X-Delivery-Notice:  SMTP MAIL FROM does not correspond to sender.
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL8]
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Date:         Wed, 4 Nov 1992 16:05:17 CST
Reply-To:     bradk@isdgsm.rtsg.mot.com
From:         "(Brad Kaiser)" <bradk%isdgsm@RTSG.MOT.COM>
Subject:      re: Jesse's reply to Brad Kaiser

Jesse, you write:

> Here I sit with a couple of million volumes at my fingers and not a decent
> copy of "Trent."
> However, I will check with Tom Brewer ... I read through many of the Canons
> years ago ... especially the soteriologically/Christologically-related ones.
> Now, you must believe that I am not puttin' this off ... I need to dig up a
> viable copy of Trent's Canon's.
> I thought Tom had a Nihil Obstat copy of that critter.

I have a *very* Nihil Obstat copy of "that critter".  The only doctrine I can
find which, if greatly misinterpreted, might possibly resemble semi-Pelagianism
or (forbid it, Almighty God!) Armininism is expressed in the 4th Canon:

   4. If anyone says that the free will of man, moved and awakened by God,
      in no way cooperates with the awakening call of God by an assent by
      which man disposes and prepares himself to get the grace of
      justification; and that man cannot dissent, if he wishes, but, like
      an object without life, he does nothing at all and is merely passive:
      let him be anathema.

(Canon 9 basically repeats this doctrine more succinctly.)

Canon 4 ref's chapter 5 of the decree, which begins:

      Moreover ... in the case of adults justification must begin with
      God's prevenient grace through Jesus Christ.  That is, it must
      begin with God's call, a call which they do not merit.  The purpose
      of this call is that they who are turned away from God by sin may,
      awakened and assisted by His grace, be disposed to turn to their
      own justification by freely assenting to and cooperating with that
      grace. ... when God touches the heart of man ... by his [man's] own
      free will, without God's grace, he could not take one step towards
      justice in God's sight.

(Council of Trent, Decree on Justification, Session 6)

By contrast, my source on semi-Pelagianism says:

      The Massilians or Semi-Pelagians remained Pelagians to this extent,
      that they contended that the beginning of salvation and faith is
      *in ourselves*, and that it is in view of this *antecedent merit*
      that God's graces are bestowed.

      ("Faith of the Early Fathers", Vol. 3, W.A. Jurgens, Liturgical Press,
       Collegeville, MN,  1979, p. 168)

The Catholic Church preaches that justification begins with God's
prevenient grace, and that God's call cannot be merited.  The
Semi-Pelagians preached that justification begins within us, and that
we merit God's call in view of some inherent goodness within
ourselves.  Pretty dramatic difference, I'd say.  The 2nd Council of
Orange was called to refute the errors of the semi-Pelagians.

While you're looking up Trent's decree on justification, why don't you
look up St. Augustine's essays entitled "Admonition and Grace" and "On
the Predestination of the Saints"?  That's where Calvin got the good
parts of his theology; the phrase "the perseverance of the saints"
(the "p" in TULIP) is taken straight from "Admonition and Grace".

St. Augustine is, of course, a revered Doctor of the Catholic Church.

In Christ's Peace,

Brad Kaiser
(bradk%isdgsm@rtsg.mot.com)

	  Those who trust in Him shall understand truth,
	  and the faithful shall abide with Him in love;
	  Because grace and mercy are with His holy ones,
	  and His care is with His elect.
		    -- Wis 3:9 [NAB]
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU