Paulinus and Therasia, sinners, to Augustine, our lord and brother, beloved and venerable — Greetings.
1. The love of Christ that constrains us, and that unites us despite the distance in the bond of a common faith, has itself given me the courage to set aside my timidity and write to you. It has planted you deep in my heart through your writings — so rich in learning, so sweet with heavenly honey, the medicine and nourishment of my soul. At present I have five of your books, which I received through the kindness of the blessed and venerable Bishop Alypius — not only for my own instruction but for the benefit of churches in many towns. I am now reading them. In them I take great delight. In them I find food — not the kind that perishes, but the kind that imparts the substance of eternal life through our faith, by which we are made members of Christ's body in our Lord Jesus Christ. The writings and examples of the faithful powerfully strengthen that faith which, turning away from what is visible, longs with love for what is invisible, and accepts without reservation all things that accord with the truth of the almighty God.
O true salt of the earth, by which our hearts are preserved from being corrupted by the world's errors! O light worthy of your place on the Church's lampstand, spreading widely in the Catholic towns the brightness of a flame fed by the oil of the seven-branched lamp of the heavenly sanctuary — you scatter even the thick fogs of heresy, and rescue the light of truth from the confusion of darkness through the beams of your luminous demonstrations!
2. You see, my brother — beloved, esteemed, and welcomed in Christ our Lord — with what familiarity I claim to know you, with what wonder I admire you, and with what love I embrace you. For I enjoy daily conversation with you through your writings and am fed by the breath of your mouth. Your mouth I may rightly call a channel of living water and a conduit from the eternal fountain, for Christ has become in you "a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14). My soul thirsted with longing for this, and my parched ground yearned to be flooded with the fullness of your stream.
Since, then, you have completely armed me by your five books against the Manichaeans — if you have composed any further treatises defending the Catholic faith against other enemies (for our adversary, with his thousand deadly stratagems, must be met with weapons as varied as the attacks he launches), I beg you to bring them out from your arsenal and not refuse to equip me with the armor of righteousness. For I am oppressed even now with a heavy burden: as a sinner, I am a veteran in the ranks of sinners but an untrained recruit in the service of the Eternal King. The wisdom of this world I have unhappily admired until now, and — devoting myself to literature I now see as unprofitable, and to a wisdom I now reject — I was in the sight of God foolish and mute. When I had grown old in fellowship with my enemies and had labored in vain with my thoughts, I lifted my eyes to the mountains, looking up to the precepts of the law and the gifts of grace, whence my help came from the Lord. He did not repay me according to my iniquity but enlightened my blindness, loosed my bonds, and humbled me who had been sinfully proud — so that he might exalt me when I was graciously humbled.
3. And so I follow, with halting steps as yet, the great examples of the righteous — hoping, through your prayers, to lay hold of that for which I have been laid hold of by the compassion of God. Guide, then, this infant crawling on the ground, and by your footsteps teach him to walk. For I would not have you judge me by the age that began with my natural birth, but by the age that began with my spiritual rebirth. In terms of natural life, I have reached the age of the cripple who was healed by the apostles at the Beautiful Gate. But in terms of my soul's birth, mine is the age of those infants who, struck down by blows aimed at Christ, preceded with their blood — worthy of such honor — the offering of the Lamb, and served as heralds of the Lord's passion (Matthew 2:16).
As a babe in the word of God, then, and a nursing infant in spiritual age, satisfy my urgent hunger by nourishing me with your words — the breasts of faith, wisdom, and love. If you consider only the office we both hold, you are my brother. But if you consider the maturity of your understanding and abilities, you are — though younger in years — a father to me, since possessing venerable wisdom has promoted you, despite your youth, to a ripeness of worth and the honor that belongs to elders. Strengthen and sustain me, then, for I am, as I have said, only a child in sacred Scripture and spiritual studies. After long struggles and repeated shipwrecks, I have scarcely any skill, and I am even now struggling to keep my head above the waves of this world. You, who have already found firm footing on the shore — receive me into the safe harbor of your embrace, so that together, if it please you, we may sail toward the haven of salvation. Meanwhile, in my efforts to escape the dangers of this life and the abyss of sin, support me by your prayers as if by a plank, so that from this world I may escape as from a shipwreck, leaving everything behind.
