Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series • VOLUME 4
Augustine — Against the Manichaeans and Donatists
SECTION 121
17. Corresponding to this change in words is the change which naturally took place in the substitution of new sacraments instead of those of
17. Corresponding to this change in words is the change which naturally took place in the substitution of new sacraments instead of those of the Old Testament. In the case of the first Christians, who came to the faith as Jews, it was by degrees that they were brought to change their customs, and to have a clear perception of th…
2,381 wordsSECTION 12223. Thus, as regards murder, which was understood to mean merely the destruction of the body, by which a man is deprived of life, the Lord e
23. Thus, as regards murder, which was understood to mean merely the destruction of the body, by which a man is deprived of life, the Lord explained that every unjust disposition to injure our brother is a kind of murder. So John also says, "He that hateth his brother is a murderer." [702] And as it was thought that adultery mea…
2,520 wordsSECTION 12327. But, to explain the point in hand: If Christ, in adding the words, "But I say unto you," to the quotations He makes of ancient sayings,
27. But, to explain the point in hand: If Christ, in adding the words, "But I say unto you," to the quotations He makes of ancient sayings, neither fulfilled the law of primitive times by His additions, nor destroyed the law given to Moses by opposite precepts, but rather paid such deference to the Hebrew law in all the quotatio…
2,203 wordsSECTION 124Book XX.
[686] Rom. vi. 4. [687] 2 Tim. iii. 5. [688] 1 Tim. i. 5. [689] 1 Pet. iii. 21. [690] Rom. i. 17. [691] 2 Macc. vii. [692] John i. 14. [693] Gal. iii. 23. [694] Matt. xxvi. 28. [695] Gal. v. 2. [696] Gal. ii. 14. [697] Acts. xv. 6-11. [698] John i. 17. [699] Gal. v. 6. [700] Matt. v. 38, 39. [701] Matt. v. 27, 28.…
2,490 wordsSECTION 1258. It is difficult to understand how you have been taken with the absurd idea of placing the power of the Son in the sun, and His wisdom in
8. It is difficult to understand how you have been taken with the absurd idea of placing the power of the Son in the sun, and His wisdom in the moon. For, as the Son remains inseparably in the Father, His wisdom and power cannot be separated from one another, so that one should be in the sun and the other in the moon. Only mater…
3,096 wordsSECTION 12612. So, with regard to the Holy Spirit, how can you say that he is the third person, when the persons you mention are innumerable? Or why is
12. So, with regard to the Holy Spirit, how can you say that he is the third person, when the persons you mention are innumerable? Or why is he not Jesus himself? And why does Faustus mislead people, in trying to make out an agreement between himself and true Christians, from whom he differs only too widely, by saying, We worshi…
2,497 wordsSECTION 12719. It may be well that Faustus, or at least that those who are charmed with Faustus' writings, should know that the doctrine of a single pr
19. It may be well that Faustus, or at least that those who are charmed with Faustus' writings, should know that the doctrine of a single principle did not come to us from the Gentiles; for the belief in one true God, from whom every kind of nature is derived, is a part of the original truth retained among the Gentiles, notwiths…
2,899 wordsSECTION 128Book XXI.
------------------------ [735] 1 Tim. vi. 16. [736] 1 Cor. i. 24. [737] [The Manichæan doctrine of the Jesus patabilis is more fully expounded in this book than elsewhere. Of course, this is only a way of expressing the familiar Manichæan notion that the divine life which is imprisoned in the world and which is trying to esca…
2,417 wordsSECTION 1296. Looking at the flesh itself, do we not see in the construction of its vital parts, in the symmetry of form, in the position and arrangeme
6. Looking at the flesh itself, do we not see in the construction of its vital parts, in the symmetry of form, in the position and arrangement of the limbs of action and the organs of sensation, all acting in harmony; do we not see in the adjustment of measures, in the proportion of numbers, in the order of weights, the handiwor…
2,347 wordsSECTION 13011. Faustus has displayed his ingenuity, in the remarks to which I am now replying, by making for himself a long list of opposites--health a
11. Faustus has displayed his ingenuity, in the remarks to which I am now replying, by making for himself a long list of opposites--health and sickness, riches and poverty, white and black, cold and hot, sweet and bitter. We need not say much about black and white. Or, if there is a character for good or evil in colors, so that …
3,016 wordsSECTION 131Book XXII.
