The
Latin phrase in necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas, meaning "in certain things unity; in doubtful things liberty; in all things charity", is often misattributed to St.
Augustine of Hippo, but seems to have been first used in the seventeenth century by a
German Lutheran theologian called
Rupertus Meldenius[?] in the form
"in necesariis unita[
s]
, in non-necessariis liberta[
s]
, in utrisque charita[
s]
, meaning "in certain things, unity; in uncertain things, liberty; and in both, charity". It is widely quoted in defence of theological and religious freedom.
'A common quotation from "Augustine"?' (http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/augustine/quote.html) -- A detailed history of the origin and interpretation of the phrase.