the system of belief of Pelagius, a 5th century theologian who held that man is basically good, and that sin is a voluntary act. His disciple, Celestius, denied the existence of original sin. The Roman Catholic Church spent inordinate amounts of energy, time and money in an effort to eliminate this belief. It eventually figured in the ultimate elimination of the Irish Catholic Church

Pe*la"gi*an*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. p'elagianisme.]

The doctrines of Pelagius.

© Webster 1913.