Letters (28, 29, 246, 210)

Epistolary heritage of the blessed. Aurelius Augustine has about 300 letters of various contents: on theology, philosophy, polemics, exegesis, ecclesiology, liturgics, ethics, etc. 1. Letter 28 (6 chapters) composed in 394-395. and addressed to the blzh. Hieronymus of Stridon. It is of great importance for understanding the attitude of the blj. Augustine on the question of the reliability of the narration of the Holy Scriptures. The author of the letter insists on the unacceptability of the opinion that something is said in Scripture not in truth, but in a lie for the sake of salvation. 2. Letter 29 (12 chapters) compiled in 395. The letter describes with what difficulty the pagan habits of North African Christians were overcome. For example, the celebration of “Laetitia”, dedicated to the day of remembrance of the local holy martyr Leontius. In the letter, you can trace how the preacher prepared for the speech, how he selected the readings, how he behaved when delivering the sermon, and what response he received from the listeners. 3. Letter 210 (2 chapters) is devoted to the theme of love and unanimity. 4. Letter 246 (3 chapters) deals with the issue of fate and luck. Contents Letter 28 Letter 29 Letter 246. Augustine to Lampadia Letter 210 From the translator. The corpus of St. Augustine's writings consisted of 269 letters, to which another 29 newly discovered ones were added in the last century. The collection of Augustine’s letters that have come down to us also includes some letters, the sender of which he was not, but minus them, it still remains grandiose in its significance both for history (for it reflects not only the life and deeds of Augustine, but also events of various scales in Roman Africa and other parts of the Empire) and for theology (many letters are large treatises in the form of epistles). Unfortunately, only a few units of this large collection have been translated into Russian (except for treatises in the form of epistles). It is still waiting for translators and commentators who will engage in its systematic study, publication in Russian, and source study. Below is a translation of four letters, the first two of which relate to the presbytery period of Augustine’s church ministry. Each of the letters relates to Scripture in its own way. The first (28) is important for a better understanding of Augustine's attitude to the question of the authenticity of the scriptural narrative. The second demonstrates the preacher's ability to use Scripture to edify his congregation in a specific situation. Translation based on the publication: St. Augustine. Selected Letters (Loeb Classical Library 239). Cambridge (Mass.)-London, 1920, reproducing the Latin text prepared by Alois Goldbacher for the series Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum latinorum. From the translator. This famous letter is the first one sent by Augustine to Blessed Jerome. Jerome at this time (394–395) was already in Bethlehem. This message begins their well-known correspondence, which, due to the delay or loss of letters and misunderstandings about their content, as well as due to the temperament of the correspondents, led to temporary misunderstanding and mutual grief. The latest monograph on the history and content of this correspondence is Hennings R. Der Briefwechsel zwischen Augustinus und Hieronymus und ihr Streit um den Kanon des Alten Testaments und die Auslegung von Gal. 1, 11–14. Leiden, 1994. This letter is important in that it significantly complements the general understanding of Augustine's exegetical views: it unequivocally insists on the unacceptability of such an approach to Scripture that would allow the possibility that something is said in Scripture not in truth, but in lies for salvation. To the most beloved Mr. Jerome, worthy of the most sincere respect and love, dear brother and colleague - Augustine. I.1 1 . Never has anyone recognized someone by sight as well as I recognized the quiet joy of your learned studies about the Lord and your truly noble diligence in them. Therefore, although I highly desire your acquaintance, I lack only a small part of you, that is, your physical presence. However, I cannot help but admit that after the most blessed bishop now, and then worthy of the episcopacy, Alypius 2, saw you and after that he was seen by me, even this presence itself was to a large extent imprinted in my soul from his story, which means that when he saw you, I saw you too, only through his eyes. For anyone who just gets to know us can say that we are two not in spirit, but only in body - that is, if you look at our agreement and the most faithful friendship, and not according to the merits in which he surpasses me. And since you already have a disposition towards me, firstly, because of the community of spirit that encourages us to strive for one thing, and then because of his speeches, then it would not be insolence on my part to entrust to your brotherly care Brother Profutur, who, as I hope, thanks to our efforts, and also your help, will really bring great benefit 3 - and, however, his qualities are such that he rather serves as a guarantee for