Augustine: Earlier Writings (continued)
Free Will
THE TEXT ^^"^^
Book I ^^))'\- ^Ai, I. Evodius,—Tell me, pray, whether God be not the author of evil. Augustine.—1 shall tell you, if you will make it clear what you mean by evil in your question. For we are wont to use the word evil in two senses : the evil a man has done, and the evil he has suffered. Evodius,—I want to know about both kinds of evil. Augustine,—If you know or believe that God is good (and we
I may not think otherwise) he cannot do evil. Again, if we confess
I that God is just (and to deny that is sacrilegious) he gives re-
I wards to the good just as he gives punishments to the wicked, I but of course these punishments are evil to those who suffer
I them. Hence if no one is penalized unjustly—and this we must / believe, seeing we believe that the universe is governed by i divine providence—God is not the author of the evil a man does I though he is the author of the evil a man suffers. Ev.—Is there then some other author of the kind of evil which we do not attribute to the action of God? Aug.—There certainly is, for we cannot say that it happens without an author. But if you ask who that is I cannot tell you. For there is no one single author. Every evil man is the author of his evil deeds. If you wonder how that is, consider what we have just said: evil deeds are punished by the justice of God. They would not be justly punished unless they were done voluntarily.
2. Ev.—I do not know whether anyone sins without being taught to do evil. If that is true I ask from whom have we learned to do wrong. Aug.—Is learning a good thing? Ev.—\yho would venture to say it was a bad thing? Aug.—Perhaps it is neither good nor bad? Ev.—I think it is a good thing. Aug.— Quite right, at any rate if learning gives and stirs up knowledge, and if it is the only path to knowledge. Don't you agree that
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