Letter 5

From: Faustus, Bishop of Riez To: Sidonius Apollinaris Date: ~475 AD Context: Faustus writes to Sidonius about his treatise De Gratia (On Grace) — the central document of Gallic semi-Pelagianism, defending a role for the human will against Augustinian determinism. Faustus to the most blessed Sidonius. I am sending you, at last, the completed treatise on grace that I have been working on for longer than I care to admit. I want you to read it before I release it more widely, both because I value your judgment and because you are a better judge of the style than anyone I know. The argument, in brief: God wills all human beings to be saved. The grace necessary for salvation is offered to all. The human will retains a genuine capacity to receive or refuse that grace — not a capacity to merit salvation, but a capacity that makes the human response real and not a mere performance. Without this genuine capacity, repentance is impossible, the Last Judgment is a charade, and the whole moral structure of the Gospel collapses. I know that critics of this position will say I am Pelagian — that I am claiming for human nature a self-sufficiency that the tradition rejects. I am not claiming that. I am claiming that the same God who chose to save humanity through Incarnation also chose to involve human freedom in that salvation. This is not a diminishment of grace. It is a recognition of what kind of grace God gives. Tear it apart if you find weaknesses. I would rather know now than later. Your friend, Faustus