me than I for him. Perhaps I would not need to write further than this place if I wanted to be satisfied with the custom of official letters. But my spirit is seething with thoughts that I would like to share with you in connection with our academic studies about our Lord Jesus Christ, Who also deigns to provide us, through your mercy, with many benefits and, so to speak, road aids on the path He has indicated. II.2. So we ask you, and the entire learned community of African churches asks with us, that you do not refuse to take pains to translate the books of those writers who have best interpreted our Scriptures in Greek. For you can make sure that we also have the writings of these illustrious men, especially one of them, whose name you especially often make sound in what you write 4 . In translating the canonical Holy Books into Latin, I would like you to work no differently than how you translated the book of Job, that is, showing by means of signs in which places (in what) this translation diverges from the Seventy, whose authority is most weighty. However, I would be incredibly surprised if there is anything in the Hebrew lists that has escaped the attention of so many of the most experienced experts in this language. I am not talking about the Seventy: about the consistency of their opinions and spirit, greater than if it were a single person, I do not dare make any other definite judgment, except one: I believe that in this matter the superiority of their authority must be recognized. I am more concerned about those who, although they translated later and, as they say, more tenaciously preserved the course and structure of Hebrew expressions, not only disagree with each other, but also left without attention a lot of unclear things that still awaited discovery and clarification. For if these places are dark, then, one must assume, you too may be mistaken in understanding them, and if they are clear, then you cannot believe that they could be mistaken in them. So, I conjure you, out of your love, to explain to me the reasons for this state of affairs and to make them clear to me. III.3. Moreover, I have read some works written (as they say) by you on the Epistles of the Apostle Paul. Here, wanting to resolve the difficulties in the Epistle to the Galatians, you also came across the passage where it is described how the Apostle Peter was kept from dangerous pretense. The attempt to defend the validity of such a deception, made by such a distinguished husband as yourself, or by someone else (if someone else wrote it), has caused me no small grief, and it can only be overcome by refuting what caused my alarm, if it can be refuted. For it seems to me extremely harmful to consider anything written in the Holy Books to be a deception, that is, to believe that the people through whom this Scripture was delivered and written down lied about something in their books 5 . One question is whether it is ever possible to lie to a righteous person, another question is whether it was permissible for the writer of the Holy Books to lie - however, this is not a different question, and there is no question at all. It is enough to admit the possibility of at least one well-intentioned deception at such a height of authority - and there will not be a single particle of these books left, which, due to the fact that it seems to someone either difficult to carry out or inconvenient to accept on faith, will not be explained by them according to the same most harmful rule as the desire of the author to resort to well-intentioned deception. 4. If the Apostle Paul was pretending at the time when he rebuked the Apostle Peter and said: If you, being a Jew, live like a pagan, and not like a Jew, then why do you force the Gentiles to live like a Jew? (see Gal 2:11-14), and if in fact Peter’s actions seemed correct to him, despite the fact that he said and wrote that these actions were wrong, as if in order to to appease those who were indignant at this - what will we answer when evil people rise up and begin to prohibit marriage (as the Apostle himself foresaw [see 1 Tim 4:1-3]), and they will say that everything that the Apostle said in support of the marriage law was said by him feignedly for the sake of those people who might be indignant out of love for their spouses; in other words, that the Apostle said this not because he thought so, but in order to pacify their opposition. There is no need to give many examples: even praises of God can seem like well-intentioned pretenses designed to kindle love in lazy people. And nowhere in all of Holy Scripture with such an approach will it be possible to clearly see the authority of pure truth. Do we not heed the same Apostle when he with the greatest care defends the importance of the truth: If Christ is not risen, our preaching is in vain, and our faith is in vain. And we turn out to be false witnesses of God, because we bore false witness about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise (1 Cor 15:14-15) 6. If someone had said to the Apostle: “What horrifies you so much in this deception? After all, you said something that, even if false, would serve for the glory of