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Confessiones

Caput 10

Pereant a facie tua, deus, sicuti pereunt, vaniloqui et mentis seductores, qui cum duas voluntates in deliberando animadverterint, duas naturas duarum mentium esse asseverant, unam bonam, alteram malam. ipsi vere mali sunt, cum ista mala sentiunt, et idem ipsi boni erunt, si vera senserint verisque consenserint, ut dicat eis apostolus tuus: fuistis aliquando tenebrae, nunc autem lux in domino. illi enim dum volunt esse lux non domino, sed in se ipsis, putando animae naturam hoc esse, quod deus est, ita facti sunt densiores tenebrae, quoniam longius a te recesserunt horrenda arrogantia, a te, vero lumine inluminante omnem hominem venientem in hunc mundum. adtendite, quid dicatis, et erubescite: et accedite ad eum et inluminamini, et vultus vestri non erubescent. ego cum deliberabam, ut servirem domino deo meo, sicut diu disposueram, ego eram, qui volebam, ego, quo nolebam; ego eram. nec plene volebam nec plene nolebam. ideo mecum contendebam et dissipabar a me ipso, et ipsa dissipatio me invito quidem fiebat, nec tamen ostendebat naturam mentis alienae, sed poenam meae. et ideo non iam ego operabar illam, sed quod habitat in me peccatum, de supplicio liberioris peccati, quia eram filius Adam. Nam si tot sunt contrariae naturae, quot voluntates sibi resistunt, non iam duae, sed plures erunt. si deliberet quisquam, utrum ad conventiculum eorum pergat an ad theatrum, clamant isti: ecce duae naturae, una bona hac ducit, altera mala illac reducit. nam unde ista cunctatio sibimet adversantium voluntatum? ego autem dico ambas malas, et quae ad illos ducit et quae ad theatrum reducit. sed non credunt nisi bonam esse, qua itur ad eos. quid? si ergo quisquam noster deliberet, et secum altercantibus duabus voluntatibus fluctuet, utrum ad theatrum pergat an ad ecclesiam nostram, nonne et isti quid respondeant fluctuabunt? aut enim fatebuntur, quid nolunt, bona voluntate pergi in ecclesiam nostram, sicut in eam pergunt qui sacramentis eius imbuti sunt atque detinentur, aut duas malas naturas et duas malas mentes in uno homine congfligere putabunt, et non erit verum quod solent dicere, unam bonam, alteram malam; aut convertentur ad verum et non negabunt, cum quisque deliberat, animam unam diversis voluntatibus aestuare. Iam ergo non dicant, cum duas voluntates in homine uno adversari sibi sentiunt, duas contrarias mentes, de duabus contrariis substantiis, et de duobus contrariis principiis contendere, unam bonam, alteram malam. nam tu, deus verax, improbas eos et redarguis atque convincis eos, sicut in utraque mala voluntate, cum quisque deliberat, utrum hominem veneno interimat an ferro, utrum fundum alienum illum an illum invadat, quando utrumque non potest, utrum emat voluptatem luxuria an pecuniam servet avaritia, utrum ad circum pergat an ad theatrum, si uno die utrumque exhibeatur; addo etiam tertium, an ad furtum de domo aliena, si subest occasio; addo et quartum, an ad conmittendum adulterium, si et inde simul facultas aperitur, si omnia concurrant in unum articulum temporis, pariterque cupiuntur omnia, quae simul agi nequeunt: discerpunt enim animum sibimet adversantibus quattuor voluntatibus vel etiam pluribus, in tanta copia rerum, quae appetuntur: nec tamen tantam multitudinem diversarum substantiarum solent dicere. ita et in bonis voluntatibus. nam quaero ab eis, utrum bonum sit delectari lectione apostoli, et utrum bonum sit delectari psalmo sobrio, et utrum bonum sit evangelium disserere. respondebunt ad singula: bonum. quid? si ergo pariter delectent omnia simulque uno tempore, nonne diversae voluntates distendunt cor hominis, cum deliberatur, quid potissimum arripiamus? et omnes bonae sunt et certant secum, donec eligatur unum, quo feriatur tota voluntas una, quae in plures dividebatur. ita etiam, cum aeternitas delectat superius et temporalis boni voluptas retentat inferius, eadem anima est non tota voluntate illud aut hoc volens; et ideo discerpitur gravi molestia, dum illud veritate praeponit, hoc familiaritate non ponit.

