Blessed Augustine of Hippo

A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians

Name: A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians
Author: Blessed Augustine of Hippo

5th c.

Classic translation Public domain

Polemics & Heresiology · English translation, 1890

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Title Page
Extract From Augustin’s Retractations
Book I
Introduction
Introduction: Address to Boniface
Why Heretical Writings Must Be Answered
Why He Addresses His Book to Boniface
The Calumny of Julian,—That the Catholics Teach That Free Will is Taken Away by…
Free Choice Did Not Perish With Adam ’S Sin. What Freedom Did Perish
Grace is Not Given According to Merits
He Concludes That He Does Not Deprive the Wicked of Free Will
The Pelagians Demolish Free Will
Another Calumny of Julian,—That 'It is Said That Marriage is Not Appointed by…
The Third Calumny,—The Assertion That Conjugal Intercourse is Condemned
The Purpose of the Pelagians in Praising the Innocence of Conjugal Intercourse
The Fourth Calumny,—That the Saints of the Old Testament Are Said to Be Not…
The Fifth Calumny,—That It is Said That Paul and the Rest of the Apostles Were…
That the Apostle is Speaking in His Own Person and That of Others Who Are Under…
He Sins in Will Who is Only Deterred From Sinning by Fear
How Sin Died, and How It Revived
'The Law is Spiritual, But I Am Carnal,' To Be Understood of Paul
How the Apostle Said That He Did the Evil That He Would Not
What It is to Accomplish What is Good
In Me, That Is, in My Flesh
No Condemnation in Christ Jesus
Why the Passage Referred to Must Be Understood of a Man Established Under Grace
What It is to Be Delivered From the Body of This Death
He Concludes That the Apostle Spoke in His Own Person, and That of Those Who…
The Sixth Calumny,—That Augustin Asserts That Even Christ Was Not Free From Sins
The Seventh Calumny,—That Augustin Asserts That in Baptism All Sins Are Not…
In What Sense Lust is Called Sin in the Regenerate
Many Without Crime, None Without Sin
Julian Opposes the Faith of His Friends to the Opinions of Catholic Believers…
Secondly, of Marriage
Thirdly, of Conjugal Intercourse
The Aprons Which Adam and Eve Wore
The Shame of Nakedness
Whether There Could Be Sensual Appetite in Paradise Before the Fall
Desire in Paradise Was Either None at All, or It Was Obedient to the Impulse of…
Julian’s Fourth Objection, That Man is God’s Work, and is Not Constrained to…
The Beginning of a Good Will is the Gift of Grace
The Power of God’s Grace is Proved
Julian’s Fifth Objection Concerning the Saints of the Old Testament
The Sixth Objection, Concerning the Necessity of Grace for All, and Concerning…
The Seventh Objection, of the Effect of Baptism
He Rebuts the Conclusion of Julian’s Letter
Book II
Introduction (i)
Introduction; The Pelagians Impeach Catholics as Manicheans
The Heresies of the Manicheans and Pelagians Are Mutually Opposed, and Are…
How Far the Manicheans and Pelagians Are Joined in Error; How Far They Are…
The Two Contrary Errors
The Calumny of the Pelagians Against the Clergy of the Roman Church
What Was Done in the Case of Cœlestius and Zosimus
He Suggests a Dilemma to Cœlestius
The Catholic Faith Concerning Infants
He Replies to the Calumnies of the Pelagians
Why the Pelagians Falsely Accuse Catholics of Maintaining Fate Under the Name…
The Accusation of Fate is Thrown Back Upon the Adversaries
What is Meant Under the Name of Fate
He Repels the Calumny Concerning the Acceptance of Persons
He Illustrates His Argument by an Example
The Apostle Meets the Question by Leaving It Unsolved
The Pelagians Are Refuted by the Case of the Twin Infants Dying, the One After…
Even the Desire of an Imperfect Good is a Gift of Grace, Otherwise Grace Would…
The Desire of Good is God’s Gift
He Interprets the Scriptures Which the Pelagians Make Ill Use Of
God’s Agency is Needful Even in Man’s Doings
Man Does No Good Thing Which God Does Not Cause Him to Do
According to Whose Purpose the Elect Are Called
Nothing is Commanded to Man Which is Not Given by God
Book III.
Introduction (i, 2)
Statement
The Misrepresentation of the Pelagians Concerning the Use of the Old Law
Scriptural Confirmation of the Catholic Doctrine
Misrepresentation Concerning the Effect of Baptism
Baptism Puts Away All Sins, But It Does Not at Once Heal All Infirmities
The Calumny Concerning the Old Testament and the Righteous Men of Old
The New Testament is More Ancient Than the Old; But It Was Subsequently Revealed
All Righteous Men Before and After Abraham Are Children of the Promise and of…
Who Are the Children of the Old Covenant
The Old Law Also Given by God
Distinction Between the Children of the Old and of the New Testaments
The Old Testament is Properly One Thing—The Old Instrument Another
Why One of the Covenants is Called Old, the Other New
Calumny Concerning the Righteousness of the Prophets and Apostles
The Perfection of Apostles and Prophets
Misrepresentation Concerning Sin in Christ
Their Calumny About the Fulfilment of Precepts in the Life to Come
Perfection of Righteousness and Full Security Was Not Even in Paul in This Life
In What Sense the Righteousness of Man in This Life is Said to Be Perfect
Why the Righteousness Which is of the Law is Valued Slightly by Paul
That Righteousness is Never Perfected in This Life
Nature of Human Righteousness and Perfection
There is No True Righteousness Without the Faith of the Grace of Christ
There Are Three Principal Heads in the Pelagian Heresy
He Shows That the Opinion of the Catholics is the Mean Between That of the…
The Pelagians Still Strive After a Hiding-Place, by Introducing the Needless…
Book IV
Introduction (i, 3)
The Subterfuges of the Pelagians Are Five
The Praise of the Creature
The Catholics Praise Nature, Marriage, Law, Free Will, and the Saints, in Such…
Pelagians and Manicheans on the Praise of the Creature
What is the Special Advantage in the Pelagian Opinions?
Not Death Alone, But Sin Also Has Passed Into Us by Means of Adam
What is the Meaning of ‘In Whom All Have Sinned’?
Death Passed Upon All by Sin
Of the Praise of Marriage
Of the Praise of the Law
The Pelagians Understand That the Law Itself is God’s Grace
Of the Praise of Free Will
God’s Purposes Are Effects of Grace
The Testimonies of Scripture in Favour of Grace
From Such Scriptures Grace is Proved to Be Gratuitous and Effectual
Why God Makes of Some Sheep, Others Not
Of the Praise of the Saints
The Opinion of the Saints Themselves About Themselves
The Craft of the Pelagians
The Testimonies of the Ancients Against the Pelagians
Pelagius, in Imitation of Cyprian, Wrote a Book of Testimonies
Further References to Cyprian
Further References to Cyprian (xxiv)
The Dilemma Proposed to the Pelagians
Cyprian’s Testimonies Concerning God’s Grace
Further Appeals to Cyprian’s Teaching
Cyprian’s Testimonies Concerning the Imperfection of Our Own Righteousness
Cyprian’s Orthodoxy Undoubted
The Testimonies of Ambrose Against the Pelagians and First of All Concerning…
The Testimonies of Ambrose Concerning God’s Grace
The Testimonies of Ambrose on the Imperfection of Present Righteousness
The Pelagian’s Heresy Arose Long After Ambrose
Opposition of the Manichean and Catholic Dogmas
The Calling Together of a Synod Not Always Necessary to the Condemnation of…

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