Lecture 10: Justification and
Predestination
Dr. Ann T. Orlando
13 November 2008
Biblical Background
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Who hardened Pharaoh's Heart?
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Pharaoh: Ex 7:13-14, 7:22; 8:15, 8:19, 8:32, 9:7,
9:34-35
God: Ex 9:12, 10:1-2, 10:20, 10:27, 11:9-10, 14:8
Paul in Romans 9:17
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God and election
God hardened Pharaoh’s heart
St. John Chrysostom
(349-407)
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Born and studied in Antioch
Antiochene Scriptural interpretation
Becomes Patriarch of Constantinople 397
Writes many, many commentaries on
Scripture
Series of 32 homilies on Letter to Romans
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Supports Pharaoh hardened his own heart
Pelagian Controversy: Introduction
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The Key Players
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Key Elements
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Monk Pelagius, from England, d. 419 in Constantinople
His disciple, Julian of Eclanum, bishop in Sicily, d. 454
Opposing both, Augustine of Hippo, d. 430
Free will
Sin
Grace
Justification
Predestination
Key Biblical passages in disputed interpretation: Genesis and Romans
Both Pelagius and Augustine write a Commentary on Romans
Key passage: Who hardened Pharaoh’s heart; Romans 9:17-18
Note we live in a very Pelagian age: belief in human progress and confidence in our
abilities to fix problems. Primary American virtue: self-reliance
Pelagian Controversy: Issues
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Free will
– Pelagian: humanity has total free will; as long as we know
what is right we can do what is right;
– Augustine: yes we have free will, but our ability to know and
act is darkened by sin
– Augustine also often means by free will a will freed from the
inclination to sin
Sin
– Pelagians: Adam’s sin was his personal sin; sin is always a
willful personal act committed against God by someone who
should know better and be able to do better; within our own
power to avoid sin
– Adam’s sin was a ‘disease’ that entered into humanity; only
God’s grace can cure this disease; only with God’s grace
can we really know and do the right
Pelagian Controversy: Issues (cont.)
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Grace
– Pelagians: external enlightenment from God (e.g., Gospels) so we
can know the good; also reward for doing good
– Augustine: grace is needed to do good
Justification
– Pelagians: justified through our good works; it’s all up to us
– Augustine: only God’s freely given grace can justify
Predestination
– Pelagians: God does not predestine us
– Augustine: Because of original sin, all justly condemned (massa
damnata); by his graciousness, God elects a few for salvation;
Baptism a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for salvation
Battle with Julian of Eclanum
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The key test case in the Pelagian controversy became the fate
of unbaptized infants:
Would God really condemn a innocent baby who had no
personal sin to be damned?
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Julian of Eclanum pushed Augustine very hard on this point
Referring both to Augustine and Augustine’s concept of God, he
said “He is the persecutor of new born children.”
Pelagians believed that because infants and young children
could not sin, they did not need to be Baptized. Baptism
returned one to an innocent state, and gave the grace to lead a
sinless life.
Augustine’s Response
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Because all humans inherited Adam’s sin, we are all liable to
damnation
But God knew that we would sin, so He already planned to send
Mediator, Jesus Christ
“Now there are many more condemned by vengeance than are
released by mercy; and the reason for this is that it should in this way
be made plain what was the due of all mankind. For if the due
punishment were imposed on all, no one would have the right to
criticize the justice of God in that retribution; but the fact that so many
are released form it is the ground for heartfelt thanksgiving for the free
bounty of our Deliverer.” (City of God, Book XXI)
“Unless infants are baptized, they are manifestly in danger of
damnation” (On Forgiveness of Sins and Baptism III)
“Number of elect will replace number of fallen angels” (Enchiridion
XXIX)
Examples from Confessions
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Human race from the salty sea of sin (Book XIII)
Grasping, envious desire of infants (Book I)
Relief that his friend and Adeodatus die shortly after
baptism (Books IV, IX)
Without God’s grace, sinful will cannot be moved
from sin, even when it knows the truth (Books VIIVIII)
Jesus Christ is the necessary Mediator (Book VII)
City of God
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The story of the Fall and its implications
Man’s will now a slave to sin, and not really
free
Origin of sin is pride; pride led to
disobedience
All men justly condemned
Double predestination
CoG XIV, XXI.12
Legacy of Pelagian Controversy
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Catholic (Western) Church at Council of Orange, 529
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accepts Augustine’s views on free will, grace, sin,
justification;
accepts necessity of Baptism
accepts predestination of elect, but refuses to say anyone is
predestined to hell (i.e., rejects double predestination)
These issues are doctrinal flash point of
Reformation; all sides will claim Augustine for their
own
Aquinas
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Ia Q 23 Predestination
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Emphasis on God’s foreknowledge
Just as some evil is necessary for a greater good, so also
condemnation of some is necessary for God’s greater
providential plan Ia Q48
Ignorance of Gospel is no excuse, since this may also be
part of God’s plan Ia Q2 a 79
Ia IIae Q 109 Need for Grace, Q113 Justification and
Q114 Merit
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Context is more sacramental efficacy of penance
Background to Reformation:
Indulgences
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The economics of indulgences at odds with
the economy of salvation
What drives Luther to radical action is selling
indulgences to pay for the office of bishopric
of Mainz
The Church cannot offer a way to buy into
heaven
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Only God’s grace can do that
Erasmus of Rotterdam
(1469-1536)
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Augustinian canon
Humanist who encouraged return to Bible and early
Fathers of Church as a way to reform Church
Scripture as the philosophy of Christ
Optimistic about man’s ability to know and understand;
ancient maxim that if one knows what is right, one will do
it
Detailed textual work on Bible and Augustine
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Greek New Testament with commentary most important
biblical scholarship since Jerome
Most famous scholar of his time
How ‘Erasmus laid the egg that Luther
Hatched?’
