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Against Two Letters of the Pelagians

St. Augustine of Hippo

4h 40m read
Post-Nicene

Four books to Pope Boniface replying to two Pelagian letters — one by Julian of Eclanum and another in the name of eighteen bishops — defending Catholic doctrine on original sin, baptism, and grace.

Table of Contents

1Extract from Augustin’s Retractations1Book I1Introduction: Address to Boniface2Why Heretical Writings Must Be Answered3Why He Addresses His Book to Boniface4The Calumny of Julian,—That the Catholics Teach that Free Will is Taken Away by Adam’s Sin5Free Choice Did Not Perish With Adam ’s Sin. What Freedom Did Perish6Chapter 6 [III.]—Grace is Not Given According to Merits.7He Concludes that He Does Not Deprive the Wicked of Free Will8Chapter 8 [IV.]—The Pelagians Demolish Free Will.9Another Calumny of Julian,—That 'It is Said that Marriage is Not Appointed by God.'10The Third Calumny,—The Assertion that Conjugal Intercourse is Condemned11The Purpose of the Pelagians in Praising the Innocence of Conjugal Intercourse12The Fourth Calumny,—That the Saints of the Old Testament are Said to Be Not Free from Sins13The Fifth Calumny,—That It is Said that Paul and the Rest of the Apostles Were Polluted by Lust14That the Apostle is Speaking in His Own Person and that of Others Who Are Under Grace, Not Still Under Law15He Sins in Will Who is Only Deterred from Sinning by Fear16How Sin Died, and How It Revived17'The Law is Spiritual, But I Am Carnal,' To Be Understood of Paul18How the Apostle Said that He Did the Evil that He Would Not19What It is to Accomplish What is Good20In Me, that Is, in My Flesh21No Condemnation in Christ Jesus22Why the Passage Referred to Must Be Understood of a Man Established Under Grace23What It is to Be Delivered from the Body of This Death24He Concludes that the Apostle Spoke in His Own Person, and that of Those Who are Under Grace25The Sixth Calumny,—That Augustin Asserts that Even Christ Was Not Free from Sins26The Seventh Calumny,—That Augustin Asserts that in Baptism All Sins are Not Remitted27In What Sense Lust is Called Sin in the Regenerate28Chapter 28 [XIV.]—Many Without Crime, None Without Sin.29Julian Opposes the Faith of His Friends to the Opinions of Catholic Believers. First of All, of Free Will30Secondly, of Marriage31Thirdly, of Conjugal Intercourse32The Aprons Which Adam and Eve Wore33The Shame of Nakedness34Whether There Could Be Sensual Appetite in Paradise Before the Fall35Desire in Paradise Was Either None at All, or It Was Obedient to the Impulse of the Will36Julian’s Fourth Objection, that Man is God’s Work, and is Not Constrained to Evil or Good by His Power37The Beginning of a Good Will is the Gift of Grace38The Power of God’s Grace is Proved39Julian’s Fifth Objection Concerning the Saints of the Old Testament40The Sixth Objection, Concerning the Necessity of Grace for All, and Concerning the Baptism of Infants41The Seventh Objection, of the Effect of Baptism42He Rebuts the Conclusion of Julian’s Letter2Book II1Introduction; The Pelagians Impeach Catholics as Manicheans2The Heresies of the Manicheans and Pelagians are Mutually Opposed, and are Alike Reprobated by the Catholic Church3How Far the Manicheans and Pelagians are Joined in Error; How Far They are Separated4The Two Contrary Errors5The Calumny of the Pelagians Against the Clergy of the Roman Church6What Was Done in the Case of Cœlestius and Zosimus7He Suggests a Dilemma to Cœlestius8The Catholic Faith Concerning Infants9He Replies to the Calumnies of the Pelagians10Why the Pelagians Falsely Accuse Catholics of Maintaining Fate Under the Name of Grace11The Accusation of Fate is Thrown Back Upon the Adversaries12What is Meant Under the Name of Fate13He Repels the Calumny Concerning the Acceptance of Persons14He Illustrates His Argument by an Example15The Apostle Meets the Question by Leaving It Unsolved16The Pelagians