On Marriage and Concupiscence, Book II

Book II

• On Marriage and Concupiscence II, Preliminary Notes on the Second Book — Preliminary Notes on the Second Book. (1) From the Preface of Augustin’s “Unfinished Work Against Julianus.” I Wrote a treatise, under the title On Marriage and Concupiscence, and addressed it to the Count Valerius,…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.1 — Introductory Statement. I Cannot tell you, dearly loved and honoured son Valerius, how great is the pleasure which my heart receives when I hear of your warm and earnest interest in the testimony of the word of God…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.2 — In This and the Four Next Chapters He Adduces the Garbled Extracts He Has to Consider. Chapter 2 [II.]—In This and the Four Next Chapters He Adduces the Garbled Extracts He Has to Consider. The paper which I now…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.3 — The Same Continued. The words which he has quoted and endeavoured to refute out of my book, which I sent to you, and with which you are very well acquainted, are the following: “They are constantly affirming, in…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.4 — The Same Continued. But he has added other words of mine, where I have said: “Nor do they reflect that the good of marriage is no more impeachable by reason of the original evil which is derived therefrom, than the…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.5 — The Same Continued. He then returns to our words, which were quoted before: “We maintain that they who are born of such a union contract original sin; and we do not deny that, of whatever parents they are born, they…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.6 — The Same Continued. He has next adduced that passage of ours, wherein we said: “For there would have been none of this shame-producing concupiscence, which is impudently praised by impudent men, if man had not…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.7 — Augustin Adduces a Passage Selected from the Preface of Julianus. (See ‘The Unfinished Work,’ i. 73.). Chapter 7 [III.]—Augustin Adduces a Passage Selected from the Preface of Julianus. (See “The Unfinished Work,” i.…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.8 — Augustin Refutes the Passage Adduced Above. Well, now, whoever you are that have said all this, what you say is by no means true; by no means, I repeat; you are much deceived, or you aim at deceiving others. We do…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.9 — The Catholics Maintain the Doctrine of Original Sin, and Thus are Far from Being Manicheans. Chapter 9.—The Catholics Maintain the Doctrine of Original Sin, and Thus are Far from Being Manicheans. Listen, then, for a…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.10 — In What Manner the Adversary’s Cavils Must Be Refuted. Let us now look at the rest of what he has joined together in his selections. But what should be my course of proceeding? Ought I to set forth every passage of…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.11 — The Devil the Author, Not of Nature, But Only of Sin. Now, the man who forwarded to your Love the paper in question has introduced the contents thereof with this title: “In opposition to those persons who condemn…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.12 — Eve’s Name Means Life, and is a Great Sacrament of the Church. Now, observe the rest of the passage in which he thinks he finds, to our prejudice, what is consonant with the above-quoted title. “God,” says he, “who…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.13 — The Pelagian Argument to Show that the Devil Has No Rights in the Fruits of Marriage. Chapter 13.—The Pelagian Argument to Show that the Devil Has No Rights in the Fruits of Marriage. After these true and catholic…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.14 — Concupiscence Alone, in Marriage, is Not of God. You see the terms of his question to us: what the devil can find in the sexes to call his own, by reason of which they should be in his power, who are born of parents…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.15 — Man, by Birth, is Placed Under the Dominion of the Devil Through Sin; We Were All One in Adam When He Sinned. Chapter 15.—Man, by Birth, is Placed Under the Dominion of the Devil Through Sin; We Were All One in Adam…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.16 — It is Not of Us, But Our Sins, that the Devil is the Author. He puts to us, then, another question, saying, “Whom, then, do you confess to be the author of infants? The true God?” I answer: “Yes; the true God.” He…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.17 — The Pelagians are Not Ashamed to Eulogize Concupiscence, Although They are Ashamed to Mention Its Name. Chapter 17 [VII.]—The Pelagians are Not Ashamed to Eulogize Concupiscence, Although They are Ashamed to Mention…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.18 — The Same Continued. But now, I pray you, look a little more attentively, and observe how he contrives to find a name wherewith to cover again what he blushes to unfold. “For,” says he, “Adam begot him by the power of…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.19 — The Pelagians Misunderstand ‘Seed’ In Scripture. Chapter 19 [VIII.]