I V. Retract, i. 7, § 6, where Augustin allows that this is doubt- ful, and that many have not even heard of it.
therefore to consider these animals, and others that it would be tedious to specify, more unclean than your lice; and yet you think it sinful to kill them, though it would be foolish not to kill the lice. Perhaps you hold the lice cheap because they are small. But if an animal is to be valued by its size, you must prefer a camel to a man.
64. Here we may use the gradation which often perplexed us when we were your fol- lowers. For if a flea may be killed on ac- count of its small size, so may the fly which is bred in beans. And if this, so also may one of a little larger size, for its size at birth is even less. Then again, a bee may be killed, for its young is no larger than a fly. So on to the young of a locust, and to a locust; and then to the young of a mouse, and to a mouse. And, to cut short, it is clear we may come at last to an elephant; so that one who thinks it no sin to kill a flea, because of its small size, must allow that it would be no sin in him to kill this huge creature. But I think enough has been said of these absurdities.
CHAP. 18. OF THE SYMBOL OF THE BREAST, AND OF THE SHAMEFUL MYSTERIES OF THE MANICH^ANS.
65. Lastly, there is the symbol of the breast, in which your very questionable chastity consists. For though you do not forbid sexual intercourse, you, as the apostle long ago said, forbid marriage in the proper sense, although this is the only good excuse for such intercourse. No doubt you will ex- claim against this, and will make it a reproach against us that you highly esteem and approve perfect chastity, but do not forbid marriage, because your followers — that is, those in the second grade among you — are allowed to have wives. After you have said this with great noise and heat, I will quietly ask. Is it not you who hold that begetting children, by which souls are confined in flesh, is a greater sin than cohabitation? Is it not you who used to counsel us to observe as much as possible the time when a woman, after her purification, is most likely to conceive, and to abstain from cohabitation at that time, lest the soul should be entangled in flesh? This proves that you approve of having a wife, not for the procreation of children, but for the gratification of passion. In marriage, as the marriage law declares, the man and woman come together for the procreation of children. Therefore whoever makes the procreation of children a greater sin tha« copulation, forbids marriage, and makes the woman not a wife, but a mistress, who for some gifts presented Chap. XIX.]
ON THE MORALS OF THE MANICH.'EANS.
87 to her is joined to the man to gratify his passion. Where there is a wife there must be marriage. But there is no marriage where motherhood is not in view; therefore neither is there a wife. In this way you forbid marriage. Nor can you defend yourselves successfully from this charge, long ago brought against you prophetically by the Holy Spirit.
66. Moreover, when you are so eager in your desire to prevent the soul from being confined in flesh by conjugal intercourse, and so eager in asserting that the soul is set free from seed by the food of the saints, do you not sanction, unhappy beings, the suspicion entertained about you? For why should it be true regarding corn and beans and lentils and other seeds, that when you eat them you wish to set free the soul, and not true of the seeds of animals? For what you say of the flesh of a dead animal, that it is unclean because there is no soul in it, cannot be said of the seed of the animal; for you hold that it keeps confined the soul which will appear in the offspring, and you avow that the soul of Manichasus himself is thus confined. And as your followers cannot bring these seeds to you for purification, who will not suspect that you make this purification secretly among yourselves, and hide it from your followers, incase they should leave you? ' If you do not these things, as it is to be hoped you do not, still you see how open to suspicion your superstition is, and how impossible it is to blame men for thinking what your own pro- fession suggests, when you maintain that you set free souls from bodies and from senses by eating and drinking. I wish to say no more about this: you see yourselves what room there is here for denunciation. But as the matter is one rather to repress than to invite remark, and also as throughout my dis- course my purpose appears of exaggerating nothing, and of keeping to bare facts and arguments, we shall pass on to other matters.
CHAP. 19. — CRIMES OF THE MANICH^ANS.
