by Giuseppe Monno
Pelagianism is a heretical doctrine that takes its name from the British monk Pelagius, active between the late fourth and early fifth centuries. He denied the transmission of original sin from Adam and Eve to all humanity, maintaining that every human being is born morally neutral and retains, from birth, the full capacity to do good without the need for divine grace.
According to Pelagius, man can observe the commandments of God and attain salvation by his own efforts alone, through free will and personal moral commitment. From this standpoint, grace is not considered indispensable for salvation, but merely an external aid that facilitates virtuous action. Consequently, the role of Jesus Christ is not that of Redeemer who frees humanity from sin through His sacrifice, but rather that of a moral teacher who, through the example of His life, shows man the right path to follow.
Opposing Pelagianism with great force was Saint Augustine of Hippo, one of the greatest theologians of the Christian tradition, who developed a profound doctrine of grace. He taught that, because of original sin, humanity is deeply wounded and incapable of attaining salvation by its own powers: only the free and prevenient grace of God can heal man and make him capable of doing good.
Within this theological framework, the redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ is essential and irreplaceable, since it is through it that divine grace is bestowed upon humanity. While not denying free will, Saint Augustine affirmed that it is weakened by sin and requires grace in order to be consistently directed toward the good.
This position emerges clearly in Augustine’s works written against the Pelagians, including De natura et gratia, De spiritu et littera, De gratia Christi et de peccato originali, and Contra duas epistolas Pelagianorum.
The theses of Pelagius were condemned as heretical on several occasions during the fifth century. The African synods of the Councils of Carthage and Milevis (416) formally condemned Pelagianism, submitting their decisions for approval to Pope Innocent I, who confirmed them.
Subsequently, in 418, a new Council of Carthage, under the pontificate of Pope Zosimus, reaffirmed and articulated more systematically the condemnation of Pelagian doctrines. In this context, the indispensability of divine grace for salvation and the transmission of original sin were clearly affirmed.
Initially, Pope Zosimus had shown some hesitation regarding the accusations brought against the Pelagians, but he ultimately approved their condemnation definitively, also under the pressure of the African episcopate and imperial authority.
The Council of Ephesus (431), although not specifically devoted to the Pelagian controversy, indirectly confirmed its condemnation by approving earlier doctrinal decisions and strengthening the teaching on the necessity of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ.
Pelagianism was thus progressively rejected by the Church as incompatible with the Christian faith, while the doctrine of grace—developed especially by Augustine of Hippo—became a fundamental point of reference in Western theology.