Augustine in His Own Words
Against the Pelagians 413
(6) Therefore, concerning Pelagius and Caelestius, that is, the inventors of these new ideas, which, as the Apostle says, are of no profit, but tend to generate utterly vain questions, we decree, relying on the strength of apostolic authority, that they are deprived of communion with the Church until "they recover themselves from the snares of the devil, by whom they are held captives at his will" (2 Tm 2:26), that they are not to be received within the Lord's flock, which they have chosen to forsake by following the path of a crooked way.78
Causa Finita Est
We have seen certain of Augustine's famous one-liners (e.g., "Love, and do what you will") taken out of context. Here is another. To Augustine has long been attributed the statement: "Rome has spoken; the matter is settled" (Roma locuta est; causa finita est). Defenders of universal papal jurisdiction over the centuries have cited this phrase as though it were really Augustine's and as though Augustine accepted the pope's word as the last word. It turns out that the first phrase is not his; the second is his, but needs to be seen in context. Augustine was an African bishop deeply committed to African traditions of conciliar decision-making. He deeply respected the prestige of the bishop of Rome, but hardly thought papal decisions were the last word. The famous phrase occurs in a sermon, delivered in Carthage on September 23, 417. Augustine alludes to the condemnations of the African councils of Carthage and Milevis. It is in this light that he says, "The case is closed" (causa finita est). The case, it turns out, had not only been reopened but reversed by Pope Zosimus, and the North Africans would have to work around the pope and win over imperial authorities. Augustine's famous text appears in the closing words of a lengthy sermon on John's Gospel. From Sermon 131:
(10) "For being ignorant of the justice of God, and wishing to establish their own, they have not submitted themselves to the justice of God" (Rom 10:3). My brothers and sisters, come and share in my sorrow. Wherever you find such people, do not hide them. Let there be no misplaced mercy in you. Wherever you find such people, you don't want to hide them. Argue against the naysayers. Bring those resistant to us. For two councils on this case have already been sent to the Apostolic See. And rescripts have come back to us. The case is closed! Would that the error come to a close as well! Therefore, we advise that they pay attention; we teach that they be instructed; we pray that they be changed.79
78. Ep. 182.3–6 (CSEL 44:717–21); trans. Parsons, FOTC 30:129–31. 79. S. 131.10 (PL 38:734); my trans. See Cornelius Mayer, "Causa finita est," Aug-Lex, 1:827. For a new critical edition, see G. Partoens, "Le sermon 131 de saint Augustin: Introduction et édition," Augustiniana 54 (2004): 35–77.
The Council of Carthage (418)
After Innocent's death, his successor, Pope Zosimus, reopened the case, acquitted Pelagius and Caelestius, then sent a brusque letter to the North African bishops. The North Africans were not cowed. They lobbied the imperial government in Ravenna and won harsh sanctions against Pelagius and Caelestius. Zosimus quickly reversed course and published his own condemnation. On May 1, 418, the day after the imperial government issued its condemnation, the North African bishops, meeting in council at Carthage, promulgated a set of influential canons denouncing Pelagian views on original sin, grace, and free will. The hand of Augustine is clearly visible in their wording. From the Council of Carthage (418):
(Canon 1) All gathered in the holy synod of the church of Carthage agreed that anyone who said that Adam was made mortal in such a way that he would have died physically whether he had sinned or not, that is, he would have left the body not as punishment for sin, but from the necessity of nature, let him be anathema.
(Canon 2) They also agreed that if anyone denies that infants newborn from their mothers' wombs should be baptized, or if anyone says that infants are baptized for the forgiveness of sins but contract nothing from Adam, no original sin expiated by the bath of rebirth, such that, as a result, the formula of baptism "for the forgiveness of sins" is understood not as true but as false, let him be anathema. What the Apostle said: "Through one man sin entered the world and through sin death so that it passed on to all human beings, in whom all have sinned" (Rom 5:12) is not to be understood in any way other than as the Catholic Church spread across the world has always understood it. On account of this rule of faith, even little ones who have been able to commit no sins of their own are truly baptized for the remission of sins so that what they contracted by their birth might be cleansed by their rebirth. . . .
(Canon 5) They also agreed that anyone who says the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord helps us in being sinless only because it reveals and opens up to us an understanding of the commandments so that we know what to desire and what to avoid, but that it does not give us the gift to love and to be strong enough to do what we know we should do, let him be anathema. Since the Apostle says, "Knowledge puffs up, love builds up" (1 Cor 8:1), it is impious for us to believe that we have the grace of Christ for what puffs up, but do not have it for what builds up, since both of these are a gift of God: to know what we should do and to love doing it so that what loving builds up in us, knowledge is not able to puff up. Just as it is written of God, "He is One who teaches human beings knowledge" (Ps 93:10), so it is also written: "Love is from God" (1 Jn 4:7).
(Canon 6) They also agreed that if anyone says that we are given the grace of justification so that we can more easily fulfill through grace what we are commanded to do through free choice, as though, even if grace were not given, we could still fulfill