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 co-operation 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.
In the second half of the 4th century, the first Latin commentaries on the Pauline epistles emerge. This article examines how human freedom is treated in the earliest of them, the commentaries of Marius Victorinus on Ephesians, Galatians and Philippians. The theme is touched especially in the passages explaining the pre-existence of human souls, their descent to the world and return back to God. According to Victorinus, the souls have already existed before the creation of the world, 'spiritually', in Christ. Having separated from Logos, which necessarily happens, they are confronted with the world and have to choose between God and the sensual world. Whatever they choose, the decision completes their perfection. The souls, which got entangled in the sensual world, are not able to free themselves and return back to God. They are redeemed by Christ, through his incarnation and crucifixion. The souls have to do nothing but believe in Christ; thus their 'spiritualization' and return to God begins. The question whether this faith is an act performed fully from human power, or whether it is God's gift, is not answered unambiguously.
In the Pauline commentaries of Ambrosiaster (for centuries ascribed to Ambrose of Milan), a double interest may be observed: to defend God's justice and the responsibility of every human being for his/her deeds. According to the author, the consequences of Adam's fall affect the whole human race but he cannot admit that someone could be condemned for a sin he did not commit. This is why he draws a distinction between a physical death which affects everyone, and a spiritual or 'second' death reserved only for those who sinned in the similar way as Adam. Even though Satan can lure a soul away from good by means of a body, the ability (and responsibility) of soul to resist is preserved. After man agrees to the temptation, the bad habit makes future decisions more difficult. Predestination is explained as God's foreknowledge with the accent on perseverance. God foreknows who will obey his vocation and persevere until the end; he who obeys but does not persevere has never been called. God's foreknowledge and vocation impose no pressure on human will; people are invited and encouraged to believe but the decision seems to be entirely on them.
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