—The Pelagians Misunderstand “Seed” In Scripture. He goes on to say: “After a while the divine Scripture says again, ‘Adam knew Eve his wife; and she…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.20 — Original Sin is Derived from the Faulty Condition of Human Seed. This, however, I would not say, as implying at all that we must look for some other creator than the supreme and true God, of either human seed or of…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.21 — It is the Good God That Gives Fruitfulness, and the Devil That Corrupts the Fruit. Chapter 21 [IX.]—It is the Good God That Gives Fruitfulness, and the Devil That Corrupts the Fruit. What, therefore, is this man’s…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.22 — Shall We Be Ashamed of What We Do, or of What God Does?. It is, however, of pleasure that this man spoke in his passage, because pleasure can be even honourable: of carnal concupiscence, or lust, which produces…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.23 — The Pelagians Affirm that God in the Case of Abraham and Sarah Aroused Concupiscence as a Gift from Heaven. Chapter 23 [X.]—The Pelagians Affirm that God in the Case of Abraham and Sarah Aroused Concupiscence as a…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.24 — What Covenant of God the New-Born Babe Breaks. What Was the Value of Circumcision. Chapter 24 [XI.]—What Covenant of God the New-Born Babe Breaks. What Was the Value of Circumcision. But let him inform us how it was…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.25 — Augustin Not the Deviser of Original Sin. “This sexual connection of bodies,” he says, “together with the ardour, with the pleasure, with the emission of seed, was made by God, and is praiseworthy on its own account,…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.26 — The Child in No Sense Formed by Concupiscence. But as he was speaking of Abraham and Sarah, he goes on to say: “If, indeed, you were to affirm that the natural use was strong in them, and there was no offspring, my…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.27 — The Pelagians Argue that God Sometimes Closes the Womb in Anger, and Opens It When Appeased. Chapter 27.—The Pelagians Argue that God Sometimes Closes the Womb in Anger, and Opens It When Appeased. Carefully consider…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.28 — Augustin’s Answer to This Argument. Its Dealing with Scripture. Chapter 28 [XIV.]—Augustin’s Answer to This Argument. Its Dealing with Scripture. Now to this lengthy statement of his we have to say in answer, that,…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.29 — The Same Continued. Augustin Also Asserts that God Forms Man at Birth. Though I have given special attention to the point, I have failed to discover what assistance he could obtain from this deceitful use of…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.30 — The Case of Abimelech and His House Examined. Then, again, as to the passage which he has adduced from the inspired history concerning Abimelech, and God’s choosing to close up every womb in his household that the…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.31 — Why God Proceeds to Create Human Beings, Who He Knows Will Be Born in Sin. Chapter 31 [XVI.]—Why God Proceeds to Create Human Beings, Who He Knows Will Be Born in Sin. Let us now look at those three clauses of his,…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.32 — God Not the Author of the Evil in Those Whom He Creates. Then, does God feed the children of perdition, the goats on His left hand, for the devil and nourish and clothe them for the devil “because He maketh His sun…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.33 — Though God Makes Us, We Perish Unless He Re-makes Us in Christ. From this most true and firmly-established principle of the apostolic and catholic faith the writer before us departs in company with the Pelagians. He…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.34 — The Pelagians Argue that Cohabitation Rightly Used is a Good, and What is Born from It is Good. Chapter 34 [XIX.]—The Pelagians Argue that Cohabitation Rightly Used is a Good, and What is Born from It is Good. I…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.35 — He Answers the Arguments of Julianus. What is the Natural Use of the Woman? What is the Unnatural Use?. Chapter 35 [XX.]—He Answers the Arguments of Julianus. What is the Natural Use of the Woman? What is the…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.36 — God Made Nature Good: the Saviour Restores It When Corrupted. Now we do not reprehend bread and wine because some men are luxurious and drunkards, any more than we disapprove of gold because of the greedy and…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.37 — If There is No Marriage Without Cohabitation, So There is No Cohabitation Without Shame. Chapter 37 [XXII.]—If There is No Marriage Without Cohabitation, So There is No Cohabitation Without Shame. “Show me,” he says,…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.38 — Jovinian Used Formerly to Call Catholics Manicheans; The Arians Also Used to Call Catholics Sabellians. Chapter 38 [XXIII.]—Jovinian Used Formerly to Call Catholics Manicheans; The Arians Also Used to Call Catholics…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.39 — Man Born of Whatever Parentage is Sinful and Capable of Redemption. He then says: “You conclude that a human being, if born of fornication, is not guilty; and if born in wedlock, is not innocent. Your assertion,…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.40 — Augustin Declines the Dilemma Offered Him. “One of these propositions,” says he, “is true, the other false.” My reply is as brief as the allegation: Both are really true, neither is false. “It is true,” he goes on to…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.41 — The Pelagians Argue that Original Sin Cannot Come Through Marriage If Marriage is Good. Chapter 41 [XXVI.]