God?”, then wouldn’t the Apostle have rejected the madness of such a person and tried with all possible words and signs to express what is hidden in the depths of his heart, declaring that praising a lie in God is no less, but even a greater crime than defaming the truth. Consequently, efforts must be made to ensure that a person approaches the knowledge of Scripture with such a reverent and truthful opinion about the Holy Books that in no part of them he would be glad to see well-intentioned deception, but rather that he would be ready to skip what he does not understand rather than prefer his own understanding to the truth of Scripture. For by insisting on his own, he thereby insists on the possibility of trust in himself and distrust of the authority of the divine Scriptures. 5. For my part, I would even use all the strength given to me by the Lord to show that all the evidence that Scripture gives to support the benefits of deception must be taken in a different sense, so that their unshakable truthfulness may be manifest everywhere. For since these testimonies should not be false, they should not encourage falsehood. But I'll leave that to your own judgment. Perhaps, having thought more carefully about what you read, you will see this much sooner than I did. And piety prompts you to such reasoning, which helps you to understand that the authority of the divine Scriptures will be unsteady and everyone will believe in them what he wants and disbelieve what he does not want, if we even once admit that those men who handed over these Scriptures to us could have resorted to some well-intentioned deception in them - unless you propose some rules by which we can find out where we should resort to deception and where we should not. If possible, I ask you to present these rules to me with unfalse and undoubted arguments and not consider my request burdensome or unceremonious in the name of the truest love of our Lord. For my error, which stands for the truth, if not completely without guilt, in any case, does not contain much guilt, if with you the truth can justify deception. IV.6. I would still like to talk about many things with your so close heart and discuss many things regarding Christian activities, but no letter would be enough to fulfill this desire of mine. I hope that I will achieve its fuller realization thanks to that brother whom I was glad to send to you so that he could join you and be nourished by sweet and useful conversations. And yet, perhaps, even he will not be able (may he not be angry with me) to contain everything that I would like to contain. However, I did not want to consider myself better than him in any way, and although I admit that I can accommodate more from you, I see that he is filled more with you, which, undoubtedly, surpasses me. And after he returns, which, I hope, he will succeed with God’s help, and when I share his thoughts accumulated from you, he will not be able to fill everything that will still be empty in me, and will thirst for your thoughts and judgments. And it turns out that I will then be poorer, and he will be richer. The same brother, however, will bring with him some of our writings. If you wish to read them, I ask you to please approach them with sincere brotherly severity. For in this sense I understand what was said: The merciful will correct me in righteousness and reprove me, but let not the oil of a sinner anoint my head (Ps 141:5) 7 - that is, that he who reproaches for healing shows more love than he who flatters by anointing his head. When I myself read what I have written, it is difficult for me to be a good judge, and I find myself either too cautious or too decisive. Sometimes I see the shortcomings of what I have written, but I would rather hear about them from better people; otherwise, having sometimes rightly reproached myself, I can again flatter myself and think that I made a timid rather than a fair judgment about myself. From the translator. This famous letter of 395 is a living testimony to the difficulty with which the pagan habits of North African Christians were overcome, in particular, the celebration of “Laetitia”, timed to coincide with the day of remembrance of the local holy martyr Leontius. In addition, this is an invaluable document about Augustine’s activity as a preacher during the period when he was still only a presbyter, to whom the Hippo bishop Valery entrusted the ministry of the word in his church. This account of three difficult days is especially interesting because it gives insight into how the preacher prepared for the speech, how he selected the readings, how he conducted himself while delivering the sermon, and what response he received from his listeners. Letter from Presbyter Hippo Regius to Alypius, Bishop of Tagasta, on the day of remembrance of Leontius, once Bishop of Hippo. 