February
412 A.D. Council of
Carthage, Celestius & Pelagianism
Editors. “Celestius.” Encyclopedia Britannica. N.d.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/101357/Celestius. Accessed 8 Dec 2014.
Celestius, (flourished 5th
century), one of the first and probably the most outstanding of the
disciples of the British theologian Pelagius.
Like
Pelagius, Celestius was practicing law in Rome when they met. In reaction to
contemporary immorality, they turned from temporal to religious pursuits, and
their reforming views found much support at Rome.
When
the Goths menaced Rome about 409, the two men went first to Sicily and then,
about 410, to North Africa, where Celestius remained after Pelagius left for
Palestine in 411. During a visit to Carthage, Paulinus, a deacon of Milan,
accused Celestius of denying the existence of original sin and the remission of
sins by baptism. Celestius was condemned at the Council of Carthage (412),
presided over by Bishop St. Aurelius, who excommunicated him. He left for
Ephesus (near modern Selçuk, Turkey).
Celestius’ propaganda and Pelagius’
writings succeeded in making many converts, and a reaction against them grew
with a powerful opposition that included St. Jerome, the great Latin biblical
scholar, and Bishop St. Augustine of Hippo. The condemnation of Celestius and
Pelagius was repeated at the Council of Diospolis (modern Lod, Israel) in 415
and at two African councils in 416. Although they were excommunicated in 417 by
Pope St. Innocent I, the succeeding pope, St. Zosimus,
was to prove sympathetic.
Celestius visited Zosimus, whom he
impressed and who, after receiving a profession of faith from Pelagius, accused
the African bishops in 417 of having acted precipitately. Violent outbreaks by
the Pelagians in Rome caused the Western Roman emperor Flavius Honorius to
condemn Pelagianism and exile Celestius from Italy.
Meanwhile, Celestius, who had been commanded to appear before the pope, ignored
the summons and fled from Rome. Thereupon, Zosimus excommunicated him and
condemned Pelagianism. The Council of Ephesus (431) also condemned him.
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