67. We see then, now, the nature of your three symbols. These are your customs. This is the end of your notable precepts, in which there is nothing sure, nothing steadfast, nothing consistent, nothing irreproachable, but all doubtful, or rather undoubtedly and entirely false, all contradictory, abominable, absurd. In a word, evil practices are de- tected in your customs so many and so serious, that one wishing to denounce them I [Compare what is said about the disffusting ceremonial of Ischas by Cyril of Jerusalem {Cni. vi.), Augustin (f/iu'r,s. xlvi.), Pope I.eo X. (.?(•;-;«. / '. de Jejuniis, X. Mens:.). These charges were probably unfounded, though they are not altogether out of harmony with the Manicheean principles. — A. H. N.]
all, if he were at all able to enlarge, would require at least a separate treatise for each. Were you to observe these, and to act up to your profession, no childishness, or folly, or absurdity would go beyond yours; and when you praise and teach these things without doing them, you display craft and deceit and malevolence equal to anything that can be described or imagined.
68. During nine full years that I attended you with great earnestness and assiduity, I could not hear of one of your elect who was not found transgressing these precepts, or at least was not suspected of doing so. Many were caught at wine and animal food, many at the baths; but this we only heard by report. Some were proved to have seduced other men's wives, so that in this case I could not douin the truth of the charge. But suppose this, too, a report rather than a fact. I myself saw, and not I only, but others who have either escaped from that superstition, or will, I hope, yet escape, — we saw, I say, in a square in Carthage, on a road much fre- quented, not one, but more than three of the elect walking behind us, and accosting some women with such indecent sounds and gestures as to outdo the boldness and insolence of all ordinary rascals. And it was clear that this was quite habitual, and that they behaved in this way to one another, for no one was deterred by the presence of a companion, — showing that most of them, if not all, were affected with this evil tendency. For they did not all come from one house, but lived in quite different places, and quite accidentally left together the place where they had met.
It was a great shock to us, and we lodged a complaint about it. But who thought of in- flicting punishment, — I say not by separation from the church, but even by severe rebuke in proportion to the heinousness of the of- fence?
69. All the excuse given for the impunity of those men was that, at that time, when their meetings were forbidden by law, it was feared that the persons suffering punishment might retaliate by giving information. What then of their assertion that they will always have persecution in this world, for which they suppose that they will be thought the more of? for this is the application they make of the words about the world hating them.'' And they will have it that truth must be sought for among them, because, in the promise of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, it is said that the world cannot receive Him.^ This is not the place to discuss this question. But clearly.
= John xv. 18.
3 John xiv. 17.
88 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
[Chap. XIX.
it you are always to be persecuted, even to the end of the world, there will be no end to this laxity, and to the unchecked spread of all this iinmorality, from your fear of giving offence to men of this character.
70. This answer was also given to us, when we reported to the very highest authorities that a woman had complained to us that in a meet- ing, where she was along with other women, not doubting of the sanctity of these people, some of the elect came in, and when one of them had put out the lamp, one, whom she could not distinguish, tried to embrace her, and would have forced her into sin, had she not escaped by crying out. How common must we conclude the practice to have been which led to the misdeed on this occasion! And this was done on the night when you keep the feast of vigils. Forsooth, besides the fear of information being given, no one could bring the olYender before the bishop, as he had so well guarded against being re- cognized. As if all who entered along with him were not implicated in the crime; for in their indecent merriment they all wished the lamp to be put out.
7 1. Then what wide doors were opened for suspicions, when we saw them full of envy, full of covetousness, full of greed for costly foods, constantly at strife, easily excited about trifles! We concluded that they were not competent to abstain from the things they professed to abstain from, if they found an opportunity in secret or in the dark. Tliere were two of sufficiently good character, of active minds, and leaders in their debates, with whom we had a more particular and intimate acquaintance than with the rest. One of them was much associated with us, because he was also engaged in liberal studies; he is said to be now an elder there. These two were very jealous of one another, and one accused the other — not openly, but in con- versation, as he had opportunity, and in whispers — of having made a criminal assault on the wife of one of the followers. He again, in clearing himself to us, brought the same charge against another of the elect, who lived with this follower as his most trusted friend. He had, going in suddenly, caught this man with the woman, and his enemv and rival had advised the woman and her paramour to raise this false report about him. that he might not be believed if he gave any information. We were much distressed, and took it greatly to heart, that although there was a doubt about the assault on the woman, the jealous feeling in those two men, than whom we found none better in the place, showed itself so keenly, and inevitably raised a sus- picion of other things.'
