edge; who does not see, who does not shud- CHAP. 46. THE UNSPEAKABLE DOCTRINE OF over against the infernal races, and who with all foods); that when they are taken up by the alacrity and ease effect at the very moment Elect for the nourishment of the body in eatwhat they have planned. Therefore, when ing and drinking, it is loosed, sealed, and libreason demands that these same holy powers erated through their sanctity. Nor do the should appear to males, straightway also they wretches pay heed to the fact that this is beshow by their dress the likeness of most lieved about them not without good reason, beautiful maidens. Again when females are and they deny it in vain, so long as they do to be dealt with, putting aside the forms of not anathematize the books of Manichæus maidens, they show the forms of beardless and cease to be Manichæans. For if, as they youths. But by this handsome appearance say, a part of God is fettered in all seeds, and of theirs, ardor and lust increase, and in this is purged by eating on the part of the Elect; way the chain of their worst thoughts is who may not properly believe, that they do loosed, and the living soul which was held what they read in the Thesaurus was done by their members, relaxed by this occasion, among the powers of heaven and the princes escapes, and is mingled with its own most of darkness; since indeed they say that their pure air; when the souls thoroughly cleansed flesh is also from the race of darkness, and ascend to the bright ships, which have been since they do not hesitate to believe and to afprepared for conveying them and for ferrying firm that the vital substance fettered in them them over to their own country. But that is a part of God? Which assuredly if it is to which still bears the stains of the adverse be loosed, and purged by eating, as their race, descends little by little through billows lamentable error compels them to acknowland fires, and is mingled with trees and other plants and with all seeds, and is plunged into divers fires. And in what manner the figures of youths and maidens from that great and most glorious ship appear to the contrary powers which live in the heavens and have a fiery nature; and from that handsome appear- For they even say that Adam, the first man, ance, part of the life which is held in their was created by certain princes of darkness so members having been released is conducted that the light might be held by them lest it away through fires into the earth: in the same should escape. For in the epistle which they manner also, that most high power, which call Fundamental, Manichæus wrote as foldwells in the ship of vital waters appears in lows respecting the way in which the Prince of the likeness of youths and holy maidens to Darkness, whom they represent as the father those powers whose nature is cold and moist, of the first man, spoke to the rest of his allied and which are arranged in the heavens. And princes of darkness, and how he acted: indeed to those that are females, among these "Therefore with wicked inventions he said the form of youths appears, but to the males, to those present: What does this huge light the form of maidens. By his changing and that is rising seem to you to be? See how diversity of divine and most beautiful per- the pole moves, how it shakes most of the sons, the princes male and female of the powers. moist and cold race are loosed, and what is vital in them escapes; but whatever should remain, having been relaxed, is conducted into the earth through cold, and is mingled with all the races of darkness." Who can endure this? Who can believe, not indeed that it is true, but that it could even be said? Behold those who fear to anathematize Manichæus teaching these things, and do not fear to believe in a God doing them and suffering them! CHAP. 45.-CERTAIN UNSPEAKABLE TURPITUDES But they say, that through their own Elect that same commingled part and nature of God is purged, by eating and drinking forsooth, (because they say that it is held fettered in Wherefore it is right for me rather to ask you beforehand for whatever light you have in your powers: since thus I will form an image of that great one who has appeared in his glory, through which we may be able to rule, freed in some measure from the conversation of darkness. Hearing these things, and deliberating for a long time among themselves, they thought it most just to furnish what was demanded of them. For they did not have confidence in being able to retain the light that they had forever; hence they thought it better to offer it to their Prince, by no means without hope that in this way they would rule. It must be considered therefore how they furnished the light that they had. For this also is scattered throughout all the divine scriptures and the heavenly secrets; but to the wise it is easy enough to know how it was given: for it is known imme diately and openly by him who should truly by the authority of what writing they did these and faithfully wish to consider. Since there things, they betrayed this fact concerning was a promiscuous throng of those who had the Thesaurus that I have just mentioned. come together, females and males of course, But when this is cast in their teeth, they are he impelled them to copulate among them- in the habit of replying, that some enemy or selves: in which copulation the males emitted other has withdrawn from their number, that seed, the females were made pregnant. But is from the number of their Elect, and has the offspring were like those who had begot- made a schism, and has founded a most foul ten them, the first obtaining as it were the heresy of this kind. Whence it is manifest largest portion of the parents' strength. that even if they do not themselves practise Taking these as a special gift their Prince re- this thing, some who do practise it do it on joiced. And just as even now we see take the basis of their books. Therefore let them place, that the nature of evil taking thence