------------------------ [756] 2 Cor. iv. 4. [757] Rom. iii. 5. [758] Rom. ix. 14, 15, 22, 23. [759] Rom. i. 24, 25, 28. [760] John ix. 39. [761] Ps. xxxvi. 6. [762] Rom. xi. 33. [763] Ps. ci. 1. [764] Rom. xi. 17-24. [765] Jas. iv. 15. [766] Wisd. xi. 21. [767] Eph. v. 28, 29. [768] 1 Cor. xii. 1-26. [769] 2 Cor. …
2,414 wordsSECTION 13210. So, when darkness was over the deep, He who was light said, "Let there be light." From what light this light came is clear; for the word
10. So, when darkness was over the deep, He who was light said, "Let there be light." From what light this light came is clear; for the words are, "God said." What light is that which was made, is not so clear. For there has been a friendly discussion among students of the sacred Scriptures, whether God then made the light in th…
2,672 wordsSECTION 13318. If the Pagan, in the next place, were to find fault with both Testaments as attributing jealousy to God and Christ, he would only show h
18. If the Pagan, in the next place, were to find fault with both Testaments as attributing jealousy to God and Christ, he would only show his own ignorance of literature, or his forgetfulness. For though their philosophers distinguish between desire and passion, joy and gratification, caution and fear, gentleness and tender-hea…
1,765 wordsSECTION 13422. But supposing that there is some one so deluded by carnality as to worship not the God whom we worship, who is one and true, but the fic
22. But supposing that there is some one so deluded by carnality as to worship not the God whom we worship, who is one and true, but the fiction of your suspicions or your slanders, whom you say we worship, is not even this god better than yours? Observe, I beseech you, what must be plain to the feeblest understanding; for here …
2,318 wordsSECTION 13523. So also the patriarchs and prophets whom you cry out against are not the men whom we honor, but men whose characters are drawn from your
23. So also the patriarchs and prophets whom you cry out against are not the men whom we honor, but men whose characters are drawn from your fancy, prompted by ill-will. And yet even thus as you paint them, I will not be content with showing them to be superior to your elect, who keep all the precepts of Manichæus, but will prov…
2,383 wordsSECTION 13632. Abraham, indeed, cannot be defended, if, as Faustus says, he wished to get children by Hagar, because he had no faith in God, who promis
32. Abraham, indeed, cannot be defended, if, as Faustus says, he wished to get children by Hagar, because he had no faith in God, who promised that he should have children by Sara. But this is an entire mistake: this promise had not yet been made. Any one who reads the preceding chapters will find that Abraham had already got th…
2,313 wordsSECTION 13739. Again, when it is said that the Church is the sister of Christ, not by the mother but by the father, we learn the excellence of the rela
39. Again, when it is said that the Church is the sister of Christ, not by the mother but by the father, we learn the excellence of the relation, which is not of the temporary nature of earthly descent, but of divine grace, which is everlasting. By this grace we shall no longer be a race of mortals when we receive power to be ca…
2,388 wordsSECTION 13848. But those who have not the virtues of temperance must not be allowed to judge of the conduct of holy men, any more than those in fever o
48. But those who have not the virtues of temperance must not be allowed to judge of the conduct of holy men, any more than those in fever of the sweetness and wholesomeness of food. Nourishment must be provided not by the dictates of the sickly taste, but rather by the judgment and direction of health, so as to cure the sicknes…
2,356 wordsSECTION 13953. To this purpose it is written: "Thou hast desired wisdom; keep the commandments, and the Lord shall give it thee." [867] The commandment
53. To this purpose it is written: "Thou hast desired wisdom; keep the commandments, and the Lord shall give it thee." [867] The commandments are those concerning righteousness, and the righteousness is that which is by faith, surrounded with the uncertainty of temptations; so that understanding is the reward of a pious belief o…
2,321 wordsSECTION 14060. It should be added that Lot, the brother, that is the blood relation, of Abraham, is not to be ranked as equal to those of whom God says
60. It should be added that Lot, the brother, that is the blood relation, of Abraham, is not to be ranked as equal to those of whom God says, "I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob;" nor does he belong to those testified to in Scripture as having continued righteous to the end, although in Sodom he lived a pious and vi…