4. I have therefore been at pains to rid myself of all baggage and clothing that might slow my progress, so that, obedient to Christ's command and sustained by his help, I may swim — unencumbered by any provision for the flesh or anxiety about tomorrow — across the sea of this present life, which swells with waves and echoes with the barking of our sins like the dogs of Scylla, and separates us from God. I do not boast of having accomplished this. Even if I could boast, I would glory only in the Lord, whose it is to accomplish what we can only desire. But my soul is in earnest that the Lord's judgments be her chief delight. You can judge how far along the road is a person who desires to desire the will of God.
Nevertheless, so far as in me lies, I have loved the beauty of his sanctuary and, if left to myself, would have chosen the lowest place in the Lord's house. But it pleased him — who was pleased to separate me from my mother's womb and to draw me from the friendship of flesh and blood to his grace — to raise me from the earth, from the gulf of misery, though I was devoid of merit, and to lift me from the mire and dunghill to set me among the princes of his people and appoint me to the same rank as yourself. So that although you surpass me in worth, I should be your equal in office.
5. It is not therefore by my own presumption but by the Lord's pleasure and appointment that I claim the honor — unworthy as I confess myself to be — of brotherhood with you. For I am persuaded, knowing the holiness of your character, that you are taught by the truth not to be haughty but to associate with the lowly. I hope you will readily and kindly accept this assurance of the love we humbly bear you — a love which I trust you have already encountered through the most blessed priest Alypius, whom (with his permission) we call our father. He has given you an example of loving us while we were still strangers and beyond what we deserve; for he has been able, in the spirit of genuine love that reaches far and diffuses widely, to behold us through affection and to touch us through writing, even when we were unknown to him and separated by a vast stretch of land and sea. He has given us the first proofs of his affection and the evidence of your love in the gift of books mentioned above. As he was deeply concerned that we should be drawn to ardent love for you — not by his testimony alone but more fully by the eloquence and faith displayed in your own writings — so we believe he has labored with equal zeal to bring you to a similarly warm love for us in return.
O brother in Christ, beloved, venerable, and ardently longed for — we pray that the grace of God, as it is with you, may remain forever. We greet with the deepest affection of heartfelt brotherhood your whole household and everyone who in the Lord is a companion and imitator of your holiness. We ask you to bless, by accepting it, a single loaf of bread we have sent to Your Charity as a token of our unity of heart with you.
Letter 25 (A.D. 394)
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To Augustine, Our Lord and Brother Beloved and Venerable, from Paulinus and Therasia, Sinners.
1. The love of Christ which constrains us, and which unites us, though separated by distance, in the bond of a common faith, has itself emboldened me to dismiss my fear and address a letter to you; and it has given you a place in my inmost heart by means of your writings — so full of the stores of learning, so sweet with celestial honey, the medicine and the nourishment of my soul. These I at present have in five books, which, through the kindness of our blessed and venerable Bishop Alypius, I received, not only as a means of my own instruction, but for the use of the Church in many towns. These books I am now reading: in them I take great delight: in them I find food, not that which perishes, but that which imparts the substance of eternal life through our faith, whereby we are in our Lord Jesus Christ made members of His body; for the writings and examples of the faithful do greatly strengthen that faith which, not looking at things seen, longs after things not seen with that love which accepts implicitly all things which are according to the truth of the omnipotent God. O true salt of the earth, by which our hearts are preserved from being corrupted by the errors of the world! O light worthy of your place on the candlestick of the Church, diffusing widely in the Catholic towns the brightness of a flame fed by the oil of the seven-branched lamp of the upper sanctuary, you also disperse even the thick mists of heresy, and rescue the light of truth from the confusion of darkness by the beams of your luminous demonstrations.
