Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series • VOLUME 4
Augustine — Against the Manichaeans and Donatists
SECTION 1
A SELECT LIBRARY
Title: NPNF1-04. Augustine: The Writings Against the Manichaeans and Against the Donatists Creator(s): Schaff, Philip (1819-1893) (Editor) Print Basis: New York: The Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1890 Rights: Public Domain CCEL Subjects: All; Proofed; Early Church LC Call no: BR60 LC Subjects: Christianity Early Christi…
778 wordsSECTION 2Chapter I.--Literature.
Chapter I.--Literature. I. Sources. The following bibliography of Manichæism is taken from Schaff's History of the Christian Church, vol. II. pp. 498-500 (new edition). Additions are indicated by brackets. 1. Oriental Sources: The most important, though of comparatively late date. (a) Mohammedan (Arabic): Kitâb al Fihrist. A…
1,550 wordsSECTION 3Chapter II.--Philosophical Basis, and Antecedents of Manichæism.
Chapter II.--Philosophical Basis, and Antecedents of Manichæism. "About 500 years before the commencement of the Christian era," writes Professor Monier Williams, [2] "a great stir seems to have taken place in Indo-Aryan, as in Grecian minds, and indeed in thinking minds everywhere throughout the then civilized world. Thus when…
1,227 wordsSECTION 4Chapter III.--The Manichæan System.
Chapter III.--The Manichæan System. Earlier writers on Manichæism have, for the most part, made the Acta Disp. Archelai et Manetis and the anti-Manichæan writings of Augustin the basis of their representations. For later Manichæism in the West, Augustin is beyond question the highest authority, and the various polemical treatis…
2,804 wordsSECTION 5Let us see if we can get at the meaning of this great cosmological poem as far as we have gone. The thing to be accounted for is the mixture
Let us see if we can get at the meaning of this great cosmological poem as far as we have gone. The thing to be accounted for is the mixture of good and evil. The complete separation of the eternally existent Kingdoms of Light and Darkness has been posited. How now are we to account for the mixture of light and darkness, of good…
2,482 wordsSECTION 6"As regards fasting, when the sun is in Sagittarius, and the moon has its full light, fasting is to take place for two days without interrup
"As regards fasting, when the sun is in Sagittarius, and the moon has its full light, fasting is to take place for two days without interruption, also when the new moon begins to appear; likewise when the moon first becomes visible again after the sun has entered into the sign of Capricorn; then when the new moon begins to appea…
1,356 wordsSECTION 7Chapter IV.--Relation of Manichæism to Zoroastrianism.
Chapter IV.--Relation of Manichæism to Zoroastrianism. The very close connection of these two systems has commonly been presupposed, and is undeniable. In fact Manichæism has frequently been represented as Zoroastrian dualism, slightly modified by contact with Christianity and other systems. No one could possibly gain even a su…
1,645 wordsSECTION 8Chapter V.--The Relation of Manichæism to the Old Babylonian Religion as Seen in Mandæism and Sabeanism.
Chapter V.--The Relation of Manichæism to the Old Babylonian Religion as Seen in Mandæism and Sabeanism. It would have been strange indeed if the old Babylonian religion, after dominating the minds of the inhabitants of Mesopotamia for so many centuries, had given place completely to the religion of the Medo-Persian conquerors …
811 wordsSECTION 9Chapter VI.-- The Relation of Manichæism to Buddhism.
Chapter VI.-- The Relation of Manichæism to Buddhism. The extent of Mani's dependence on Buddhism is a matter that has been much disputed. The attention of scholars was first directed to this possible source of Manichæism by the discovery of important features that are radically opposed to Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christiani…
1,049 wordsSECTION 10Chapter VII.--The Relation of Manichæism to Judaism.
Chapter VII.--The Relation of Manichæism to Judaism. So far as a relation existed it was one of the intensest hostility. Like the Gnostics in general, Manichæism looked upon the God of the Old Testament as an evil, or at least imperfect being. On this matter we do not learn so much from the Oriental as from the Western sources,…
2,396 wordsSECTION 11Chapter IX.--Augustin and the Manichæans.
