Pelagianism, Pelagianism

Until his more radical ideas saw daylight, even such pillars of the Church as Augustine referred to him as saintly. Pelagius taught that the human will, tempered in good deeds and rigorous asceticism, was sufficient to live a sinless life. He told his followers that right action on the part of human beings was necessary for salvation, as a condition of God's gracious forgiveness. To him, the grace of God did not make man free, since creation did that, but the grace of God was an influence upon man's will to help him to obey. Pelagius disbelieved in original sin, but said that Adam had condemned humankind through bad example, and that Christs good example offered humanity a path to salvation, through sacrifice and through instruction of the will. Jerome emerged as one of the chief critics of Pelagianism, because, according to him, sin was a part of human nature and we couldn't help but to sin.

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