2. You see, my brother beloved, esteemed, and welcomed in Christ our Lord, with what intimacy I claim to know you, with what amazement I admire and with what love I embrace you, seeing that I enjoy daily converse with you by the medium of your writings, and am fed by the breath of your mouth. For your mouth I may justly call a pipe conveying living water, and a channel from the eternal fountain; for Christ has become in you a fountain of living water springing up into eternal life. John 4:14 Through desire for this my soul thirsted within me, and my parched ground longed to be flooded with the fullness of your river. Since, therefore, you have armed me completely by this your Pentateuch against the Manichæans, if you have prepared any treatises in defense of the Catholic faith against other enemies (for our enemy, with his thousand pernicious stratagems, must be defeated by weapons as various as the artifices by which he assails us), I beg you to bring these forth from your armoury for me, and not refuse to furnish me with the armour of righteousness. For I am oppressed even now in my work with a heavy burden, being, as a sinner, a veteran in the ranks of sinners, but an untrained recruit in the service of the King eternal. The wisdom of this world I have unhappily hitherto regarded with admiration, and, devoting myself to literature which I now see to be unprofitable, and wisdom which I now reject, I was in the sight of God foolish and dumb. When I had become old in the fellowship of my enemies, and had laboured in vain in my thoughts, I lifted my eyes to the mountains, looking up to the precepts of the law and to the gifts of grace, whence my help came from the Lord, who, not requiting me according to mine iniquity, enlightened my blindness, loosed my bonds, humbled me who had been sinfully exalted, in order that He might exalt me when graciously humbled.
3. Therefore I follow, with halting pace indeed as yet, the great examples of the just, if I may through your prayers apprehend that for which I have been apprehended by the compassion of God. Guide, therefore, this infant creeping on the ground, and by your steps teach him to walk. For I would not have you judge of me by the age which began with my natural birth, but by that which began with my spiritual new birth. For as to the natural life, my age is that which the cripple, healed by the apostles by the power of their word at the gate Beautiful, had attained. But with respect to the birth of my soul, mine is as yet the age of those infants who, being sacrificed by the death-blows which were aimed at Christ, preceded with blood worthy of such honour the offering of the Lamb, and were the harbingers of the passion of the Lord. Matthew 2:16 Therefore, as I am but a babe in the word of God, and as to spiritual age a sucking child, satisfy my vehement desire by nourishing me with your words, the breasts of faith, and wisdom, and love. If you consider only the office which we both hold, you are my brother; but if you consider the ripeness of your understanding and other powers, you are, though my junior in years, a father to me; because the possession of a venerable wisdom has promoted you, though young, to a maturity of worth, and to the honour which belongs to those who are old. Foster and strengthen me, then, for I am, as I have said, but a child in the sacred Scriptures and in spiritual studies; and seeing that, after long contendings and frequent shipwreck, I have but little skill, and am even now with difficulty rising above the waves of this world, do you, who have already found firm footing on the shore, receive me into the safe refuge of your bosom, that, if it please you, we may together sail towards the harbour of salvation. Meanwhile, in my efforts to escape from the dangers of this life and the abyss of sin, support me by your prayers, as by a plank, that from this world I may escape as one does from a shipwreck, leaving all behind.
4. I have therefore been at pains to rid myself of all baggage and garments which might impede my progress, in order that, obedient to the command and sustained by the help of Christ, I may swim, unhindered by any clothing for the flesh or care for the morrow, across the sea of this present life, which, swelling with waves and echoing with the barking of our sins, like the dogs of Scylla, separates between us and God. I do not boast that I have accomplished this: even if I might so boast, I would glory only in the Lord, whose it is to accomplish what it is our part to desire; but my soul is in earnest that the judgments of the Lord be her chief desire. You can judge how far he is on the way to efficiently performing the will of God, who is desirous that he may desire to perform it. Nevertheless, so far as in me lies, I have loved the beauty of His sanctuary, and, if left to myself, would have chosen to occupy the lowest place in the Lord's house. But to Him who was pleased to separate me from my mother's womb, and to draw me away from the friendship of flesh and blood to His grace, it has seemed good to raise me from the earth and from the gulf of misery, though destitute of all merit, and to take me from the mire and from the dunghill, to set me among the princes of His people, and appoint my place in the same rank with yourself; so that, although you excel me in worth, I should be associated with you as your equal in office.