are Refuted by the Case of the Twin Infants Dying, the One After, and the Other Without, the Grace of Baptism17Even the Desire of an Imperfect Good is a Gift of Grace, Otherwise Grace Would Be Given According to Merits18The Desire of Good is God’s Gift19He Interprets the Scriptures Which the Pelagians Make Ill Use of20God’s Agency is Needful Even in Man’s Doings21Man Does No Good Thing Which God Does Not Cause Him to Do22According to Whose Purpose the Elect are Called23Nothing is Commanded to Man Which is Not Given by God3Book III1Statement2The Misrepresentation of the Pelagians Concerning the Use of the Old Law3Scriptural Confirmation of the Catholic Doctrine4Misrepresentation Concerning the Effect of Baptism5Baptism Puts Away All Sins, But It Does Not at Once Heal All Infirmities6The Calumny Concerning the Old Testament and the Righteous Men of Old7The New Testament is More Ancient Than the Old; But It Was Subsequently Revealed8All Righteous Men Before and After Abraham are Children of the Promise and of Grace9Who are the Children of the Old Covenant10The Old Law Also Given by God11Distinction Between the Children of the Old and of the New Testaments12The Old Testament is Properly One Thing—The Old Instrument Another13Why One of the Covenants is Called Old, the Other New14Calumny Concerning the Righteousness of the Prophets and Apostles15The Perfection of Apostles and Prophets16Misrepresentation Concerning Sin in Christ17Their Calumny About the Fulfilment of Precepts in the Life to Come18Perfection of Righteousness and Full Security Was Not Even in Paul in This Life19In What Sense the Righteousness of Man in This Life is Said to Be Perfect20Why the Righteousness Which is of the Law is Valued Slightly by Paul21That Righteousness is Never Perfected in This Life22Nature of Human Righteousness and Perfection23There is No True Righteousness Without the Faith of the Grace of Christ24There are Three Principal Heads in the Pelagian Heresy25He Shows that the Opinion of the Catholics is the Mean Between that of the Manicheans and Pelagians, and Refutes Both26The Pelagians Still Strive After a Hiding-Place, by Introducing the Needless Question of the Origin of the Soul4Book IV1The Subterfuges of the Pelagians are Five2Chapter 2 [II.]—The Praise of the Creature.3The Catholics Praise Nature, Marriage, Law, Free Will, and the Saints, in Such Wise as to Condemn as Well Pelagians as Manicheans4Pelagians and Manicheans on the Praise of the Creature5What is the Special Advantage in the Pelagian Opinions?6Not Death Alone, But Sin Also Has Passed into Us by Means of Adam7What is the Meaning of ‘In Whom All Have Sinned’?8Death Passed Upon All by Sin9Of the Praise of Marriage10Of the Praise of the Law11The Pelagians Understand that the Law Itself is God’s Grace12Of the Praise of Free Will13God’s Purposes are Effects of Grace14The Testimonies of Scripture in Favour of Grace15From Such Scriptures Grace is Proved to Be Gratuitous and Effectual16Why God Makes of Some Sheep, Others Not17Of the Praise of the Saints18The Opinion of the Saints Themselves About Themselves19The Craft of the Pelagians20The Testimonies of the Ancients Against the Pelagians21Pelagius, in Imitation of Cyprian, Wrote a Book of Testimonies22Further References to Cyprian23Further References to Cyprian24The Dilemma Proposed to the Pelagians25Cyprian’s Testimonies Concerning God’s Grace26Further Appeals to Cyprian’s Teaching27Cyprian’s Testimonies Concerning the Imperfection of Our Own Righteousness28Cyprian’s Orthodoxy Undoubted29The Testimonies of Ambrose Against the Pelagians and First of All Concerning Original Sin30The Testimonies of Ambrose Concerning God’s Grace31The Testimonies of Ambrose on the Imperfection of Present Righteousness32The Pelagian’s Heresy Arose Long After Ambrose33Opposition of the Manichean and Catholic Dogmas34The Calling Together of a Synod Not Always Necessary to the Condemnation of Heresies