Pelagius

doi:10.1017/9781108556620.012

9 - Pelagius

from Part II - Case Studies

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 July 2025

Ali Bonner

Edited by

Richard Flower

Show author details

Richard Flower: Affiliation:
University of Exeter

Book contents

Get access

Summary

The anthropology and soteriology of western Christianity were radically reinterpreted in the fifth century CE by Augustine of Hippo, who constructed a fictional ‘Pelagianism’ to delegitimise opposition to his new theology of original sin, an absolutist account of prevenient grace, and predestination interpreted as preordainment. This chapter gives an outline of the issues involved in this attempt to relocate orthodoxy, the course of events relating to Pelagius and his defence of eastern ascetic Christianity, and the afterlife of controversy over this new account of the anthropology and soteriology of Christianity.

Keywords

Pelagius grace predestination Augustine of Hippo semi-Pelagianism

Information

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge Companion to Christian Heresy , pp. 175 - 194

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108556620.012 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2025

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Select Bibliography

Becker, H. S. 1973. Outsiders, New York.Google Scholar

Bonner, A. 2018. The Myth of Pelagianism, Oxford.CrossRef Google Scholar

Cameron, A. 2003a. ‘How to read heresiology’, Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies 33: 471–92 (repr. in D. B. Martin and P. Cox Miller (eds.) The Cultural Turn in Late Ancient Studies: Gender, Asceticism and Historiography, Durham, NC, 2005, 193–212).CrossRef Google Scholar

Cameron, A. 2003b. ‘Jews and heretics – a category error?’, in Becker, A. H. and Reed, A. Y. (eds.) The Ways That Never Parted, Tübingen, 345–60.Google Scholar

Frede, H. J. 1973–4. Ein neuer Paulustext und Kommentar, 2 vols., Vetus Latina. Die Reste der altlateinischen Bibel. Aus der Geschichte der lateinischen Bibel 7–8, Freiburg.Google Scholar

Greer, R. 1989. The Fear of Freedom: A Study of Miracles in the Roman Imperial Church, Pennsylvania State University Park, PA.Google Scholar

Henderson, J. B. 1998. The Construction of Orthodoxy and Heresy: Neo-Confucian, Islamic, Jewish, and Early Christian Patterns, Albany, NY.Google Scholar

Iricinschi, E. and Zellentin, H. M. 2008. ‘Making selves and marking others: Identity and late antique heresiology’, in Iricinschi, E. and Zellentin, H. M. (eds.) Heresy and Identity in Late Antiquity, Tübingen, 1–27.CrossRef Google Scholar

King, K. L. 2008b. ‘Social and theological effects of heresiological discourse’, in Iricinschi, E. and Zellentin, H. M. (eds.) Heresy and Identity in Late Antiquity, Tübingen, 28–49.Google Scholar

Kurtz, L. 1983. ‘The politics of heresy’, American Journal of Sociology 88: 1085–1115.10.1086/227796CrossRef Google Scholar

Markus, R. A. 2004. ‘Social and historical setting’, in Young, F., Ayres, L. and Louth, A. (eds.) The Cambridge History of Early Christian Literature, Cambridge, 399–413.Google Scholar

Martinetto, G. 1971. ‘Les premières réactions antiaugustinienne de Pélage’, Revue des Études Augustiniennes 18: 83–117.Google Scholar

Mathisen, R. W. 1993. ‘For specialists only: The reception of Augustine and his teachings in fifth-century Gaul’, in Lienhard, J., Muller, E. and Teske, R. (eds.) Augustine: Presbyter Factus Sum, New York, 29–41.Google Scholar

Rebillard, É. 2000. ‘Sociologie de la déviance et orthodoxie: Le cas de la controverse pélagienne sur la grâce’, in Elm, S., Rebillard, É. and Romano, A. (eds.) Orthodoxie, christianisme, histoire, Rome, 221–40 (repr. and trans. as ‘Deviance theory and orthodoxy: The case of the Pelagian controversy on grace’, in É. Rebillard, Transformations of Religious Practices in Late Antiquity, Farnham, 2013, 159–77).Google Scholar

Rees, B. R. 1998. Pelagius: Life and Letters, 2 vols., Woodbridge.Google Scholar

Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.0 A

The PDF of this book conforms to version 2.0 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), ensuring core accessibility principles are addressed and meets the basic (A) level of WCAG compliance, addressing essential accessibility barriers.

Content Navigation

Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.

Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.

Reading Order & Textual Equivalents

Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.

Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.

Full alternative textual descriptions
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.

Visual Accessibility

Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.

Use of high contrast between text and background colour
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.

Structural and Technical Features

ARIA roles provided
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.