Council · Today in 529
Second Council of Orange
Orange settled a Western argument about grace after Augustine. The council rejected the idea that the first movement toward faith begins from unaided human initiative and only later receives divine help. It affirmed that grace comes first, even in the desire to believe, while avoiding some harsher later accounts of predestination. Its importance is pastoral as much as technical: salvation begins with mercy, not self-improvement.
Faith itself begins as gift.
Highlights
- Semi-Pelagianism was rejected.
- Grace was placed before human initiative.
- Augustine's influence was preserved.
- Harsh predestinarian conclusions were not required.
How it happened
What happened
A regional council in Gaul addressed the legacy of Augustine's arguments about grace and free will.
The argument
Does the first step toward faith arise from unaided human initiative, or from prevenient grace?
What changed
Orange affirmed that grace comes first, including the desire to believe.
Why it matters
It gave the West a durable anti-Pelagian account of grace without making all later Augustinian conclusions mandatory.
People in the story
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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