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Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

24.

To take, for instance, this saying of the ancients, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy," how does Faustus make out that this is peculiar to Moses? Does not the Apostle Paul speak of some men as hateful to God? ¹ And, indeed, in connection with this saying, the Lord enjoins on us that we should imitate God. His words are: "That ye may be the children of your Father in heaven, who maketh the sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust." ² In one sense we must hate our enemies, after the example of God, to whom Paul says some men are hateful; while, at the same time, we must also love our enemies after the example of God, who makes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. If we understand this, we shall find that the Lord, in explaining to those who did not rightly understand the saying, Thou shalt hate thine enemy, made use of it to show that they should love their enemy, which was a new idea to them. It would take too long to show the consistency of the two things here. But when the Manichaeans condemn without exception the precept, Thou shall hate thine enemy, they may easily be met with the question whether their god loves the race of darkness. Or, if we should love our enemies now, because they have a part of good, should we not also hate them as having a part of evil? So even in this way it would appear that there is no opposition between the saying of ancient times, Thou shall hate thine enemy, and that of the Gospel, Love your enemies. For every wicked man should be hated as far as he is wicked; while he should be loved as a man. The vice which we rightly hate in him is to be condemned, that by its removal the human nature which we rightly love in him may be amended. This is precisely the principle we maintain, that we should hate our enemy for what is evil in him, that is, for his wickedness; while we also love our enemy for that which is good in him, that is, for his nature as a social and rational being. The difference between us and the Manichaeans is, that we prove the man to be wicked, not by nature, either his own or any other, but by his own will; whereas they think that a man is evil on account of the nature of the race of darkness, which, according to them, was an object of dread to God when he existed entire, and by which also he was partly conquered, so that he cannot be entirely set free. The intention of the Lord, then, is to correct those who, from knowing without understanding what was said by them of old time, Thou shalt hate thine enemy, hated their fellow-men instead of only hating their wickedness; and for this purpose He says, Love your enemies. Instead of destroying what is written about hatred of enemies in the law, of which He said, "I am come not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it," He would have us learn, from the duty of loving our enemies, how it is possible in the case of one and the same person, both to hate him for his sin, and to love him for his nature. It is too much to expect our perverse opponents to understand this. But we can silence them, by showing that by their irrational objection they condemn their own god, of whom they cannot say that he loves the race of darkness; so that in enjoining on every one to love his enemy, they cannot quote his example. There would appear to be more love of their enemy in the race of darkness than in the god of the Manichaeans. The story is, that the race of darkness coveted the domain of light bordering on their territory, and, from a desire to possess it, formed the plan of invading it. Nor is there any sin in desiring true goodness and blessedness. For the Lord says, "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." ³ This fabulous race of darkness, then, wished to take by force the good they desired, for its beautiful and attractive appearance. But God, instead of returning the love of those who wished to possess Him, hated it so as to endeavor to annihilate them. If, therefore, the evil love the good in the desire to possess it, while the good hate the evil in fear of being defiled, I ask the Manichaeans, which of these obeys the precept of the Lord, "Love your enemies"? If you insist on making these precepts opposed to one another, it will follow that your god obeyed what is written in the law of Moses, "Thou shall hate thine enemy"; while the race of darkness obeyed what is written in the Gospel, "Love your enemies." However, you have never succeeded in explaining the difference between the flies that fly in the day-time and the moths that fly at night; for both, according to you, belong to the race of darkness. How is it that one kind love the light, contrary to their nature; while the other kind avoid it, and prefer the darkness from which they sprung? Strange, that filthy sewers should breed a cleaner sort than dark closets!

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Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

24.

