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Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

3.

Augustinus respondit : Iam supra commemoravi, quam saepe se dominus Iesus Christus filium hominis dicat et quanta vanitate Manichaei fabulam nefandi sui erroris inducant de nescio quo commenticio primo homine, quem non terrenum, sed fallacibus elementis indutum contra apostolum praedicant dicentem : Primus homo de terra terrenus, et quanta cura nos idem monuerit apostolus dicens : Si quis uobis adnuntiaverit praeterquam quod adnuntiavimus vobis, anathema sit. Quapropter restat, ut filium hominis Christum ita credamus, sicut apostolica veritate praedicatur, non sicut Manichaeorum falsitate confingitur. Cum igitur eum evangelistae adnuntient natum ex femina de domo David, hoc est de familia David, Paulusque ad Timotheum scribat dicens : memor esto Christum Iesum resurrexisse a mortuis ex semine David secundum evangelium meum, satis apparet, quemadmodum Christum filium hominis credere debeamus, qui filius dei, per quem facti sumus, etiam filius hominis per assumptionem carnis factus est, ut moreretur propter delicta nostra et resurgeret propter iustificationem nostram. p. 275,11 Ideoque utrumque se dicit, et filium dei et filium hominis. Unde ne pergam per plurima, uno loco in evangelio secundum Iohannem ita scriptum est: Amen, amen dico vobis, quia venit hora et nunc est, quando mortui audient vocem filii dei; et qui audierint, vivent. sicut enim pater habet vitam in semet ipso, sic dedit et filio vitam habere in semet ipso; et potestatem dedit ei et iudicium facere, quia filius hominis est. p. 275,18 Dixit : vocem filii dei audient. Et dixit: quia filius hominis est. Secundum hoc enim, quod dixit filius hominis est, accepit potestatem iudicium faciendi, quia in ipsa forma venturus est ad iudicium, ut et a bonis et a malis videatur. In qua forma etiam ascendit in caelum et vox illa discipulis sonuit: sic veniet, quemadmodum eum vidistis euntem in caelum. Nam secundum id, quod filius dei deus aequalis est patri et cum patre unum, non videbitur a malis; beati enim mundo corde, quia ipsi deum videbunt. Cum ergo credentibus in se promittat vitam aeternam nec aliud sit credere in eum quam credere in verum Christum, qualem se ipse praedicat et ab apostolis praedicatur, hoc est et verum dei filium et verum hominis filium, vos, Manichaei, qui creditis in falsum et fallacem, falsi et fallacis hominis filium, cum et ipsum deum gentis adversae tumultu perterritum membra sua misisse crucianda nec postea tota purganda docetis, videtis, quam sitis alieni a vita aeterna, quam promittit Christus illis, qui credunt in eum. p. 276,7 At enim dixit Petro confitenti eum filium dei: Beatus es, Simon Bariona. Numquid ideo nihil promisit eis, qui in eum filium hominis crederent, cum idem ipse sit et filius dei et filius hominis? Habes etiam aperte vitam aeternam promissam credentibus in filium homini: Sicut exaltavit inquit Moyses serpentem in heremo, sic oportet exaltari filium hominis, ut omnis qui crediderit in eum non pereat, sed habeat vitam aeternam. Quid vultis amplius ? Credite ergo in filium hominis, ut habeatis vitam aeternam, quia ipse est et filius dei, qui potest dare vitam aeternam, quia ipse est verus deus et vita aeterna, sicut idem Iohannes ait in epistula sua, ubi etiam dicit antichristum esse, qui negat Christum in carne venisse. p. 276,21

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Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

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Augustin replied: I have already said that the Lord Jesus Christ repeatedly calls Himself the Son of man, and that the Manichaeans have contrived a silly story about some fabulous First Man, who figures in their impious heresy, not earthly, but combined with spurious elements, in opposition to the apostle, who says, "The first man is of the earth, earthy;" ¹ and that the apostle carefully warns us, "If any one preaches to you differently from what we have preached, let him be accursed." ² So that we must believe Christ to be the Son of man according to apostolic truth, not according to Manichaean error. And since the evangelists assert that Christ was born of a woman, of the seed of David, and Paul writing to Timothy says, "Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead, according to my gospel," ³ it is clear what sense we must believe Christ to be the Son of man; for being the Son of God by whom we were made, He also by His incarnation became the Son of man, that He might die for our sins, and rise again for our justification. ⁴ Accordingly He calls Himself both Son of God and Son of man. To take only one instance out of many, in the Gospel of John it is written, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in Himself, so He hath given to the Son to have life in Himself; and hath given Him power to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man." ⁵ He says, "They shall hear the voice of the Son of God;" and He says, "because He is the Son of man." As the Son of man, He has received power to execute judgment, because He will come to judgment in human form, that He may be seen by the good and the wicked. In this form He ascended into heaven, and that voice was heard by His disciples, "He shall so come as ye have seen Him go into heaven." ⁶ As the Son of God, as God equal to and one with the Father, He will not be seen by the wicked; for "blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Since, then, He promises eternal life to those that believe in Him, and since to believe in Him is to believe in the true Christ, such as He declares Himself and His apostles declare Him to be, true Son of God and true Son of man; you, Manichaeans, who believe on a false and spurious son of a false and spurious man, and teach that God Himself, from fear of the assault of the hostile race, gave up His own members to be tortured, and after all not to be wholly liberated, are plainly far from that eternal life which Christ promises to those who believe in Him. It is true, He said to Peter when he confessed Him to be the Son of God, "Blessed art thou, Simon. Barjona." But does He promise nothing to those who believe Him to be the Son of man, when the Son of God and the Son of man are the same? Besides, eternal life is expressly promised to those who believe in the Son of man. "As Moses," He says, "lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." ⁷ What more do you wish? Believe then in the Son of man, that you may have eternal life; for He is also the Son of God, who can give eternal life: for He is "the true God and eternal life," as the same John says in his epistle. John also adds, that he is antichrist who denies that Christ has come in the flesh. ⁸