5. It is not therefore by my own presumption, but in accordance with the pleasure and appointment of the Lord, that I appropriate the honour of which I own myself unworthy, claiming for myself the bond of brotherhood with you; for I am persuaded, from the holiness of your character, that you are taught by the truth not to mind high things, but to condescend to men of low estate. Therefore I hope that you will readily and kindly accept the assurance of the love which in humility we bear to you, and which, I trust, you have already received through the most blessed priest Alypius, whom (with his permission) we call our father. For he doubtless has himself given you an example of loving us both while we are yet strangers, and above our desert; for he has found it possible, in the spirit of far-reaching and self-diffusing genuine love, to behold us by affection, and to come in contact with us by writing, even when we were unknown to him, and severed by a wide interval both of land and sea. He has presented us with the first proofs of his affection to us, and evidences of your love, in the above-mentioned gift of books. And as he was greatly concerned that we should be constrained to ardent love for you, when known to us, not by his testimony alone, but more fully by the eloquence and the faith seen in your own writings; so do we believe that he has taken care, with equal zeal, to bring you to imitate his example in cherishing a very warm love towards us in return. O brother in Christ, beloved, venerable, and ardently longed for, we desire that the grace of God, as it is with you, may abide forever. We salute, with the utmost affection of cordial brotherhood, your whole household, and every one who is in the Lord a companion and imitator of your holiness. We beg you to bless, in accepting it, one loaf which we have sent to your Charity, in token of our oneness of heart with you.
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Paulinus and Therasia, sinners, to Augustine, our lord and brother, beloved and venerable — Greetings.
1. The love of Christ that constrains us, and that unites us despite the distance in the bond of a common faith, has itself given me the courage to set aside my timidity and write to you. It has planted you deep in my heart through your writings — so rich in learning, so sweet with heavenly honey, the medicine and nourishment of my soul. At present I have five of your books, which I received through the kindness of the blessed and venerable Bishop Alypius — not only for my own instruction but for the benefit of churches in many towns. I am now reading them. In them I take great delight. In them I find food — not the kind that perishes, but the kind that imparts the substance of eternal life through our faith, by which we are made members of Christ's body in our Lord Jesus Christ. The writings and examples of the faithful powerfully strengthen that faith which, turning away from what is visible, longs with love for what is invisible, and accepts without reservation all things that accord with the truth of the almighty God.
O true salt of the earth, by which our hearts are preserved from being corrupted by the world's errors! O light worthy of your place on the Church's lampstand, spreading widely in the Catholic towns the brightness of a flame fed by the oil of the seven-branched lamp of the heavenly sanctuary — you scatter even the thick fogs of heresy, and rescue the light of truth from the confusion of darkness through the beams of your luminous demonstrations!
2. You see, my brother — beloved, esteemed, and welcomed in Christ our Lord — with what familiarity I claim to know you, with what wonder I admire you, and with what love I embrace you. For I enjoy daily conversation with you through your writings and am fed by the breath of your mouth. Your mouth I may rightly call a channel of living water and a conduit from the eternal fountain, for Christ has become in you "a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14). My soul thirsted with longing for this, and my parched ground yearned to be flooded with the fullness of your stream.
Since, then, you have completely armed me by your five books against the Manichaeans — if you have composed any further treatises defending the Catholic faith against other enemies (for our adversary, with his thousand deadly stratagems, must be met with weapons as varied as the attacks he launches), I beg you to bring them out from your arsenal and not refuse to equip me with the armor of righteousness. For I am oppressed even now with a heavy burden: as a sinner, I am a veteran in the ranks of sinners but an untrained recruit in the service of the Eternal King. The wisdom of this world I have unhappily admired until now, and — devoting myself to literature I now see as unprofitable, and to a wisdom I now reject — I was in the sight of God foolish and mute. When I had grown old in fellowship with my enemies and had labored in vain with my thoughts, I lifted my eyes to the mountains, looking up to the precepts of the law and the gifts of grace, whence my help came from the Lord. He did not repay me according to my iniquity but enlightened my blindness, loosed my bonds, and humbled me who had been sinfully proud — so that he might exalt me when I was graciously humbled.
