To Florus 5.44
I point out, however, that in your writings you too habitually say darkness is not a creature, but that obscurity remains through the absence of light: darkening is nothing other than the exclusion of brightness. What is excluded you call a creature; what remains you call darkness. This view is indeed widespread among philosophers. I am not now asking whether it should be regarded as true or false. I press this point: you say darkness is nothing other than nothing. Yet you argue that evil arose in a human being, God’s work, because he was made from nothing. You therefore affirm that this nothing was evil’s cause, and you also call this nothing darkness. You thus say the necessity of evil descends from the condition of darkness. Even in this you do not differ from your teacher, since both of you attribute an evil will to eternal darkness.
Latin
Illud tamen admoneo, solere etiam te in scriptis tuis tenebras non dicere creaturam, sed absentia luminis remanere obscuritatem; ut nihil aliud sit obtenebratio, quam splendoris exclusio. Quod ergo excluditur, creaturam vocas; quod remanet, tenebras; quod quidem vulgatum a philosophis est; nec nunc quaero verumne esse putetur, an falsum; sed illud inculco, tenebras tu non dicis esse aliud quam nihil; in homine autem, id est, opere Dei malum ideo exstitisse argumentaris, quia de nihilo factus erat; causam ergo mali illud nihilum fuisse confirmas, quod nihilum tenebras etiam pronuntias. Necessitatem itaque mali de tenebrarum dicis conditione descendere. Igitur nec in hoc a praeceptore dissentis, quoniam voluntatem malam pariter aeternis tenebris deputatis.
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.