To Florus 1.88
He made plain the slavery of which he was speaking: “Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). How forcefully this very statement opposes your error! He says that no one is a slave of sin except someone who has himself committed sin, and that sin cannot cling to anyone unless the person in question has personally committed it, either in action or even by will alone. How clearly he also shows that the whole human race cannot now be possessed by the devil, when he distinguishes between slave and son, that is, between the just and the unjust! Here Christ separated not only himself but each of the saints from the condition of slaves. Such people existed both before and during the Old Testament; he declares that they remain in his Father's house and rejoice at his table (Luke 13:28–29). This whole kind of exhortation would have been pointlessly spoken if he were not addressing people with free choice.
Latin
Aperuit, de qua hic servitute loqueretur. Omnis, inquit, qui facit peccatum, servus est peccati [n201] . Hoc autem ipsum quam vehemens est contra errorem vestrum, quia dicit, servum non esse peccati, nisi eum qui fecerit ipse peccatum; nec posse cuiquam adhaerere peccatum, quod non is de quo agitur, per se, aut actione, aut vel sola commiserit voluntate? Quam etiam ostendit universitatem humani generis non posse iam a diabolo possideri, cum distinctionem facit inter servum et filium, id est, iustum et iniustum? Hic enim, ut se Christus, ita etiam unumquemque sanctorum a servorum conditione separabat: sicut fuerunt et ante Vetus, et in Vetere Testamento, quos in domo Patris sui manere, et in mensa eius denuntiat iucundari [n202] . Totum hoc autem exhortationis genus inepte prolatum esset, si non liberi arbitrii homines conveniret.
About this text
Julian’s six preserved books to Florus, quoted section by section in Augustine’s unfinished reply. Augustine’s refutations are omitted. Latin of Julian’s words is on each section.
Julian’s own books do not survive as a separate manuscript. English follows his words as Augustine quotes them in the Unfinished Work Against Julian. Augustine’s replies are omitted. We do not restore a Julian text independent of Augustine.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Augustine, Unfinished Work Against Julian (Latin · Julian’s words as quoted, Books 1–6)
- Checked print Augustinus.it Latin of the Unfinished Work (Latin · Same work)
- Checked print Migne PL 45 (Latin · Hard cases)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.