Four anti-Pelagian writings

362 Pages·2013·5.33 MB·English

by  Saint Augustine of Hippo

THE FATHERS
OF THE CHURCH
A NEW TRANSLATION
VOLUME 86
THE FATHERS
OF THE CHURCH
A NEW TRANSLATION
EDITORIAL BOARD
Thomas P. Halton
The Catholic University of America
Editorial Director
M. Josephine Brennan, I.H.M. Kathleen McVey
Marywood College Princeton Theological Seminary
Elizabeth Clark Robert D. Sider
Duke University Dickinson College
Robert B. Eno, S.S. Michael Slusser
The Catholic University of America Duquesne University
Frank A. C. Mantello David J. McGonagle
The Catholic University of America Director
The Catholic University of
America Press
FORMER EDITORIAL DIRECTORS
Ludwig Schopp, Roy J. Deferrari, Bernard M. Peebles
Hermigild Dressler, O.F.M.
Cynthia Kahn, Steven R. Cain
Staff Editors
SAINT
AUGUSTINE
FOUR ANTI. .. PELAGIAN
WRITINGS:
ON NATURE AND GRACE
ON THE PROCEEDINGS OF PELAGIUS
ON THE PREDESTINATION OF THE SAINTS
ON THE GIFT OF PERSEVERANCE
Translated by
JOHN A. MOURANT
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
and
WILLIAM J. COLLINGE
Mount Saint Mary's College
Emmitsburg, Maryland
With Introductions and Notes by
WILLIAM J. COLLINGE
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS
Washington, D.C.
Copyright © 1992
The Catholic University of America Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First short-run reprint 200I
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum re
quirements of American National Standards for Information
Science-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library materials,
ANSI Z39.48-1984.
@
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo.
[Selections. English, 1992]
Four anti-Pelagian writings / Saint Augustine; translated
by John A. Mourant and William J. Collinge ; with intro
ductions and notes by William J. Collinge.
p. cm.-(The Fathers of the church; v. 86)
Translations from Latin.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
Contents: On nature and grace-On the proceedings of
Pelagius-On the predestination of the saints-On the gift
of perseverance.
1. Pelagianism-Controversialliterature-Early works to
1800. I. Mourant, John A. (John Arthur), 1903- . II. Col
linge, William J., 1947- . III. Title. IV. Series.
BR65·A52E6 1992
273'·5-dc2o
91-2972
ISBN 0-8132-0086-5
ISBN 0-8132-1306-1 (pbk)
PREFACE
This volume brings together writings from early and late
stages of Augustine's involvement in the Pelagian controversy.
The first two books included here date from 415-16 and con
stitute two of Augustine's most extensive treatments of the ac
tual words of Pelagius. In On Nature and Grace (De natura et gra
tia), Augustine rebuts the work of Pelagius, De natura, which he
says first convinced him of the dangers of Pelagius' teaching.
In On the Proceedings of Pelagius (De gestis Pelagii), he examines
Pelagius' testimony at the Synod of Diospolis in Palestine in
415, in order to minimize, and even turn against Pelagius, the
synod's verdict that Pelagius was orthodox. In On the Predestina
tion of the Saints (De praedestinatione sanctorum) and On the Gift of
Perseverance (De dono perseverantiae), probably written in 428,
near the end of Augustine's life, Augustine's opponents are, he
admits, not really Pelagians at all. Labeled "Semi-Pelagians" in
the sixteenth century, they were monks of Provence, led by
John Cassian, who were disturbed by the more extreme conse
quences of the theology of grace and predestination that Au
gustine had worked out in his controversy with the Pelagians.
Since Augustine's reply to these opponents continues and ex
tends the lines of thought of those of his writings that were
directed against Pelagius and his associates, we have seen fit to
title this volume, Four Anti-Pelagian Writings.
These writings, taken together, afford an occasion to exam
ine both the continuity in Augustine's theology of grace and
the developments in it which have been pointed out in recent
scholarship and to which we make reference in the introduc
tions to the works in this volume. They also afford insight into
the fifth-century status of many theological questions which are
still alive today, such as the extent of the damage done to hu-
vii
PREFACE
Vlll
man nature by sin, the theology of original sin, the effects of
baptism, and the true meaning and scope of God's salvific will.
Our translation is deliberately quite literal. This has the un
fortunate effect of introducing non-inclusive language into the
English which is not present in the Latin, that is, the use of
"man" for homo (indeterminate in Latin as to the gender of its
referent) and the use of the masculine pronoun for indetermi
nate third singular pronominal reference, normally accom
plished by verb endings in Latin. The periphrasis commonly
used in English nowadays to avoid non-inclusive language,
such as pluralization of singular expressions, the use of "he or
she," and the use of "human person" for "man," would, we felt,
be excessively unfaithful to the wording of the Latin text and
lend itself to misinterpretation. But our choice is not an entirely
happy solution to the problem, we realize.
In quoting the Bible, we have sought to be faithful to the text
as Augustine quotes it. We have based our quotations on the
Douai translation of the Latin Vulgate, adapting for deviations
from the Vulgate in Augustine'S quotations (he usually quotes
from an Old Latin version) and at times updating the language
of the translation. The edition used is The Holy Bible (Baltimore:
John Murphy, 1914).
A word is in order about the nature of the collaboration be
tween the translators of this volume. John Mourant produced
the first draft of all the translations in this volume (except those
ofL etter 225 and Letter 226, which are adapted from the transla
tion of Sister Wilfrid Parsons in Volume 32 of the FOTC). Wil
liam Collinge thoroughly revised the translations, wrote this
preface, the introductions, and all notes except for references
to Augustine'S sources, and compiled the bibliography and in
dices.
We would like to extend special thanks to Professor Thomas
F. Magner, emeritus of the Pennsylvania State University, who
first arranged for this collaboration and has assisted us
throughout the project. We would also like to thank Dr. Robert
J. Wickenheiser, President of Mount Saint Mary's College, for
President's Pride summer grants to William Collinge in 1987
and 1990 for work on this volume; Professor Robert D. Sider
PREFACE
IX
of Dickinson College, for assistance with the revision of the
translations; Professor J. Patout Burns of Washington Univer
sity, for advice on the introductions; Professor William E.
O'Toole of Mount Saint Mary's College, for assistance with the
preparation of the final manuscript; and the staff of the Phil
lips Library at Mount Saint Mary's College, especially Lisa
Davis, for help in locating and $upplying often recondite re
search sources.

