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Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

9.

Haec sponsa Christi gaudens in spe plenae salutis suae et tibi optat bonam conversionem a fabulis ad veritatem, ne Adoneum quasi adulterum reformidans cum versutissimo adultero serpente remaneas. Adoneus enim verbum haebraeum est et interpretatur dominus eo modo, quo solus deus dicitur dominus, sicut latria, quod verbum graecum est et interpretatur servitus, non quaecumque, sed illa, qua tantummodo deo servitur, sicut amen interpretatur verum, non ubicumque et quomodocumque, sed mystica religione. p. 435,17 Quodsi a te quaeratur, unde tu quoque habeas, praeter hebraeas litteras vel quae ex hebraeo sunt non invenies. Non ergo timet ecclesia Christi istorum nominum obiectionem, intellegit et amat, nec curat imperitum insultatorem. Et quae nondum intellegit, credit esse talia, qualia nonnulla experta est, quae nondum intellecta sic erant. Obiciat ei quisque quod Emmanuhel adamaverit, irridet inscitiam illius hominis, amplectitur veritatem huius nominis. Obiciat quod amaverit Messiam, repellit exstinctum adversarium, tenet unctum magistrum. Ita te quoque cupit sanari a vanis erroribus et aedificari super fundamentum apostolorum et prophetarum; p. 436,3 quem dicis Hippocentaurum, nesciens quid loquaris, nec attendis, quid tibi tua fabula confecerit, cum ex parte dei tui et ex parte terrae tenebrarum falsum mundum fabricat in corde tuo. Itane ille non Hippocentaurus semiferus et semideus? Vere, quia nec Hippocentaurus dicendus est. Quid autem sit, tu attende et erubesce et mitesce, ut corruptionem tuam a serpente adultero perhorrescas. Cuius astutiam si apud Moysen credendam non putasti, apud Paulum cauere debuisti, qui veram ecclesiam volens virginem castam exhibere Christo, timeo inquit ne sicut serpens Evam fefellit in versutia sua, corrumpantur mentes vestrae a simplicitate et castitate, quae est in Christo. Hoc tu cum audires, usque adeo tamen desipuisti et venenatis incantationibus eius amens facta es, ut aliis multis haeresibus aliud atque aliud idem serpens, tibi autem etiam se Christum esse persuaserit. p. 436,17 Porro si errant multae fallaciis eius variis et multiformibus irretitae, quae tamen hanc admonitionem apostoli veram fatentur, tu quantum adulterata es, quam in longinquo prostituta, quae ipsum pro Christo habes, a quo apostolus Christi seductam Evam atque corruptam clamat, ut ab eo virginem sponsam Christi tali admonitione custodiat? Tenebravit cor tuum, qui tecum in phantasmatis lucidorum nemorum volutatur. Quae sunt, ubi sunt, unde sunt fidelia promissa eius? O ebria, non a vino! *

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Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

9.

The bride of Christ rejoices in the hope of full salvation, and desires for thee a happy conversion from fables to truth. She desires that the fear of Adoneus, as if he were a strange lover, may not prevent thy escape from the seductions of the wily serpent. Adonai is a Hebrew word, meaning Lord, as applied only to God. In the same way the Greek word latria means service, in the sense of the service of God; and Amen means true, in a special sacred sense. This is to be learned only from the Hebrew Scriptures, or from a translation. The Church of Christ understands and loves these names, without regarding the evils of those who scoff because they are ignorant. What she does not yet understand, she believes may be explained, as similar things have already been explained to her. If she is charged with loving Emmanuel, she laughs at the ignorance of the accuser, and holds fast by the truth of this name. If she is charged with loving Messiah, she scorns her powerless adversary, and clings to her anointed Master. Her prayer for thee is, that thou also mayest be cured of thy errors, and be built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. The monstrosity with which thou ignorantly chargest the true doctrine, is really to be found in the world which, according to thy fanciful stories, is made partly of thy god and partly of the world of darkness. This world, half savage and half divine, is worse than monstrous. The view of such follies should make thee humble and penitent, and should lead thee to shun the serpent, who seduces thee into such errors. If thou dost not believe what Moses says of the guile of the serpent, thou mayest be warned by Paul, who, when speaking of presenting the Church as a chaste virgin to Christ, says, "I fear lest, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his craftiness, your minds also should be corrupted from the simplicity and purity which is in Christ." ¹ In spite of this warning, thou hast been so misled, so infatuated by the serpent's fatal enchantments, that while he has persuaded other heretics to believe various falsehoods, he has persuaded thee to believe that he is Christ. Others, though fallen into the maze of manifold error, still admit the truth of the apostle's warning. But thou art so far gone in corruption, and so lost to shame, that thou holdest as Christ the very being by whom the apostle declares that Eve was beguiled, and against whom he thus seeks to put the virgin bride of Christ on her guard. Thy heart is darkened by the deceiver, who intoxicates thee with dreams of glittering groves. What are these promises but dreams? What reason is there to believe them true? O drunken, but not with wine!