30. Ep. 50 (CCL 31:214); trans. Parsons, FOTC 18:237. (continued)
for Christ's sake, even the sword of the law for their blood. They cut short the lifespan of a minister of the Church by killing him. Lengthen the years for these living enemies of the Church that they may repent. It befits you, a Christian judge, in a case involving the Church, to be such as this; for this we beg, we urge, we intervene. People tend to appeal against sentences deemed too light, but we so love our enemies that we would appeal this severe sentence to you—if we did not rely on your Christian obedience. May the almighty God preserve your Excellency to a richer and happier life, illustrious lord, justly exalted and most excellent son.33
Mob Violence
An angry mob in Hippo once lynched a corrupt government official. The details are not clear, but he seems to have been a military officer, apparently connected with the customs office. In a sermon given very soon after the incident, Augustine demands that his congregation examine their collective conscience. He argues that Christians must endure governmental injustices and never take the law into their own hands. Note the way he mentions in passing that Christians in Hippo are a decided majority. Note also his account of the way city and imperial officials make him sit and wait in their waiting rooms. From Sermon 302:
(10) Why do you rage against the bad? You say, "Because they're bad." By raging against them, you add yourself to them. I'm going to give you some advice: Does someone who's evil bother you? Don't let there be two of you. You condemn him, and you get added on, you increase the number of what you're condemning. You want to conquer the bad with the bad? Conquer evil with evil? That's two evils, both to be overcome. Didn't you hear the Lord's advice through the Apostle: "Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good" (Rom 12:21)? Maybe the other guy is worse; but when you're bad, that's still two bad ones. I, at least, would like there to be one good one. You raged, in the end, until death. What about after death, where your punishment no longer reaches that evil man? Only the malice of the remaining evil one rages on. That's insanity, not vindication.
(11) What am I to say to you, my brothers and sisters, what am I to say to you? Don't let such [violent] people [who committed this act] get your approval. But do I think of you that way, that you approve such people? Far be it from me that I think of you that way. But it's not enough that such people don't get
33. Ep. 134.1–4 (CSEL 44:84–88); trans. Parsons, FOTC 20:9–11. On the issue of judicial torture, see Aline Rosselle, "Torture," in Bowersock, Late Antiquity: A Guide, 729–30. It deeply troubled him; see s. 355.5 (cited later in this chapter); also civ. Dei 19.6 (cited in Chapter 9).
The Bishop 101 your approval. That's not good enough. Something more is expected of you. Don't just say: "Now God knows that I didn't do it, God knows that I didn't do it, and God knows that I didn't want it done." See, you said two things: "I didn't do it" and "I didn't want it done." Now that's not good enough. It's really not good enough that you didn't want it done—because you also didn't stop it from being done. . . .
(13) [You say:] "But that bad man did so many things, oppressed so many people, turned so many into beggars and destitute." He had his judges; he had the powers-that-be [to hold him accountable]. The state is ordered, "for those authorities that exist have been established by God" (Rom 13:1). You wish to rage? What official power were you given? Because this was not about public punishments, but open banditry. . . . Now I am not defending evil people [like this official], nor am I saying the evil aren't evil. Those who serve as judges will have to render an account [to God]. Why do you want to render a very difficult accounting for someone else's death, you who don't carry the heavy load of public power? God has liberated you; you don't have to be a judge. Why lay claim to someone else's [authority] as yours? Render an account of yourself! . . .
(16) [You say:] "He oppressed me when I was doing business." And you: Did you do business properly? Did you never commit fraud in your business? Did you never swear to a false contract in your business? Did you never say: "By the One who brought me across the sea, I bought this item for this much," when you did not buy it for that much? . . .
(17) To sum up, brothers and sisters, why am I keeping you so long? We are all Christians, but I carry a heavy load—a danger all the greater. It's often said about me: "Why does he go to that official?" And "what's the bishop wanting with that official?" And yet all of you know because your necessities force me to go to those I don't wish to go to: To pay respects; to stand at the door; to wait while the worthy and the unworthy are let in; finally to get announced; sometimes hardly even to get admitted; to put up with slights; to beg, sometimes succeeding, sometimes going away sad. Why would I want to endure such things unless I was forced to? . . . People say: "[The bishop] should admonish officials to do good." Am I to admonish them in your presence? Do you know if I've admonished them? You don't know whether I did it or I didn't. . . . It can be said to me about those in power: "If he admonished them, they would do good." And I answer: "I did admonish him, but he did not listen to me." . . .
(19) One thing I do know, and all of you know it along with me: In this city there are many homes in which there is not a single pagan. There are no homes where there are no Christians to be found. And if one were to inves-