To Florus 3.38
But perhaps someone will be so obtuse as to demand explicit statements proving that God does not judge differently from the way he commanded judgment to be given. The demand itself is a wicked contention. Still, truth supplies weapons sufficient to satisfy every demand for proof, and I will gladly produce the strongest witnesses to this very point. Filled with the Holy Spirit, the prophet Ezekiel therefore says:
‘The Lord’s word came to me: Son of man, what do you mean by using this proverb in the land of Israel: The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? As I live, says the Lord God, this proverb shall no longer be spoken in Israel. All souls are mine: the father’s soul and the son’s soul alike—all souls are mine. The soul that sins shall itself die.
‘But a man who is just, who practices judgment and justice, does not eat on the mountains or lift his eyes toward the objects of desire of the house of Israel; he does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a menstruating woman. He does not oppress anyone; he returns the debtor’s pledge and commits no robbery. He gives his bread to the hungry and clothes the naked. He does not lend his money at interest or take an excessive return. He keeps his hand from injustice and judges fairly between a man and his neighbor. He has walked in my commands and kept my ordinances by carrying them out. This man is just; he shall surely live, says the Lord God.
‘But suppose he fathers a corrupt son who sheds blood and commits sins. This son has not walked in the way of his just father; instead he has eaten on the mountains, defiled his neighbor’s wife, oppressed the needy and poor, committed robbery, and failed to return a pledge. He has fixed his eyes on idols and acted wickedly; he has lent at interest and taken an excessive return. This man shall not live. He has committed all these wicked deeds; he shall surely die. His blood shall be on himself.
‘But suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins his father has committed, is afraid, and does not act in the same way. He has not eaten on the mountains or lifted his eyes toward the objects of desire of the house of Israel. He has not defiled his neighbor’s wife or oppressed anyone. He has taken no pledge and committed no robbery. He has given his bread to the hungry and clothed the naked. He has kept his hand from wrongdoing, has taken neither interest nor an excessive return, has done justice, and has walked in my commands. This man shall not die for his father’s iniquities; he shall surely live. His father, however, because he inflicted suffering, committed robbery, and acted wrongly among my people, died in his own iniquity.
‘You have said: Why has the son not borne his father’s iniquity? Because the son has practiced justice, judgment, and mercy; he has kept all my statutes and carried them out. He shall surely live. But the soul that sins shall itself die. The son shall not bear his father’s injustice, nor shall the father bear his son’s injustice. The just person’s justice shall rest on himself, and the wicked person’s wickedness shall rest on himself.
‘If a wicked person turns away from all the iniquities he has committed, keeps all my commands, and practices judgment, justice, and mercy, he shall surely live and shall not die. None of the offenses he committed shall be remembered. Through the justice he has practiced he shall surely live. Do I really desire the wicked person’s death, says the Lord God, rather than that he turn from his evil way and live?
‘But if the just person turns away from his justice and commits iniquities, acting according to all the iniquities the wicked person has committed, he shall not live (Ezekiel 18:24). None of the righteous deeds he has done shall be remembered. In the offense by which he fell, and in the sins he committed, he shall die.
‘You have said: The Lord’s way is not right. Listen now, house of Israel: Is my way not right? Rather, your way is not fair. When the just person turns away from his justice and commits an offense, he shall die in the offense he committed; in that very offense he shall die. And when the wicked person turns away from the iniquity he committed and practices judgment and justice, he has preserved his soul and lives. Because he turned from all the iniquities he committed, he shall surely live and shall not die.
‘The house of Israel says: The Lord’s way is not right. Is my way not right, house of Israel? Is it not rather your way that is not right? Therefore I will judge each of you according to your own ways, house of Israel, says the Lord God’ (Ezekiel 18:1–30).
