Traduction Masquer
The City of God

Chapter 22.--Of Those Who Fancy that the Sins Which are Intermingled with Alms-Deeds Shall Not Be Charged at the Day of Judgment.

I have also met with some who are of opinion that such only as neglect to cover their sins with alms-deeds shall be punished in everlasting fire; and they cite the words of the Apostle James, "He shall have judgment without mercy who hath shown no mercy." ¹ Therefore, say they, he who has not amended his ways, but yet has intermingled his profligate and wicked actions with works of mercy, shall receive mercy in the judgment, so that he shall either quite escape condemnation, or shall be liberated from his doom after some time shorter or longer. They suppose that this was the reason why the Judge Himself of quick and dead declined to mention anything else than works of mercy done or omitted, when awarding to those on His right hand life eternal, and to those on His left everlasting punishment. ² To the same purpose, they say, is the daily petition we make in the Lord's prayer, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." ³ For, no doubt, whoever pardons the person who has wronged him does a charitable action. And this has been so highly commended by the Lord Himself, that He says, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ⁴ And so it is to this kind of alms-deeds that the saying of the Apostle James refers, "He shall have judgment without mercy that hath shown no mercy." And our Lord, they say, made no distinction of great and small sins, but "Your Father will forgive your sins, if ye forgive men theirs." Consequently they conclude that, though a man has led an abandoned life up to the last day of it, yet whatsoever his sins have been, they are all remitted by virtue of this daily prayer, if only he has been mindful to attend to this one thing, that when they who have done him any injury ask his pardon, he forgive them from his heart.

When, by God's help, I have replied to all these errors, I shall conclude this (twenty-first) book.

Edition Masquer
De civitate Dei (CCSL)

Caput XXII: De his, qui putant ea crimina, quae inter elemosynarum opera committuntur, ad damnationis iudicium non uocari.

Comperi etiam quosdam putare eos tantummodo arsuros illius aeternitate supplicii, qui pro peccatis suis facere dignas elemosynas neglegunt, iuxta illud apostoli Iacobi: iudicium autem sine misericordia illi, qui non fecit misericordiam. qui ergo fecit, inquiunt, quamuis mores in melius non mutauerit, sed inter ipsas suas elemosynas nefarie ac nequiter uixerit, iudicium illi cum misericordia futurum est, ut aut nulla damnatione plectatur aut post aliquod tempus siue paruum siue prolixum ab illa damnatione liberetur. ideo iudicem ipsum uiuorum atque mortuorum noluisse existimant aliud commemorare se esse dicturum siue dextris, quibus est uitam daturus aeternam, siue sinistris, quos aeterno supplicio damnaturus, nisi elemosynas siue factas siue non factas. ad hoc pertinere aiunt et in oratione dominica cottidianam postulationem: dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. quisquis enim illi, qui in eum peccauit, dimittit ignoscendo peccatum, procul dubio elemosynam facit. quam rem dominus ipse sic commendauit, ut diceret: si enim dimiseritis peccata hominibus, dimittet uobis et pater uester peccata uestra; si autem non dimiseritis hominibus, neque pater uester, qui in caelis est, dimittet uobis. ergo et ad hoc genus elemosynarum pertinet quod ait apostolus Iacobus iudicium futurum sine misericordia ei, qui non fecit misericordiam. nec dixit dominus, inquiunt, magna uel parua, sed: dimittet uobis pater uester peccata uestra, si et uos dimiseritis hominibus. ac per hoc putant etiam eis, qui perdite uixerint, donec claudant diem uitae huius extremum, per hanc orationem, qualiacumque et quantacumque fuerint, omnia cottidie peccata dimitti, sicut ipsa cottidie frequentatur oratio, si hoc tantummodo custodire meminerint, ut, quando ab eis ueniam petunt, qui eos peccato qualicumque laeserunt, ex corde dimittant. cum ad haec omnia deo donante respondero, liber iste claudendus est.