PERFECTIONISM175these gifts, and baptism is not necessary
for the forgiveness of original sin.
Pelagius’ associate Celestius taught that
death is natural rather than a punishment
for sin; that Adam’s sin affected only
him, not the entire human race, so that
infants are born innocent; and that the
Old Testament’s law can lead humans to
perfection as surely as the New Testament’s
gospel can, so that human perfection was
possible even before Christ.
Against Pelagianism, Augustine taught
that humans pass original sin to their
children through reproduction, and that
after Adam’s sin they lost the divine gift of
love that makes human actions effective
for salvation. Without love, even things
that seem to be virtues have evil motives.
Nothing remains in humans that could
naturally seek or respond to God: instead,
an interior grace must prepare people
before they can respond to the gospel.
Thus human salvation is controlled by
God’s grace from start to finish, which
led Augustine to the idea that God pre-
destines humans to heaven or hell.
These ideas provoked discontent even in
Augustine’s lifetime, but after a prolonged
campaign he secured Pelagius’ condem-
nation at Carthage in 418, and thereafter
continued to fight Pelagius’ most articu-
late defender, Julian of Eclanum.
A group which is now called the
Semipelagians (represented by the monks
John Cassian and Vincent of Lerins)
agreed with Augustine on the necessity of
interior grace and the effects of sin, but
felt that predestination was dangerously
close to some kind of destiny. In addition,
Cassian argued that Scripture includes
some cases in which humans turn to God
before God bestows grace upon them;
thus the question of initiative with regard
to grace cannot be resolved. The debate
continued into the sixth century, but in
529 Augustine’s followers succeeded at
having a moderated version of his teach-
ing (downplaying some aspects of pre-
destination but still asserting the initiative
of God’s grace) vindicated at the council
of Orange. See also CHRISTIANITY.PER SE NOTUM. From the Latin, meaning
“known through itself.” That which is self-
evident. Arguably, one may know that the
law of identity (A is A) is necessarily true or
that wisdom is a virtue per se notum.PERCEPTION. In philosophy of religion,
there is attention to what we may perceive
(is it possible to perceive God?) and
the evidential significance of perceptual
claims (e.g., assessing claims to perceive
the sacred, miracles, the self ). Perception
is customarily thought to involve judg-
ments, e.g., for someone to perceive that
the Dalai Lama is present, she must judge
that she is perceiving the Dalai Lama.
By contrast, you may sense the Dalai
Lama without knowing you are sensing
(seeing) him.PERFECTIONISM. Philosophers and
theologians who believe that human