1. I cannot write anything definite about a matter that cannot but concern me in the absence of Brother Macarius. They say he will return soon, and then we will accomplish what can be accomplished with God’s help. As for our zeal for our fellow citizens, those of them who were with you could assure you of it; however, the Lord has given us something worthy of that written interview, which serves us for mutual consolation. We are sure that your concern for us helped us in gaining His mercy, which, of course, was not without prayers for us. 2. So, I cannot fail to tell you, beloved brother, what happened with us, so that you, together with us, can thank God for the fact that we received from Him the blessing for which you poured out prayers with us. After your departure, it was reported to us that the people were worried and said that they would not tolerate the prohibition of that holiday, which is called “Fun”, in vain trying to hide under this name its true name - drinking (news came about this every now and then in your presence). Here, it could not be more opportune, according to the secret plan of Almighty God, on the fourth day of the week, it falls upon me to interpret, in the order of church readings, the well-known Gospel concept: Do not give what is holy to dogs and do not cast your pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6). I began to talk about dogs and pigs in such a way as to cause shame in those who, with stubborn barking, rush against God’s commandments and indulge in the filth of carnal pleasures. And I concluded in such a way that they would see how criminal it is within the walls of the church, under the name of a pious rite, to do something for which they should not be allowed to access the church shrine and pearls, even if they continued to do it only in their homes. 3. Although what I said was accepted with understanding, there were few people gathered and not enough had been done to settle such a matter. And when my sermon was spread throughout the world by those present, each to the best of his ability and in accordance with his inclination, then many opponents were found. After the fortieth day of the holiday began, and a great crowd flocked to the time of the sermon on the Gospel, the place was read from the Gospel where the Lord, having driven out the animal dealers from the church and overturned the tables of the money changers, said that His Father’s house had been turned from a house of prayer into a den of thieves (Matthew 21:12-13). Having attracted the attention of the listeners with a question about drunkenness, I also read this concept myself, and to it I added a reasoning about how with great indignation and jealousy our Lord would have expelled from the church drunken feasts, which are everywhere disgusting, since He with such fury removed from there even the permitted trade in the necessary accessories of sacrifices that were legal at that time. And then I asked what, in their opinion, looked more like a den of robbers: traders of necessary goods or people who drank to excess? 4. And since I had prepared passages from the Holy Scriptures that could be cited, I added that even the carnal Jewish people, even in that church where the body and blood of the Lord were not sacrificed, never arranged not only drunken, but even sober feasts, and in the whole of Sacred history none of them can be found getting drunk in public under the name of a pious rite, except perhaps only when they celebrated a holiday made idol (Exodus 32:6). Having said this, I took the book and read the entire passage. In continuation of this, I also said with all the sorrow available to me that since the Apostle Paul, wanting to show the difference between the Christian people and the hard-heartedness of the Jews, called his letter written not on stone tablets, but on fleshly tablets of the heart (2 Cor 3:3), and the servant of God Moses broke both stone tablets because of the leaders of his people (Exodus 32:19), then how can we not decide to break the hearts of these people who, being people of the New Testament, are ready to publicly demonstrate in the name of the celebration of saints’ days what the people of the Old Testament celebrated once and in the name of an idol? 5. Then I gave the book of Exodus to expand on the crime of drunkenness, as far as time allowed: taking the epistle of the Apostle Paul, I showed what sins drunkenness was included in, reading the following passage: With the one who, being called a brother, remains a fornicator, or a covetous, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or a predator; with a groan he reminded them how dangerous it is for us to feast with those who get drunk, even at home. I also read what was said a little further: Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wicked people, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor 6:9-11). After reading these words, I asked them to consider how those faithful who still endure in their hearts, that is, in the inner church of God, the impurity of such lust, against which the Kingdom of Heaven is closed, can listen to the words “you are washed.” From this I moved on to another concept: you are gathering in such a way that this does not mean eating the Lord’s Supper; for everyone hastens to eat his food before others, so that some are hungry, and others get drunk. Have you no houses to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God? (1 Cor 11:20–22). Having read this, I showed even more emphatically