To Florus 3.138
[Augustine writes:] ‘Listen briefly, then, to what this question involves. Catholics say that the good Creator God made human nature good, but, corrupted by sin, it needs Christ the physician. Manichaeans say human nature was not made good by God and then corrupted by sin. Rather, the prince of eternal darkness created humanity by mixing two natures that always existed, one good and the other evil. Caelestians and Pelagians say the good God made human nature good, but it is so healthy in newborn infants that at that age they do not need Christ’s medicine. Recognize, then, your own name in your doctrine, and stop charging the catholics who refute you with someone else’s doctrine and name. Truth refutes both the Manichaeans and you.
‘For it says to the Manichaeans: “Have you not read that the one who made humankind from the beginning made them male and female? For this reason a man shall leave father and mother and cling to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined, let no human separate” (Matthew 19:4–6). Thus it shows that God both creates human beings and joins spouses, against the Manichaeans who deny both.
‘To you, however, it says: “The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). But you, excellent Christians, answer Christ: If you came to seek and save what was lost, you did not come to infants; they were not lost and were born safe. Go to older people. We lay down the rule for you from your own words: “The healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do” (Matthew 9:12).
‘Thus the Manichaean, who says an evil nature is mixed into humanity, at least wants the good soul saved from it by Christ. You, however, maintain that in infants, when their bodies are sound, Christ has nothing to save. Accordingly the Manichaean blames human nature in a detestable way, but you praise it in a cruel way. Whoever believes your praise will not offer their infants to the Savior’ (Augustine, Marriage and Sexual Desire 2.9).
I pointed out even in my first work that your chief aim is to be poorly understood.
Latin
Audi ergo breviter, quid ista quaestione versetur. Catholici dicunt humanam a creatore Deo bono conditam bonam, sed peccato vitiatam medico Christo indigere naturam. Manichaei dicunt humanam naturam non a Deo conditam bonam peccatoque vitiatam, sed ab aeternarum principe tenebrarum de commixtione duarum naturarum, quae semper fuerunt, una bona et una mala, hominem creatum. Caelestiani et Pelagiani dicunt naturam humanam a Deo bono conditam bonam, sed ita esse in nascentibus parvulis sanam, ut Christi non habeant necessariam in illa aetate medicinam. Agnosce igitur in tuo dogmate nomen tuum et catholicis, a quibus confutaris, desine obicere et dogma et nomen alienum; nam veritas utrosque redarguit, et Manichaeos et vos. Manichaeis enim dicit: " Non legistis, quia, qui ab initio fecit hominem, masculum et feminam fecit eos? Propter hoc relinquet homo patrem et matrem et adhaerebit uxori suae et erunt duo in carne una, itaque iam non sunt duo, sed una caro. Quod ergo Deus coniunxit, homo non separet " [n178] . Ita quippe ostendit et hominum conditorem et coniugum copulatorem Deum adversus Manichaeos, qui utrumque horum negant. Vobis autem dicit: " Venit Filius hominis quaerere et salvare, quod perierat " [n179] . Sed vos, egregii Christiani, respondete Christo: Si quod perierat quaerere et salvare venisti, ad parvulos non venisti; isti nec perierant et salvi nati sunt, vade ad maiores; de verbis tuis tibi praescribimus: " Non est opus sanis medicus, sed male habentibus " [n180] . Ita fit, ut Manichaeus, qui homini commixtam dicit esse naturam malam, velit inde saltem salvari a Christo animam bonam; tu vero in parvulis, cum salvi sunt corpore, nihil a Christo salvandum esse contendis. Ac per hoc Manichaeus quidem naturam humanam detestabiliter vituperat, sed tu crudeliter laudas. Quicumque enim tibi crediderint laudatori, infantes suos non offerent Salvatori [n181] . Commendavi quidem etiam in primo opere nihil te magis agere, quam ut parum intellegaris.
About this text
Julian’s six preserved books to Florus, quoted section by section in Augustine’s unfinished reply. Augustine’s refutations are omitted. Latin of Julian’s words is on each section.
Julian’s own books do not survive as a separate manuscript. English follows his words as Augustine quotes them in the Unfinished Work Against Julian. Augustine’s replies are omitted. We do not restore a Julian text independent of Augustine.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Augustine, Unfinished Work Against Julian (Latin · Julian’s words as quoted, Books 1–6)
- Checked print Augustinus.it Latin of the Unfinished Work (Latin · Same work)
- Checked print Migne PL 45 (Latin · Hard cases)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.