The Pelagian Controversy

Liberty University

The Pelagian Controversy

A research paper submitted to Dr. Carl Diemer, ThD.
In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the course CHHI 520

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary

By
Brian Harvey

Lynchburg, Virginia
Thursday, November 17, 2011

Table of Contents
Introduction1
Historical Background of the Controversy1
Injustice Exposed6
Influence of Position7
False Accusations9
Rational Choice11
Pelagian Support12
John of Jerusalem12
Julian of Eclanum 13
Conclusion14
Bibliography15

Introduction Scarcely can one in the religious academic realm go long without hearing the name Pelagius and it is usually not in a good context. The Pelagian Controversy of the…show more content…
As a result all of the bishops were deposed and excommunicated. B. R. Rees had this to say about Julian of Eclanum, “Had it not been for his enthusiasm in the cause of Pelagius and Caelestius he ‘might have ended his days as an honoured figure in the Church.” Julian took to the pen and came on the attack of the condemnation of Pelagius. First he defended his position to Count Valerius at the court of Ravenna. Subsequently, he wrote two letters to Bishop Zosimus in protest to his capitulation to the Roman secular power, followed by a request to appear before a general council, but it would be all for naught, as Bishop Zosimus condemned Julian. At this point Julian refocused his attention and took aim at bringing down Augustine. The ensuing ecclesiastical battle between the two would last for ten years and encompass a myriad of treatise, letters and books. In 428 Julian again attempted restoration with the Bishopric in Rome through the inquiries of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Nestorius. This was to no avail, and came with an imperial decree expelling them from the city. Julian continues his battle with Augustine and fought for the Pelagian cause till the end, which came in 431 at the Council of Ephesus. Julian retired to Italy where he was refused and rejected…show more content…
The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA, 2008.

King, Peter, ed. On the Free Choice of the Will, On Grace and Free Choice, and Other Writings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Lutzer, Erwin. The Doctrines That Divide: a Fresh Look at the Historic Doctrines That Separate Christians. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1998.

McGrath, Alister E. Justification by Faith. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988.

Meeks, Wayne A. and John T. Fitzgerald, eds. The Writings of St. Paul: Annotated Texts, Reception and Criticism. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007.

Paffenroth, Kim, and Robert Peter Kennedy, eds. A Reader's Companion to Augustine's Confessions. Louisville, KY.: WJK, 2003.

Rees, Brinley Roderick. Pelagius. Wolfeboro, New Hampshire: The Boydell Press, 1988.

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[ 1 ]. Susan Ashbrook Harvey and David Hunter, eds., The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies (Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA, 2008), 263.
[ 2 ]. Brinley Roderick Rees, Pelagius (Wolfeboro, New Hampshire: The Boydell Press, 1988),