2,400 wordsSECTION 14167. It must have been on account of this inspection of the depths of David's heart by the Spirit of God that, when on being reproved by the
67. It must have been on account of this inspection of the depths of David's heart by the Spirit of God that, when on being reproved by the prophet, he said, I have sinned, he was considered worthy to be told, immediately after this brief confession, that he was pardoned--that is, that he was admitted to eternal salvation. For h…
2,449 wordsSECTION 14273. According to the eternal law, which requires the preservation of natural order, and forbids the transgression of it, some actions have a
73. According to the eternal law, which requires the preservation of natural order, and forbids the transgression of it, some actions have an indifferent character, so that men are blamed for presumption if they do them without being called upon, while they are deservedly praised for doing them when required. The act, the agent,…
2,320 wordsSECTION 14378. It is therefore mere groundless calumny to charge Moses with making war, for there would have been less harm in making war of his own ac
78. It is therefore mere groundless calumny to charge Moses with making war, for there would have been less harm in making war of his own accord, than in not doing it when God commanded him. And to dare to find fault with God Himself for giving such a command, or not to believe it possible that a just and good God did so, shows,…
2,463 wordsSECTION 14483. We have next to consider the prophetic significance of the action of Judah in lying with his daughter-in-law. But, for the sake of those
83. We have next to consider the prophetic significance of the action of Judah in lying with his daughter-in-law. But, for the sake of those whose understanding is feeble, we shall begin with observing, that in sacred Scripture evil actions are sometimes prophetic not of evil, but of good. Divine providence preserves throughout …
2,434 wordsSECTION 14588. Little need be said of Solomon, who is spoken of in Holy Scripture in terms of the strongest disapproval and condemnation, while nothing
88. Little need be said of Solomon, who is spoken of in Holy Scripture in terms of the strongest disapproval and condemnation, while nothing is said of his repentance and restoration to the divine favor. Nor can I find in his lamentable fall even a symbolical connection with anything good. Perhaps the strange women he lusted aft…
2,369 wordsSECTION 14694. Thus, when the very passages on which the heretics found their objections to the Scriptures are studied and examined, the more obscure t
94. Thus, when the very passages on which the heretics found their objections to the Scriptures are studied and examined, the more obscure they are the more wonderful are the secrets which we discover in reply to our questions; so that the mouths of blasphemers are completely stopped, and the evidence of the truth so stifles the…
2,201 wordsSECTION 147[814] Job ii. 10.
[814] Job ii. 10. [815] Rev. iii. 19. [816] 1 Cor. xi. 31, 32. [817] Acts xvii. 28. [818] 1 Cor. x. 20. [819] Gen. iv. 4. [820] Wisd. xiv. 15. [821] John xv. 1-3. [822] 2 Cor. xii. 7-9. [823] 1 Tim. i. 20. [824] John xix. 11. [825] 2 Thess. i. 5. [826] 1 Pet. iv. 17, 18. [827] 1 Pet. iii. 17. [828] 1 Cor. xii. 26. …
769 wordsSECTION 148Book XXIII.
Book XXIII. Faustus recurs to the genealogical difficulty and insists that even according to Matthew Jesus was not Son of God until His baptism. Augustin sets forth the Catholic view of the relation of the divine and the human in the person of Christ. 1. Faustus said: On one occasion, when addressing a large audience, I was as…
2,638 wordsSECTION 1499. We believe that Mary, as well as Joseph, was of the family of David, because we believe the Scriptures, which assert both that Christ was
9. We believe that Mary, as well as Joseph, was of the family of David, because we believe the Scriptures, which assert both that Christ was of the seed of David after the flesh, and that His mother was the Virgin Mary, He having no human father. Therefore, whoever denies the relationship of Mary to David, evidently opposes the …
969 wordsSECTION 150Book XXIV.
Book XXIV. Faustus explains the Manichæan denial that man was made by God as applying to the fleshly man not to the spiritual. Augustin elucidates the Apostle Paul's contrasts between flesh and spirit so as to exclude the Manichæan view. 1. Faustus said: We are asked the reason for our denial that man is made by God. But we do…
2,471 wordsSECTION 151Book XXV.
