To Florus 2.121
I am content with what you have been compelled to grant me: what the apostle praised in grace’s generosity cannot apply equally to every age. Even if you adduce something to establish that grace also effects forgiveness at the earliest age of newborn children, you have not altered this: the feature for which the apostle declared Christ’s grace praiseworthy is not fulfilled in infants. For when he ranked the sacrament’s medicine above the sin of the first man, whom he taught was a model for those who followed, he said: ‘The judgment was from one offense to condemnation, but grace is from many offenses to justification’ (Romans 5:16). Therefore the feature by which he ranked grace higher—its producing justification from many offenses—does not hold for infants even according to you. Despite your resistance, you have been brought to acknowledge that grace does not act identically in different ages.
Latin
Ego enim hoc contentus sum, quod mihi es tu dare compulsus, quia, quod praedicavit Apostolus in liberalitate gratiae non possit cunctis aequaliter aetatibus convenire; tu si quid attuleris, quod et in prima nascentium aetate remissionem confirmes exsequi, illud tamen non admovisti, quia non compleatur in parvulis, unde Apostolus gratiam Christi pronuntiavit esse laudabilem. Nam cum medicinam mysterii peccato primi hominis, quem formam fuisse docebat sequentibus, anteferret, ait: Iudicium ex uno delicto in condemnationem, gratia autem ex multis delictis in iustificationem [n166] . Illud ergo, per quod praetulit gratiam, quia ex multis videlicet delictis iustificationem operatur, nec secundum te constat in parvulis; atque ad hoc, quamvis reluctareris, attractus es, ut non aequaliter in diversis aetatibus gratiam faterere versari.
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.