pope gregory the great

The Church Fathers, pt (vi).  From ‘The Story of Christian Theology’, Olsen, (IVP).

Roman Catholicism consider him to be one of the 4 great doctors of the church (with Ambrose, Jerome, and Augustine).  In a time of weak Empire, Gregory provided authority; he contributed great missionary effort to Britain and others.  He was significant not for his originality but for his influence.  

He created a hybrid of Augustine and Cassian – he read Augustine through Cassian.  In emphasising God’s sovereignty and man’s sin, he sounded Augustinian; in emphasising Christian discipleship and responsibility, he sounded Pelagian.  This created a balance of warning and comfort:

Even the predestination itself to the eternal kingdom is so arranged by the omnipotent God that the elect attain it from their own effort.

He also said that preaching involved two tasks: comforting the afflicted, and afflicting the comfortable.  

Essentially he was a synergist: he believed that Christ didn’t fulfill everything, and so penitential acts of self-sacrifice were needed.  This undermined assurance, or security, about salvation.  Luther was taught Gregory’s version of Augustinianism and was plagued by guilt.

augustine v. pelagius

The Church Fathers, pt (v).  From ‘The Story of Christian Theology’, Olsen (IVP).  

What role do humans play in their own salvation?

 

Augustine: none.  Grace is all sufficient; God chooses and imparts grace and faith.  (Monergism)

Pelagius: humans contribute – even to the point that grace is unnecessary to assist (works righteousness; close to synergism – popular in East – but not quite the same).  

Pelagius was condemned in 418 and this was confirmed by the Council of Ephesus in 431, but not in favour of Augustine; a middle ground was sought.  This gave birth to semi-pelagianism, led by John Cassian and his monks.  Cassian & co considered the differences to create a viable alternative to monergism and Pelagianism.  It became widely accepted by medieval Roman Catholicism, though on paper the church denied it (be careful here, however, of accusing Roman Catholicism of works righteousness – there is a careful nuanced difference). 

Semi-Pelagianism: one can only be saved by grace, but it can begin by a step toward God in the heart; ie.

Take one step towards God and he’ll come the rest of the way toward you.

This was condemned in 529 for being too close to Pelagianism.  There is uncertainty as to whether Cassian believed this himself.

augustine

The Church Fathers, pt (iv).  From ‘The Story of Christian Theology’, Olsen, IVP.  

Prolific writer, influential theologian, great beard.

Prayed for by Monica, learned in rhetoric and neo-platonism, converted under Ambrose, became Bishop of Hippo.

3 major debates:

(i) apologetics against Manichaeism, regarding the nature of good and evil

(ii) tackling Donatism, regarding the church and the sacraments

(iii) tackling Pelagius, regarding original sin, free will, and grace.