Nam et hic quaero ab istis, cur proprium velint esse legis Moysi, quod dictum est antiquis: Diliges proximum tuum et oderis inimicum tuum. An et apostolus Paulus non dixit homines quosdam deo odibiles ? Et utique in hac admonitione ipse dominus ad hoc nos hortatur, ut imitemur deum: Ut sitis inquit filii patris vestri, qui in caelis est, qui facit solem suum oriri super bonos et malos et pluit super iustos et iniustos. Quaerendum itaque est, quomodo intellegatur exemplo dei, cui dixit quosdam odibiles Paulus, odio habendos inimicos, et rursus exemplo dei, qui facit solem suum oriri super bonos et malos et pluit super iustos et iniustos, diligendos inimicos. p. 522,27 Sic apparebit dominum male intellegentibus id, quod dictum est: oderis inimicum tuum, inferre voluisse, quod omnino non norant, ut diligerent inimicos suos. Utrumque autem quomodo servandum sit, longum est disputare. Sed ad istos interim, quibus generaliter displicet, si quis oderit inimicum suum, est nobis sermo, qui eorum frontem premat, cum eos interrogamus, utrum diligat deus eorum gentem tenebrarum, aut si propterea nunc inimici diligendi sunt, quod habeant partem boni, cur non ob hoc eos et odisse debemus, quod habeant partem mali. Ea quippe regula et hoc solvitur doceturque non esse contrarium, quod in antiqua scriptura dictum est: Oderis inimicum tuum, et in evangelio: Diligite inimicos vestros, quod unusquisque iniquus homo, in quantum iniquus est, odio habendus est, in quantum autem homo est, diligendus est, p. 523,13 ut illud, quod in eo recte odimus, arguamus, id est vitium, quo possit illud, quod in eo recte diligimus, id est humana ipsa natura emendato vitio liberari. Haec, inquam, regula est, qua et oderimus inimicum propter id, quod in eo malum est, id est iniquitatem, et diligamus inimicum propter id, quod in eo bonum est, id est socialem rationalemque creaturam, nisi quod nos non eum per naturam vel suam vel alienam, sed per propriam voluntatem malum esse convincimus, illi autem per naturam gentis tenebrarum putant esse hominem malum, quam secundum ipsos deus totus timuit, antequam in parte vinceretur, et in parte ab ea sic victus est, ut nec totus liberaretur. 523,25 Audito igitur et non intellecto, quod antiquis dictum erat: Oderis inimicum tuum, ferebantur homines in hominis odium, cum deberent non odisse nisi vitium. Hos corrigit dominus dicendo: Diligite inimicos vestros, ut qui iam dixerat: Non veni legem solvere, sed adimplere, ideoque de odio inimici quod scriptum est in lege non solveret, praecipiendo utique, ut diligamus inimicos, cogeret nos intellegere, quonam modo possemus unum eundemque hominem et odisse propter culpam et diligere propter naturam. Sed hoc ad perversas eorum mentes intellegere multum est. Urguendi sunt tantum, ut secundum calumniae suae perditam rationem vel potius amentiam defendant deum suum, quem non possunt dicere dilectorem gentis tenebrarum, ideoque ad eius exemplum non habent, quemadmodum hortentur, ut suum quisque diligat inimicum. p. 524,10 Potius enim genti ipsi tenebrarum dilectionem inimici tribuere potuerunt quam deo suo. Illa quippe, sicut delirant, vicinam sibi lucem atque contiguam concupivit eaque frui voluit atque, ut frueretur, invadere cogitavit. Neque ista culpa est, cum verum et beatificum bonum appetitur. Unde et dominus dicit: Regnum caelorum vim patitur, et qui vim fecerint, diripient illud. Ecce gens tenebrarum secundum eorum vanitatem vim facere ac diripere voluit bonum, quod amaverat, eius claritate et specie delectata; nec eam vicissim deus dilexit, sed odio detestans frui se volentem funditus eradicare molitus est. Si ergo mali amant bonum, quo fruantur, boni autem oderunt malum, ne polluantur, respondete, Manichaei, quinam eorum impleant, quod dominus ait: Diligite inimicos vestros. p. 524,23 Ecce si has singulas repugnantesque sententias esse vultis, deus vester fecit, quod scriptum est in lege Moysi: Oderis inimicum tuum, et gens tenebrarum, quod scriptum est in evangelio: Diligite inimicos vestros. Quamquam nec fingendo invenire potuistis, quo pacto dirimatis quaestionem inter muscas lucipetas et blattas lucifugas; utramque enim prolem gentis tenebrarum esse contenditis. Unde ergo illae amant a se alienam lucem, illae autem hanc aversando sua potius origine delectantur? An mundius nascuntur muscae in fetidis cloacis quam blattae in obscuris cubiculis? p. 525,5