Traduction Masquer
The Confessions of St. Augustin In Thirteen Books

Chapter X.--He Refutes the Opinion of the Manichaeans as to Two Kinds of Minds,--One Good and the Other Evil.

22. Let them perish from Thy presence, ¹ O God, as "vain talkers and deceivers" ² of the soul do perish, who, observing that there were two wills in deliberating, affirm that there are two kinds of minds in us,--one good, the other evil. ³ They themselves verily are evil when they hold these evil opinions; and they shall become good when they hold the truth, and shall consent unto the truth, that Thy apostle may say unto them, "Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord." ⁴ But, they, desiring to be light, not "in the Lord," but in themselves, conceiving the nature of the soul to be the same as that which God is, ⁵ are made more gross darkness; for that through a shocking arrogancy they went farther from Thee, "the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." ⁶ Take heed what you say, and blush for shame; draw near unto Him and be "lightened," and your faces shall not be "ashamed." ⁷ I, when I was deliberating upon serving the Lord my God now, as I had long purposed,--I it was who willed, I who was unwilling. It was I, even I myself. I neither willed entirely, nor was entirely unwilling. Therefore was I at war with myself, and destroyed by myself. And this destruction overtook me against my will, and yet showed not the presence of another mind, but the punishment of mine own. ⁸ "Now, then, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me," ⁹ --the punishment of a more unconfined sin, in that I was a son of Adam.

23. For if there be as many contrary natures as there are conflicting wills, there will not now be two natures only, but many. If any one deliberate whether he should go to their conventicle, or to the theatre, those men ¹⁰ at once cry out, "Behold, here are two natures,--one good, drawing this way, another bad, drawing back that way; for whence else is this indecision between conflicting wills?" But I reply that both are bad--that which draws to them, and that which draws back to the theatre. But they believe not that will to be other than good which draws to them. Supposing, then, one of us should deliberate, and through the conflict of his two wills should waver whether he should go to the theatre or to our church, would not these also waver what to answer? For either they must confess, which they are not willing to do, that the will which leads to our church is good, as well as that of those who have received and are held by the mysteries of theirs, or they must imagine that there are two evil natures and two evil minds in one man, at war one with the other; and that will not be true which they say, that there is one good and another bad; or they must be converted to the truth, and no longer deny that where any one deliberates, there is one soul fluctuating between conflicting wills.

24. Let them no more say, then, when they perceive two wills to be antagonistic to each other in the same man, that the contest is between two opposing minds, of two opposing substances, from two opposing principles, the one good and the other bad. For Thou, O true God, dost disprove, check, and convince them; like as when both wills are bad, one deliberates whether he should kill a man by poison, or by the sword; whether he should take possession of this or that estate of another's, when he cannot both; whether he should purchase pleasure by prodigality, or retain his money by covetousness; whether he should go to the circus or the theatre, if both are open on the same day; or, thirdly, whether he should rob another man's house, if he have the opportunity; or, fourthly, whether he should commit adultery, if at the same time he have the means of doing so,--all these things concurring in the same point of time, and all being equally longed for, although impossible to be enacted at one time. For they rend the mind amid four, or even (among the vast variety of things men desire) more antagonistic wills, nor do they yet affirm that there are so many different substances. Thus also is it in wills which are good. For I ask them, is it a good thing to have delight in reading the apostle, or good to have delight in a sober psalm, or good to discourse on the gospel? To each of these they will answer, "It is good." What, then, if all equally delight us, and all at the same time? Do not different wills distract the mind, when a man is deliberating which he should rather choose? Yet are they all good, and are at variance until one be fixed upon, whither the whole united will may be borne, which before was divided into many. Thus, also, when above eternity delights us, and the pleasure of temporal good holds us down below, it is the same soul which willeth not that or this with an entire will, and is therefore torn asunder with grievous perplexities, while out of truth it prefers that, but out of custom forbears not this.