Sentences, Books I–II

Chapter 1 (253).

1. Whether every intention and action of those who lack faith is evil. Since, as was said above, intention makes a good work and faith directs intention, it can reasonably be asked whether every intention and every work

1 Rubric omitted in BCRVWX. 2 are] be, BCV. 6 also] and, OPW. 18–19 Rubric omitted in RVW. 20 to render service is transposed in BCX. 24 and] with, added in OPW. 29 those] these, LR; omitted in V. 1 to God he offers is transposed in BCT. 10 a human being omitted in BCW. 12 Rubric omitted in RVW. they note] it is noted, OP.

1 Augustine, ibid., chap. 8, no. 19 (PL 40, 529ff.; CSEL 41, 490ff.). 2 Cf. William of Saint-Thierry, Moral Work against Peter Abelard, chap. 13 (PL 180, 282 B–C); Bernard, Letter to Hugh of Saint Victor; and the Master himself, Book III, Dist. 20, chaps. 5–6. 3 See John 16:2. 4 Cf. above, no. 5 (p. 557).

1 O. Lottin, The Moral Intention..., in Psychology and Morality, IV, 319. 2 Sirach 34:24; Ordinary Gloss on this passage (apud Lyranum, III, 422c). 3 Isa. 66:3 and Deut. 23:18; Ordinary Gloss on these passages (apud Lyranum, IV, 106c; and I, 358a). 4 Prov. 15:8 and 21:27. 5 Above, no. 7 (p. 559, lines 1–3). 6 Dist. 40, no. 2 (p. 557). of those who lack faith is evil. For if faith directs intention and intention makes a good work, where there is no faith there seems to be neither a good intention nor a good work.

2. Some say that all human actions without faith are evil, though with faith they are good. Some support this not unreasonably, saying that all human actions and wills without faith are evil, while with faith they exist as good.

3. They support their opinion with authorities. — Augustine in Prosper’s Sentences. Hence the Apostle says: Whatever is not from faith is sin. Explaining this, Augustine says: “The whole life of unbelievers is sin, and nothing is good without the highest good. Where recognition of eternal truth is absent, virtue is false, even in the best morals.” — James also says in the canonical Epistle: “Whoever stumbles in one thing,” namely in charity, “has become guilty of all.” Whoever therefore lacks faith and charity has sin in every action, because it is not referred to charity. For what is not referred to charity, as Augustine recalled above, is not done as it ought to be done, and therefore is evil.

4. That the commandments are not kept without charity. Therefore the one who lacks charity does not keep the commandments, because without charity no commandment is kept. Hence Augustine, On the Epistle to the Galatians: “The Apostle calls keeping the law not killing, not committing adultery, and other things of this kind belonging to good morals, which cannot be fulfilled except through charity and hope.” Therefore one who lacks faith and charity fulfills no commandment and does no good work. For, as the Apostle says, it is impossible to please God without faith. What is done without faith is therefore not good, because every good thing pleases God.

5. What is objected to the foregoing opinion from Augustine’s words. It is objected that Augustine said above that “in servile fear, even if something good is done, it is not done well: no one unwillingly does something well, even if what he does is good.” Here he says that something good is done, but not well, by one who lacks charity. For one who fears servilely is empty of charity; yet Augustine says here that he does good, but not well. He also says on the Psalm passage, The turtledove found a nest for itself in which to place its young, that “Jews, heretics, and pagans do good works, because they clothe the naked, feed the poor, and do things of this kind; but not in the nest of the Church, that is, in faith, and therefore their young are trampled.”

6. How they respond to these points. They answer that works done without charity are called good works not because they are good when done in that way—as Augustine clearly taught above—but because they would be good if they were done otherwise; they are also good in their kind, but become evil from affection.

7. Another opinion on the question proposed, which asked whether every action of those who lack faith is evil. Others, who make a threefold distinction of acts, assert that all works done to support nature are always good.

8. He determines Augustine’s foregoing words. But when Augustine says that things are evil “if they have evil causes,” this should not be understood as though the things themselves are evil, but because those who do them with an evil end sin and are evil. Likewise, they determine the other statement, “intention makes a good work and faith directs intention,” by saying that “good” there means what is rewardable unto life—not that it alone is a good work, but that many others are also good, although they are good for a different reason.

1 Rubric omitted in NRVW. 2 good work is transposed in BCVWX. 4–5 Rubric omitted in PVW. 8–9 Rubrics omitted in RVW. 18 Rubric omitted in RVW. 24 have] may have, LNRTV; it should be understood is transposed in LMRTV.

1 Rom. 14:23. 2 From Prosper of Aquitaine, Sentences Extracted from Augustine, no. 106 (PL 45, 1868; 51, 441 C). Cf. Augustine, Against Julian, IV, chap. 3, nos. 30–32 (PL 44, 753ff.); City of God, XIX, chap. 25 (PL 41, 656; CSEL 40-II, 420; CCL 48, 696); and above, Dist. 40, no. 2 (p. 557). 3 James 2:10; Ordinary Gloss on this passage: “Whoever stumbles in one thing, that is, charity,” etc. (apud Lyranum, VI, 212c). 4 Above, Dist. 38, chap. 1, no. 2 (p. 548, lines 1–9). 5 No. 62 (PL 35, 2147); see Gal. 6:13: “For neither do those who are circumcised keep the law.” 6 Above, p. 557, lines 9–10.

