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Augustine of Hippo, A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians. — Book I
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by aurelius augustin, bishop of hippo
Chapter 1.—Introduction: Address to Boniface.
Chapter 2.—Why Heretical Writings Must Be Answered.
Chapter 3.—Why He Addresses His Book to Boniface.
Chapter 5.—Free Choice Did Not Perish With Adam ’s Sin. What Freedom Did Perish.
Chapter 6 [III.]—Grace is Not Given According to Merits.
Chapter 7.—He Concludes that He Does Not Deprive the Wicked of Free Will.
Chapter 8 [IV.]—The Pelagians Demolish Free Will.
Chapter 9 [V.]—Another Calumny of Julian,—That “It is Said that Marriage is Not Appointed by God.”
Chapter 10—The Third Calumny,—The Assertion that Conjugal Intercourse is Condemned.
Chapter 11 [VI.]—The Purpose of the Pelagians in Praising the Innocence of Conjugal Intercourse.
Chapter 15 [IX.]—He Sins in Will Who is Only Deterred from Sinning by Fear.
Chapter 16.—How Sin Died, and How It Revived.
Chapter 17 [X.]—“The Law is Spiritual, But I Am Carnal,” To Be Understood of Paul.
Chapter 18.—How the Apostle Said that He Did the Evil that He Would Not.
Chapter 19.—What It is to Accomplish What is Good.
Chapter 20.—In Me, that Is, in My Flesh.
Chapter 21.—No Condemnation in Christ Jesus.
Chapter 22.—Why the Passage Referred to Must Be Understood of a Man Established Under Grace.
Chapter 23 [XI.]—What It is to Be Delivered from the Body of This Death.
Chapter 25 [XII.]—The Sixth Calumny,—That Augustin Asserts that Even Christ Was Not Free from Sins.
Chapter 27.—In What Sense Lust is Called Sin in the Regenerate.
Chapter 28 [XIV.]—Many Without Crime, None Without Sin.
Chapter 30.—Secondly, of Marriage.
Chapter 31.—Thirdly, of Conjugal Intercourse.
Chapter 32 [XVI.]—The Aprons Which Adam and Eve Wore.
Chapter 33.—The Shame of Nakedness.
Chapter 34 [XVII.]—Whether There Could Be Sensual Appetite in Paradise Before the Fall.
Chapter 37 [XIX.]—The Beginning of a Good Will is the Gift of Grace.
Chapter 38 [XX.]—The Power of God’s Grace is Proved.
Chapter 39 [XXI.]—Julian’s Fifth Objection Concerning the Saints of the Old Testament.
Chapter 41 [XXIII.]—The Seventh Objection, of the Effect of Baptism.
Chapter 42 [XXIV.]—He Rebuts the Conclusion of Julian’s Letter.
Chapter 1.—Introduction The Pelagians Impeach Catholics as Manicheans.
Chapter 3.—How Far the Manicheans and Pelagians are Joined in Error How Far They are Separated.
Chapter 4.—The Two Contrary Errors.
Chapter 5 [III.]—The Calumny of the Pelagians Against the Clergy of the Roman Church.
Chapter 6 [IV.]—What Was Done in the Case of Cœlestius and Zosimus.
Chapter 7.—He Suggests a Dilemma to Cœlestius.
Chapter 8.—The Catholic Faith Concerning Infants.
Chapter 9 [V.]—He Replies to the Calumnies of the Pelagians.
Chapter 10.—Why the Pelagians Falsely Accuse Catholics of Maintaining Fate Under the Name of Grace.
Chapter 11 [VI.]—The Accusation of Fate is Thrown Back Upon the Adversaries.
Chapter 12.—What is Meant Under the Name of Fate.
Chapter 13 [VII.]—He Repels the Calumny Concerning the Acceptance of Persons.
Chapter 14.—He Illustrates His Argument by an Example.
Chapter 15.—The Apostle Meets the Question by Leaving It Unsolved.
Chapter 18.—The Desire of Good is God’s Gift.
Chapter 19 [IX.]—He Interprets the Scriptures Which the Pelagians Make Ill Use of.
Chapter 20.—God’s Agency is Needful Even in Man’s Doings.
Chapter 21.—Man Does No Good Thing Which God Does Not Cause Him to Do.
Chapter 22 [X.]—According to Whose Purpose the Elect are Called.