[14] Encyclopædia Britannica, art. Manichæism. Chapter IX.--Augustin and the Manichæans. In the preceding Chapter we have given in Augustin's own words some account of the process by which he became ensnared in Manichæan error. In reading Augustin's account of his experience among the Manichæans, we can not escape the convicti…
2,432 wordsSECTION 12Chapter X.--Outline of Manichæan History. [19]
Yet with all the defects of Augustin's polemics against the Manichæans, they seem to have been adapted to the needs of the time. Well does Canon Mozley declare Augustin to have been "the most marvellous controversial phenomenon which the whole history of the Church from first to last presents.... Armed with superabundant facilit…
816 wordsSECTION 13Preface to the Anti-Manichæan Writings.
Preface to the Anti-Manichæan Writings. ------------------------ No reader of the accompanying volume can be expected to take a very lively interest in its contents, unless he has before his mind some facts regarding the extraordinary genius to whom the heresy of Manichæism owes its origin and its name. His history is involved…
2,203 wordsSECTION 14Twelve years after this, a similar disputation was held between Augustin and one of the elect among the Manichæans, who had come to Hippo to
Twelve years after this, a similar disputation was held between Augustin and one of the elect among the Manichæans, who had come to Hippo to propagate his religion. This man, Felix, is described by Augustin [41] as being ill-educated, but more adroit and subtle than Fortunatus. After a keen discussion, which occupied two days, t…
1,682 wordsSECTION 15St. AUGUSTIN:
St. AUGUSTIN: on the morals of the catholic church. [de moribus ecclesiæ catholicæ]. A.D. 388. translated by the rev. richard stothert, m.a., bombay Of the Morals of the Catholic Church. [46] [De Moribus Ecclesiæ Catholicæ]. a.d. 388. It is laid down at the outset that the customs of the holy life of the Church should …
783 wordsSECTION 16Chapter 2.--He Begins with Arguments, in Compliance with the Mistaken Method of the Manichæans.
Chapter 2.--He Begins with Arguments, in Compliance with the Mistaken Method of the Manichæans. 3. Where, then, shall I begin? With authority, or with reasoning? In the order of nature, when we learn anything, authority precedes reasoning. For a reason may seem weak, when, after it is given, it requires authority to confirm it.…
1,040 wordsSECTION 17Chapter 5.--Man's Chief Good is Not the Chief Good of the Body Only, But the Chief Good of the Soul.
Chapter 5.--Man's Chief Good is Not the Chief Good of the Body Only, But the Chief Good of the Soul. 7. Now if we ask what is the chief good of the body, reason obliges us to admit that it is that by means of which the body comes to be in its best state. But of all the things which invigorate the body, there is nothing better o…
1,048 wordsSECTION 18Chapter 7.--The Knowledge of God to Be Obtained from the Scripture. The Plan and Principal Mysteries of the Divine Scheme of Redemption.
Chapter 7.--The Knowledge of God to Be Obtained from the Scripture. The Plan and Principal Mysteries of the Divine Scheme of Redemption. 11. But how can we follow after Him whom we do not see? or how can we see Him, we who are not only men, but also men of weak understanding? For though God is seen not with the eyes but with th…
770 wordsSECTION 19Chapter 9.--Harmony of the Old and New Testament on the Precepts of Charity. [51]
Chapter 9.--Harmony of the Old and New Testament on the Precepts of Charity. [51] 14. Come now, let us examine, or rather let us take notice,--for it is obvious and can be seen, at once,--whether the authority of the Old Testament too agrees with those statements taken from the gospel and the apostle. What need to speak of the …
867 wordsSECTION 20Chapter 10.--What the Church Teaches About God. The Two Gods of the Manichæans.
Chapter 10.--What the Church Teaches About God. The Two Gods of the Manichæans. 16. Will you say that you grant that we are bound to love God, but not the God worshipped by those who acknowledge the authority of the Old Testament? In that case you refuse to worship the God who made heaven and earth, for this is the God set fort…
779 wordsSECTION 21Chapter 11.--God is the One Object of Love; Therefore He is Man's Chief Good. Nothing is Better Than God. God Cannot Be Lost Against Our Will.