No. 2. Anselm of Laon; Gilbert of Poitiers, Glosses on Rom. 14:23; Ordinary Gloss on this passage (apud Lyranum, VI, 30a); R. Blomme, The Doctrine of Sin, 344, note 4. — No. 3. Gloss on Rom. 14:23 (PL 191, 1520 A). — No. 4. Gloss on Gal. 6:13 (PL 192, 167 B). — No. 5. The Master’s Gloss on Ps. 83:4 (PL 191, 789 D).

Chapter 2 (254).

In what ways good is spoken. Good is understood in many ways: as useful, rewardable, a sign of good, the appearance of good, licit, and perhaps in other ways. Only that intention which faith directs is rewardable unto life; but, they say, it alone is not good. For if a Jew or a bad Christian, moved by natural kindness, relieves a neighbor’s need, he has done good, and the will by which he did it was good.

Chapter 3 (255).

Here certain chapters of Augustine are set out, which he retracted—not as wrongly stated, but while indicating the sense in which he spoke. — First chapter. After this it must be investigated how what Augustine says in the book On True Religion should be understood: “Sin is so voluntary an evil,” he says, “that there is sin in no way if it is not voluntary.”

A retraction containing a twofold determination. Explaining the reason for this statement, Augustine says in the book Retractations: “This definition may seem false, but if it is carefully examined it is found to be entirely true. For one must think of that sin which is sin only, not of what is also the punishment of sin”—namely, the first sin of the human being, which was sin and the cause of sin but not punishment. “Although those things that are perpetrated either by the ignorant or by the coerced are not unreasonably called sins, because they cannot in every way be perpetrated by one who is ignorant or coerced without the will. For even one who sins in ignorance certainly does voluntarily what he thinks ought to be done, although it ought not. And when the flesh desires against the spirit, a person does not do what he wants: he desires unwillingly, but if he is overcome, he willingly consents to concupiscence, and in this does nothing except what he wants. And that which is original sin in infants was contracted from the first human being’s evil will. Therefore what I said is not false: ‘Sin is so voluntary,’” etc. — Here is how it should be understood: either of the first sin of the human being or, generally, of all mortal sins. Although some are said not to be voluntary—those done through ignorance or weakness—they can nevertheless be called voluntary for this reason: they are not committed without the will.

Chapter 4 (256).

Another chapter. The meaning of what he published in the book On Two Souls must also be sought: “Nowhere except in the will is there sin.” — Retraction. He clearly determines this too in the book Retractations, saying: “This statement may be thought false, in which we said that ‘nowhere except in the will is there sin,’ since the Apostle says: What I do not want, that I do,” etc. “But the sin that ‘is nowhere except in the will’ should be understood chiefly as that which was followed by just condemnation,” that is, the first sin of the human being.

Chapter 5 (257).

Another chapter. In the same book On Two Souls he also gives another point worthy of consideration. He says: “One sins only voluntarily,” and defines the will itself: “Will is a movement of the mind, compelled by no one, toward admitting or obtaining something.” — Augustine’s Retraction. Explaining the reason for and opening up the meaning of this statement, he says in the book Retractations: “This was said so that by this definition the willing could be distinguished from the unwilling, and the intention could thus be referred to those who, in paradise, originated evil by sinning under no compulsion, that is, by free will; for they knowingly acted against the commandment, and the tempter persuaded them that this should be done but did not compel them. For one who sinned in ignorance can not improperly be called to have sinned unwillingly, although he too did willingly what he did in ignorance. (The will of the deed that is sin is not always the will to sin: someone wills what is sin, but the deed itself is nevertheless not done by a will to sin.) Thus even such sin could not exist without will; but the will there was the will of the deed, not the will to sin. Yet the deed was sin, for it ought not to have been done.”

1 Rubric omitted in BCWX. 6 bad omitted in OP. 8 First chapter] First chapter omitted in RVW. 11 is found] will be found, N; is found, BCOPX. 19 namely omitted in OPX. 21 willing] unwilling, BCM. 28 contracted LOPX, drawn by the others. 30 or omitted in OPW. 8 Retraction omitted in MRVW. 15 Rubric omitted in BCWX. 19 Rubric omitted in BCRVWX.

1 Chap. 14, no. 27 (PL 34, 133; CSEL 71, 20; CCL 32, 204), but through the Retractations, as in the following note. 2 Book I, chap. 13, no. 5 (PL 32, 603ff.; CSEL 36, 60ff.). 3 Chap. 10, no. 12 (PL 42, 103; CSEL 25, 68). 4 Book I, chap. 15, no. 2 (PL 32, 608ff.; CSEL 36, 73ff.). 5 Book I, chap. 15, no. 3 (PL 32, 609; CSEL 36, 74ff.).

But whoever sins knowingly, if he can resist the one compelling him to sin without sinning and nevertheless does not, certainly sins willingly: for one who can resist is not compelled to yield. Therefore it is entirely true that sin cannot exist without the will.” From this it is clear how the foregoing should be understood.

Chapter 6 (258).

That an evil will is voluntary sin. If every mortal sin is voluntary, and an evil will is mortal sin, it is clear that it is voluntary sin. — Augustine, in the book On Free Choice: “For what,” Augustine says, “is so situated in the will as the will itself?” An evil will is therefore rightly called voluntary sin, because it consists in the will. “For the will,” Augustine says in the same work, “is the first cause of sinning, or no sin is the first cause of sinning. Nor is there anyone to whom sin can rightly be imputed except the one who sins; therefore there is no one to whom it can rightly be imputed except the will.” — This is to be understood of actual and mortal sin. Augustine wanted to show nothing else by these words, as he says in the Retractations, except that “the will is that by which one sins and lives rightly.”