John Cassian on Human Will and Divine Grace

The article deals with John Cassian's view of the divine grace and the human will. Cassian stresses the necessity and primacy of the divine help; our human will is weakened by sin but not totally corrupted. With regard to the salvation, one's own effort alone is not sufficient, but God who wants all men to be saved, never ceases to come to one's aid. On the basis of the Scriptures, Cassian sees the cooperation of grace and will interwoven so enigmatically that it is not always clear which comes into operation first: sometimes it is God who takes the initiative, in other instances the initiative is ascribed to man. Cassian's views on grace and will were interpreted as anti-augustinian and called "semipelagian". Recent scholarly discussion has rejected this interpretation as ill-founded and the term is now regarded as misleading.

Keywords: John Cassian (cca 360-435); Grace; Human Will; Freedom; Semi-pelagianism