Heresy Condemnation · 418
Pelagius condemned at Carthage
354–420
Pelagius urged Christians to take moral responsibility seriously. His opponents worried that his teaching made God's grace seem optional: as though people could begin the journey to God by their own effort alone. African bishops, influenced by Augustine, disagreed. They said grace is needed not only to do good but even to begin wanting God rightly. The question was simple and lasting: does salvation begin with our effort, or with God's mercy?
How it happened
What happened
African bishops condemned Pelagian teaching in the wake of Augustine's long anti-Pelagian campaign.
The argument
Can human beings begin choosing God without grace, or is grace needed even for the first movement of faith?
What changed
The council made anti-Pelagian grace doctrine a formal Western boundary.
Why it matters
It shaped later debates about sin, freedom, baptism, merit, and salvation.
Book of the day
Enchiridion
Augustine of HippoA reading pick tied to today's figure, quote, era, or event. A compact Augustinian map of faith, hope, love, grace, and salvation after the Pelagian fight.
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