Theological Term of the Week: Pelagius

Pelagius
A British monk who came to Rome in about 383. “His ardent zeal for holy living was wedded to a rather unorthodox theology.”1  He was active from 383 until 417.

• From 2000 Years of Christ’s Power by N. H. Needham, page 251: 

Although [Pelagius’s] doctrine of God was Catholic enough (he believed in the Nicene doctrine of the Trinity), his beliefs about human nature sparked off a storm of controversy which ended with his condemnation for heresy. Pelagius held that all human beings were born into the world as sinless as Adam was before he fell; the apostasy of Adam had not corrupted humanity’s nature, but had merely set a fatally bad example, which most of Adam’s sons and daughters had freely followed. However, there were some people (according to Pelagius) who had managed to remain sinless throughout their lives by a proper use of their free-will, e.g. some Old Testament saints like Daniel. In fact, anyone could become sinlessly perfect if only he tried hard enough. 

Learn more:

1. Got Questions: Who was Pelagius?
2. 5 Minutes in Church History: Who Was Pelagious?
3. Crossway: 10 Things You Should Know about Pelagius and Pelagianism
4. Challies.com: The False Teachers: Pelagius

Related terms:

• Ambrose of Milan
• Athanasius
• Augustine of Hippo
• Basil of Caesarea
• Cappadocian fathers
• Gregory of Nanzianzus
• Gregory of Nyssa
• Hilary of Poitiers
• Irenaeus of Lyons
• Jerome
• John Chrysostom
• Justin Martyr
• Monica
• Origen
• Sabellius
• Tertullian

Filed under Christian History

1From 2000 Years of Christ’s Power by N. R. Needham.

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Sunday Hymn: Rejoice the Lord is King

Rejoice, the Lord is King:
Your Lord and King adore;
Rejoice, give thanks and sing,
And triumph evermore:

Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

Jesus, the Saviour reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When he had purged our stains
He took his seat above:

His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules o’er earth and heav’n;
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus giv’n:

He sits at God’s right hand
Till all his foes submit,
And bow to his command
And fall beneath his feet:

—Charles Wesley

Other hymns of worship songs for this Sunday:

• Victory for Me at The Happy Wonderer 

Theological Term of the Week: Augustine of Hippo

Augustine of Hippo
Bishop of Hippo, and “the Christian thinker who has had by far the greatest influence on the beliefs, practices, and spirituality of Western Christianity.”1  He lived from 354 until 430.

• From 2000 Years of Christ’s Power by N. H. Needham, page 251: 

Augustine’s 34 years as bishop of Hippo make him shine out as one of the brightest stars in the patristic galaxy. A preacher, a practical Church administrator, a theologian, a mystic, a man of learning, a leader of the monastic movement, a writer of many books, and a pastoral counsellor: among the early Church fathers there were few who surpassed Augustine in these roles, and none who combined them all so successfully. He had no equal at all in the way he mingled passionate religious feeling with sharp and deep doctrinal thinking. The emblem that tradition has assigned to Augustine sums up his personality: a heart on fire, pierced by two arrows in the shape of a cross. Profoundly gloomy and pessimistic about human nature and earthly life, Augustine burned with other-worldly love for Christ and the heavenly country His cross had purchased for His people. To read Augustine (especially his prayers) is to have heart and mind lit up by eternity and ushered into the presence of God; down through the centuries, no other father of the church has had so many spiritual pilgrims come and quench their soul-thirst from the well of his writings. 

As Bishop of Hippo, Augustine became involved in several religious controversies. The two most important were with Donatism and Pelagianism.

Learn more:

1. Got Questions: Who was Saint Augustine of Hippo in church history?
2. Christianity History: Augustine of Hippo
3. Southern Equip: Augustine’s testimony demonstrates the grace of emptiness
4. Christian Classics Ethereal Library: St. Augustine
5. Christian History Institute: Augustine’s Life and Times

Related terms:

• Ambrose of Milan
• Athanasius
• Basil of Caesarea
• Cappadocian fathers
• Gregory of Nanzianzus
• Gregory of Nyssa
• Hilary of Poitiers
• Irenaeus of Lyons
• Jerome
• John Chrysostom
• Justin Martyr
• Monica
• Origen
• Sabellius
• Tertullian

Filed under Christian History

1From 2000 Years of Christ’s Power by N. R. Needham.

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Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured as a Theological Term of the Week? Email your suggestion using the contact button in the navigation bar above. 

Clicking on the Theological Terms button will take you to an alphabetical list of all the theological terms.