Traditio patrum

Abstract This chapter discusses the use of patristic argumentation in the Pelagian controversy. It begins by defining the technique known as ‘patristic argumentation’ and by comparing it with other types of appeals to written sources. The chapter then briefly considers the development of patristic argumentation as a polemical strategy and its use prior to the Pelagian controversy. The bulk of the chapter is devoted to describing the various usages of this technique throughout the controversy, beginning with Pelagius’s De natura all the way up through Augustine’s controversy with Julian and with the so-called semi-Pelagians. The conclusion highlights the consistency of Augustine’s use of this form of argument throughout the controversy and the significance of the placement of these quotations within his works. The conclusion also notes the difficulties involved in analysing the ‘legitimacy’ of Augustine’s (and his opponents’) appeals to renowned Christian authors to ground their own views in the Church’s doctrinal tradition.