reject the books, if they abhor the crime, strength forms the fashioner of bodies, so which they are compelled to commit, if they also the aforesaid Prince, taking the offspring hold to the books; or if they do not commit of his companions, which had the senses of them, they endeavor in opposition to the their parents, sagacity, light, procreated at books to live more purely. But what do they the same time with themselves in the process do when it is said to them, either purge the of generation, devoured them; and very many light from whatever seeds you can, so that powers having been taken from food of this you cannot refuse to do that which you assert kind, in which there was present not only that you do not do; or else anathematize fortitude, but much more astuteness and de- Manichæus, when he says that a part of God praved sensibilities from the ferocious race of the progenitors, he called his own spouse to himself, springing from the same stock as himself, emitted, like the rest, the abundance of evils that he had devoured, himself also adding something from his own thought and power, so that his disposition became the former and arranger of all the things that he had poured forth; whose consort received these things as soil cultivated in the best way is accustomed to receive seed. For in her were constructed and woven together the images of all heavenly and earthly powers, so that what was formed obtained the likeness, so to speak, of a full orb." CHAP. 47.—HE COMPELS TO THE PERPETRATION OF HORRIBLE TURPITUDES. is in all seeds, and that it is fettered by copulation, but that whatever of light, that is, of the aforesaid part of God, should become the food of the Elect, is purged by being eaten. Do you see what he compels you to believe, and do you still hesitate to anathematize him? What do they do, I say, when this is said to them? To what subterfuges do they betake themselves, when either so nefarious a doctrine is to be anathematized, or so nefarious a turpitude committed, in comparison with which all those intolerable evils to which I have already called attention, seem tolerable, namely, that they say of the nature of God that it was pressed by necessity to wage war, that it was either secure by everlasting ignorance, or was disturbed by everlasting grief and fear, when the corruption of commingling and the chain of everlasting damnation should come upon it, that finally as a result of the conflict it should be taken captive, oppressed, polluted, that after a false victory it should be fettered forever in a horrible sphere and separated from its original blessedness, while if considered in themselves they cannot be endured? O abominable monster! O execrable perdition and ruin of deluded souls! I am not speaking of the blasphemy of saying these things about the nature of God which is thus fettered. Let the wretches deluded and hunted by deadly error give heed to this at least, that if a part of their God is fettered by the copulation of males and females which they profess to loose and purge by eating it, the necessity of this unspeakable error com- CHAP. 48.-AUGUSTIN PRAYS THAT THE MANIpels them not only to loose and purge the part of God from bread and vegetables and fruits, which alone they are seen publicly to partake of, but also from that which might be fettered through copulation, if conception should take place. That they do this some are said to have confessed before a public tribunal, not only in Paphlagonia, but also in Gaul, as I heard in Rome from a certain Catholic Christian; and when they were asked CHEANS MAY BE RESTORED TO THEIR SENSES. O great is Thy patience, Lord, full of compassion and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, and true;' who makest Thy who sendest rain upon the just and the unsun to rise upon the good and the evil, and just; who willest not the death of the sinner, so much as that he return and live;3 who 1 Ps. ciii. 8. 2 Matt. v. 45. 3 Ezek. xxxiii. 11. reproving in parts, dost give place to repen- baptism, or through the sacrifice of a broken tance, that wickedness having been aban- spirit and a contrite and humbled heart,* in doned, they may believe on Thee, O Lord; the sorrow of repentance, they may deserve who by Thy patience dost lead to repentance, to receive the remission of their sins and blasalthough many according to the hardness of phemies, by which through ignorance they their heart and their impenitent heart treasure have offended Thee. For nothing is of any up for themselves wrath against the day of avail, save Thy surpassing mercy and power, wrath and of the revelation of Thy righteous and the truth of Thy baptism, and the keys judgment, who wilt render to every man ac- of the kingdom of heaven in Thy holy Church; cording to his works; who in the day when a so that we must not despair of men as long as by man shall have turned from his iniquity to Thy patience they live on this earth, who even Thy mercy and truth, wilt forget all his in- knowing how great an evil it is to think or to iquities: 3 stand before us, grant unto us that say such things about Thee, are detained in through our ministry, by which Thou hast that malign profession on account of the use been pleased to refute this execrable and too or the attainment of temporal or earthly conhorrible error, as many have already been lib- venience, if rebuked by Thy reproaches they erated, many also may be liberated, and in any way flee to Thy ineffable goodness, whether through the sacrament of Thy holy and prefer to all the enticements of the carnal life, the heavenly and eternal life. WRITINGS IN CONNECTION WITH THE DONATIST CONTROVERSY. TRANSLATED BY THE REV. J. R. KING, M.A., VICAR OF ST. peter's in the East, OXFORD; AND LATE FELLOW AND TUTOR OF MERTON COLLEGE, OXFORD. REVISED, WITH ADDITIONAL NOTES, BY THE REV. CHESTER D. HARTRANFT, D.D., PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, IN THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT HARTFORD, CONN. |