Index To All Sections Part 1: An Introduction to John Calvin and his Doctrines of Grace Part 2: Introduction to the acronym T.U.L.I.P - each letter stands for one of the five fundamental tenets of Calvinism.
2A. Total Inability
2B. Unconditional Election
2C. Limited Atonement
2D. Irresistible Grace
2E. Perseverance of The Saints Part 3: When the Gospel Becomes a Lie
Part 4: God’s Sovereignty and Character
Part 5: Hypocrisy Unlimited
Part 6: Conclusion Part 7: The Sins of Augustine You Are Here  Part 8. Early Church Theologians Part IX - Calvinism And The Book of Romans
Did The Early Christian Theologian Belief In Free Will (All Emphasis Added) Ignatius of Antioch (born in Syria, around the year 50; died at Rome between 98 and 117) was Bishop and Patriarch of Antioch. Seeing, then, all things have an end, and there is set before us life upon our observance of God's precepts, but death as the result of disobedience, and every one, according to the choice he makes, shall go to his own place, let us flee from death, and make choice of life... If any one is truly religious, he is a man of God; but if he is irreligious, he is a man of the devil, made such, not by nature, but by his own choice. [01]
Justin Martyr (c.100-165 A.D) was a 2nd Century Christian apologist. But that you may not have a pretext for saying that Christ must have been crucified, and that those who transgressed must have been among your nation, and that the matter could not have been otherwise, I said briefly by anticipation, that God, wishing men and angels to follow His will, resolved to create them free to do righteousness; possessing reason, that they may know by whom they are created, and through whom they, not existing formerly, do now exist; and with a law that they should be judged by Him, if they do anything contrary to right reason: and of ourselves we, men and angels, shall be convicted of having acted sinfully, unless we repent beforehand. But if the word of God foretells that some angels and men shall be certainly punished, it did so because it foreknew that they would be unchangeably (wicked), but not because God had created them so. So that if they repent, all who wish for it can obtain mercy from God: and the Scripture foretells that they shall be blessed, saying, ‘Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin. [02]
Tatian the Assyrian (c. 120–180) was a pupil of Justin Martyr, an early Christian writer and theologian of the second century. Our free-will has destroyed us; we who were free have become slaves; we have been sold through sin. Nothing evil has been created by God; we ourselves have manifested wickedness; but we, who have manifested it, are able again to reject it. [03]
Irenaeus of Gaul (c.130-200) became Bishop of Lyons in what is now France. His Against Heresies contained a chapter entitled Men are possessed of free will, and endowed with the faculty of making a choice. It is not true, therefore, that some are by nature good, and others bad, in which he said This expression [of our Lord], "How often would I have gathered thy children together, and thou wouldest not, forth the ancient law of human liberty, because God made man a free [agent] from the beginning, possessing his own power, even as he does his own soul, to obey the behests (ad utendum sententia) of God voluntarily, and not by compulsion of God. For there is no coercion with God, but a good will [towards us] is present with Him continually. And therefore does He give good counsel to all. And in man, as well as in angels, He has placed the power of choice (for angels are rational beings), so that those who had yielded obedience might justly possess what is good, given indeed by God, but preserved by themselves. On the other hand, they who have not obeyed shall, with justice, be not found in possession of the good, and shall receive condign punishment: If then it were not in our power to do or not to do these things, what reason had the apostle, and much more the Lord Himself, to give us counsel to do some things, and to abstain from others? But because man is possessed of free will from the beginning, and God is possessed of free will, in whose likeness man was created, advice is always given to him to keep fast the good, which thing is done by means of obedience to God. [04]
Athensgoras of Athens (Ante-Nicene Christian apologist who lived during the second half of the 2nd century)
Just as with men, who have freedom of choice as to both virtue and vice (for you would not either honour the good or punish the bad, unless vice and virtue were in their own power; and some are diligent in the matters entrusted to them by you, and others faithless), so is it among the angels. [05] And now the more benevolent God is, the more impious men are; for He desires us from slaves to become sons, while they scorn to become sons. O the prodigious folly of being ashamed of the Lord! He offers freedom, you flee into bondage; He bestows salvation, you sink down into destruction; He confers everlasting life, you wait for punishment, and prefer the fire which the Lord “has prepared for the devil and his angels. [06]
Theophilus of Antioch 7th Bishop of Antioch (ca. 169–ca. 183). For God made man free, and with power over himself. That, then, which man brought upon himself through carelessness and disobedience, this God now vouchsafes to him as a gift through His own philanthropy and pity, when men obey Him. For as man, disobeying, drew death upon himself; so, obeying the will of God, he who desires is able to procure for himself life everlasting. For God has given us a law and holy commandments; and every one who keeps these can be saved, and, obtaining the resurrection, can inherit incorruption. [07]
Clement Of Alexandria (c.150-215) was an early Greek theologian and head of the catechetical school of Alexandria But we, who have heard by the Scriptures that self-determining choice and refusal have been given by the Lord to men, rest in the infallible criterion of faith, manifesting a willing spirit, since we have chosen life and believe God through His voice." [08] to us who are obedient to the Word and masters of ourselves, who have believed, and are saved by voluntary choice, [09]