ABBREVIATIONS
Classical and Patristic Works
Ad Simpl. Augustine, Ad Simplicianum de diversis quaes
tionibus
Apol. Orosius, Liber apologeticus
C. colI. Prosper, Contra collatorem (Against Cassian)
C. duas epp. Pel. Augustine, Contra duas epistolas Pelagianorum
C. luI. Augustine, Contra lulianum
C. luI. op. impf. Augustine, Contra secundum luliani responsio
nem opus imperfectum
Coli. Cassian; Collationes (Conferences)
Conf. Augustine, Confessiones
Comm. in Ezech. Jerome, Commentarii in Hiezechielem
De bapt. parv. Augustine, De baptismo parvulorum
De corr. et gr. Augustine, De correptione et gratia
Dedom. or. Cyprian, De dominica oratione
De dono pers. Augustine, De dono perseverantiae
De Gen. ad litt. Augustine, De Genesi ad litteram
De gest. Pel. Augustine, De gestis Pelagii
De grato Chr. Augustine, De gratia Christi
De grato et lib. arb. Augustine, De gratia et libero arbitrio
De haer. Augustine, De haeresibus
De lib. arb. Augustine, De libero arbitrio
De mor. ecc!. Augustine, De moribus ecclesiae catholicae
De nat. etgr. Augustine, De natura et gratia
De ord. Augustine, De ordine
De pecc. mer. Augustine, De peccatorum meritis et remissione
De pecc. or. Augustine, De peccato originali
De perf. iust. hom. Augustine, De perfectione iustitiae hominis
De praed. sanet. Augustine, De praedestinatione sanctorum
De prine. Origen, De principiis
xi