Fulgentius of Ruspe on the Saving Will of God

by Gumerlock, Francis X.; Steinhauser, Kennth B.

• ISBN13: 9780773449350
• ISBN10: 0773449353
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-05-15
• Publisher: Edwin Mellen Pr

Summary

Some passages in Fulgentius' literary corpus assert that God's saving will extends to all humans; others limit the saving will of God to those who are actually saved. Divided on the issue, certain scholars conclude that Fulgentius taught a universal salvific will, while others say his view of God's salvific will was particular to the elect. While his early writings proclaim that it is God's will that all humans be saved, his later works deny the universality of God's saving will and interpret the "all" in the passage, God wills all persons to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4), as a synecdochic figure meaning "all of the elect." The catalyst in Fulgentius' shift of position away from universality was his exposure to Semi-Pelagian ideas on the will of God, which came to him through Faustus of Riez's De gratia and news of a controversy on grace and free will in Constantinople. In reaction to the Semi-Pelagian teaching that God's saving will is dependent upon human choices, Fulgentius emphasized the sovereignty of God's will and inability of the human will to merit divine grace. In the process, Fulgentius rejected the universality of saving grace and restricted the extent ofthe salvific will to those whom God actually grants the gift ofredemption. This work will appeal to historical theologians, biblical scholars, and historians of late antiquity.

Author Biography

Dr. Gumerlock is a Professor of Historical Theology and Resident Faculty member at Providence Theological Seminary, Colorado.