that even modest and sober feasts should not take place in the church, because the Apostle did not say: “Have you not houses in which to get drunk?” (as if it was impossible to get drunk only in church), but he said: “to eat and drink” - this is not shameful to do, only outside the church, for those who have a home where they can strengthen their strength with the necessary food. And yet we have reached such a reduction of corrupt times and decaying morals that we no longer demand modest feasts, but hope to at least limit the reign of drunkenness to the home. I also remembered the Gospel concept, which I interpreted the day before, where it is said about false prophets: By their fruits you will know them (Matthew 7:16). Then he reminded that fruits in this place are called nothing more than works. Then I asked what fruits to count drunkenness, and read from the Epistle to the Galatians: The works of the flesh are known; they are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, quarrels, envy, anger, strife, disagreements, temptations, heresies, hatred, murder, drunkenness, disorderly conduct and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do this will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21). After all these words, I asked them: how is it possible to recognize Christians by drunkenness, whom the Lord ordered to be recognized by their fruits? To this he added the following reading: The fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, mercy, faith, meekness, self-control (Gal. 5:22-23) - and called to reflect on how shameful and regrettable it is that they want with their “fruits” not only to “decorate” their private life, but also to “honor” the Church, and if they were given free rein, they would filled with crowds of feasting and drunken people; but from the spiritual fruits to which both the authority of Holy Scripture and our cries call them, they do not want to bring gifts to God and do not want to celebrate the triumph of the saints with these fruits. 7. At the end of all this, I gave the book and, at the request for edification, presented to their eyes (as far as I could and as far as the impending danger forced me to do so and the Lord gave strength to help) the common misfortune that threatens, firstly, themselves, who are entrusted to us, and then also to us, who will give an account of them to the Chief Shepherd. With his unprecedented humiliation and desecration, beating and spitting and strangling, the crown of thorns, the cross and blood, I conjured them so that if for some reason they wanted to violate themselves, then let them at least take pity on us and think about the unspeakable love of the venerable elder Valery for me, who for their sake did not hesitate to place on me such a dangerous burden of interpreting the words of truth and often used to say, that my coming was an answer to his prayers - but he rejoiced at my coming, of course, not because we came to share their death or the spectacle of death, but because we came to make a common effort with them to achieve life. And finally, I also said that I firmly believe and trust in Him who cannot lie and who through the mouth of His prophet made a promise about Christ, saying: If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My commandments; If they break My statutes and do not keep My commandments, I will visit their iniquity with a rod, and their iniquity with blows; But I will not take My mercy from him (Ps 89:31-34), - and therefore I trust in Him, that if they despise all the multitude of what He has read and said, He will visit them with a rod and a scourge and will not allow them to fall under condemnation along with this world. I delivered this entire indignant speech as expressively as the Guardian and Manager of our souls gave strength and ability. It was not I who caused their tears with my tears, but, saying something like this, preceded by their crying, I admit, I myself could not restrain myself. And after we cried together, I concluded my speech with an expression of hope for their correction. 8. However, the next day, when the day for which the larynx and womb were accustomed to prepare began, they informed me that even of those who had been present at the sermon the day before, some did not stop grumbling, and the worst habit was so strong in them that only its voice spoke to them: “Why only now?” they were indignant. “Weren’t those who did not prevent this before, Christians?” Having heard this, I was completely at a loss as to what to resort to as an even stronger weapon to influence them; however, I intended, in case of their persistence, to read the famous words from the prophet Ezekiel: A spy is released from responsibility if he announces danger - even if those to whom he announces do not want to be careful (Ezekiel 33:9) 8 - and, shaking off his clothes, leave. But here the Lord showed that He does not abandon us, and showed how He encourages us to rely on Him, for just before the very hour when it was time for me to ascend to the exedra, the very ones about whom I had heard that they most of all complained about my opposition to the old custom came to me. Receiving