent this false teaching from spreading in the East. After a couple of years in Africa, Pelagius moved to Palestine and Augustine promptly warned Jerome that Pelagius was spreading a seditious heresy. Pelagius’ influence began to spread there as well, causing concern for Augustine who responded by publishing several works that refuted and counteracted Pelagius. When the Visigoths attacked Rome in 410, Pelagius and Celestius fled together to Carthage in North Africa. Contrary to Augustine, “Pelagius taught that human beings have a natural capacity to reject evil and seek God, that Christ’s admonition, ∻e ye perfect, presupposes this capacity, and that grace is the natural ability given by God to seek and to serve God” ( Theopedia). He believed that Augustine was teaching doctrine contrary to a biblical understanding of both grace and free will and believed such teaching turned man into a mere automaton. It is said that at one time Pelagius heard a quote from Augustine’s Confessions-“Command what you will, and give what you command”-and blamed such teaching for the lack of morality in the church. One person in particular, a lawyer named Celestius, became a devoted follower and promoter of Pelagius’ teachings. This austere lifestyle made him attractive to many Romans and he soon gained a considerable following. He began to promote a rigorous asceticism, apparently out of concern for the moral laxity he saw among many Roman Christians.
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While in Rome, Pelagius began to write theological works, though, except for a few fragments, these have been lost and are known to us only through quotes in the writings of those who refuted him.
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We know little about his early years, but do know that at some point he became a monk and in that capacity journeyed to Rome. Historians believe that Pelagius was born in Britain around the year 354. Sponsor Show Your Support Become a Patron Pelagius