I am writing a paper on Pelagius for a ThM Early Church class and reading through a very rare commentary he made on the Book of Romans. I was struck by his commentary on Romans 1:26-27 and homosexuality.
The TNIV reads:
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Now read the commentary Pelagius gives:
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.
Because of the reasons noted above they were abandoned to their monstrous behavior.
Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.
Those who turned against God turned everything on its head: for those who forsook the author of nature also could not keep to the order of nature. ‘The worship of abominable idols,’ [he says,] ‘is the cause, the beginning, and the end of every evil’ (Wisd. 14:27).
In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men,
Lust Once unbridled knows no limit.
and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
So ran the order of nature that those who had forgotten God did not understand themselves well.
Interesting thoughts from a man who was condemned as a heretic for his supposed loose views on sin.
Any thoughts on Pelagius‘ views on homosexuality?
Hey Jeremy,
I checked out New Advent.org on Pelagius and they have a huge article on him. His comments on Romans and homosexuality were dead on, but his belief that even if Adam wouldn't have sinned, he would have still died and that we don't rise again with Christ is pretty far out. Apparently he didn't get along too well with St. Augustine. Maybe you've seen this link already in your research on him.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11604a.htm
That was Coelestius not Pelagius. People get them confused way too much, even in supposedly official books like the Catholic Encyclopedia. Read Pelagius' commentary.
don’t worry, Tom, I’m no Pelagian 🙂 but there are some ideas he had that were alright. just not the whole bathtub! just wait for my paper 🙂
-jeremy
Twenty some odd days later joseph chimes in with some feed back… better late than never :-p
I think Pelagian was spot on! When we know God but do not love him and replace his wisdom with our worldly knowledge, yes I am paraphrasing Romans 21, our hearts turn dark and we deny the very nature of this created world…
We
end
up
lost.
I think this same idea of Romans 1:26-27 is found in James 1:13-15. These verses are surrounded in a warning, James 1:16 & James 1:12, paraphrasing again, “Do not fail to remember who God is and what he Gods has Promised.”
This is the message “Do not turn your back on God for he is your saving grace and the only chance not to be of this world”
"Interesting thoughts from a man who was condemned as a heretic for his supposed loose views on sin."
Where did you get the idea that he was labelled a heretic for his "loose views on sin"? It was because he didn't believe in Augustine's version of original sin that he was labelled a heretic.
Read Pelagius' commentary on Romans 5. There you will find him saying that Adam's sin does not condemn our souls but only our bodies. Our souls can only be condemned by our own sin. This is the major point of departure between him and Augustine, as Augustine believed infants were born with their souls condemned to hell by Adam's sin. And this is why the crazy Augustinians condemned Pelagius. Pretty stupid of them, huh?
Denying original sin is not a loose view of sin, but a high view of sin (so to speak). Because if we are “born sinners” then sin is no big deal, since sin is no longer an act of rebellion against God, but simply human nature, simply being human. But if there is no original sin, then each and every sin is an act of outright rebellion against God which cannot be excused by Augustine’s “Its no big deal; I was born that way.”