Writings in Connection with the Manichaean Heresy

The works included in this volume by no means cover all of Augustine’s writings against this heresy. Before his ordination, he wrote five anti-Manichaean books, entitled De Libero Arbitrio (On Free Choice), De Genesi contra Manichaeos (On Genesis against the Manichaeans), De Moribus Ecclesiae Catholicae (On the Morals of the Catholic Church), De Moribus Manichaeorum (On the Morals of the Manichaeans), and De Vera Religione (On True Religion). Paulinus called these his anti-Manichaean Pentateuch. After his ordination, he was equally diligent, publishing a short treatise in the year 391 under the title De Utilitate Credendi (On the Profit of Believing)¹, which was immediately followed by a short work, De Duabus Animabus (On the Two Souls). In the following year, the report of the Disputatio contra Fortunatum (Disputation against Fortunatus) was published; and after this, at short intervals, there appeared the books Contra Adimantum (Against Adimantus), Contra Epistolam Manichaei quam vocant Fundamenti (Against the Epistle of Manichaeus which is called The Foundation), Contra Faustum (Against Faustus), Disputatio contra Felicem (Disputation against Felix), De Natura Boni (On the Nature of the Good), and Contra Secundinum (Against Secundinus).

Besides these writings, which deal exclusively with Manichaeism, there are others in which Manichaean doctrines are addressed with more or less directness. These include the Confessions, Letters 79 and 236, the Lecture on Psalm 140, Sermons 1, 2, 12, 50, 153, 182, and 237, the Liber de Agone Christiano (The Christian Struggle), and De Continentia (On Continence).

Of these writings, Augustine himself expressed a preference for his reply to the letter of Secundinus.² It is a pleasant feature of the times that a heretic whom he had never even seen would write to Augustine, begging him to stop writing against the Manichaeans, to reconsider his position, and to join those whom he had until then assumed to be in error. His language is respectful and illustrates the high esteem in which Augustine was held by his contemporaries, though he does not hesitate to suggest that Augustine’s conversion from Manichaeism was driven by base motives. We have not included this letter and its reply because Augustine’s personal preference has not been shared by the judgment of his readers.

The present volume provides a fair sample of Augustine’s controversial powers.

¹ Epist. August. xxv.
² Retract. ii. 10: “which, in my opinion, I easily prefer to everything I have been able to write against that plague.” The reason for this preference is explained by Bindemann, Der heilige Augustinus, iii. 168.