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    On the Morals of the Manichaeans
    On the Morals of the Manichaeans
    On the Morals of the Manichaeans
    Ebook59 pages1 hour

    On the Morals of the Manichaeans

    By Saint Augustine

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    "On the Morals of the Manichaeans" represents Saint Augustine's critical examination of the ethical teachings and practices of the Manichaean sect. In this insightful work, Augustine delves into the philosophical and theological underpinnings of Manichaean morality, offering a rigorous critique of its fundamental principles and ethical precepts.

    With characteristic rigor and depth, Augustine scrutinizes the moral framework of Manichaeism, highlighting its contradictions, inconsistencies, and moral ambiguities. Drawing upon his extensive knowledge of Scripture, philosophy, and Christian theology, he exposes the deficiencies of Manichaean ethics and presents a compelling case for the superiority of Christian moral teachings.

    Through a series of incisive arguments and logical analysis, Augustine challenges the moral relativism and dualistic worldview inherent in Manichaean doctrine. He articulates a vision of morality grounded in the principles of divine justice, human responsibility, and the pursuit of virtue, offering a compelling alternative to the ethical relativism of Manichaeism.

    At once scholarly and polemical, "On the Morals of the Manichaeans" stands as a testament to Augustine's intellectual acumen and theological insight. It offers valuable insights into the ethical complexities of religious belief and the enduring struggle between competing moral worldviews. With its profound analysis and rigorous critique, this work continues to be studied and debated by scholars and theologians seeking to understand the nature of moral truth and the foundations of Christian ethics.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCervantes Digital
    Release dateSep 20, 2023
    ISBN9781312175921
    On the Morals of the Manichaeans
    Author

    Saint Augustine

    Saint Augustine (354–430 CE), also known as Augustine of Hippo, was a Latin philosopher and theologian born on the northern coast of Africa in what is now Algeria. In 386, he had a conversion experience that led him to renounce his career and marital prospects and devote his life to God. His Confessions of Saint Augustine is perhaps the most famous spiritual autobiography of all time. 

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      Book preview

      On the Morals of the Manichaeans - Saint Augustine

      Copyright 2023

      Cervantes Digital

      All rights reserved

      ISBN: 978-1-312-17592-1

       978-1-312-17592-1.png

      On the Morals of the Manichaeans

      Written by St. Augustine of Hippo in A.D. 388.

      Containing a particular refutation of the doctrine of these heretics regarding the origin and nature of evil; an exposure of their pretended symbolic customs of the mouth, of the hands, and of the breast; and a condemnation of their superstitious abstinence and unholy mysteries. Lastly, some crimes brought to light among the Manichæans are mentioned.

      Chapter 1.— The Supreme Good is that Which is Possessed of Supreme Existence.

      1. Every one, I suppose, will allow that the question of things good and evil belongs to moral science, in which such terms are in common use. It is therefore to be wished that men would bring to these inquiries such a clear intellectual perfection as might enable them to see the chief good, than which nothing is better or higher, next in order to which comes a rational soul in a state of purity and perfection. If this were clearly understood, it would also become evident that the chief good is that which is properly described as having supreme and original existence. For that exists in the highest sense of the word which continues always the same, which is throughout like itself, which cannot in any part be corrupted or changed, which is not subject to time, which admits of no variation in its present as compared with its former condition. This is existence in its true sense. For in this signification of the word existence there is implied a nature which is self-contained, and which continues immutably. Such things can be said only of God, to whom there is nothing contrary in the strict sense of the word. For the contrary of existence is non-existence. There is therefore no nature contrary to God. But since the minds with which we approach the study of these subjects have their vision damaged and dulled by silly notions, and by perversity of will, let us try as we can to gain some little knowledge of this great matter by degrees and with caution, making our inquiries not like men able to see, but like men groping the dark.

      Chapter 2.— What Evil is. That Evil is that Which is Against Nature. In Allowing This, the Manichæans Refute Themselves.

      2. You Manichæans often, if not in every case, ask those whom you try to bring over to your heresy, Whence is evil? Suppose I had now met you for the first time, I would ask you, if you please, to follow my example in putting aside for a little the explanation you suppose yourselves to have got of these subjects, and to commence this great inquiry with me as if for the first time. You ask me, Whence is evil? I ask you in return, What is evil? Which is the more reasonable question? Are those right who ask whence a thing is, when they do not know what it is; or he who thinks it necessary to inquire first what it is, in order to avoid the gross absurdity of searching for the origin of a thing unknown? Your answer is quite correct, when you say that evil is that which is contrary to nature; for no one is so mentally blind as not to see that, in every kind, evil is that which is contrary to the nature of the kind. But the establishment of this doctrine is the overthrow of your heresy. For evil is no nature, if it is contrary to nature. Now, according to you, evil is a certain nature and substance. Moreover, whatever is contrary to nature must oppose nature and seek its destruction. For nature means nothing else than that which anything is conceived of as being in its own kind. Hence is the new word which we now use derived from the word for being —essence namely, or, as we usually say, substance, — while before these words were in use, the word nature was used instead. Here, then, if you will consider the matter without stubbornness, we see that evil is that which falls away from essence and tends to non-existence.

      3. Accordingly, when the Catholic Church declares that God is the author of all natures and substances, those who understand this understand at the same time that God is not the author of evil. For how can He who is the cause of the being of all things be at the same time the cause of their not being — that is, of their falling off from essence and tending to non-existence? For this is what reason plainly declares to be the definition of evil. Now, how can that race of evil of yours, which you make the supreme evil, be against nature, that is, against substance, when it, according to you, is itself a nature and substance? For if it acts against itself, it destroys its own existence; and when that is completely done, it will come at last to be the supreme evil. But this cannot be done, because you will have it not only to be, but to be everlasting. That cannot then be the chief evil which is spoken of as a substance.

      4. But what am I to do? I know that many of you can understand nothing of all this. I know, too, that there are some who have a good understanding and can see these things, and yet are so stubborn in their choice of evil — a choice that will ruin their understanding as well — that they try rather to find what reply they can make in order to impose upon inactive and feeble minds, instead of giving their assent

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