Justification — Research Plan (outline, not yet the study)

Status: DRAFT STUDY (plan approved). Verdicts below rest only on verified passages. Items marked (to verify) need checking against the primary text before use.

1. Fathers and texts (to c. 750)

Apostolic Fathers

• Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 30–33, esp. 32.4 (“not justified through ourselves… but through faith”) and 33.1 (therefore, shall we cease from good works?). Read with 10 and 12 (Abraham, Rahab: faith and hospitality) and 31.2.
• Ignatius of Antioch, Philadelphians 8.2 (“my archives are Jesus Christ… faith through him”); Magnesians 8–10 (Judaizing); Ephesians 14 (faith and love).
• Epistle to Diognetus 9.2–5 (“sweet exchange”; “in whom could we… be justified except in the Son of God alone?”).
• Polycarp, Philippians 1.3 (by grace saved, not of works; cf. Eph 2:8–9).

Apologists and 2nd–3rd century

• Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 23, 92 (Abraham justified before circumcision), 95–96, 137 (chapter list to verify).
• Irenaeus, Against Heresies IV.5.3–5, IV.13.1, IV.16.2 (Abraham, faith, law); V.16–17 (recapitulation, forgiveness) (sections to verify).
• Origen, Commentary on Romans (Rufinus’s Latin), on Rom 3:27–28 (bk. III; “by faith alone” phrasing) and Rom 4 (bk. IV) (book/section numbering to verify — Migne vs. Scheck FOTC 103–104).
• Cyprian, To Quirinus III; On Works and Almsgiving (almsgiving and post-baptismal sin).

4th–5th century East

• Athanasius, On the Incarnation (deification, not forensic language as such); Against the Arians I.
• Basil, On Humility 20 (“knows himself lacking in true righteousness, justified by faith alone in Christ”) (to verify wording).
• John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans 7–9 (Rom 3–4); Commentary on Galatians 2–3; Homilies on 2 Corinthians 11 (2 Cor 5:21); Homilies on Philippians 11 (Phil 3:9); Homilies on Titus 5–6.
• Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on John; Glaphyra / on Romans fragments (to verify availability).
• Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on Romans and Galatians; on Eph 2:8.
• Mark the Ascetic, On Those Who Think They Are Justified by Works (Philokalia vol. 1).

Latin West

• Marius Victorinus, commentaries on Galatians, Philippians, Ephesians (sola fide phrasing).
• Hilary of Poitiers, Commentary on Matthew 8.6 (“faith alone justifies”) (to verify).
• Ambrosiaster, Commentary on Romans 3:24, 4:5 (justified “by faith alone… gift of God”).
• Ambrose, On Jacob and the Happy Life I.6.21 (to verify).
• Jerome, Commentary on Galatians; Dialogue against the Pelagians.
• Pelagius, Commentary on Romans (necessary foil).
• Augustine, On the Spirit and the Letter (esp. 9.15, 26.45 on iustificare = iustum facere); Grace and Free Will; On Nature and Grace; To Simplician I.2; Faith and Works; Enchiridion; Sermons 158, 169; Expositions of the Psalms 31 (Ps 32).
• Prosper of Aquitaine, Call of All Nations; Capitula/Indiculus (Pseudo-Celestine) (authorship to verify).
• Council of Carthage 418; Second Council of Orange 529 canons 1–25 and conclusion.
• Fulgentius of Ruspe, To Monimus; Gregory the Great, Moralia (selective).
• Maximus the Confessor, John of Damascus Exact Exposition IV.9–13 (baptism, faith) — end boundary.

2. Scripture passages

• Gen 15:6; Ps 32:1–2; Hab 2:4; Isa 53:11.
• Rom 1:16–17; 2:13; 3:19–31; 4:1–25 (4:3–8); 5:1–21; 6; 8:1–4, 29–34; 10:3–10.
• Gal 2:15–21; 3:1–14; 5:4–6.
• Phil 3:8–9; 2 Cor 5:17–21; Eph 2:8–10; Titus 3:4–7; Luke 18:9–14; Acts 13:38–39.
• James 2:14–26 (with Gen 22); 1 Cor 6:11; Matt 12:37.

3. Terms to exegete

• Greek: δικαιόω (declarative vs. making-righteous; LXX usage, e.g. Deut 25:1, Isa 5:23), δικαιοσύνη (θεοῦ: genitive question), λογίζομαι (accounting; Gen 15:6 LXX, Ps 31:2 LXX), πίστις (incl. πίστις Χριστοῦ debate), ἔργα νόμου (boundary markers vs. works generally), χάρις, also ἀφίημι/ἄφεσις.
• Latin: iustificare (Augustine’s iustum facere gloss), iustitia, imputare / reputare (Vulgate Rom 4), gratia, meritum, fides sola.
• Track how Latin rendering shapes reading of Greek.

