To Florus 3.36
Enough of gentler speech. The brightness of blazing reason now shows that evil and good, profane and sacred, godly and ungodly, just and unjust have no partnership. Therefore there is no conflict between God’s commands and judgments. Charging people with others’ sins is contrary to commanding that those same sins must not be charged to them. Of these two, accepting one necessarily excludes the other; showing one just shows the other unjust. Yet God’s law prescribes that parents’ sins must not be charged to their children (Deuteronomy 24:16). Consequently, by that same authority, its opposite—the theory of inherited sin—has collapsed completely, together with the Manichaeans (2 Corinthians 6:14).
Latin
Verum hactenus mitiore sim functus eloquio, nunc autem splendor flammeae rationis ostendit malis et bonis, profanis et sacris, piis et impiis, iustis et iniquis nullum esse consortium atque ideo inter praecepta et iudicia Dei nihil esse pugnarum, contrarium autem esse aliena peccata aliis imputare et, eadem ne imputentur, iubere, quoniam de his duobus necesse est uno concesso alterum summoveri, id est uno iusto alterum iniquum doceri, in legem autem Dei praescriptum esse, ne parentum peccata filiis imputentur [n41] , ac per hoc eadem auctoritate contrarium eius id est opinionem traducis cum Manichaeis funditus corruisse.
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.