72. Another thing was, that we very often saw in theatres men belonging to the elect, men of years and, it was supposed, of char- acter, along with a hoary-headed elder We pass over the youths, whom we used to come upon quarrelling about the people connected with the stage and the races; from which we may safely conclude how they would be able to refrain in secret, w-hen they could not subdue the passion by which they were exposed in the eyes of their followers, bringing on them disgrace and flight. In the case of the saint, whose discussions we attended in the street of the fig-sellers, would his atrocious crime have been discovered if he had been able to make the- dedicated virgin his wife without making her pregnant? The swelling womb betrayed the secret and unthought-of iniquity. When her brother, a young man, heard of it from his mother, he felt keenly the injury, but refrained, from regard to religion, from a public accusation. He suc- ceeded in getting the man expelled from that church, for such conduct cannot always be tolerated; and that the crime might not be wholly unpunished, he arranged with some of his friends to have the man well beaten and kicked. When he was thus assailed, he cried out that they should spare him, from regard to the authority of the opinion of Manich.neus, that Adam the first hero had sinned, and was a greater saint after his sin.
73. This, in fact, is your notion about Adam and Eve.- It is a long story; but I will touch only on what concerns the present matter. You say that Adam was produced from his parents, the abortive princes of darkness; that he had in his soul the most part of light, and very little of the opposite race. So while he lived a holy life, on ac- count of the prevalence of good, still the opposite part in him was stirred up, so that he was led away into conjugal intercourse. Thus he fell and sinned, but afterwards lived in greater holiness. Now, my complaint is not so much about this wicked man, who, under the garb of an elect and holy man, brought such shame and reproach on a family of strangers by his shocking immorality. I do not charge you with this. Let it be attri- buted to the abandoned character of the man, ' and not to your habits. I blame the man for the atrocity, and not you. Still there is I "Doubtless Augustin exaggerates the immorality of the Mani- checans; but ihere must have been a considerable basis of fact for his charges. — A. H. N.]
= Compare the account from the Fi/trist, in our Tntroduction, Chapter ] 1 1. — A. H. N.]
I Chai<. XX.]
ON THE MORALS OF THE MANICH^ANS.
S9 this in you all that cannot, as far as I can see, be admitted or tolerated, that while you hold the soul to be part of God, you still maintain that the mixture of a little evil pre- vailed over the superior force and quantity of good. Who that believes this, when incited by passion, will not find here an excuse, instead of checking and controlling his passion?
CHAP. 20. DISGRACEFUL CONDUCT DISCOVERED AT ROME.
74. What more shall I say of your cus- toms? I have mentioned what I found my- self when I was in the city when the things were done. To go through all that happened at Rome in my absence would take a long time. I will, however, give a short account of it; for the matter became so notorious, that even the absent could not remain in ig- norance of it. And when I was afterwards in Rome, I ascertained the truth of all I had heard, although the story was told me by an eye-witness whom I knew so well and esteemed so highly, that I could not feel any doubt about it. One of your followers, then, quite equal to the elect in their far-famed absti- nence, for he was both liberally educated, and was in the habit of defending your sect with L^reat zeal, took it very ill that he had cast in :iis teeth the viie conduct of the elect, who lived in all kinds of places, and went hither and thither for lodging of the worst descrip- tion. He therefore desired, if possible, to assemble all who were willing to live accord- ing to the precepts into his own house, and to maintain them at his own expense; for he was above the average in carelessness as to -pending money, besides being above the average in the amount he had to spend. He complained that his efforts were hindered by the, remissness of the bishops, whose assist- ance he required for success. At last one of your bishops was found, — a man, as I know, very rude and unpolished, but somehow, from his very moroseness, the more inclined to strict observance of morality. The fol- tovver eagerly lays hold of this man as the l^erson he had long wished for and found at last, and relates his whole plan. He approves and assents, and agrees to be the first to take up his abode in the house. When this was done, all the elect who could be at Rome were assembled there. The rule of life in the epistle of Manichaeus was laid before them. Many thought it intolerable, and left; not a few felt ashamed, and stayed. They began to live as they had agreed, and as this high authority enjoined. The follower all the time was zealously enforcing everything on everybody, though never, in any case, what he did not undertake himself. Mean- while quarrels constantly arose among the elect. They charged one another with crimes, all which he lamented to hear, and managed to make them unintentionally expose one another in their altercations. The revela- tions were vile beyond description. Thus appeared the true character of those who were unlike the rest in being willing to bend to the yoke of the precepts. What then is to be suspected, or rather, concluded, of the others? To come to a close, they gathered together on one occasion and complained that they could not keep the regulations. Then came rebellion. The follower stated his case most concisely, that either all must be kept, or the man who had given such a sanction to such precepts, which no one could fulfill, must be thought a great fool. But, as was inevi- table, the wild clamor of the mob prevailed over the opinion of one man. The bishop himself gave way at last, and took to flight with great disgrace; and he was said to have got in provisions by stealth, contrary to rule, which were often discovered. He had a supply of money from his private purse, which he carefully kept concealed.