4. Method

• Read each text in context; classify statements by what the author is addressing (Judaizers, pagans, Gnostics, Pelagians, moral laxity), not by Reformation-era question.
• Do not count “faith alone” phrases as Protestant or “made righteous” as Tridentine by vocabulary; ask: ground of acceptance, instrument, role of baptism, relation of forgiveness to renewal, post-baptismal sin, merit.
• Distinguish (a) explicit teaching, (b) compatible-with, (c) contrary. Note forensic and transformative elements separately; fathers often hold both undifferentiated.
• Exegesis first: test each father’s reading against the Greek text and context.
• Post-750 development, weighed per tradition:
  • Catholic: medieval scholasticism (Aquinas ST I-II q.113), Trent Session VI (1547) — formal cause, merit, canons 9, 11, 24; is it clarification of Augustine/Orange or extension?
  • Orthodox: theosis, synergy; Palamas (essence/energies) and the Confession of Dositheus (1672) art. 13; does justification-as-category even receive focus?
  • Lutheran: Luther, Augsburg Confession IV, Apology IV (its patristic citations audited), Formula of Concord III.
  • Presbyterian: Calvin Institutes III.11–14, Westminster Confession XI, imputation of active obedience.
  • For each: date when its precise formulation came into view; check its own patristic appeals.

5. Open questions (IDs Q1–Q6 in reasoning)

• Is δικαιόω in Paul declarative only? How did Greek-speaking fathers hear it?
• Do “faith alone” fathers mean what sola fide means (excluding works from the ground) or exclude only Mosaic works / pre-baptismal works?
• Augustine: does iustum facere collapse justification into sanctification, or cover both?
• Role of baptism and penance in patristic justification.
• James 2 harmonization across fathers.
• Is imputation of Christ’s righteousness found, or only non-imputation of sin (Ps 32)?

6. Verdicts and trace

Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father tiers T1–T4. Verdict changes are listed in docs/proximity-changes.md.

Every verdict must link to its reasoning steps and the exact source passages it rests on. See conventions.

Scripture exegesis: notes/scripture/justification-exegesis.md

Source notes: Clement of Rome · Ignatius of Antioch · Epistle to Diognetus · Polycarp · Justin Martyr · Irenaeus · Origen · Cyprian · Athanasius · Basil of Caesarea · John Chrysostom · Cyril of Alexandria · Theodoret of Cyrus · Mark the Ascetic · Marius Victorinus · Hilary of Poitiers · Ambrosiaster · Ambrose · Jerome · Pelagius · Augustine · Prosper of Aquitaine · Councils of Carthage 418 and Orange 529 · Fulgentius of Ruspe · John of Damascus

8. Post-750 development: summary

Details and caveats: post-750 reasoning.

Provisional overall verdict: a split. On the ground of justification (grace, not prior works; Christ’s righteousness in exchange), the fathers read so far stand nearer to the Protestant formulations and to Trent’s “nothing preceding merits it”. On the content and frame (forensic and transformative together, tied to baptism), they stand nearer to the Catholic and Orthodox. No tradition reproduces the patristic undifferentiated form exactly. Remaining unverified sources are unlikely to reverse Q1–Q5. Q6 is the most open.

9. Verification status

• Verified (English, online public domain): Clement (plus key Greek), Ignatius, Diognetus, Polycarp, Justin, Irenaeus, Cyprian, Athanasius, Chrysostom (Rom hom. 7, 8; 2 Cor hom. 11; Gal 2), Augustine (Spirit and Letter 26.45; Grace and Free Will), Carthage 418 c. 111, Orange 529 cc. 5 and 18, John of Damascus; Vulgate Rom 4; Trent VI; Dositheus 13; AC IV; FC SD III; WCF XI.1; Apology IV.103.
• Secondary-attested (reduced weight): Origen (PG 14:952), Basil (PG 31:529), Hilary (Comm. Matt. 8.6), Ambrosiaster (CSEL 81/1), Ambrose (via the Apology).
• To verify (no weight): Marius Victorinus, Pelagius, Jerome (direct quote), Cyril, Theodoret, Mark the Ascetic, Prosper, Fulgentius; Aquinas, Palamas, Calvin; Greek of Ignatius, Diognetus and Chrysostom; the Latin of Augustine and Irenaeus; LSB English; the middle phrase of 1 Clem 32.4 Greek.

10. Deliverable structure

1. Summary verdict (with split allowed)
2. Scripture exegesis
3. Patristic survey by period (quotations, citations, notes/ links)
4. Thematic synthesis against the open questions
5. Post-750 development per tradition: clarification vs. departure, dating
6. Verdict per tradition; uncertainties Supporting notes go in notes/<father>.md.