# Early Church and Free will?



## steadfast7 (Aug 3, 2011)

For the Patristic buffs out there ...

To what extent did the Early Church affirm free will? and, what kind of free will was it? How did it differ from the Reformed conception?


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## Pergamum (Aug 3, 2011)

Augustine was very predestinarian and I remember Aquinas' Summa being fairly so as well.

Interesting enough, here below are quotes from the church fathers about Limited Atonement (usually considered the least-held point of calvinism):




> Patristic Views of Atonement
> This doctrine wasn't invented by Calvin but is the teaching of the Church universal for ages.
> 
> 
> ...



I would love to see a similar list created for free will or the other points.


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## Poimen (Aug 3, 2011)

John Gill compiled a list of quotes from the church fathers on this and other 'sovereign grace' subjects here (scroll down to Part 4). However, whether these faithfully represent their entire body of teaching is beyond my ability to judge at this point.


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## CharlieJ (Aug 3, 2011)

Contra certain forms of Gnosticism, the early church universally affirmed free will, that is, that man is a rational, moral agent. Certain Church Fathers went farther than that and affirmed forms of free will that Calvinists would not. A bit of research in Origen and Chrysostom will show that. On the opposite side, you have Augustine. It's really the Pelagian controversy that clarifies the issue.


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## steadfast7 (Aug 3, 2011)

CharlieJ said:


> Contra certain forms of Gnosticism, the early church universally affirmed free will, that is, that man is a rational, moral agent. Certain Church Fathers went farther than that and affirmed forms of free will that Calvinists would not. A bit of research in Origen and Chrysostom will show that. On the opposite side, you have Augustine. It's really the Pelagian controversy that clarifies the issue.


 Thanks. This is what I figured. So depending on our opponents the church affirms or emphasizes certain things. Thus, in our day and age, are we more contra gnosticism or contra Pelagius?


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## JM (Aug 3, 2011)

Poimen said:


> John Gill compiled a list of quotes from the church fathers on this and other 'sovereign grace' subjects here (scroll down to Part 4). However, whether these faithfully represent their entire body of teaching is beyond my ability to judge at this point.



I enjoyed this work so much I bought a hard copy. Gill is as faithful as he can be considering the inconsistency in the writings of the ECF's. 

Gill notes in his Body of Doctrine;

The school at Alexandria, from whence came several of the Christian doctors, as Panta-nus, Clemens, Origen, &c served very much to corrupt the simplicity of the gospel; for though mended the Platonic philosophy, it marred the Christian doctrine; and laid the foundation for Arianism and Pelagianism, which in after-times to greatly disturbed the church of God. As many of the fathers of the Christian church were originally Pagans, *they were better skilled in demolishing Paganism, than in building up Christianity ; and indeed they set themselves more to destroy the one, than to illustrate and confirm the other: there was a purity in their lives, but a want of clearness, accuracy, and consistence in their doctrines* : it would be endless to relate how much the Christian doctrine was obscured by the heretics that rose up in the latter part of the first century, and in the second, as well as after by Sabed lians, Photinians, Samosatenians, Arians, Eutychians, Nestorians, Macedonians, Pelagians, &c. *though God was pleased to raise up instruments to stop their progress, and preserve the truth, and sometimes very eminent ones; as Athanasius against the Arians, and Austin against the Pelagians.* The gospel in its simplicity, through the power of divine grace attending it, made its way into the gentile world, in these first centuries, with great success; and paganism decreased before it; and which in the times of Constantine received a fatal blow in the Roman Empire; and yet by degrees pagan rites and ceremonies were introduced into the Christian church ; and what with them, and error in doctrine, and other things concurring, made way for the man of sin to appear; and that mystery of iniquity, which had been secretly working from the times of the apostles, to shew its head openly; and brought in the darkness of popery upon almost all that bore the Christian name.


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