75. If you say these things are false, you contradict what is too clear and public. But you may say so if you like. For, as the things are certain, and easily known by those who wish to know them, those who deny that they are true show what their habit of telling the truth is. But you have other replies with which I do not find fault. For you either say that some do keep your precepts, and that they should not be mixed up with the guilty in condemning the others; or that the whole inquiry into the character of the mem- bers of your sect is wrong, for the question is of the character of the profession. Should I grant both of these (although you can neither point out those faithful observers of the precepts, nor clear your heresy of all those frivolities and iniquities), still I must insist on knowing why you heap reproaches on Christians of the Catholic name on seeing theTmmorai life of some, while you either have the effrontery to repel inquiry about your members, or the still greater effrontery not to repel it, wishing it to be understood that in your scanty membership there are some unknown individuals who keep the pvc- cepts they profess, but that among the multi- tudes in the Catholic Church there are none.
i( ST. AUGUSTIN: i( ST. AUGUSTIN: ON TWO SOULS, AGAINST THE MANICH/EANS.
[DE DUABUS ANIMABUS CONTRA MANICH^OS].
A.D. 391.
TRANSLATED BY PROFESSOR OF CHURCH HISTORY AND COMPARATIVE RELIGION, IN TORONTO BAPTIST (theological) COLLEGE, TORONTO, CANADA.
CONTENTS ON TWO SOULS AGAINST THE MANTCH.€ANS.
PAGE Chap. I. — By what course of reasoning the error of the Manichaeans concerning two souls, one of which is not from God, is refuted. Every soul, inasmuch as it is a certain life, can have its existence only from God, the source of life 95 ■Ai'. II. — If the light that is perceived by sense has God for its author, as the Manichaeans acknowl- edge, much more the soul which is perceived by intellect alone g5 lAP. III. — How it is proved that every body also is from God. That the soul which is called evil by the Manichaeans is better than light g6 (HAP. IV. — Even the soul of a fly is more excellent than the light 97 (HAP. V. — How vicious souls, however worthy of condemnation they may be, excel the light which is praiseworthy in its kind 97 i!AP. VI. — Whether even vices themselves as objects of intellectual apprehension are to be preferred to light as an object of sense perception, and are to be attributed to God as their author. Vice of the mind and certain defects are not rightly to be counted among intelligible things. Defects them- selves even if they should be counted among intelligible things, should never be put before sensible things. If light is visible by God, much more is the soul, even if vicious, which in so far as it lives is an intelligible thing. Passages of Scripture are adduced by the Manichxans to the contrary.. 98 I iiAP. VII. — How evil men are of God, and not of God 99 ' HAP. VIII. — The Manichaeans inquire whence is evil, and by this question think they have triumphed. Let them first know, which is most easy to do, that nothing can live without God. Consummate evil cannot be known except by the knowledge of consummate good, which is God 100 ( iiAP. IX. — Augustin deceived by familiarity with the Manichaeans, and by the succession of victories over ignorant Christians reported by them. The Manichasans are likewise easily refuted from the knowledge of sin and the will loi iAP. X. — Sin is only from the will. His own life and will best known to each individual. What will is. lOl iiAi'. XL— What sin is I03 '.'AP. XII. — From the definitions given of sin and will, he overthrows the entire heresy of the Manichceans. Likewise from the just condemnation of evil souls, it follows that they are evil not by nature but by will. That souls are good by nature, to which the pardon of sins is granted...104 fAP. XIII. — From deliberation of the evil and on the good part it results that two classes of souls are not to be held to. A class of souls enticing to shameful deeds having been conceded, it does not follow that these are evil by nature, that the others are supreme good 105 '< IIAP. XIV. —.\gain it is shown from the utility of repenting that souls are not by nature evil. So sure a demonstration is not contradicted except from the habit of erring 106 iiAP. XV. — He prays for his friends whom he has had as associates in error 107 CONCERNING TWO SOULS, AGAINST THE MANICH.EANS.
