To Florus 6.8
He thinks, therefore, that praising those first humans—just two people—helps him maintain a distinction between Manichaeans and advocates of inherited sin. It is hard to encounter anything more outrageous or shameless than this opinion. Freedom of choice, he says, lost its strength once it began to exercise itself.
Let us turn to him and carefully investigate each point. You admit, do you not, that the first human was made with free will, created good by God, and polluted by no corruption of sin at the outset? Yet, though his original condition was innocent, he afterward transgressed voluntarily and imposed on everyone to be born from him an unavoidable compulsion to sin. This is certainly your doctrine, which we testify was drawn from Mani’s mud. For Mani also regards Adam’s own nature as naturally evil, although formed from the flower of the first substance and far better than those who followed.
Latin
Illorum ergo primorum hominum, id est, tantum duorum, opitulari sibi laudem arbitratur ad distinctionem inter Manichaeos et Traducianos tenendam; qua opinione haud facile quidquam vel eminentius, vel impudentius offendi potest. Libertas, inquit, arbitrii, postquam se uti coepit, vires suas perdidit. Et ut conversi ad eum, pedetentim omnia perscrutemur; confiteris nempe primum hominem effectum esse arbitrio libero, bonumque a Deo conditum, nulla ab exordio peccati tabe pollutum; sed conditionis innocuae sponte deinceps praevaricatum, coactionem inevitabilem cunctis ex se oriundis intulisse peccandi. Hoc certe est dogma vestrum, quod nos de Manichaei coeno testamur expressum, qui et ipsius Adae naturam, licet de primae concretam flore substantiae, multo meliorem secutis, tamen malam naturaliter opinatur.
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.