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Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

16.

Why, then, do you not accept everything in the New Testament? Is it because the books have not the authority of Christ's apostles, or because the apostles taught what was wrong? You reply that the books have not the authority of the apostles. That the apostles were wrong in their teaching is what Pagans say. But what can you say to prove that the publication of these books cannot be traced to the apostles? You reply that in many things they contradict themselves and one another. Nothing could be more untrue; the fact is, you do not understand. In every case where Faustus has brought forward what you think a discrepancy, we have shown that there was none; and we will do the same in every other case. It is intolerable that the reader or learner should dare to lay the blame on Scriptures of such high authority, instead of confessing his own stupidity. Did the Paraclete teach you that these writings are not of the apostles' authorship, but written by others under their names? But where is the proof that it was the Paraclete from whom you learned this? If you say that the Paraclete was promised and sent by Christ, we reply that your Paraclete was neither promised nor sent by Christ; and we also show you when He sent the Paraclete whom He promised. What proof have you that Christ sent your Paraclete? Where do you get the evidence in support of your informant, or rather misinformant? You reply that you find the proof in the Gospel. In what Gospel? You do not accept all the Gospel, and you say that it has been tampered with. Will you first accuse your witness of corruption, and then call for his evidence? To believe him when you wish it, and then disbelieve him when you wish it, is to believe nobody but yourself. If we were prepared to believe you, there would be no need of a witness at all. Moreover, in the promise of the Holy Spirit as the Paraclete, it is said, "He shall lead you into all truth;" ¹ but how can you be led into all truth by one who teaches you that Christ was a deceiver? And again, if you were to prove that all that is said in the Gospel of the promise of the Paraclete could apply to no one but Manichaeus, as the predictions of the prophets are applicable to Christ; and if you quoted passages from those manuscripts which you say are genuine, we might say that on this very point, as proving Manichaeus to be the only person intended, the passages have been altered in the interest of your sect. Your only answer to this would be, that you could not possibly alter documents already in the possession of all Christians; for at the very outset of such an attempt, it would be met by an appeal to older copies. But if this proves that the books could not be corrupted by you, it also proves that they could not be corrupted by any one. The first person who ventured to do such a thing would be convicted by a comparison of older manuscripts; especially as the Scripture is to be found not in one language only, but in many. As it is, false readings are sometimes corrected by comparing older copies or the original language. Hence you must either acknowledge these documents as genuine, and then your heresy cannot stand a moment; or if they are spurious, you cannot use their authority in support of your doctrine of the Paraclete, and so you refute yourselves.

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Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

16.

Vos ergo iam dicite, quare non accipiatis omnia ex libris novi testamenti, utrum quia non sunt apostolorum Christi, an quia pravi aliquid docuerunt apostoli Christi! Respondetis: Quia non sunt apostolorum; nam illa vox altera paganorum est, qui dicunt apostolos Christi non recta docuisse. Vos ergo quid dicitis? Unde ostenditis scripturas illas non ab apostolis ministratas? Respondetis: Quia multa sunt in eis et inter se et sibi contraria. Omnino falsissimum est; vos non intellegitis. Nam quicquid tale protulit Faustus, quod ita vobis videretur, ita non esse monstratum est; et quicquid tale a vobis prolatum fuerit, hoc docebimus. p. 775,19 Quis autem ferat lectorem vel auditorem scripturam tantae auctoritatis facilius quam vitium suae tarditatis audere culpare? An hoc dicitis vos paracletum docuisse scripturas istas apostolorum non esse, sed sub eorum nominibus ab aliis esse conscriptas ? Hoc saltem docete istum ipsum paracletum esse, a quo didicistis haec apostolorum non esse. An dicetis: Ipsum Christus promisit et misit! Respondetur vobis: Omnino istum Christus nec promisit nec misit; et simul ostenditur, quando miserit, quem promisit. Quod ergo eum Christus miserit, hoc probate! Unde asseritis personam vestri auctoris vel potius deceptoris? Respondetis ex evangelio vos probare. Ex quo evangelio? Quod non totum accipitis, quod falsatum esse vos dicitis? p. 776,3 Quis ergo testem suum prius ipse dicat falsitate esse corruptum et tunc producat ad testimonium? Si enim, quod vultis, ei credimus, et quod non vultis, ei non credimus, iam non illi, sed vobis credimus. Si autem vobis credere vellemus, testem a vobis non exigeremus. Deinde paracletus sic est promissus, ut diceretur : Ipse vos inducet in omnem veritatem. Quomodo vos autem ille inducet in veritatem, qui vos docet Christum esse fallacem? Huc accedit, quia si omnia, quae de promissione paracleti in evangelio leguntur, talia esse demonstraretis, ut non omnino nisi de Manichaeo vestro possent intellegi, sicut ostenduntur in prophetis ea esse dicta de Christo, quae in alium cadere omnino non possint, tamen, cum ea de his codicibus proferretis, quos dicitis infalsatos, hoc ipsum illic falsum et a corruptoribus maioribus vestris immissum esse diceremus, quod illic de Manichaeo sic scriptum legeretis, ut et (de ?) alio intellegere non possemus. p. 776,19 Quid faceretis, dicite mihi, nisi clamaretis nullo modo vos potuisse falsare codices, qui iam in manibus essent omnium christianorum, quia mox ut facere coepissetis, vetustiorum exemplarium veritate convinceremini? Qua igitur causa a vobis corrumpi non possent, hac causa a nemine potuerunt. Quisquis enim hoc primitus ausus esset, multorum codicum vetustiorum collatione confutaretur, maxime quia non una lingua, sed multis eadem scriptura contineretur. Nam etiam nunc nonnullae codicum mendositates vel de antiquioribus vel de lingua praecedente emendantur. Ita ergo aut cogimini veraces illos codices confiteri, et continuo evertent haeresim vestram, aut si fallaces eos dixeritis, eorum auctoritate paracletum non poteritis asserere, et vos evertistis haeresim vestram. p. 777,7