Chris Evans, Ph.D.

THEO 1300: Teachings of the Catholic Church

Pelagianism and the Council of Carthage 411 & 418

I. The Council of Carthage in 411 condemned four points of Pelagianism:
1. Adam was created mortal, so that he would have died whether he sinned or not. This is a
negation of original righteousness.
2. Adam’s sin did not affect the rest of humanity. This negates original sin.
3. Infants are born in the same condition as Adam before his sin.
4. Christ’s death did not save all of humanity, so Adam’s sin did not affect all of humanity.

II. The reason that Pelagian theologians taught these four principles is threefold:
1. Rejection of supernatural infused grace—they taught that grace was external consisting of
laws and Christ’s example as found in the external revelation of Scripture.
2. The absolute sovereignty of human free will;
3. The theory of impeccability (human can attain a state of perfection in this life).

 In sense, then, the Pelagian system starts with human freedom, and restricts God to His
eternity; that is, God created humans with the posse (power) and it is up to them to
velle (will) and esse (to be) the good. And, to make it facilius (easier) for them, God
gave them the Law and Christ’s example to follow.

III. The Canons of the Council of Carthage in 418.

1. Adam was born in original righteousness (posse non peccare)
2. Adam’s sin affected all of humanity
3. Unbaptized infants do not inherent the kingdom of God (the authenticity of this last
canon is highly disputed).

 The basic teaching of these canons, and for Augustine, was the humans inherited the
guilt and punishment of Adam’s sin (doctrine of original sin). For Augustine, based
on Genesis 1:26, the likeness of God is totally removed, but the image remains
although it is rubbed down some. The result of such a condition is concupiscence
(which remains even after baptism), ignorance, and a crooked/bent will (i.e., a will
inclined toward sin). In the Confessions, Augustine discusses the human conditions in
terms of an ulcerous soul, whose sours are oozing and itching; and to relieve the itch
the soul rubs itself on the pleasures of the world (3.1.1). In such a condition, although
the soul can perform natural virtues through a common grace given to all, it is still
totally unable to merit salvation on its own.

4. The second set of canons (4-6) deal with God’s grace.

 In the Pelagian system of external grace, the human will is like a scale whose two
plates are equally balanced so that the soul can choose equally between the good and
the bad. A supernatural and infused grace is therefore unnecessary is such a theology.
This Council, as well as Augustine, does acknowledge the laws and Christ’s
examples as external grace to make it easier for us to do the good; but it also affirms
an infused or internal grace that is absolutely necessary for virtue or for coming to the
truth.