Latin
Sed ne forte exsistat quis usque adeo obstipus, ut perspicuis sibi velit sententiis approbari Deum videlicet non aliter iudicare quam iudicari imperavit, quod quidem est contentionis nefandae, tamen, quoniam veritati arma suppeditant ad omnem documentorum satietatem, in id ipsum ostendere testes acerrimos non pigebit. Impletus itaque Sancto Spiritu loquitur Ezechiel propheta: Factus est sermo Domini ad me dicens: Fili hominis, quid vobis parabolam istam, in terra Israel dicentium: Patres manducaverunt uvam acerbam et dentes filiorum obstupuerunt? Vivo ego, dicit Adonai Dominus, si amplius dicetur parabola haec in Israel, quoniam omnes animae meae sunt, quemadmodum anima patris, ita et anima filii; omnes animae meae sunt. Anima, quae peccat, ipsa morietur, homo autem, qui fuerit iustus, qui faciet iudicium et iustitiam, in montibus non manducabit et oculos suos non extollet ad desideria domus Israel et uxorem proximi sui non contaminabit et ad mulierem menstruatam non accedet et hominem non deprimet et pignus debitori reddet et rapinam non rapuerit, panem suum esurienti dabit et nudum operiet vestimento et pecuniam suam in usuram non dabit et superabundantiam non accipiet et ab iniustitia avertet manum suam et iudicium iustum faciet inter virum et proximum eius et in praeceptis meis ambulavit et iustificationes meas custodivit, ut faceret eas, iustus est iste, vita vivet, dicit Adonai Dominus. Et si genuerit filium pestilentem, effundentem sanguinem et facientem peccata, in via patris sui iusti non ambulavit; sed qui in montibus manducavit et uxorem proximi sui contaminavit et mendicum et pauperem depressit et rapinam rapuit et pignus non reddidit et in simulacra posuit oculos suos et iniquitatem fecit, cum usura dedit et superabundantiam accepit, hic vita non vivet; omnes iniquitates istas fecit, morte morietur, sanguis eius super ipsum erit. Si autem genuerit filium et viderit omnia peccata patris sui, quae fecit, et timuerit et non fecerit secundum ista, in montibus non manducavit et oculos suos non laevavit ad desideria domus Israel et uxorem proximi sui non contaminavit et hominem non depressit et pignus non pigneravit et rapinam non rapuit, panem suum esurienti dedit et nudum operuit vestimento et ab iniquitate avertit manum suam, usuram et superabundantiam non accepit, iustitiam fecit et in praeceptis meis ambulavit, iste non morietur in patris sui iniquitatibus, vita vivet, pater autem eius, quia tribulatione tribulavit et rapinam rapuit, contraria fecit in medio populo meo et mortuus est in sua iniquitate. Et dixistis: Quid est, quod non accepit iniquitatem patris sui filius? Quia filius iustitiam et iudicium et misericordiam fecit, omnia legitima mea conservavit et fecit ea, vita vivet, anima autem, quae peccat, ipsa morietur. Filius non accipiet iniustitiam patris sui neque pater accipiet iniustitiam filii sui, iustitia iusti super ipsum erit et iniquitas iniqui super ipsum erit. Et iniquus, si convertat se ab omnibus iniquitatibus suis, quas fecit, et custodiat omnia mandata mea et faciat iudicium et iustitiam et misericordiam, vita vivet et non morietur, omnia delicta eius, quaecumque fecit, non erunt in memoria, in sua iustitia, quam fecit, vita vivet. Numquid voluntate volo mortem iniusti, dicit Adonai Dominus, quantum ut avertat se a via sua mala et vivat? Cum se autem converterit iustus a sua iustitia et fecerit iniquitates secundum omnes iniquitates, quas fecit iniquus, si fecerit, non vivet, omnes iustitiae eius, quas fecit, non erunt in memoria, in delicto eius quo excidit, et in peccatis suis quibus peccavit, in ipsis morietur. Et dixistis: Non dirigit via Domini. Audite nunc, domus Israel: numquid via mea non dirigit? Nunc via vestra non est aequa. Cum convertit se iustus a sua iustitia et facit delictum, morietur in eo delicto, quod fecit, in ipso morietur; et cum averterit se iniquus ab iniquitate sua, quam fecit, et fecerit iudicium et iustitiam, hic animam suam custodivit et vivit, ut averteret se ab omnibus iniquitatibus suis, quas fecit, vita vivet et non morietur. Et dicit domus Israel: Non corrigit via Domini. Numquid via mea non corrigit, domus Israel? Nonne magis via vestra non corrigit? Ideo unumquemque vestrum secundum vias ipsius iudicabo vos, domus Israel, dicit Adonai Dominus [n46] .
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.