them kindly, I, with a few words, persuaded them to a sound opinion. And when the time came to begin the argument, I left the prepared reading (since it was obviously no longer necessary) and made a few comments about their question: namely, that to those who say: “Why only now?” - we can best answer in short and true words: “At least now only!” 9 . However, so that it would not seem that we offend by slander those who previously tolerated us or did not dare to resist such obvious crimes of the ignorant crowd, I explained to them why this custom arose in the Church. When peace reigned after so many and so violent persecutions, the crowds of pagans who wanted to take the name of Christians were not prevented from doing so because they were in the habit of spending holidays with their idols in excess of food and drunkenness, and it was not easy for them to abstain from these most destructive, although the oldest, pleasures. Therefore, our predecessors considered it good for the time being to show some leniency and allow, instead of the festivals they abandoned, others to be celebrated in honor of the martyrs, at least with less wickedness, although not with less excess. Now they, gathered in the name of Christ and having submitted to the yoke of such a great authority, are taught saving commandments (instructions of sobriety), which they can no longer resist due to fear and reverence for the One who establishes them. Therefore, it is time now for those who do not dare to renounce the name of a Christian to begin to live according to the will of Christ and, having become Christians, to reject what was allowed to them in order for them to become Christians. 10. Then I called for imitation of the overseas Churches, in which these customs were partly never allowed, and partly were already corrected by good rulers when subjugating the people. And since the custom of daily wine drinking in the Basilica of Blessed Peter was put forward as a counter-example, I said to this that, firstly, I had heard that it was often prohibited, but due to the remoteness of this place from episcopal supervision and the multitude of carnal people in such a large city, especially due to the fact that constantly arriving pilgrims maintain this custom with a zeal commensurate with their ignorance, this such a huge destruction cannot yet be appeased. With all this, if we honor the Apostle Peter, we must listen to his instructions and pay much more zealous attention to his Epistles, from which his will is clear, than to the basilica, from which it is not clear. And immediately taking the book, I read the place where the Apostle says: Just as Christ suffered for us in the flesh, so arm yourself with the same thought; for he who suffers in the flesh ceases to sin, so that the rest of the time in the flesh he may no longer live according to human lusts, but according to the will of God. For it is enough that in the past time of your life you acted according to the will of the pagans, indulging in uncleanness, lusts, drunkenness, excess in food and drink, and absurd idolatry (1 Pet 4:1-3). Having completed all this, since I had already seen that everyone unanimously turned to good will, despising the bad custom, I called them to attend the midday Divine readings and psalmody: thus (I said) we wanted to celebrate this day in greater purity and decency, and from the multitude of those gathered it will be easy to understand who follows the spirit and who follows the belly. And so, having read everything, I concluded my speech. 11. In the afternoon an even larger crowd gathered than before noon, and until the time when we went out with the bishop there was alternating reading and singing. Then, against my will - since I wanted this very dangerous day to end as soon as possible - the elder ordered me to tell them something. I said a short word, and since from the basilica of heretics the noise of the usual feasts celebrated there could be heard - they remained at the bowls even until the time when all this was happening with us - then I said that the beauty of the day appears even more magnificent in comparison with the night and the brilliance of whiteness is even more pleasant when adjacent to the blackness; So our meeting during the spiritual celebration, perhaps, would not have been so gratifying if it had not been possible to compare it with carnal filling of the womb, and called on them to constantly hunger for such spiritual dishes, as soon as they tasted how sweet the Lord is; and those who consider important what will one day be destroyed, and give their aspirations to it, should be afraid; for everyone will share the fate of the thing that he honors, and the Apostle mocks such, saying that their god is the belly (Phil 3:19) and adding in another place: Food for the belly, and the belly for food; but God will destroy both (1 Cor 6:13). Therefore, we must follow what will not be destroyed and what is kept by the sanctification of the Spirit from the vicissitudes of the flesh. And when, in connection with these words, what the Lord deigned to inspire was said for the occasion, we performed the usual evening service, and at our departure, together