Tertullian of Carthage (c.155-225) was a a prolific early Christian author from Carthage I find, then, that man was by God constituted free, master of his own will and power; indicating the presence of God's image and likeness in him by nothing so well as by this constitution of his nature... For a law would not be imposed upon one who had it not in his power to render that obedience which is due to law; nor again, would the penalty of death be threatened against sin, if a contempt of the law were impossible to man in the liberty of his will. So in the Creator's subsequent laws also you will find, when He sets before man good and evil, life and death, that the entire course of discipline is arranged in precepts by God's calling men from sin, and threatening and exhorting them; and this on no other ground than that man is free, with a will either for obedience or resistance. [10]
Novatian of Rome (c.200-258) was the second antipope in papal history, He also placed man at the head of the world, and man, too, made in the image of God, to whom He imparted mind, and reason, and foresight, that he might imitate God; and although the first elements of his body were earthly, yet the substance was inspired by a heavenly and divine breathing. And when He had given him all things for his service, He willed that he alone should be free. And lest, again, and unbounded freedom should fall into peril, He laid down a command, in which man was taught that there was no evil in the fruit of the tree; but he was forewarned that evil would arise if perchance he should exercise his freewill in contempt of the law that was given." [11]
Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 312-386) is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. He wrote, 18. Know also that thou hast a soul self-governed, the noblest work of God, made after the image of its Creator : immortal because of God that gives it immortality; a living being, rational, imperishable, because of Him that bestowed these gifts: having free power to do what it willeth... 20. There is not a class of souls sinning by nature, and a class of souls practising righteousness by nature : but both act from choice, the substance of their souls being of one kind only, and alike in all. 21. The soul is self-governed: and though the devil can suggest, he has not the power to compel against the will. He pictures to thee the thought of fornication: if thou wilt, thou acceptest it; if thou wilt not, thou rejectest. For if thou wert a fornicator by necessity, then for what cause did God prepare hell? If thou were a doer of righteousness by nature and not by will, wherefore did God prepare crowns of ineffable glory? The sheep is gentle, but never was it crowned for its gentleness: since its gentle quality belongs to it not from choice but by nature. [12]
Jerome (c.347-420) was a priest, theologian and historian, whose most important achievement was translation of Greek manuscripts into Latin (the Vulgate). He is considered a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Church, and the Church of England (Anglican Communion).
It is in vain that you misrepresent me and try to convince the ignorant that I condemn free-will. Let him who condemns it be himself condemned. We have been created endowed with free-will; still it is not this which distinguishes us from the brutes. For human free-will, as I said, depends upon the help of God and needs His aid moment by moment, a thing which you and yours do not choose to admit. Your position is that once a man has free-will he no longer needs the help of God. It is true that freedom of the will brings with it freedom of decision. Still man does not act immediately on his free-will but requires God's aid who Himself needs no aid." [13] But when we are concerned with grace and mercy, free-will is in part void; in part, I say, for so much depends upon it, that we wish and desire, and give assent to the course we choose. But it depends on God whether we have the power in His strength and with His help to perform what we desire, and to bring to effect our toil and effort." [14]
Continue On To Part IX - Calvinism and The Book of Romans HERE
If Paul was affirming the Calvinistic doctrine of Unconditional Election in Romans 9, he was a very confused man
End Notes
[01] Ignatius. Epistle to the Magnesians: Shorter and Longer Versions. Chapter V. Death is the fate of all such.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.v.iii.v.html
[02] Dialogue of Justin, Philosopher and Martyr, with Trypho, a Jew. Chapter CXLI. Free-will in men and angels.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.viii.iv.cxli.html [03] Tatian’s Address to the Greeks. [Translated by J. E. Ryland. Chapter XI. The Sin of Men Due Not to Fate,
https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf02.iii.ii.xi.html [04] Against Heresies Book IV. Chapter XXXVII. - Men are possessed of free will and endowed with the faculty of making a choice. It is not true, therefore, that some are by nature good, and others bad. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ix.vi.xxxviii.html [05] Athenagoras. A Plea for the Christians. Chapter XXIV. Concerning the Angels and Giants.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf02.v.ii.xxiv.html [06] Athenagoras. A Plea for the Christians. Chapter IX“. That Those Grievously Sin Who Despise or Neglect God’s Gracious Calling.” http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf02.vi.ii.ix.html [07] Theophilus To Autolycus. Book II. Chapter. XXVII. The Nature Of Man.
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/theophilus-book2.html [08] The Stromata (Book II) Chapter 4. Faith the Foundation of All Knowledge http://tinyurl.com/492x2jsh [09] The Instructor Chapter VI. http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/clement-instructor-book1.html [10] Chapter V. Marcion’s Cavils Considered. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf03.v.iv.iii.v.html [11] http://www.jarom.net/novatian.php. Quote taken from God's Strategy in Human History by Roger T Forster & V Paul Marston. First British Edition 1989 published by Highland [12] Lecture IV On the Ten Points of Doctrine. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310104.htm [13] Letter CXXXIII. To Ctesiphon. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf206.v.CXXXIII.html [14] Against the Pelagians Book III, 10. http://www.jarom.net/jerome.php. Quote taken from God's Strategy in Human History by Roger T Forster & V Paul Marston. First British Edition 1989 published by Highland | 
