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De civitate Dei (CCSL)

Caput III: Peccati causam ex anima, non ex carne prodisse, et corruptionem ex peccato contractam non peccatum esse, sed poenam.

Quodsi quisquam dicit carnem causam esse in malis moribus quorumcumque uitiorum, eo quod anima carne adfecta sic uiuit, profecto non uniuersam hominis naturam diligenter aduertit. nam corpus quidem corruptibile adgrauat animam. unde etiam idem apostolus agens de hoc corruptibili corpore, de quo paulo ante dixerat: etsi exterior homo noster corrumpitur: scimus, inquit, quia, si terrena nostra domus habitationis resoluatur, aedificationem habemus ex deo, domum non manu factam aeternam in caelis. etenim in hoc ingemescimus, habitaculum nostrum quod de caelo est superindui cupientes; si tamen et induti, non nudi inueniamur. etenim qui sumus in hac habitatione, ingemescimus grauati, in quo nolumus exspoliari, sed superuestiri, ut absorbeatur mortale a uita. et adgrauamur ergo corruptibili corpore, et ipsius adgrauationis causam non naturam substantiamque corporis, sed eius corruptionem scientes nolumus corpore spoliari, sed eius inmortalitate uestiri. et tunc enim erit, sed quia corruptibile non erit, non grauabit. adgrauat ergo nunc animam corpus corruptibile, et deprimit terrena inhabitatio sensum multa cogitantem. uerumtamen qui omnia mala animae ex corpore putant accidisse, in errore sunt. quamuis enim Vergilius Platonicam uideatur luculentis uersibus explicare sententiam dicens: igneus est illis uigor et caelestis origo seminibus, quantum non noxia corpora tardant terrenique hebetant artus moribundaque membra, omnesque illas notissimas quattuor animi perturbationes, cupiditatem timorem, laetitiam tristitiam, quasi origines omnium peccatorum atque uitiorum uolens intellegi ex corpore accidere subiungat et dicat: hinc metuunt cupiunt que, dolent gaudent que, nec auras suspiciunt, clausae tenebris et carcere caeco: tamen aliter se habet fides nostra. nam corruptio corporis, quae adgrauat animam, non peccati primi est causa, sed poena; nec caro corruptibilis animam peccatricem, sed anima peccatrix fecit esse corruptibilem carnem. ex qua corruptione carnis licet existant quaedam incitamenta uitiorum et ipsa desideria uitiosa, non tamen omnia uitae iniquae uitia tribuenda sunt carni, ne ab his omnibus purgemus diabolum, qui non habet carnem. etsi enim diabolus fornicator uel ebriosus uel si quid huiusmodi mali est, quod ad carnis pertinet uoluptates, non potest dici, cum sit etiam talium peccatorum suasor et instigator occultus, est tamen maxime superbus atque inuidus. quae illum uitiositas sic obtinuit, ut propter hanc esset in carceribus caliginosi huius aeris aeterno supplicio destinatus. haec autem uitia, quae tenent in diabolo principatum, carni tribuit apostolus, quam certum est diabolum non habere. dicit enim inimicitias, contentiones, aemulationes, animositates, inuidias opera esse carnis; quorum omnium malorum caput atque origo superbia est, quae sine carne regnat in diabolo. quis autem illo est inimicior sanctis? quis aduersus eos contentiosior, animosior et magis aemulus atque inuidus inuenitur? at haec omnia cum habeat sine carne, quomodo sunt ista opera carnis, nisi quia opera sunt hominis, quem, sicut dixi, nomine carnis appellat? non enim habendo carnem, quam non habet diabolus, sed uiuendo secundum se ipsum, hoc est secundum hominem, factus est homo similis diabolo; quia et ille secundum se ipsum uiuere uoluit, quando in ueritate non stetit, ut non de dei, sed de suo mendacium loqueretur, qui non solum mendax, uerum etiam mendacii pater est. primus est quippe mentitus, et a quo peccatum, ab illo coepit esse mendacium.

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The City of God

Chapter 3.--That the Sin is Caused Not by the Flesh, But by the Soul, and that the Corruption Contracted from Sin is Not Sin But Sin's Punishment.

But if any one says that the flesh is the cause of all vices and ill conduct, inasmuch as the soul lives wickedly only because it is moved by the flesh, it is certain he has not carefully considered the whole nature of man. For "the corruptible body, indeed, weigheth down the soul." ¹ Whence, too, the apostle, speaking of this corruptible body, of which he had shortly before said, "though our outward man perish," ² says, "We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up in life." ³ We are then burdened with this corruptible body; but knowing that the cause of this burdensomeness is not the nature and substance of the body, but its corruption, we do not desire to be deprived of the body, but to be clothed with its immortality. For then, also, there will be a body, but it shall no longer be a burden, being no longer corruptible. At present, then, "the corruptible body presseth down the soul, and the earthly tabernacle weigheth down the mind that museth upon many things," nevertheless they are in error who suppose that all the evils of the soul proceed from the body.

Virgil, indeed, seems to express the sentiments of Plato in the beautiful lines, where he says,--

"A fiery strength inspires their lives,

An essence that from heaven derives,

Though clogged in part by limbs of clay

And the dull 'vesture of decay;'" ⁴

but though he goes on to mention the four most common mental emotions,--desire, fear, joy, sorrow,--with the intention of showing that the body is the origin of all sins and vices, saying,--

"Hence wild desires and grovelling fears,

And human laughter, human tears,

Immured in dungeon-seeming nights

They look abroad, yet see no light," ⁵

yet we believe quite otherwise. For the corruption of the body, which weighs down the soul, is not the cause but the punishment of the first sin; and it was not the corruptible flesh that made the soul sinful, but the sinful soul that made the flesh corruptible. And though from this corruption of the flesh there arise certain incitements to vice, and indeed vicious desires, yet we must not attribute to the flesh all the vices of a wicked life, in case we thereby clear the devil of all these, for he has no flesh. For though we cannot call the devil a fornicator or drunkard, or ascribe to him any sensual indulgence (though he is the secret instigator and prompter of those who sin in these ways), yet he is exceedingly proud and envious. And this viciousness has so possessed him, that on account of it he is reserved in chains of darkness to everlasting punishment. ⁶ Now these vices, which have dominion over the devil, the apostle attributes to the flesh, which certainly the devil has not. For he says "hatred, variance, emulations, strife, envying" are the works of the flesh; and of all these evils pride is the origin and head, and it rules in the devil though he has no flesh. For who shows more hatred to the saints? who is more at variance with them? who more envious, bitter, and jealous? And since he exhibits all these works, though he has no flesh, how are they works of the flesh, unless because they are the works of man, who is, as I said, spoken of under the name of flesh? For it is not by having flesh, which the devil has not, but by living according to himself,--that is, according to man,--that man became like the devil. For the devil too, wished to live according to himself when he did not abide in the truth; so that when he lied, this was not of God, but of himself, who is not only a liar, but the father of lies, he being the first who lied, and the originator of lying as of sin.