—The Pelagians Argue that Original Sin Cannot Come Through Marriage If Marriage is Good. After this he…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.42 — Chapter 42.—The Pelagians Try to Get Rid of Original Sin by Their Praise of God’s Works; Marriage, in Its Nature and by Its Institution, is Not the Cause of Sin. I have an answer ready for all this; but before I give…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.43 — The Good Tree in the Gospel that Cannot Bring Forth Evil Fruit, Does Not Mean Marriage. Chapter 43.—The Good Tree in the Gospel that Cannot Bring Forth Evil Fruit, Does Not Mean Marriage. What, then, does he mean by…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.44 — The Pelagians Argue that If Sin Comes by Birth, All Married People Deserve Condemnation. Chapter 44 [XXVII.]—The Pelagians Argue that If Sin Comes by Birth, All Married People Deserve Condemnation. What, then, is his…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.45 — Answer to This Argument: The Apostle Says We All Sinned in One. Now, there is an answer for him to all these questions given by the apostle, who censures neither the infant’s will, which is not yet matured in him for…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.46 — The Reign of Death, What It Is; The Figure of the Future Adam; How All Men are Justified Through Christ. Chapter 46.—The Reign of Death, What It Is; The Figure of the Future Adam; How All Men are Justified Through…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.47 — The Scriptures Repeatedly Teach Us that All Sin in One. Still let him ply his question: “By what means may sin be discovered in an infant?” He may find an answer in the inspired pages: “By one man sin entered into…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.48 — Original Sin Arose from Adam’s Depraved Will. Whence the Corrupt Will Sprang. “If,” says he, “sin comes from the will, it is an evil will that causes sin; if it comes from nature, then nature is evil.” I at once…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.49 — In Infants Nature is of God, and the Corruption of Nature of the Devil. “In a single man rightly is the intention blamed and the origin praised; because there must be two things to admit of contraries: in an infant,…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.50 — The Rise and Origin of Evil. The Exorcism and Exsufflation of Infants, a Primitive Christian Rite. Chapter 50.—The Rise and Origin of Evil. The Exorcism and Exsufflation of Infants, a Primitive Christian Rite. As to…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.51 — To Call Those that Teach Original Sin Manicheans is to Accuse Ambrose, Cyprian, and the Whole Church. Chapter 51.—To Call Those that Teach Original Sin Manicheans is to Accuse Ambrose, Cyprian, and the Whole Church.…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.52 — Sin Was the Origin of All Shameful Concupiscence. “Do you,” he asks, “repeat your affirmation, ‘There would be no concupiscence if man had not first sinned; marriage, however, would have existed, even if no one had…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.53 — Concupiscence Need Not Have Been Necessary for Fruitfulness. He says: “Therefore that marriage which might have been without concupiscence, without bodily motion, without necessity for sexual organs—to use your own…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.54 — How Marriage is Now Different Since the Existence of Sin. God forbid that we should say, what this man pretends we say, “Such marriages as are now enacted are the invention of the devil.” Why, they are absolutely the…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.55 — Lust is a Disease; The Word ‘Passion’ In the Ecclesiastical Sense. He then passes on from those who are united in marriage to those who are born of it. It is in relation to these that we have to encounter the most…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.56 — The Pelagians Allow that Christ Died Even for Infants; Julianus Slays Himself with His Own Sword. Chapter 56.—The Pelagians Allow that Christ Died Even for Infants; Julianus Slays Himself with His Own Sword. But…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.57 — The Great Sin of the First Man. Chapter 57 [XXXIV.]—The Great Sin of the First Man. Now observe what follows, as he goes on to say: “If, before sin, God created a source from which men should be born, but the devil a…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.58 — Adam’s Sin is Derived from Him to Every One Who is Born Even of Regenerate Parents; The Example of the Olive Tree and the Wild Olive. Chapter 58.—Adam’s Sin is Derived from Him to Every One Who is Born Even of…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.59 — The Pelagians Can Hardly Venture to Place Concupiscence in Paradise Before the Commission of Sin. Chapter 59 [XXXV.]—The Pelagians Can Hardly Venture to Place Concupiscence in Paradise Before the Commission of Sin.…vatican.va
• On Marriage and Concupiscence II.60 — Let Not the Pelagians Indulge Themselves in a Cruel Defence of Infants. As I said, however, let him entertain what views he likes of this lust; let him proclaim it as he pleases, praise it as much as he chooses (and…vatican.va