------------------------ [983] Rom. vi., vii.; 1 Cor. xv.; 2 Cor. iv.; Eph. iii., iv.; and Col. iii. [984] John iii. 3. [985] Gal. iv. 19. [986] Eph. iv. 22-24. [987] Col. iii. 9-11. [988] Gal. iii. 27, 28. [989] 1 Cor. iv. 15. [990] Gal. i. 15, 16. [991] 1 Cor. xii. 18. [992] 1 Cor. xv. 33-45. [993] Gen. ii. 7. [994…
1,180 wordsSECTION 152Book XXVI.
Book XXVI. Faustus insists that Jesus might have died though not born, by the exercise of divine power, yet he rejects birth and death alike. Augustin maintains that there are some things that even God cannot do, one of which is to die. He refutes the docetism of the Manichæans. 1. Faustus said: You ask, If Jesus was not born,…
2,362 wordsSECTION 1537. The question which Faustus makes it appear that he is asked by a Catholic, If Jesus was not born, how could He die? could be asked only b
7. The question which Faustus makes it appear that he is asked by a Catholic, If Jesus was not born, how could He die? could be asked only by one who overlooked the fact that Adam died, though he was not born. Who will venture to say that the Son of God could not, if He had pleased, have made for Himself a true human body in the…
886 wordsSECTION 154Book XXVII.
Book XXVII. Faustus warns against pressing too far the argument, that if Jesus was not born He cannot have suffered. Augustin accepts the birth and death alike on the testimony of the Gospel narrative, which is higher authority than the falsehood of Manichæus. 1. Faustus said: If Jesus was not born, He cannot have suffered; bu…
1,916 wordsSECTION 155Book XXIX.
Book XXIX. Faustus seeks to justify the docetism of the Manichæans. Augustin insists that there is nothing disgraceful in being born. 1. Faustus said: If Christ was visible, and suffered without having been born, this was sorcery. This argument of yours may be turned against you, by replying that it was sorcery if He was conce…
1,396 wordsSECTION 156Book XXX.
Book XXX. Faustus repels the insinuation that the prophecy of Paul with reference to those that should forbid to marry, abstain from meats, etc., applies to the Manichæans more than to the Catholic ascetics, who are held in the highest esteem in the Church. Augustin justifies this application of the prophecy, and shows the diff…
2,559 wordsSECTION 157Book XXXI.
------------------------ [1017] 1 Tim. iv. 1-3. [1018] Dan. i. 12. [1019] Dan. x. 2, 3. [1020] See the apocryphal book, Paul and Thecla. [1021] Matt. xix. 12. [1022] 1 Cor. vii. 5, 6. [1023] 1 Tim. iv. 3-5. [1024] 1 Cor. vii. 38. Book XXXI. The scripture passage: "To the pure all things are pure, but to the impure and …
1,490 wordsSECTION 158Book XXXII.
Book XXXII. Faustus fails to understand why he should be required either to accept or reject the New Testament as a whole, while the Catholics accept or reject the various parts of the Old Testament at pleasure. Augustin denies that the Catholics treat the Old Testament arbitrarily, and explains their attitude towards it. 1. F…
2,577 wordsSECTION 15910. To take, for example, this requirement on which Faustus ignorantly grounds his charge against the Old Testament, that a man should take
10. To take, for example, this requirement on which Faustus ignorantly grounds his charge against the Old Testament, that a man should take his brother's wife to raise up seed for his brother, to be called by his name; what does this prefigure, but that every preacher of the gospel should so labor in the Church as to raise up se…
2,544 wordsSECTION 16017. Further, what is said in the promise of the Paraclete shows that it cannot possibly refer to Manichæus, who came so many years after. Fo
17. Further, what is said in the promise of the Paraclete shows that it cannot possibly refer to Manichæus, who came so many years after. For it is distinctly said by John, that the Holy Spirit was to come immediately after the resurrection and ascension of the Lord: "For the Spirit was not yet given, because that Jesus was not …
2,200 wordsSource & rights
Historical text source: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The downloaded text itself records Public Domain.