Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: First Series, Volume V St. Augustine: Anti-Pelagian Writings

Book excerpt: "The Council of Nicaea in 325 AD marked the beginning of a new era in Christianity. For the first time, doctrines were organized into a single creed. The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers did most of their writing during and after this important event in Church history. Unlike the previous era of Christian writing, the Nicene and Post-Nicene era is dominated by a few very important and prolific writers. In Volume V of the 14-volume collected writings of the Nicenes and Post-Nicenes (first published between 1886 and 1889), readers will discover Saint Augustines rebuke of Pelagianism. This doctrine undermined Augustines beliefs because it claimed that original sin did not exist. Since there was no original sin, humans were saved or lost based solely on their own will. This further meant that Jesus, while a great teacher and model human being, did not die to save humanity, negating a large portion of Christian doctrine. Augustine believed that salvation was available only by the grace of God working in conjunction with mans decision to live a good life. Spiritual seekers and students of history will find this work a thorough defense of Catholic theology."