Chapter 11.--God is the One Object of Love; Therefore He is Man's Chief Good. Nothing is Better Than God. God Cannot Be Lost Against Our Will. 18. Following after God is the desire of happiness; to reach God is happiness itself. We follow after God by loving Him; we reach Him, not by becoming entirely what He is, but in nearnes…
1,163 wordsSECTION 22Chapter 13.--We are Joined Inseparably to God by Christ and His Spirit.
Chapter 13.--We are Joined Inseparably to God by Christ and His Spirit. 22. Let this same Paul tell us who is this Christ Jesus our Lord. "To them that are called," he says, "we preach Christ the virtue of God, and the wisdom of God." [58] And does not Christ Himself say, "I am the truth?" [59] If, then, we ask what it is to li…
905 wordsSECTION 23Chapter 16.--Harmony of the Old and New Testaments.
Chapter 16.--Harmony of the Old and New Testaments. 26. I will briefly set forth the manner of life according to these virtues, one by one, after I have brought forward, as I promised, passages from the Old Testament parallel to those I have been quoting from the New Testament. For is Paul alone in saying that we should be join…
1,136 wordsSECTION 24Chapter 17.--Appeal to the Manichæans, Calling on Them to Repent.
Chapter 17.--Appeal to the Manichæans, Calling on Them to Repent. 30. What more do you wish? Why do you resist ignorantly and obstinately? Why do you pervert untutored minds by your mischievous teaching? The God of both Testaments is one. For as there is an agreement in the passages quoted from both, so is there in all the rest…
778 wordsSECTION 25Chapter 18.--Only in the Catholic Church is Perfect Truth Established on the Harmony of Both Testaments.
Chapter 18.--Only in the Catholic Church is Perfect Truth Established on the Harmony of Both Testaments. 33. I could, according to the little ability I have, take up the points separately, and could expound and prove the truths I have learned, which are generally more excellent and lofty than words can express; but this cannot …
1,082 wordsSECTION 26Chapter 20.--We are Required to Despise All Sensible Things, and to Love God Alone.
Chapter 20.--We are Required to Despise All Sensible Things, and to Love God Alone. 37. Bodily delights have their source in all those things with which the bodily sense comes in contact, and which are by some called the objects of sense; and among these the noblest is light, in the common meaning of the word, because among our…
1,002 wordsSECTION 27Chapter 22.--Fortitude Comes from the Love of God.
Chapter 22.--Fortitude Comes from the Love of God. 40. On fortitude we must be brief. The love, then, of which we speak, which ought with all sanctity to burn in desire for God, is called temperance, in not seeking for earthly things, and fortitude in bearing the loss of them. But among all things which are possessed in this li…
951 wordsSECTION 28Chapter 24.--Of Justice and Prudence.
Chapter 24.--Of Justice and Prudence. 44. What of justice that pertains to God? As the Lord says, "Ye cannot serve two masters," [117] and the apostle denounces those who serve the creature rather than the Creator, [118] was it not said before in the Old Testament, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou s…
957 wordsSECTION 29Chapter 26.--Love of Ourselves and of Our Neighbor.
Chapter 26.--Love of Ourselves and of Our Neighbor. 48. To proceed to what remains. It may be thought that there is nothing here about man himself, the lover. But to think this, shows a want of clear perception. For it is impossible for one who loves God not to love himself. For he alone has a proper love for himself who aims d…
732 wordsSECTION 30Chapter 27.--On Doing Good to the Body of Our Neighbor.
Chapter 27.--On Doing Good to the Body of Our Neighbor. 52. Man, then, as viewed by his fellow-man, is a rational soul with a mortal and earthly body in its service. Therefore he who loves his neighbor does good partly to the man's body, and partly to his soul. What benefits the body is called medicine; what benefits the soul, …
1,399 wordsSECTION 31Chapter 29.--Of the Authority of the Scriptures.
