To Florus 5.35
What soundness! What elegance in a debater! ‘Evil arose in a human being,’ he says, ‘not because he was made by God, but because he was made from nothing’ (Augustine, Marriage and Desire 2.28.48). We have already shown the sharpness by which immense power is assigned to this nothing. Now I point out what the preceding debate also made clear: not even the first evil was undertaken by the sinner’s will if the condition of an origin from nothing required its birth.
Latin
O sanitatem, o elegantiam disputantis! Non ideo, inquit, malum exortum est in homine, quia a Deo factum est, sed ideo quia de nihilo [n71] . Ostendimus iam acumen, quo vis maxima huic nihilo subrogata est; nunc illud admoneo, quod etiam superior conflictus fecit intellegi, nec primum malum peccantis fuisse voluntate susceptum, si illud nasci conditio venientis de nihilo stirpis exegit.
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.