Was Julian Right? A Re-Evaluation of Augustine’s and Mani’s Doctrines of Sexual Concupiscence and the Transmission of Sin: Part 1

The article focuses on the question: Was Julian of Eclanum (c. 380–454) right in accusing Augustine (354–430) of still being a Manichaean, based on his view of sexual concupiscence and the transmission of (original) sin? In order to find an answer to this (still hotly debated) question, a sketch of Augustine’s acquaintance with Manichaeism is first provided. Thereafter follows the (first ever) overview of the Manichaean doctrines of the origin of sexual concupiscence, its distinctive features, and its role in the transmission of sin. The third part of the article focuses on the essentials of Augustine’s views of sexual concupiscence and the transmission of original sin, in particular as they were expounded (and further developed) in his controversy with the ‘Pelagian’ bishop, Julian of Eclanum. It is concluded that, in particular, Augustine’s stress on the ‘random motion’ (motus inordinatus) as typical of the sinfulness of sexual concupiscence, is strikingly similar to Manichaean views on the subject. In this respect, then, Julian seems to be right. Finally, some preliminary remarks are made on early Jewish and Jewish-Christian views of sexual concupiscence and (original) sin which may have influenced not only Mani and his followers, but also Augustine and his precursors in the tradition of Roman North Africa. The current article is the first in a series of two essays on the topic.The National Research Foundation (NRF) in South Africa.https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rech20hj2019Church History and Church Polic

História como alegoria

Neste artigo abordam-se as diferentes circunstâncias nas quais se tecem comentários sobre um evento (geralmente no passado) quando os comentadores estão, na verdade, preocupados com um outro evento (geralmente no presente). Nele, distingue-se a alegoria pragmática - que se encontra onde quer que haja restrições à liberdade de agilidade política - da alegoria mística - que pressupõe algum tipo de conexão oculta entre os dois acontecimentos. Este segundo tipo de alegoria entrou em declínio no fim do século xvii, mas poderá permanecer mais influente do que todos nós pensamos.<br>This article is concerned with the different circunstances in wich comments are made as one event (usually in the past) when the commentators are really preoccupied with another (usually in the present). It distinguishes pragmatic allegory, to be found whenever there are restrictions on freedom of political speed, from mystical allegory, which assumes some kind of occult connection between the two events. This second kind of allegory has been in decline since the end of the seventeenth century, but it may remain more influential on us all than we think