Council of Carthage (418)
council · 418 · Carthage
Over two hundred African bishops, Augustine's theology in their canons, condemned the teaching of Pelagius and Caelestius: that Adam's fall touched only Adam, that grace merely eases what nature could do alone. Rome wavered, then concurred; the African insistence — grace before merit — became the church's baseline.
Did Adam's fall touch anyone but Adam, and can a man keep the commandments without grace? Pelagius and Caelestius on trial.
Pelagius condemned: no salvation by unaided effort.
People
- Augustine of Hippo participant
- Pelagius condemned
- Saint Aurelius presided
- Caelestius condemned
Documents
What it decided
- Grace is necessary for every good act The grace of God is necessary not only for knowing what is right but for doing it.
- Original sin Adam’s sin passed to all his descendants, so that infants are baptized for the remission of sin and not only in imitation of him.
- The will suffices without grace A man may keep the commandments of God by the strength of his own will, grace making obedience easier rather than possible.
In the disputes
- The Pelagian controversy How much a man can do unaided.