Who was Pelagius?

Pelagius on Free Will

In this course Dr Ali Bonner (University of Cambridge) looks at the life and works of Pelagius, with special reference to his views on free will. In the first module we introduce Pelagius by examining who he was and what we know about him, and look at the ways in which ideas concerning the attribution of Pelagius’ works, message, and his condemnation, have issued scholarly debate over the years. We then assess Pelagius in relation to the idea of original sin, by moving from the wider historical context to Pelagius’ account of human nature and sin. In the third module we look at Pelagius’ ideas on free will in relation to the image of God, before moving on to discuss free will in relation to God’s law. In the fifth module we explore Pelagius’ views on grace, salvation and the relationship between the two, with particular focus on both his model of cooperation between human initiative and God’s grace, and the eschatological significance of salvation. Finally we revise the historiography concerning the accusation of heresy put onto Pelagius, and discuss modern re-use of an old myth.

Who was Pelagius?

In this module, we look at who Pelagius was and what we know about him, focusing in particular on (i) Pelagius’ early life and education in Rome, and his career as a lay advisor in Christianity (ii) Pelagius departure from Rome to Palestine, and his condemnation as a heretic (iii) the controversy around Pelagius’ condemnation (iv) the difficulties concerning the attributions of Pelagius’ works, and the modern consensus on the attribution of Pelagius writings and letters (iv) the historical context behind exegesis and interest in the Pauline Epistles (v) the historical context behind the translation of eastern ascetic theology into Latin (vi) how a false narrative of heresy has been perpetuated about Pelagius, in contrast to the ideas found in his own attributed works.