Chapter 29.--Of the Authority of the Scriptures. 59. Attend, then, ye Manichæans, if perchance there are some of you of whom your superstition has hold so as to allow you yet to escape. Attend, I say, without obstinacy, without the desire to oppose, otherwise your decision will be fatal to yourselves. No one can doubt, and you …
1,960 wordsSECTION 32Chapter 31.--The Life of the Anachoretes and Coenobites Set Against the Continence of the Manichæans.
Chapter 31.--The Life of the Anachoretes and Coenobites Set Against the Continence of the Manichæans. 65. What must we think is seen by those who can live without seeing their fellow-creatures, though not without loving them? It must be something transcending human things in contemplating which man can live without seeing his f…
1,108 wordsSECTION 33Chapter 32.--Praise of the Clergy.
Chapter 32.--Praise of the Clergy. 69. There is not, however, such narrowness in the moral excellence of the Catholic Church as that I should limit my praise of it to the life of those here mentioned. For how many bishops have I known most excellent and holy men, how many presbyters, how many deacons, and ministers of all kinds…
1,398 wordsSECTION 34Chapter 34.--The Church is Not to Be Blamed for the Conduct of Bad Christians, Worshippers of Tombs and Pictures.
Chapter 34.--The Church is Not to Be Blamed for the Conduct of Bad Christians, Worshippers of Tombs and Pictures. 74. Make objections against these, ye Manichæans, if you can. Look at these people, and speak of them reproachfully, if you dare, without falsehood. Compare their fasts with your fasts, their chastity with yours; co…
1,866 wordsSECTION 35St. AUGUSTIN:
St. AUGUSTIN: on the morals of the manichæans. [de moribus manichæorum]. A.D. 388. translated by the rev. richard stothert, m.a., bombay On the Morals of the Manichæans. [De Moribus Manichæorum.] a.d. 388. Containing a particular refutation of the doctrine of these heretics regarding the origin and nature of evil; an e…
1,078 wordsSECTION 36Chapter 3.--If Evil is Defined as that Which is Hurtful, This Implies Another Refutation of the Manichæans.
Chapter 3.--If Evil is Defined as that Which is Hurtful, This Implies Another Refutation of the Manichæans. 5. Let us then inquire more carefully, and, if possible, more plainly. I ask you again, What is evil? If you say it is that which is hurtful, here, too, you will not answer amiss. But consider, I pray you; be on your guar…
914 wordsSECTION 37Chapter 6.--What Corruption Affects and What It is.
Chapter 6.--What Corruption Affects and What It is. 8. What further does the Catholic light say? What do you suppose, but what is the actual truth, that it is the created substance which can be corrupted, for the uncreated, which is the chief good, is incorruptible; and corruption, which is the chief evil, cannot be corrupted; …
911 wordsSECTION 38Chapter 8.--Evil is Not a Substance, But a Disagreement Hostile to Substance.
Chapter 8.--Evil is Not a Substance, But a Disagreement Hostile to Substance. 11. For what other answer will you give to the question, What is evil? but either that it is against nature, or that it is hurtful, or that it is corruption, or something similar? But I have shown that in these replies you make shipwreck of your cause…
1,001 wordsSECTION 39Chapter 9.--The Manichæan Fictions About Things Good and Evil are Not Consistent with Themselves.
Chapter 9.--The Manichæan Fictions About Things Good and Evil are Not Consistent with Themselves. 14. I have said these things to make you cease, if that is possible, giving the name of evil to a region boundless in depth and length; to a mind wandering through the region; to the five caverns of the elements,--one full of darkn…
1,246 wordsSECTION 40Chapter 10.--Three Moral Symbols Devised by the Manichæans for No Good.
Chapter 10.--Three Moral Symbols Devised by the Manichæans for No Good. 19. Now that I have shown, as I think, how much darkness and error is in your opinions about good and evil things in general, let us examine now those three symbols which you extol so highly, and boast of as excellent observances. What then are those three …
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Historical text source: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The downloaded text itself records Public Domain.