with the bishop, the brothers sang hymns there, and a considerable number of men and women remained and sang until the sunset of the day. 12. I told (I told you) as briefly as possible what you, without any doubt, would have liked to hear. Pray that God will deign to turn away all temptations and adversities from all our endeavors. It is with no small measure of proud zeal that we share with you the satisfaction that news reaches us of so many gifts of the Tagaste Church. The ship with the brothers has not yet arrived. At Asna, where Brother Argentius was presbyter, 9 circumcellions broke into our basilicas and damaged the altar. The case is now being examined in court, and we very much ask you to pray that it will proceed peacefully and in the manner appropriate to conduct the work of the Church to bind the tongues of restless heresy. We sent a letter to the asiarch 10. Most blessedly abide in the Lord with remembrance of us. Amen. Letter 246. Augustine to Lampadius 11 1. About the question of fate and luck, which worries your mind a lot, as I noticed when I met you and now am convinced with satisfaction from your letter, I must write a considerable scroll in response to you, and the Lord will vouchsafe me to explain everything to you in a way that will be useful to you and the health of your faith (according to His knowledge). For there is no small evil in this if false opinions not only lead by the flattery of lust to the commission of sin, but also turn away from the healing of confession to the justification of the committed. 2. But this is what I must tell you and teach you as quickly and briefly as possible: all laws and all institutions, penalties, praise, censure, encouragement, intimidation, rewards, punishment and everything else, with the help of which the human race is led and governed, will be shaken to the ground and overthrown, and there will be no truth left in it at all, if the will is not recognized as the cause of sin. Therefore, it is easier and more correct for us to reject the errors of the “mathematicians” than to condemn and reject Divine laws or concerns about our homes - which the “mathematicians” themselves do not do. For as soon as one of them sells his stupid predictions to the moneybag, then, barely raising his gaze from the ivory tables to the worries of arranging his own home, he instructs his wife not only with words, but also with beatings, if he notices how she not only openly flirts with someone, but even simply looks out of the window too often. And if she tells him: “Why are you beating me? Hit Venus if you can: it is she who forces me to do this,” then he is not concerned about what empty words he can come up with to deceive strangers, but what well-deserved blows to deliver to correct his own. 3. So, when someone, in response to censure, shifts the blame to fate and does not want to accept the accusation, because, according to him, fate forced him to do what he is accused of, let him return home and observe the same rule in relation to his neighbors: let him not punish a thief-slave, let him not complain about his insolent son, let him not threaten his swindler neighbor. For what of this can he do with full right, since everyone from whom he suffers untruth is driven to it not by their own guilt, but by fate? If, by his inherent right and by the zeal of the householder, he encourages all the people who at a certain time are in his power to do good, restrains them from evil, commands them to obey his will, distinguishes those who are obedient to his beck, exacts from those who neglect him, rewards those who show benefits, turns away from the ungrateful - do I still need to expect from such a person that he will argue against the authorities? fate, since I see that not in words, but in deeds, he expresses himself so strongly that, one might say, he breaks all the tables of “mathematicians” over their heads. If your hunger is not satisfied by this little that I have said, and you want to receive from me a certain book on this subject that would take you longer to read, then you should wait until I have free time and ask God to grant me the leisure and ability to saturate your mind with reasoning on this subject. However, I will do this more willingly if you, beloved, will not be lazy to often remind me of this by letters and in your answer you will let me know what you think about this message of mine. The most beloved and most holy mother Felicitata and the brother Rusticus and the sisters who are with you, Augustine and the brothers who are with him, are greeted in the Lord. 1. The Lord is good (Lamentations 3:25) and His mercy is poured out everywhere, which comforts us about your love in His compassion. How much He loves those who believe and trust in Him and those who love Him and each other, and what He preserves for them for the future - this He reveals first of all by the fact that the unfaithful and desperate and evil, for whom, if they persist to the end, He has prepared eternal fire with the devil (cf. Matthew 25:41), in this age nevertheless lavishes so many blessings, for He commands the sun He rises above the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). This