Thomas Humphries: Apokatastasis and Collatio 13: Cassian between the lines

Cassian's subtle use of Evagrius' Origenism has been studied with particular attention to puritas cordis and apatheia; the general conclusion is that Cassian was able to translate earlier Greek discussions into a theology that was palatable to Latin ears piqued to hear heretical notions of sinless-ness. This paper will investigate whether Cassian was able to do something similar with the notion of apokatastasis. If Cassian had assumed the eventual restoration of all things under Christ (as reflected in Origen, Evagrius, and Gregory of Nyssa), we have a new perspective from which to judge the later (mis-)understanding of Cassian's theology of grace sparked by Prosper's contra Coll. as this paper will argue. Careful study of Cassian's discussions of Heaven and Hell reveal that Cassian's theology of grace does not fit within Augustine's eschatology, as Prosper had attempted to understand the two 5th century theologians. Rather, we should be attentive to Cassian's own eschatology when we study his theology of grace.