Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series • VOLUME 1
Augustine — Confessions & Letters
SECTION 321
Letter CLVIII.
Letter CLVIII. (a.d. 414.) To My Lord Augustin, My Brother Partner in the Sacerdotal Office, Most Sincerely Loved, with Profound Respect, and to the Brethren Who are with Him, Evodius [2654] and the Brethren Who are with Him Send Greeting in the Lord. 1. I urgently beg you to send the reply due to my last letter. Indeed, I wo…
2,237 wordsSECTION 3228. This also I would ask: Supposing that the soul be discovered to have such a body as we speak of, does that body lack any of the senses? O
8. This also I would ask: Supposing that the soul be discovered to have such a body as we speak of, does that body lack any of the senses? Of course, if there cannot be imposed upon it any necessity for smelling, tasting, or touching, as I suppose will be the case, these senses will be wanting; but I hesitate as to the senses of…
1,752 wordsSECTION 323Letter CLIX.
Letter CLIX. (a.d. 415.) To Evodius, My Lord Most Blessed, My Venerable and Beloved Brother and Partner in the Priestly Office, and to the Brethren Who are with Him, Augustin and the Brethren Who are with Him Send Greeting in the Lord. 1. Our brother Barbarus, the bearer of this letter, is a servant of God, who has now for a …
1,692 wordsSECTION 324Letter CLXIII.
Letter CLXIII. (a.d. 414.) To Bishop Augustin, Bishop Evodius Sends Greeting. Some time ago I sent two questions to your Holiness; the first, which was sent, I think, by Jobinus, a servant in the nunnery, [2672] related to God and reason, and the second was in regard to the opinion that the body of the Saviour is capable of s…
2,411 wordsSECTION 3259. I know that some think that at the death of Christ a resurrection such as is promised to us at the end of the world was granted to the ri
9. I know that some think that at the death of Christ a resurrection such as is promised to us at the end of the world was granted to the righteous, founding this on the statement in Scripture that, in the earthquake by which at the moment of His death the rocks were rent and the graves were opened, many bodies of the saints aro…
2,260 wordsSECTION 32616. Those who have inferred from the words, "He preached to the spirits in prison," that Peter held the opinion which perplexes you, seem to
16. Those who have inferred from the words, "He preached to the spirits in prison," that Peter held the opinion which perplexes you, seem to me to have been drawn to this interpretation by imagining that the term "spirits" could not be applied to designate souls which were at that time still in the bodies of men, and which, bein…
2,205 wordsSECTION 327Letter CLXV.
[2692] John x. 1, 2. [2693] Baruch iii. 37. [2694] Rom. v. 12. [2695] John xiv. 30. [2696] Rom. viii. 3. [2697] Matt. viii. 22. [2698] Eph. v. 14. [2699] John v. 25. [2700] 1 Pet. iv. 6. [2701] 1 Pet. iv. 17. [2702] See paragraphs 19 and 20. Letter CLXV. (a.d. 410. [2703] ) To My Truly Pious Lords Marcellinus [2704]…
1,001 wordsSECTION 328Letter CLXVI.
Letter CLXVI. (a.d. 415.) A Treatise on the Origin of the Human Soul, Addressed to Jerome. [2713] Chap. I. 1. Unto our God, who hath called us unto His kingdom and glory, [2714] I have prayed, and pray now, that what I write to you, holy brother Jerome, asking your opinion in regard to things of which I am ignorant, may by H…
2,341 wordsSECTION 3297. Some years ago, when I wrote certain books concerning Free Will, which have gone forth into the hands of many, and are now in the possess
7. Some years ago, when I wrote certain books concerning Free Will, which have gone forth into the hands of many, and are now in the possession of very many readers, after referring to these four opinions as to the manner of the soul's incarnation,--(1) that all other souls are derived from the one which was given to the first m…
2,509 wordsSECTION 33014. As to the assertion that everything which has begun to exist in time is incapable of immortality, because all things which are born die,
14. As to the assertion that everything which has begun to exist in time is incapable of immortality, because all things which are born die, and all things which have grown decay through age, and the opinion which they affirm to follow necessarily from this, viz. that the soul of man must owe its immortality to its having been c…
2,623 wordsSECTION 331Chap. VIII.
