To Florus 5.9
By both our practice and our speech, we testify that everyone must be reborn through baptism. But this benefit is not bestowed so that people seem to have been kidnapped from the devil’s rightful possession. Rather, those who are God’s works become God’s children; those born in a lowly condition, but not a guilty one, are reborn at great worth, but without a false accusation. Those who come forth from God’s institutions are advanced by God’s mysteries; those who bring nature’s works receive grace’s gifts. Their Lord, who made them good by creating them, makes them better by renewing and adopting them. You must therefore confess that it is rightly said that the natural sin Mani invented, which you call original sin with a change of name, has perished. Nor does the catholic faith handed down from ancient times believe it: that faith does not doubt that infants are made by God and that nothing evil is made by him. Consequently, it does not pronounce God’s works guilty or place them under the devil’s jurisdiction, through a prejudgment against nature, before they exercise free will.
Latin
Nos vero renasci omnes Baptismate debere, et opere nostro et sermone testamur; sed non ut huius impertitione beneficii, de iure videantur diaboli plagiati; verum ut qui sunt opera Dei, fiant pignora Dei; et qui nascuntur viliter, non tamen noxie, renascantur pretiose, non tamen calumniose; quique prodeunt ex institutis Dei, provehantur mysteriis Dei; et qui afferunt opera naturae, dona gratiae consequantur; ac Dominus suus qui eos fecit condendo bonos, faciat innovando adoptandoque meliores. Ergo iure dicitur, confitearis necesse est, naturale quod Manichaeus finxerat, sed tu nomine commutato originale vocas, interiisse peccatum. Nec hoc ea catholica fides credit antiquitus, quae non dubitat et parvulos a Deo fieri, et malum ab eo nihil fieri: ac per hoc opera Dei ante liberae voluntatis usum, naturae praeiudicio nec rea, nec sub diaboli iure constituit.
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.