§17AUG. dixit: Ista apostoli lectio, quam recitare uoluisti. si non fallor, pro mea plurimum et contra tuam fidem facit.
Aug. said: "That reading of the Apostle, which you wished to recite, if I am not mistaken, works very much for my faith and against yours.
primo quia ipsum liberum arbitrium, quo ego dixi fieri, ut anima peccet, satis hic expressum est. cum peccata nominauit et cum reconciliationem nostram dixit fieri cum deo per Iesum Christum.
First, because that very free will, by which I said it happens that the soul sins, is sufficiently expressed here, when he named sins and when he said that our reconciliation with God is made through Jesus Christ.
peccando enim auersi eramus a deo, tenendo autem praecepta Christi reconciliamur deo, ut qui in peccatis mortui eramus, seruantes praecepta eius uiuificemur et pacem habeamus cum illo in uno spiritu, a quo alienati eramus non seruantes mandata eius, sicuti de homine, qui primus est conditus, in fide nostra praedicatur.
For by sinning we had turned away from God, but by keeping the commandments of Christ we are reconciled to God, so that we who were dead in sins, by keeping his commandments, may be made alive and have peace with him in one Spirit, from whom we were alienated by not keeping his commandments, just as it is preached in our faith concerning the man who was first created.
ergo nunc quaero abs te, secundum eam lectionem, quae lecta est, quomodo habeamus peccata, si natura contraria nos cogit facere, quod facimus.
Therefore I now ask you, according to that reading which was read, how we can have sins, if a contrary nature forces us to do what we do.
qui enim cogitur necessitate aliquid facere, non peccat; qui autem peccat, libero arbitrio peccat.
For he who is forced by necessity to do something does not sin; but he who sins, sins by free will.
quare sit nobis paenitentia imperata, si nos nihil mali fecimus. sed gens tenebrarum? quaero item, indulgentia peccatorum cui detur: nobis, an genti tenebrarum.
Why then would repentance be commanded of us, if we have done no evil, but rather the race of darkness? I ask likewise, to whom is forgiveness of sins given: to us, or to the race of darkness?
si genti tenebrarum datur indulgentia peccatorum, regnabit et ipsa cum deo accipiens indulgentiam peccatorum; si autem nobis datur indulgentia peccatorum, manifestum est, quia uoluntate peccauimus.
If forgiveness of sins is given to the race of darkness, it will also reign with God, receiving the forgiveness of sins; but if forgiveness of sins is given to us, it is manifest that we have sinned by our will.
satis enim stultum est ignosci ei, qui nihil mali fecit; nihil autem mali fecit, qui nihil sua uoluntate fecit.
For it is foolish enough for him to be forgiven who has done no evil; and he has done no evil who has done nothing by his own will.
hodie ergo anima pollicente sibi deo indulgentiam peccatorum et reconciliationem si peccare destiterit et de peccatis paenitentiam gesserit, si respondeat secundum uestram fidem et dicat: quid enim peccaui? quid commerui? quid me expulisti de regnis tuis, ut contra nescio quam gentem pugnarem? depressa sum, permixta sum, corrupta sum, defecta sum, non est mihi seruatum liberum arbitrium.
Therefore today, if the soul, while God promises to it forgiveness of sins and reconciliation if it ceases to sin and does penance for its sins, should answer according to your faith and say: 'For what have I sinned? What have I deserved? Why did you expel me from your kingdoms to fight against some race or other? I was weighed down, I was mixed, I was corrupted, I was weakened; free will was not preserved for me.
tu nosti necessitatem, qua pressa sum; cur mihi inputas uulnera, quae suscepi? quare me cogis ad paenitentiam, cum tu causa sis uulnerum meorum; cum tu scias, quae passa sum, gentem tenebrarum in me fecisse te auctore, qui uiolari non poteras et tamen uolens cauere regnis tuis, quibus nihil noceri possit, me in miserias praecipitasti? si certe ego pars tua sum, quae de uisceribus tuis processi, si de regno tuo et de ore tuo, in hac gente tenebrarum aliquid pati non debui, ut me incorrupta illa subiceretur, si pars eram domini.