Chap. VIII. 22. Are we perchance to say, in answer to this, that in the infant the body alone is the cause of sin; but that for each body a new soul is made, and that if this soul live according to the precepts of God, by the help of the grace of Christ, the reward of being made incorruptible may be secured for the body itself,…
2,281 wordsSECTION 332Letter CLXVII.
[2714] 1 Thess. ii. 12. [2715] 1 Tim. vi. 16. [2716] Matt. viii. 22. [2717] Rom. vii. 24, 25. [2718] We read pertinere, not pertinens. [2719] Job xiv. 4, 5, according to LXX. [2720] Jerome against Jovinian, Book ii. [2721] Jerome On Jonah, ch. iii. [2722] De Libero Arbitro, iii. 21. [2723] Letter CLXV. [2724] John v. 1…
2,260 wordsSECTION 3337. To avoid the necessity of again going over the same ground, let us take one case as an example, from which all others may be understood.
7. To avoid the necessity of again going over the same ground, let us take one case as an example, from which all others may be understood. Catiline, as those who have written concerning him had means of knowing, was capable of enduring cold, thirst, hunger, and patient in fastings, cold, and watchings beyond what any one could …
2,246 wordsSECTION 33415. To sum up generally and briefly the view which, so far as relates to holy living, I entertain concerning virtue,--virtue is the love wit
15. To sum up generally and briefly the view which, so far as relates to holy living, I entertain concerning virtue,--virtue is the love with which that which ought to be loved is loved. This is in some greater, in others less, and there are men in whom it does not exist at all; but in the absolute fulness which admits of no inc…
2,026 wordsSECTION 335Letter CLXIX.
Letter CLXIX. (a.d. 415.) Bishop Augustin to Bishop Evodius. Chap. I. 1. If acquaintance with the treatises which specially occupy me, and from which I am unwilling to be turned aside to anything else, is so highly valued by your Holiness, let some one be sent to copy them for you. For I have now finished several of those wh…
2,374 wordsSECTION 3368. Wherefore it behoves us, in reading any statements made concerning the Son of God, to observe in reference to which of these two natures
8. Wherefore it behoves us, in reading any statements made concerning the Son of God, to observe in reference to which of these two natures they are spoken. For by His assumption of the soul and body of a man, no increase was made in the number of Persons: the Trinity remained as before. For just as in every man, with the except…
1,943 wordsSECTION 337Letter CLXXII.
Letter CLXXII. (a.d. 416.) To Augustin, My Truly Pious Lord and Father, Worthy of My Utmost Affection and Veneration, Jerome Sends Greeting in Christ. 1. That honourable man, my brother, and your Excellency's son, the presbyter Orosius, I have, both on his own account and in obedience to your request, made welcome. But a most…
750 wordsSECTION 338Letter CLXXIII.
Letter CLXXIII. (a.d. 416.) To Donatus, a Presbyter of the Donatist Party, Augustin, a Bishop of the Catholic Church, Sends Greeting. 1. If you could see the sorrow of my heart and my concern for your salvation, you would perhaps take pity on your own soul, doing that which is pleasing to God, by giving heed to the word which…
2,294 wordsSECTION 3399. However, read all the rest and examine it well. Mark whether they have succeeded in proving any charge of evil brought against Cæcilianus
9. However, read all the rest and examine it well. Mark whether they have succeeded in proving any charge of evil brought against Cæcilianus himself, through whose person they attempted to compromise the position of the Church. Mark whether they have not rather brought forward much that was in his favour, and confirmed the evide…
901 wordsSECTION 340Letter CLXXX.
