1. I Kings xviii. 40.
188 ST. AUGUSTINE he could not but assent. Thereupon I reminded him how many false prophets Elijah slew with his own hand.^ He saw plainly herein, as indeed he could not but see, that such things were then lawful to righteous men. For they did these things as prophets guided by the Spirit and sanctioned by the authority of God, who knows infallibly to whom it may be even a benefit to be put to death.^ He therefore required me to show him one who, being a righteous man, had in the New Testament times put any one, even a criminal and impious man, to death.
I then laboured to show that it was not right either for us to reproach them with atrocities of which some of their party had been guilty, or for them to reproach us li any such deeds were found by them to have been done on our side. For I granted that no example could be produced from the New Testament of a righteous man putting any one to death; but I insisted that by the example of our Lord Himself, it could be proved that the wicked had been tolerated by the innocent. For His own betrayer, who had already received the price of His blood. He suffered to remain undistinguished from the innocent who were with Him, even up to that last kiss of peace. He did not conceal from the disciples the fact that in the midst of them was one capable of such a crime; and, nevertheless. He administered to them all alike, without excluding the traitor, the first sacrament of His body and blood.
From this we passed to something else, many on both sides discoursing to the best of their ability.
1. I Kings xviii. 40.
2. Qui novit cui etiam prosit occidi.
3. Matt. xxvi. 20-28.