You know the necessity by which I was pressed; why do you impute to me the wounds which I received? Why do you force me to repentance, when you are the cause of my wounds; when you know that the race of darkness did to me what I suffered, with you as the author—you who could not be violated, and yet, wishing to safeguard your kingdoms, which could not be harmed at all, cast me down into miseries? If indeed I am your part, who proceeded from your bowels, if from your kingdom and from your mouth, I ought not to have suffered anything in this race of darkness, so that it might be subjected to me without my corruption, if I was a part of the Lord.
nunc autem cum illa temperari non posset nisi mea corruptione, quomodo aut pars tua dicor aut tu inuiolabilis manes aut non es crudelis, qui me pati uoluisti pro his regnis, quibus nihil noceri poterat ab illa gente tenebrarum? ad hoc responde, si placet, et dignare etiam illud mihi exponere, quomodo dictum est a Paulo apostolo: eramus naturaliter filii irae, quos reconciliatos dicit deo.
But now, since it could not be tempered except by my corruption, how am I either called your part, or do you remain inviolable, or are you not cruel, who wished me to suffer for these kingdoms, which could not be harmed at all by that race of darkness?' Answer to this, if you please, and deign also to explain to me how it was said by Paul the apostle: 'We were by nature children of wrath,' whom he says are reconciled to God.
si ergo naturaliter filii. irae erant, quomodo dicis naturaliter esse animam filiam dei et portionem dei?
FORT. dixit: Si secundum animam dixisset apostolus, quod simus naturaliter filii irae, alienata esset anima ore apostoli a deo.
If therefore they were by nature children of wrath, how do you say that the soul is by nature the daughter of God and a portion of God?" Fort. said: "If the Apostle had said with respect to the soul that we are by nature children of wrath, the soul would have been alienated by the mouth of the Apostle from God.
et hac modo tu ratione ostendis, quod anima non sit dei, quia naturaliter, inquit apostolus. sumus irae filii.
And in this way you show by argument that the soul is not of God, because, the Apostle says, we are by nature children of wrath.
si uero secundum quod lege tenebatur idem apostolus ex semine Abraham, ut ipse contestatur, descendens, constat eum corporaliter dixisse nos fuisse filios irae. sicut et cetera.
But if indeed, according to his being bound under the law, the same apostle descending from the seed of Abraham, as he himself bears witness, it is established that he said corporally that we were children of wrath, just as in other matters.
animae uero substantiam ostendit, quod sit ex deo, et animam aliter non posse reconciliari deo nisi per magistrum, qui est Christus Iesus.
But he shows that the substance of the soul is from God, and that the soul cannot be reconciled to God otherwise than through the Teacher, who is Christ Jesus.
interfecta tamen inimicitia uidebatur anima indigna extitisse deo; sed quia missa est, hoc confitemur, a deo tamen omnipotente et originem trahens et missa ad ipsius uoluntatem consignandam, quemadmodum et saluatorem Christum credimus de caelo uenisse uoluntatem patris complere.
Yet, even when the enmity was killed, the soul seemed to have existed as unworthy of God; but because it was sent, this we confess, namely from the almighty God, both drawing its origin and being sent to seal His will, just as we believe that the Savior Christ came from heaven to fulfill the will of the Father.
quae uoluntas patris haec erat animas nostras de eadem inimicitia liberare interfecta eadem inimicitia.
Which will of the Father was this: to free our souls from that same enmity by killing that same enmity.
quae si aduersa deo non fuisset, nec inimicitia uocaretur.
Which, if it had not been opposed to God, would not even be called enmity.
ubi erat unitas, nec interfectio diceretur aut fieret, ubi erat uita.
Where there was unity, neither would killing be said or done, where there was life."