To Florus 2.145
Consequently, they teach us to deny that anyone can be condemned for another’s sin, and to deny that any sin passes to descendants as a condition of nature. They teach us to believe and assert that a human being born through the fertility God instituted is addressed by the just laws of free will: to avoid everything evil and practice everything good. Such a person should not suppose, as you do, that a love and necessity of crimes clings to the causes of his substance—to the seed itself. Nor should he accept that so foolish, insane, and impious a statement, insulting nature, reason, and God, is contained in the apostle’s book merely because he said sin entered this world through one man and death passed into all human beings (Romans 5:12). For he did not allow this to remain obscure for long, but added that those he had called ‘all’ should be understood as ‘many,’ who sinned through imitation, not generation (Romans 5:19).
Latin
Ac per hoc negare quemquam pro alterius peccato posse damnari, negare ullum peccatum ad posteros naturae condicione transire atque credere atque asserere hominem de instituta a Deo fecunditate genitum liberi arbitrii iustis legibus conveniri, ut vitet omne, quod malum est, exerceat omne, quod bonum est, nec secundum vos aestimet amorem et necessitatem criminum substantiae suae causis, id est ipsis adhaesisse seminibus nec recipiat tam stultam, tam insanam, tam impiam sententiam in contumeliam videlicet naturae rationis Dei Apostoli volumine contineri, quia dixerit per unum hominem peccatum in hunc mundum intrasse et in omnes homines transisse mortem [n194] , cum hoc diu caligare non siverit, addens eos, quos omnes dixerat, debere multos intellegi, qui imitatione, non generatione peccassent [n195] .
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.