Letter CLXXX. (a.d. 416.) To Oceanus, His Deservedly Beloved Lord and Brother, Honoured Among the Members of Christ, Augustin Sends Greeting. 1. I received two letters from you at the same time, in one of which you mention a third, and state that you had sent it before the others. This letter I do not remember having received…
1,315 wordsSECTION 341Letter CLXXXVIII.
Letter CLXXXVIII. (a.d. 416.) To the Lady Juliana, Worthy to Be Honoured in Christ with the Service Due to Her Rank, Our Daughter Deservedly Distinguished, Alypius and Augustin Send Greeting in the Lord. Chap. I. 1. Lady, worthy to be honoured in Christ with the service due to your rank, and daughter deservedly distinguished…
2,471 wordsSECTION 342Chap. III.
Chap. III. 9. We indeed hold such an opinion concerning the training of this holy virgin, and the Christian humility in which she was nourished and brought up, as to be assured that when she read these words, if she did read, them, she would break out into lamentations, and humbly smite her breast, and perhaps burst into tears,…
1,533 wordsSECTION 343Letter CLXXXIX.
Letter CLXXXIX. (a.d. 418.) To Boniface, [2867] My Noble Lord and Justly Distinguished and Honourable Son, Augustin Sends Greeting in the Lord. 1. I had already written a reply to your Charity, but while I was waiting for an opportunity of forwarding the letter, my beloved son Faustus arrived here on his way to your Excellenc…
2,194 wordsSECTION 344Letter CXCI.
Letter CXCI. (a.d. 418.) To My Venerable Lord and Pious Brother and Co-Presbyter Sixtus, [2885] Worthy of Being Received in the Love of Christ, Augustin Sends Greeting in the Lord. 1. Since the arrival of the letter which, in my absence, your Grace forwarded by our holy brother the presbyter Firmus, and which I read on my ret…
982 wordsSECTION 345Letter CXCII.
Letter CXCII. (a.d. 418.) To My Venerable Lord and Highly Esteemed and Holy Brother, Cælestine, [2888] Augustin Sends Greeting in the Lord. 1. I was at a considerable distance from home when the letter of your Holiness addressed to me at Hippo arrived by the hands of the clerk Projectus. When I had returned home, and, having …
966 wordsSECTION 346Letter CCI.
Letter CCI. (a.d. 419.) The Emperors Honorius Augustus and Theodosius Augustus to Bishop Aurelius Send Greeting. 1. It had been indeed long ago decreed that Pelagius and Celestius, the authors of an execrable heresy, should, as pestilent corruptors of the Catholic truth, be expelled from the city of Rome, lest they should, by…
999 wordsSECTION 347Letter CCIII.
Letter CCIII. (a.d. 420.) To My Noble Lord and Most Excellent and Loving Son, Largus, Augustin Sends Greeting in the Lord. I received the letter of your Excellency, in which you ask me to write to you. This assuredly you would not have done unless you had esteemed acceptable and pleasant that which you suppose me capable of w…
2,106 wordsSECTION 348Letter CCIX.
Letter CCIX. (a.d. 423.) To Cælestine, [2910] My Lord Most Blessed, and Holy Father Venerated with All Due Affection, Augustin Sends Greeting in The Lord. 1. First of all I congratulate you that our Lord God has, as we have heard, established you in the illustrious chair which you occupy without any division among His people.…
2,268 wordsSECTION 349Letter CCX.
[2910] The successor of Boniface as Bishop of Rome. See note to Letter CXCII. For a summary of the arguments which may be used on both sides in regard to the genuineness of this letter, which is found in only one Ms., see Dupin's remarks upon it in his Ecclesiastical History, 5th century. [2911] Castellum. [2912] Translations …
915 wordsSECTION 350Letter CCXI.