Chapter 23.—Nothing is Commanded to Man Which is Not Given by God.
Chapter 2 [II.]—The Misrepresentation of the Pelagians Concerning the Use of the Old Law.
Chapter 3.—Scriptural Confirmation of the Catholic Doctrine.
Chapter 4 [III.]—Misrepresentation Concerning the Effect of Baptism.
Chapter 5.—Baptism Puts Away All Sins, But It Does Not at Once Heal All Infirmities.
Chapter 6 [IV.]—The Calumny Concerning the Old Testament and the Righteous Men of Old.
Chapter 7.—The New Testament is More Ancient Than the Old But It Was Subsequently Revealed.
Chapter 8.—All Righteous Men Before and After Abraham are Children of the Promise and of Grace.
Chapter 9.—Who are the Children of the Old Covenant.
Chapter 10.—The Old Law Also Given by God.
Chapter 11.—Distinction Between the Children of the Old and of the New Testaments.
Chapter 12.—The Old Testament is Properly One Thing—The Old Instrument Another.
Chapter 13.—Why One of the Covenants is Called Old, the Other New.
Chapter 14 [V.]—Calumny Concerning the Righteousness of the Prophets and Apostles.
Chapter 15.—The Perfection of Apostles and Prophets.
Chapter 16 [VI.]—Misrepresentation Concerning Sin in Christ.
Chapter 17 [VII.]—Their Calumny About the Fulfilment of Precepts in the Life to Come.
Chapter 18.—Perfection of Righteousness and Full Security Was Not Even in Paul in This Life.
Chapter 19.—In What Sense the Righteousness of Man in This Life is Said to Be Perfect.
Chapter 20.—Why the Righteousness Which is of the Law is Valued Slightly by Paul.
Chapter 21.—That Righteousness is Never Perfected in This Life.
Chapter 22.—Nature of Human Righteousness and Perfection.
Chapter 23.—There is No True Righteousness Without the Faith of the Grace of Christ.
Chapter 24 [VIII.]—There are Three Principal Heads in the Pelagian Heresy.
Chapter 1 [I.]—The Subterfuges of the Pelagians are Five.
Chapter 2 [II.]—The Praise of the Creature.
Chapter 4 [IV.]—Pelagians and Manicheans on the Praise of the Creature.
Chapter 5.—What is the Special Advantage in the Pelagian Opinions?
Chapter 6.—Not Death Alone, But Sin Also Has Passed into Us by Means of Adam.
Chapter 7.—What is the Meaning of “In Whom All Have Sinned”?
Chapter 8.—Death Passed Upon All by Sin.
Chapter 9 [V.]—Of the Praise of Marriage.
Chapter 10.—Of the Praise of the Law.
Chapter 11.—The Pelagians Understand that the Law Itself is God’s Grace.
Chapter 12 [VI.]—Of the Praise of Free Will.
Chapter 13.—God’s Purposes are Effects of Grace.
Chapter 14.—The Testimonies of Scripture in Favour of Grace.
Chapter 15.—From Such Scriptures Grace is Proved to Be Gratuitous and Effectual.
Chapter 16.—Why God Makes of Some Sheep, Others Not.
Chapter 17 [VII.]—Of the Praise of the Saints.
Chapter 18.—The Opinion of the Saints Themselves About Themselves.
Chapter 19.—The Craft of the Pelagians.
Chapter 20 [VIII.]—The Testimonies of the Ancients Against the Pelagians.
Chapter 21.—Pelagius, in Imitation of Cyprian, Wrote a Book of Testimonies.
Chapter 22.—Further References to Cyprian.
Chapter 23.—Further References to Cyprian.
Chapter 24.—The Dilemma Proposed to the Pelagians.
Chapter 25 [IX.]—Cyprian’s Testimonies Concerning God’s Grace.
Chapter 26.—Further Appeals to Cyprian’s Teaching.
Chapter 27 [X.]—Cyprian’s Testimonies Concerning the Imperfection of Our Own Righteousness.
Chapter 28.—Cyprian’s Orthodoxy Undoubted.
Chapter 30.—The Testimonies of Ambrose Concerning God’s Grace.
Chapter 31.—The Testimonies of Ambrose on the Imperfection of Present Righteousness.
Chapter 32 [XII.]—The Pelagian’s Heresy Arose Long After Ambrose.
