To Florus 3.154
Thus between you and Mani there is no disagreement about nature’s character, only about its author. You charge to God, whom you acknowledge as infants’ creator, the same evil Mani charges to the prince of darkness, whom he considered human nature’s maker. Little obstacle remains to renewing your alliance. Soon, however, I shall show that although neither of you shows any trace of truth, his statements agree with one another better than yours do.
What do we say? Undoubtedly something opposed to both of you: neither did the good God make an evil nature, nor did the prince of darkness make or mix another nature. Rather, the one God, author of all things, not only made human nature good at first but also makes it good in every newborn child. Yet we profess the help of its Creator to be both useful in many ways and necessary to it. The making of creatures is one matter and gifts another; and the work is not valued more highly here than the craftsman.
Both you and Mani therefore equally establish natural evil: you both call human nature evil, but he does so more consistently, you more deceitfully. Both of you suppose this evil was breathed by the devil into human inward parts. He exempts no one’s birth from it. You, however, to seem different in some way—although there is no difference—try to exempt just two human beings. Yet you do not free even their persons from sin. With the advance of a more learned intelligence, you say that what you persuade us became natural through them was not natural in them. So, lest your fraud escape punishment even here, the added stupidity punished the theft you committed against your teacher. To believe natural what you admit was adopted by the will is an invention not merely of an uneducated mind but of a drunken one. More about this elsewhere; for now, let us press the matter.
Mani maintains that evil is natural; you agree. He says sins are born; you consent. He says human nature is evil; you confirm this too. He says the nature of absolutely everyone; here you resist, asking that the first pair be set aside. Yet you do not vindicate even them from guilt; rather, you affirm that they originated natural evil. Even if we could indulge you in this, your teacher will not. Perhaps he will even punish your slow intelligence with a schoolmaster’s rod, forcing you either to submit to his authority or to leave his school altogether. Finally he draws his conclusion: an evil nature cannot have a good author. Therefore humanity, which both of you acknowledge to be naturally evil, is the work of the prince of darkness, that is, the devil.
Latin
Inter te et Manichaeum itaque nulla de qualitate naturae, sed de solo est auctore dissensio; hoc enim malum tu Deo reputas, quem parvulorum creatorem fateris, quod Manichaeus principi tenebrarum, quem naturae humanae conditorem putavit. Ad instaurandum igitur foedus non grande vobis remansit obstaculum. Mox tamen docebo, apud utrumque vestrum etsi veritatis vestigia nulla videantur, illius tamen magis quam tua sibimet dicta concinere. Nos porro quid dicimus? Sine dubio, quod utrique vestrum repugnet, id est nec a bono Deo malam nec a principe tenebrarum aliam vel factam vel commixtam esse naturam, sed unum Deum, auctorem rerum omnium, bonam hominum non solum fecisse primum, sed etiam facere in unoquoque nascente naturam, cui tamen creatoris sui opitulationem ut multis modis utilem, ita etiam necessariam profitemur. Quamquam alia est conditionum ratio, alia donorum; nec hic maior operis quam opificis aestimatio vertitur. Ambo igitur, tu et Manichaeus, pariter malum naturale firmatis, id est ambo malam naturam hominum aeque dicitis, sed ille fidelius, tu fraudulentius. Huic enim malo, quod inspiratum a diabolo visceribus humanis pariter arbitramini, nullius ortum ille subducit, tu autem, ut videaris aliquo distare, quod nullum est, solos ab eo duos homines conaris eximere, quorum non tamen personas a peccato liberas, sed provectu eruditioris ingenii dicis in illis non fuisse naturale, quod per illos tamen naturale factum esse persuades. Ita, ne vel istic fraus impunita remaneret, furtum, quod magistro tuo feceras, stultitiae castigavit adiectio; nam credere naturale, quod fatearis de voluntate susceptum, non dico ineruditae, sed ebriae mentis inventum est. Verum hinc alias, nunc interim rem premamus. Affirmat ergo Manichaeus malum esse naturale, tu annuis; dicit peccata nasci, tu ita esse consentis; dicit malam naturam hominum, hoc quoque confirmas; dicit omnium prorsus, hic resistis atque illam primam duorum hominum copulam sequestrari petis, sane quod nec ipsos vindices a reatu, quin immo affirmes mali naturalis auctores. Id si et nos tibi indulgere possimus, tamen tuus non dabit magister, quin forte etiam ferulis in tardum animadvertet ingenium, ita ut tibi necesse sit aut auctoritati acquiescere aut scolas eius omni ex parte deserere. Colligit autem ad extremum et dicit naturae malae bonum auctorem esse non posse ac per hoc principis tenebrarum id est diaboli opus esse hominem, quem naturaliter malum ambo fatemini.
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.