[DE DUABUS ANIMABUS CONTRA MANICH^OS.] A.D. 391.'
ONE BOOK.
CHAP. r. — BY WHAT COURSE OF REASONING THE ERROR OF THE MANICH^EANS CONCERNING TWO SOULS, ONE OF WHICH IS NOT FROM GOD, IS REFUTED. EVERY SOUL, INASMUCH AS IT IS A CERTAIN LIFE, CAN HAVE ITS EXISTENCE ONLY FROM GOD THE SOURCE OF LIFE.
I. Through the assisthig mercy of God, the snares of the Manichaeans having been broken to pieces and left behind, naving been re- stored at length to the bosom of the Catholic Church, I am disposed now at least to con- sider and to deplore my recent wretchedness. For there were many things that I ought to have done to prevent the seeds of the most true religion wholesomely implanted in me from boyhood, from being banished from my mind, having been uprooted by the error and fraud of false and deceitful men. For, in the first place, if I had soberly and dili- "intly considered, with prayerful and pious aiind, those two kinds of souls to which they attributed natures and properties so distinct ' Scarcely any one of hisearlier treatises was more unsatisfactory i'> Aujjustin in his later Anti-Pelagian years than that Conceruing Two Souls. In his Retractations. Book I., chapter,xv., he recognizes the rashness of some of his statements and points out the sense in which they are tenable or the reverse. As regards the occasion of the writing, the following may be quoted: " After this book [Oe Utilitate Crcdcndi^ I wrote, while still a presbyter, against the Manichaeans Concerning Two Soiiis, of which they say that one part is of God, the other from the race of darkness, which God did not found, and which is coeternal with God, and they rave about both these souls, the one good, the other evil, being in one man, saying forsooth that the evil soul on the one hand belongs to the flesh, which flesh also they say is of the race of darkness; but that the good soul is from the part of Clod that came forth, combated the race of darkness, and mingled with the latter; and they attribute all good things in man to that good soul, and all evil things to that evil soul." — A. H. N.
that they wished one to be regarded as of the very substance of God, but were not even will- ing that God should be accepted as the author of the other; perhaps it would have appeared to me, intent on learning, that there is no life whatsoever, which, by the very fact of its being life and in so far as it is life at all, does not pertain to the supreme source and begin- ning of life,= which we must acknowledge to be nothing else than the supreme and only and true God. Wherefore there is no reason why we should not confess, that those souls which the Manichaeans call evil are either de- void of life and so not souls, neither will any- thing positively or negatively, neither follow after nor flee from anything; or, if they live so that they can be souls, and "act as the Manichasans suppose, in no way do they live unless by life, and if it be an established fact, as it is, that Christ has said: " I am the life," 3 that all souls seeing that they cannot be souls except by living were created and fashioned by Christ, that is, by the Life, CHAP. 2. IF THE LIGHT THAT IS PERCEIVED I5Y SENSE HAS GOD FOR ITS AUTHOR, AS THE MANICH.EANS ACKNOWLEDGE, MUCH MORE THE SOUL WHICH IS PERCEIVED BY INTELLECT ALONE.