Heresy is an “opinion or doctrine at variance with the orthodox or accepted doctrine, especially of a church or religious system.” In Greek, heresy or αίρεση signifies a choice, the opinion chosen and the sect holding the opinion, a choice that one personally and freely nakes, which happens to be the main controversial topic about Pelagianism.
As Peter says in his second letter, “there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who brought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.” Pelagius, who was a Christian monk born in Britain at around c. 354, and spiritual adviser to Christian aristocrats in Rome around the end of the 4th century, happened to be spreading questionable teachings to his followers. Some sources refer to him as a monk, while others state that he was never found authentically associated with any monastic institution. “Augustine… indeed referred to him as ‘monachus’… but this probably only refers generally to his ascetic tendencies …show more content…
He issued a clearer defense of their teachings where he wholeheartedly stood against St. Augustine and St. Jerome. Caelestius’ approach is very philosophical but theological at the same time, to an extent where it could be deceiving. One of his arguments was that, if God made man good and commanded him to be good, it would blasphemous to say that man is evil and incapable of good. Another argument was that God would be unjust if sin was something man could not avoid, and God is just therefore sin can be avoided. As mentioned previously, St. Augustine and St. Jerome proved Pelagius and Caelestius to be heretics, through the use of scripture as their main source of defending the faith. Thus, for this paper I will be using a strictly scriptural approach to examine how the Pelagians justified the first four accusations that were directed at
As Peter says in his second letter, “there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who brought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.” Pelagius, who was a Christian monk born in Britain at around c. 354, and spiritual adviser to Christian aristocrats in Rome around the end of the 4th century, happened to be spreading questionable teachings to his followers. Some sources refer to him as a monk, while others state that he was never found authentically associated with any monastic institution. “Augustine… indeed referred to him as ‘monachus’… but this probably only refers generally to his ascetic tendencies …show more content…
He issued a clearer defense of their teachings where he wholeheartedly stood against St. Augustine and St. Jerome. Caelestius’ approach is very philosophical but theological at the same time, to an extent where it could be deceiving. One of his arguments was that, if God made man good and commanded him to be good, it would blasphemous to say that man is evil and incapable of good. Another argument was that God would be unjust if sin was something man could not avoid, and God is just therefore sin can be avoided. As mentioned previously, St. Augustine and St. Jerome proved Pelagius and Caelestius to be heretics, through the use of scripture as their main source of defending the faith. Thus, for this paper I will be using a strictly scriptural approach to examine how the Pelagians justified the first four accusations that were directed at