was said briefly in order to think about a lot here, for who can calculate how many gifts and blessings the wicked receive in this life from Him Whom they neglect? Among these gifts, it is especially valuable that by examples of temporary sorrows, which He, as an experienced physician, mixes with the sweetness of this age, He exhorts them, if they only want to listen, to flee from future wrath (Matt. 3:7) and, while they are still on the way, that is, in this life, to be reconciled with the word of God (Matt. 5:25), which they have made their enemy with their bad life. What does the Lord God give to people not out of mercy, if he even sends sorrow as a blessing? For prosperity is the gift of God who comforts, and adversity is the gift of God who exhorts. And if, as I said, He gives this to the wicked, then what does He prepare for those who endure Him? And among them you should rejoice that He has gathered you together, and bear with one another in love, seeking to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace ( Eph 4:2–3 ). For there will be no lack of things that you will have to endure one another until the Lord takes you away from here, having abolished death in victory, and God will be all in all (1 Cor 15:54,28). 2. We should never love strife. But sometimes they are born of love or experience love. Is it easy to find a person who would want to be reprimanded? And where is the wise man about whom it is said: Reprove a wise man, and he will love you (Proverbs 9:8)? And yet, because of this, shouldn’t we blame and reproach our brother so that he does not approach his death in calm ignorance? After all, it usually happens and often happens that, having heard reproach, a person is upset for a while, resists and argues, and then thinks it over alone with himself in silence, where there is only God and himself, and where he is not afraid of being unpleasant to people because he is reproached, but is afraid of not pleasing God by not correcting himself - and then he no longer does what he was rightly accused of, but as much as he hates his sin, he loves his brother, in whom he sees the enemy of his sin. If he is one of those about whom it is said: Rebuke a fool and he will also begin to hate you ( Proverbs 9:8 ) 12 - then such a quarrel does not begin from love, but it hardens and tests the love of the one who expresses the criticism, because he does not pay for hatred with hatred, but his love, which prompted him to express reproach, calmly endures, even if the one he reproaches hates him. If the person who expressed the censure wants to repay evil for evil to the one who is indignant at the censure, then it means that he was not worthy of censure, but rather he himself is worthy of censure. Try to ensure that either indignation does not arise among you, or that, having arisen, it is immediately extinguished by reconciliation as quickly as possible. Strive more to maintain unanimity than to look for reasons for reproof, for just as vinegar corrodes a vessel if it stays in it longer than necessary, so anger corrodes the heart if it lingers in it until the next day. Do this, and the God of peace will be with you (Phil 4:9); Pray also for us, so that what we advise for your benefit, you yourself will cheerfully carry out. Translation from Latin by S. Stepantsov Here and further the translator retains the traditional double numbering. – Ed. Augustine's faithful friend from childhood to death, best known from the Confessions and also from correspondence. At the time of writing this letter he had already been elected bishop of Tagasta. The meaning of the name Profuturus is played on - lit. ‘one who will benefit’. Profutur was one of the members of the monastic community in Hippo, headed by Augustine. Having been elected to the department of Mr. Kirt, he could not actually accompany this letter. Origen was the first to express the opinion that the dispute between Peter and Paul was feigned to censure Judaizing practices. Of the Eastern Fathers, John Chrysostom adopted it, and of the Western Fathers, Jerome. Synod. translation: ...if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain. Moreover, we would also turn out to be false witnesses about God, because we would testify about God that He raised Christ, Whom He did not raise... - Ed. Synod. translation: Let the righteous punish me: this is mercy; let him reprove me: this is the best oil, which will not hurt my head; but my prayers are against their atrocities. – Ed. Synod. translation: If you warned the wicked from his way so that he would turn from it, but he did not turn from his way, then he dies for his sin, and you saved your soul. – Ed. Circumcellions (lit. ‘walking around the cells’) were extremist groups of Donatists who defended the “highest perfection” by pogroms of Orthodox churches and monasteries and plundering the property of wealthy citizens. – Ed. Asiarch is the title of a secular administrator, governor of the Roman province of Asia. – Ed. The date of the letter and the identity of Lampadius are unknown. Synod. translation: Do not rebuke a blasphemer, lest he hate you. – Ed. You might be interested in: