Preface
ix PREFACE The term “semi-Pelagian” is an ironic misnomer. This controversy over grace and free will has long remained in the shadows cast by the much better known Pelagian controversy. This book of essays is the first published volume solely dedicated to this understudied controversy. The publication of this volume represents the recent renewal of scholarly interest in this controversy. The Pelagian controversy was over the question of orthodoxy, cast in terms of a struggle between good and evil, sin and grace, and salvation and damnation. The controversy that followed had much less at stake than the eternal fate of souls. Still, the controversy is the Western Church’s initial struggle to interpret certain elements of Augustine’s teachings on grace and set the terms and arguments, if not the tone, for future debates over the interpretation of Augustine’s doctrine of grace. The idea for this project originated from an informal conversation at the 2007 International Conference on Patristic Studies at Oxford University. The editors wish to thank the contributors not only for their contributions but also for their patience with all the unexpected delays in the editing process. Special thanks to Taylor Stewart for assistance with the index. We also wish to express our gratitude to the staff of the Catholic University of America Press for their support and encouragement for this project from the beginning . ...
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