3. And so I follow, with halting steps as yet, the great examples of the righteous — hoping, through your prayers, to lay hold of that for which I have been laid hold of by the compassion of God. Guide, then, this infant crawling on the ground, and by your footsteps teach him to walk. For I would not have you judge me by the age that began with my natural birth, but by the age that began with my spiritual rebirth. In terms of natural life, I have reached the age of the cripple who was healed by the apostles at the Beautiful Gate. But in terms of my soul's birth, mine is the age of those infants who, struck down by blows aimed at Christ, preceded with their blood — worthy of such honor — the offering of the Lamb, and served as heralds of the Lord's passion (Matthew 2:16).
As a babe in the word of God, then, and a nursing infant in spiritual age, satisfy my urgent hunger by nourishing me with your words — the breasts of faith, wisdom, and love. If you consider only the office we both hold, you are my brother. But if you consider the maturity of your understanding and abilities, you are — though younger in years — a father to me, since possessing venerable wisdom has promoted you, despite your youth, to a ripeness of worth and the honor that belongs to elders. Strengthen and sustain me, then, for I am, as I have said, only a child in sacred Scripture and spiritual studies. After long struggles and repeated shipwrecks, I have scarcely any skill, and I am even now struggling to keep my head above the waves of this world. You, who have already found firm footing on the shore — receive me into the safe harbor of your embrace, so that together, if it please you, we may sail toward the haven of salvation. Meanwhile, in my efforts to escape the dangers of this life and the abyss of sin, support me by your prayers as if by a plank, so that from this world I may escape as from a shipwreck, leaving everything behind.
4. I have therefore been at pains to rid myself of all baggage and clothing that might slow my progress, so that, obedient to Christ's command and sustained by his help, I may swim — unencumbered by any provision for the flesh or anxiety about tomorrow — across the sea of this present life, which swells with waves and echoes with the barking of our sins like the dogs of Scylla, and separates us from God. I do not boast of having accomplished this. Even if I could boast, I would glory only in the Lord, whose it is to accomplish what we can only desire. But my soul is in earnest that the Lord's judgments be her chief delight. You can judge how far along the road is a person who desires to desire the will of God.
Nevertheless, so far as in me lies, I have loved the beauty of his sanctuary and, if left to myself, would have chosen the lowest place in the Lord's house. But it pleased him — who was pleased to separate me from my mother's womb and to draw me from the friendship of flesh and blood to his grace — to raise me from the earth, from the gulf of misery, though I was devoid of merit, and to lift me from the mire and dunghill to set me among the princes of his people and appoint me to the same rank as yourself. So that although you surpass me in worth, I should be your equal in office.
5. It is not therefore by my own presumption but by the Lord's pleasure and appointment that I claim the honor — unworthy as I confess myself to be — of brotherhood with you. For I am persuaded, knowing the holiness of your character, that you are taught by the truth not to be haughty but to associate with the lowly. I hope you will readily and kindly accept this assurance of the love we humbly bear you — a love which I trust you have already encountered through the most blessed priest Alypius, whom (with his permission) we call our father. He has given you an example of loving us while we were still strangers and beyond what we deserve; for he has been able, in the spirit of genuine love that reaches far and diffuses widely, to behold us through affection and to touch us through writing, even when we were unknown to him and separated by a vast stretch of land and sea. He has given us the first proofs of his affection and the evidence of your love in the gift of books mentioned above. As he was deeply concerned that we should be drawn to ardent love for you — not by his testimony alone but more fully by the eloquence and faith displayed in your own writings — so we believe he has labored with equal zeal to bring you to a similarly warm love for us in return.
O brother in Christ, beloved, venerable, and ardently longed for — we pray that the grace of God, as it is with you, may remain forever. We greet with the deepest affection of heartfelt brotherhood your whole household and everyone who in the Lord is a companion and imitator of your holiness. We ask you to bless, by accepting it, a single loaf of bread we have sent to Your Charity as a token of our unity of heart with you.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.