Letter 6: Paulinus and Therasia, sinners, to their lord, holy brother and kindred spirit in Christ, Augustine.

To his lord, holy brother, and brother of one mind, Augustine, from Paulinus and Therasia, sinners. For a long time now, my brother in Christ the Lord, one in mind with me, ever since I came to know you, though you knew it not, in your holy and pious labors, and beheld you, though absent, embracing you with my whole mind, I have hastened also to approach you by letters in familiar and brotherly address. And I believe that, by the hand and grace of the Lord, my words were carried through to you; but since the boy still tarried whom we had sent to you and to others equally dear, who must be greeted for God's sake, before the winter, we could not any longer suspend our duty and restrain our most eager desire for converse with you. We have therefore written now a second time, if our earlier letters were found worthy to reach you, or for the first time, if they had not the good fortune of coming into your hands. But do you, spiritual brother, who judge all things, not weigh our love for you by duty alone or by the timing of letters. For the Lord is witness, who, one and the same, works his charity in his own everywhere, that already from that point, from when we came to know you through the kindness of the venerable bishops Aurelius and Alypius by means of your works against the Manichaeans, your love was so implanted in us that we seemed not to be taking up some new friendship, but as it were to be resuming an old affection. And so now, even if we write as unpracticed in speech, yet not as unpracticed in affection, and we in turn, as it were, recognize you again in the spirit through the inner man. Nor is it any wonder, if even though absent we are present to one another, and though unknown we know ourselves, since we are members of one body, have one head, are flooded with one grace, live by one bread, walk one road, dwell in the same house. And so in all that we are, with the whole hope and faith by which we stand in the present, we strive toward the future; both in spirit and in body let us be one in the Lord, lest we be nothing, if we fall away from the One. How little, then, is that of which bodily absence deprives us of one another, except indeed that fruit by which the eyes of those who look only at temporal things are fed? Although not even bodily favor ought to be called temporal among spiritual men, to whom the resurrection will also bestow eternity of their very bodies, as we dare to presume in the power of Christ and the goodness of God the Father, even though unworthy. Wherefore would that the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ might grant us this gift also, that we might see your face even in the flesh. Not only would great joy be conferred upon our desires, but also light would grow upon our minds, and our poverty would be enriched out of your abundance. And this indeed you can bestow even on the absent, especially on this occasion, on which our sons, of one mind with us and most dear to us in the Lord, Romanus and Agilis, whom, like our other selves, we commend to you, will be returning in the name of the Lord, the work of charity being fulfilled; in which we ask that they may enjoy in a special way the affection of your charity. For you know how lofty are the things the Most High promises to a brother who helps his brother. Through these men, if you wish to repay me with any gift of the grace that has been given to you, you will do so safely. For they are, I would have you believe, one heart and one soul with us in the Lord. May the grace of God be with you, as it is, abiding forever, brother in Christ the Lord, one in mind, venerable, most beloved, and longed for. Greet from us all the saints in Christ, who, as is beyond doubt, cleave to you. Commend us to all the saints, that together with you they may deign to pray for us.

VI. DOMNO FRATRI SANCTO ET VNANIMO AVOVSTINO PAVLINVS ET THERASIA PECCATORES. Iamdudum, frater in Christo domino mi unanime, ut te in sanctis et piis laboribus tuis nescientem agnoui 8] (II Cor. 4, 7). 15] Ps. 18, 8 et 52, 4. 16] Matth. 10, 36. 1 domine U 2 siliginenus L excidere PU 8 nram 0 4 apoforita U, apoforitam cet. v, apophoritum Rosw . accipias FLMp., suscipias U 5 pr . si F add. m. 2 argillam tu habes coni. Sacch . 