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Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

9.

Augustinus respondit: Astute quidem paratum te dicis, si quas in libris Moysi de Christo prophetias inveneris, ita percipere, ac si piscem de mari, cum aquam ipsam unde piscis capitur, respuas. Sed quia Moyses omne quod scripsit, de Christo est, id est ad Christum omnino pertinet, sive quod eum figuris rerum vel gestarum uel dictarum praenuntiet, sive quod eius gratiam gloriamque commendet, tu, qui commenticium fallacemque Christum de Manichaei litteris credidisti, ista Moysi non vis credere, sicut nec piscem vis edere. p. 447,18 Verum hoc interest, quod Moysen hostiliter insectaris, piscem autem fallaciter laudas. Si enim piscem de mari edere non nocet, sicut ipse dixisti, cur ita eum vos noxium praedicatis, ut si alia esca non occurrat, prius fame consumamini quam pisce vescamini? Quid, quod si omnis caro immunda est, ut dicitis, et in omni aqua omnique herba vita illa misera dei vestri retinetur, quae per vestra alimenta purgata (purganda) est, detestabilis superstitio tua et piscem te cogit proicere, quem laudasti, et aquam marinam bibere ac spinas edere, quas vituperasti? p. 447,26 Quod vero etiam daemonibus dei famulum comparasti, ut, quales illi fuerunt, cum Christum confiterentur, talis et iste accipiatur, si aliquid in eius libris reperiri potuerit, quod praedicet Christum, ille quidem non dedignatur opprobrium domini sui. Si enim paterfamilias Beelzebub appellatus est, quanto magis domestici eius! Sed vos videte, a quibus ista didiceritis, profecto sceleratiores quam illi, qui domino ita conviciati sunt. Illi enim non eum Christum esse credebant et ideo fallacem putabant; vos autem doctrinam non putatis esse veracem, nisi quae Christum audet praedicare fallacem.

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Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

9.

Augustin replied: Your idea of taking any prophecies of Christ to be found in Moses, as a fish out of the sea, while you throw away the water from which the fish is taken, is a clever one. But since all that Moses wrote is of Christ, or relates to Christ, either as predicting Him by words and actions, or as illustrating His grace and glory, you, with your faith in the untrue and untruthful Christ from the writings of Manichaeus, and your unbelief in Moses, will not even eat the fish. Moreover, though you are sincere in your hostility to Moses, you are hypocritical in your praise of fish. For how can you say that there is no harm in eating a fish taken out of the sea, when your doctrine is that such food is so hurtful, that you would rather starve than make use of it? If all flesh is unclean, as you say it is, and if the wretched life of your god is confined in all water or plants, from which it is liberated by your using them for food, according to your own vile superstition, you must throw away the fish you have praised, and drink the water and eat the thistles you speak of as useless. As for your comparison of the servant of God to devils, as if his prophecies of Christ resembled their confession, the servant does not refuse to bear the reproach of his master. If the Master of the house was called Beelzebub, how much more they of His household! ¹ You have learned this reproach from Christ's enemies; and you are worse than they were. They did not believe that Jesus was Christ, and therefore thought Him an impostor. But the only doctrine you believe in is that which dares to make Christ a liar.