Source edition
Augustine. Sancti Aureli Augustini Opera, Sectio VI, Pars I (Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, Volume 25.1). Zycha, Joseph editor. Prague; Vienna; Leipzig: F. Tempsky; G. Freytag, 1891.
Source data
Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This theological treatise is a refutation of the Manichaean dualistic doctrine of the "two souls" (one good, one evil), written by Augustine who reflects on his own past adherence to this sect. Rejoicing in his return to the Catholic faith, the author argues for the superiority of the intellect over bodily senses, asserting that all souls, by nature, originate from the one God. He defines evil not as a substantial reality but merely as a "deprivation of virtue," thus defending the divine origin of all intellectual substances. Furthermore, he demonstrates that sin exists solely in the "free will," defined as a movement of the mind uncompelled by others, and explains that human moral struggle arises not from two conflicting souls but from a single soul exercising its choice. In the end, he thoroughly exposes the contradictions of the Manichaean teachings, concluding with a prayer for his friends to find the truth.