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Scholasticism: humanist and reformers rejected
it
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Humanist because of style
Reformers because wrong about man’s ability to
know and act
Scripture: both humanists and reformers
believed Scripture key to reform in Church
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Humanists saw Scriptural authority as based on
antiquity and its simple eloquence
Reformers saw it as the literal word of God
Luther on Justification
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We cannot in any way save ourselves
Grace is God’s free gift to the sinner
Righteousness of God in Rom 1:16-17 means that
only God can make us righteous
Our response is faith; that is trust in the One who
saves us
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Faith is passive, God is active
The true Christian is both sinner and justified (by
God)
NB: Justification is the root of Lutheran theology.
Luther on Predestination
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God is in control of our fate
Without predestination, implies elements of
chance in God’s providence
True Christian would gladly go to hell if that is
God’s will
Luther-Erasmus
Debates on Free Will
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Recall that Erasmus was also a reformer
In some ways replay of Pelagian controversy
Erasmus writes a book, called On Free Will, like Augustine
wrote early in his career
In response Luther writes a book called On Bondage of Will,
makes points similar to Augustine against Pelagius on need for
grace, predestination
As in Pelagian controversy, how does one interpret Paul’s
Letter to Romans? In particular, “Who hardened Pharaoh’s
Heart” Rom 9:17-18; see also Exodus
– Do not forget context of Paul’s Letter to Romans
– This tension has been on-going in Christianity
Calvin and Free Will
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Institutes II.2 The destitute state of man after
sin
The destruction of the will
Augustine vs Chrysostom
Calvin and Predestination
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Institutes III.23
Complete agreement with Augustine on
predestination and reprobation (double
predestination)
Explicit defense of Augustine against late
Medieval and Renaissance theologians and
philosophers
Catholic Response:
Council of Trent
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Called by Pope Paul III
Lengthy, intermittent (1545-1563)
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Pope initially reluctant to call council because of bad
experiences with councils (especially Council of Constance)
in 15th C
Purpose was both to address reform of practice and to
uphold Catholic doctrine
Developed in several sessions
Jesuits play a major theological role at Trent;
encouraged explicit statement of Catholic doctrine in
opposition to Protestant views
First Session 1545-1547
Key Results
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Includes Bull of Convocation, Sessions 1-10;
Pope Paul III
Emphasis on Nicene Creed and Tradition
Definitive statement concerning books of NT
and OT; Latin Vulgate declared adequate for
doctrinal proofs
Number of sacraments fixed at 7
Justification: man cooperates with God’s
grace
Jansenism
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Cornelius Jansen (1585-1638), bishop of Ypres
Wanted to restore true place of honor in theology to Augustine
in the Catholic faith; Augustinus
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Major battle with Jesuits, Molina, championed free will and
works cooperating with grace
Jansenism became a potent political force in France after
Jansen’s death
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Focused on Pelagianism
Man completely corrupt after the Fall
Need for grace from Church and sacraments
Port Royal Convent
Blaise Pascal (1588-1651)
Jansenism condemned in 1653
Elaine Pagels (1943 - )
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Known for work on Gnostic texts found at Nag
Hammadi
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Interested in variety of early Christian exegeses of
Scripture
Adam Eve and the Serpent focuses on Genesis and
the story of the Fall
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The Gnostic Gospels (1979)
Contrast John Chrysostom and Augustine
Real message is our problems about sex and sin trace to
Augustine
Read Chapters V and VI
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Also note the dedication
Joint Lutheran-Catholic Statement on
Justification
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Move toward Catholic-Lutheran accord on
Justification
Recognizing importance of grace in justification
But also that works are sign of faith
Available at
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_council
s/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999
_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html
Issue is (and will always be) active
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Camus addressing Dominican abbey: “By what right
may a Christian accuse me of pessimism? It was not
I who invented human suffering, nor terrible formulas
of divine malediction. It was not I who loudly
proclaimed the damnation of unbaptized children.”
See CCC 404-406, 1037, 1257-1261
This debate will always circle back to how can the
good creator God allow (cause) sin and suffering
Recent Statement on
Unbaptized Infants
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Vatican Theological Commission released
statement on limbo and hope for unbaptized
infants (2007)
Note historical contexting of Augusitne
Available at
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregat
ions/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc
_20070419_un-baptised-infants_en.html
Assignments
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Paul, Letter to the Romans Ch 9
Augustine
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John Chrysostom, Homily XVI on Romans (Rom 9)
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Available at http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/210216.htm
Aquinas (optional)
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CoG XIV, XXI.12
Enchiridion, 24.96 – 25.99
Ia Q 23 Predestination
Ia IIae Q 109 Need for Grace, Q113 Justification and Q114 Merit
Calvin, Institutes II.3, III.23
Elaine Pagels, Adam, Eve and the Serpent Ch V and VI
Vatican Theological Commission Statement on Unbaptized Infants
(2007)
Joint Catholic-Lutheran Declaration on Justification (optional)