Chapter 33.—Opposition of the Manichean and Catholic Dogmas.
Chapter 34.—The Calling Together of a Synod Not Always Necessary to the Condemnation of Heresies.
Chapter 21.—That Righteousness is Never Perfected in This Life.
Now, according to this righteousness of God, that is, which we have from God, faith now worketh by love. But it worketh that, in what way man can attain to Him on whom now, not seeing, he believes; and when he shall see Him, then that which was in faith through a glass enigmatically, shall at length be in sight face to face; and then shall be perfected even love itself. Because it is said with excessive folly, that God is loved as much before He is seen, as He will be loved when He is seen. Further, if in this life, as no religious person doubts, the more we love God, so much the more righteous we certainly are, who can doubt that pious and true righteousness will then be perfected when the love of God shall be perfect? Then the law, therefore, shall be fulfilled; so that nothing at all is wanting to it, of which law, according to the apostle, the fulfilling is Love. And thus, when he had said, “Not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is by the faith of Jesus Christ, which is the righteousness from God in faith,” he then added, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.”232 Phil. iii. 9, 10. All these things were not yet full and perfect in the apostle; but, as if he were placed on the way, he was running towards their fulness and perfection. For how had he already perfectly known Christ, who says in another place, “Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known”?233 1 Cor. xiii. 12. And how had he already perfectly known the power of His resurrection, to whom it remained to know it yet more fully by experience at the time of the resurrection of the flesh? And how had he perfectly known already the fellowship of His suffering, if he had not yet experienced for him the suffering of death? Finally, he adds and says, “If in any manner I may attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”234 Phil. iii. 11, 12. And then he says, “Not that I have already received or am already perfected.” What, then, does he confess that he has not yet received, and in what is he not yet perfected, except that righteousness which is of God, which he desired, not willing to have his own righteousness, which is of the law? For hence he was speaking, and such was the reason for his saying these things in resistance to the enemies of the grace of God, for the bestowal of which Christ was crucified; and of the race of whom are also these.
21. Secundum hanc autem justitiam Dei, hoc est, quae ex Deo nobis est, nunc fides operatur per dilectionem (Galat. V, 6). Id autem operatur , quomodo perveniat homo ad eum, in quem modo non videns credit; quem cum viderit, tunc quod erat in fide per speculum in aenigmate, jam erit in specie facie ad faciem (I Cor. XIII, 12): tunc perficietur et ipsa 0604 dilectio. Nimis quippe insipienter dicitur, tantum amari Deum antequam videatur, quantum amabitur cum videbitur. Porro si in hac vita, pio nemine dubitante, quanto amplius diligimus Deum, tanto sumus utique justiores; quis dubitet, piam veramque justitiam, cum fuerit dilectio Dei perfecta, tunc perfici? Tunc ergo lex, ita ut nihil omnino desit, implebitur; cujus legis, secundum Apostolum, plenitudo dilectio est (Rom. XIII, 10). Ac per hoc cum dixisset, Non habens meam justitiam, quae ex lege est, sed eam quae est per fidem Christi, quae est ex Deo justitia in fide; deinde subjunxit, Ad cognoscendum eum, et virtutem resurrectionis ejus, et communicationem passionum ejus. Haec omnia nondum plena et perfecta in Apostolo erant, sed tanquam in via positus ad eorum plenitudinem perfectionemque currebat. Nam quomodo jam perfecte cognoverat Christum, qui dicit alio loco, Nunc scio ex parte, tunc autem cognoscam sicut et cognitus sum (I Cor. XIII, 12)? Et quomodo jam perfecte cognoverat virtutem ejus resurrectionis, cui restabat eam plenius tempore resurrectionis carnis experiendo cognoscere? Et quomodo jam perfecte cognoverat communicationem passionum ejus, nondum pro illo passionem mortis expertus? Denique addit et dicit: Si quo modo occurram in resurrectionem mortuorum. Ac deinde ait: Non quia jam acceperim, aut jam perfectus sim. Quid ergo se confitetur nondum accepisse, et in quo nondum esse perfectum, nisi in ea justitia, quae ex Deo est, quam concupiscens noluit suam habere, quae ex lege est? Hinc enim loquebatur, et ista fuit causa ut haec diceret, resistens inimicis gratiae Dei , pro qua largienda crucifixus est Christus: ex quorum genere etiam isti sunt.