Letter CCXI. (a.d. 423.) In This Letter Augustin Rebukes the Nuns of the Monastery in Which His Sister Had Been Prioress, for Certain Turbulent Manifestations of Dissatisfaction with Her Successor, and Lays Down General Rules for Their Guidance. [2922] 1. As severity is ready to punish the faults which it may discover, so cha…
2,256 wordsSECTION 35110. Let your apparel be in no wise conspicuous; and aspire to please others by your behaviour rather than by your attire. Let your head-dres
10. Let your apparel be in no wise conspicuous; and aspire to please others by your behaviour rather than by your attire. Let your head-dresses not be so thin as to let the nets below them be seen. Let your hair be worn wholly covered, and let it neither be carelessly dishevelled nor too scrupulously arranged when you go beyond …
2,319 wordsSECTION 352Letter CCXII.
15. Obey the prioress as a mother, giving her all due honour, that God may not be offended by your forgetting what you owe to her: still more is it incumbent on you to obey the presbyter who has charge of you all. To the prioress most specially belongs the responsibility of seeing that all these rules be observed, and that if an…
795 wordsSECTION 353Letter CCXIII.
Letter CCXIII. (September 26TH, a.d. 426.) Record, Prepared by St. Augustin, of the Proceedings on the Occasion of His Designating Eraclius to Succeed Him in the Episcopal Chair, and to Relieve Him Meanwhile in His Old Age of a Part of His Responsibilities. In the Church of Peace in the district of Hippo Regius, on the 26th d…
1,859 wordsSECTION 354Letter CCXVIII.
Letter CCXVIII. (a.d. 426.) To Palatinus, My Well-Beloved Lord and Son, Most Tenderly Longed For, Augustin Sends Greeting. 1. Your life of eminent fortitude and fruitfulness towards the Lord our God has brought to us great joy. For "you have made choice of instruction from your youth upwards, that you may still find wisdom ev…
1,052 wordsSECTION 355Letter CCXIX.
Letter CCXIX. (a.d. 436.) To Proculus and Cylinus, Brethren Most Beloved and Honourable, and Partners in the Sacerdotal Office, Augustin, Florentius, and Secundinus Send Greeting in the Lord. 1. When our son Leporius, whom for his obstinacy in error you had justly and fitly rebuked, came to us after he had been expelled by yo…
815 wordsSECTION 356Letter CCXX.
Letter CCXX. (a.d. 427.) To My Lord Boniface, [2963] My Son Commended to the Guardianship and Guidance of Divine Mercy, for Present and Eternal Salvation, Augustin Sends Greeting. 1. Never could I have found a more trustworthy man, nor one who could have more ready access to your ear when bearing a letter from me, than this s…
2,251 wordsSECTION 3579. You say to me, perhaps: In circumstances so difficult, what do you wish me to do? If you ask counsel of me in a worldly point of view how
9. You say to me, perhaps: In circumstances so difficult, what do you wish me to do? If you ask counsel of me in a worldly point of view how your safety in this transitory life may be secured, and the power and wealth belonging to you at present may be preserved or even increased, I know not what to answer you, for any counsel r…
1,290 wordsSECTION 358Letter CCXXVII.
Letter CCXXVII. (a.d. 428 or 429.) To the Aged Alypius, Augustin Sends Greeting. Brother Paulus has arrived here safely: he reports that the pains devoted to the business which engaged him have been rewarded with success; the Lord will grant that with these his trouble in that matter may terminate. He salutes you warmly, and …
2,209 wordsSECTION 3597. As for those, however, who flee not because they are deceived by an error, but because they have been overcome by fear, why do they not r
7. As for those, however, who flee not because they are deceived by an error, but because they have been overcome by fear, why do they not rather, by the compassion and help of the Lord bestowed on them, bravely fight against their fear, lest evils incomparably heavier and much more to be dreaded befall them? This victory over f…
2,452 wordsSECTION 360Letter CCXXIX.
14. Whoever, therefore, flees from danger in circumstances in which the Church is not deprived, through his flight, of necessary service, is doing that which the Lord has commanded or permitted. But the minister who flees when the consequence of his flight is the withdrawal from Christ's flock of that nourishment by which its sp…
913 wordsSource & rights
Historical text source: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The downloaded text itself records Public Domain.