Letter 19

From: Braulio of Zaragoza, bishop To: Eutropius of Valencia, bishop Date: ~639 AD Context: Braulio responds to Eutropius's reply on doctrinal questions, engaging with a disputed point of theology and offering his own interpretation. To my beloved brother Eutropius, You push back on my interpretation of the passage from Augustine, and I am glad you do — I would rather have an argument in a letter than a polite silence that leaves the question unresolved. On the specific point: I do not think Augustine is saying what you suggest he is saying. The context of the passage is Augustine's dispute with the Pelagians [who denied original sin and held that humans could achieve righteousness through their own will], and the distinction he is drawing is between the will as it operates in fallen human nature and the will as it could operate under conditions of full grace. When he says the will is "not free" in the Pelagian sense, he is not abolishing freedom — he is redefining it. He is saying that what the Pelagians call freedom is actually a kind of bondage, and that what he calls freedom — the freedom to choose the good without compulsion — is only fully available to those who have been healed by grace. The practical consequence I draw from this for preaching and pastoral care: we should not tell people that virtue is simply a matter of trying harder. It is not. It requires grace. But we should also not tell them that they are merely passive recipients of grace with nothing to contribute. The process is a cooperation — difficult to describe, easy to misrepresent, essential to get right. Does this address your objection, or are we still in disagreement? Your brother in the faith, Braulio