6 per ea] ei ea uel terrea coni. Sacch . pueris tuis LM 8 cognata Rosw., cognita u 10 ius animi tui FPU me habere M 12 inpendi LOv, impendere M, impendas et FPU ordinare om. M 13 narbone MO 14 dannum F 16 inimici] iniqui LO 17 eius] ualeas add. Fp.U. — Finit prima epta FP, finit ad seuerum epistola 1 0. CrFMPUYCtcyôfhcp . — incipit epfa paulini ettherasiae ad augustinum (XVIU add. (f) Tcp, epJa paulini et therasiae ad (sêID add. a) aug ay, epistola paulini et therasye ad lypium ...... h, XXVII. item paulinus et therasia ad aug C, augustino paulinus FP, paulini ad augustinum absentemque uidi tota mente conplexus, alloquio quoque familiari atque fraterno per litteras adire properaui. et credo in manu et in gratia domini sermonem meum ad te fuisse perlatum; sed morante adhuc puero, quem ad te aliosque dilectos aeque deo salutandos ante hiemem miseramus, non potuimus ultra et officium nostrum suspendere et desiderium sermonis tui cupidissimum temperare. scripsimus itaque iterato nunc, si priores ad te litterae nostrae peruenire meruerunt, aut primo, si illis in manus tuas perueniendi felicitas non fuit. Sed tu, frater spiritalis omnia iudicans, amorem in te nostrum ne pendas officio solo aut tempore litterarum. dominus enim testis est, qui unus atque idem operatur in suis ubique caritatem suam, iam abinde nobis, ex quo te beneficio uenerabilium episcoporum Aurelii et Alypii per tua in Manichaeos opera cognouimus, ita inditam dilectionem tuam, ut nobis non nouam aliquam amicitiam sumere, sed quasi ueterem caritatem resumere uideremur. denique nunc etsi sermone, non tamen tamquam et affectu rudes scribimus teque 10] I Cor. 2,15. 12] I Cor. 12,1. XVII. f, epia, sei paulini ad scfii augustinum • III - M, item epia paulini ad augustinum XVII. J, epistola sancti paulini episcopi ad augustinum episcopum in qua rogat ut sibi scribat ad iugem amicitiam conseruandam estendens (sic) quod plurimum eum uidere desiderat U . — 19 domini r sancto fratri Col., fratri c uuianimo rYyc augustino unanimo f, unianimo Y 20 tharasia c 21 frater om. S, fratri (in om.) f xpo dne FPU, dno xpo d\'f mi om. a unianime ry, unanimem Y ut te] uitg uel iute tp\\ te M 22 in om. FPU nescientem] presentem f 2 adire MYah, a*dire cp, audire cet . im c 3 et in] et FPUY 4 aliusque dilectus Y 5 hymem f miseramur yl, miseratus C1 6pr . et U c 8. l. m. 2, uel M post . et] uel M 7 copidissimo (u m. 2) Y temptare FPU itaque a s. I . nunc] nomina a 8 luterae c litterae nostrae ad te h meruerint U, metuerunt f 9 facilitas c 10 spiritualis a, spiritaliter Col . diiudicans Y 11 ne pendeas h, ne perpendas M, rependas r officio solo] officiolo PU, officio F 12 unius y 14 aurilii Yl alippii F, alypii U, alipii cet . 15 manicheos « 16 non nunc Sf amici ra sed in r spat. rel. uac . 17 uideamur FPU etsi nunc « 18 sermonem (pl rude Y, rodes tp1, uides f scripsimus Yyh neque h uicissim in spiritu per interiorem hominem quasi recognoscimus. nec mirum, si et absentes adsumus nobis et ignoti nosmet nouimus, cum unius corporis membra simus, unum habeamus caput, una perfundamur gratia, uno pane uiuamus, una incedamus uia, eadem habitemus domo. denique in omne quod sumus tota spe ac fide qua stamus in praesenti nitimur in futurum; tam in spiritu quam in corpore domini unum simus, ne simus nihil, si ab uno excidamus. Quantulum ergo est quod absentia corporalis nobis inuidet nostri nisi sane fructum istum, quo pascuntur oculi temporalium expectatores? quamuis ne corporalis quidem gratia temporalis in spiritalibus dici debeat, quibus etiam corporum aeternitatem resurrectio largietur, ut audemus in uirtute Christi et bonitatis dei patris uel indigni praesumere. quare utinam hoc quoque nobis munus adnueret gratia dei per dominum nostrum legum Christum, ut etiam in carne faciem tuam uideremus. non solum desideriis nostris magnum conferretur gaudium, sed etiam mentibus lumen adcresceret et ex tua copia locupletaretur inopia nostra. quod quidem et absentibus largiri potes hac praesertim occasione, qua filii nostri unanimes et carissimi nobis in domino Romanus et Agilis, quos ut nos alios tibi commendamus, in nomine domini reuertentur opere 3J Rom. 12,5; I Cor. 12,12; I Cor. 10, 17. 1 uicissem Yl in otn. retÔ iutertiorem c te cognoscimus f1 2 assnmus MUaSf nobis om. FPU 3 nosmet] met FPU, nos et Y unius -1.5 domo exh. Augustin. ep. 31 (34) sumus Cyf 4 habemus Y perfundimur (ur ex us m. 2) Y, profundamur II uno pane uiuamus t om. h 5 in domo FPUh in home c 6 ac om. FPU nitimur M, et nitimur Y 7 in post tam om. r domini om. U 8 nescimus Cc1 nichil ante simus y s. I. m. 2 excitamus c1 9 psentia h 11 spectatores Yfhtp* ne] nec CFPU 12 spiritali C, spiritu M 13 largiretur C, largiatur FPU audebimus Ccytp, audeamus FPUh 14 et fort. delendum bonitatis roc y q;, bonitate cet . indignum y quare] cur FPU 15 minus f per ifcm ipm dum nrm h 16 uideamus f 17 manum F 18 locuplectaretur U 19 largire Y1 20 potest yxfx ac FPU que FPU unianimes rY y 21 in domino om. h agylis a 22 alios OJ, alteros Col . comendamus Y reuertem tpl, reuertenta Ô opera y caritatis inpleto; in quo tuae caritatis affectu specialiter utantur, rogamus. nosti enim quam celsa promittat altissimus fratri fratrem adiuuanti. per hos, si quo me gratiae quae tibi data est dono remunerari uoles, tuto facies. sunt enim, uelim credas, unum cor et una in domino anima nobiscum. gratia dei tecum, ut est, in aeternum maneat, frater in Christo domino unanime uenerabilis dilectissime et desiderabilis. omnes in Christo sanctos, quales tibi cohaerere non dubium est, a nobis saluta. commenda nos omnibus sanctis, ut tecum pro nobis orare dignentur.