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| Chapter IV.—The truth is to be found nowhere else but in the Catholic Church, the sole depository of apostolical doctrine. Heresies are of recent formation, and cannot trace their origin up to the apostles. PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP
Chapter IV.—The truth is to be found
nowhere else but in the Catholic Church, the sole depository of apostolical
doctrine. Heresies are of recent formation, and cannot trace their origin up to
the apostles.
1. Since
therefore we have such proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth
among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the
apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her
hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth: so that every
man, whosoever will, can draw from her the
water of
life.3318 For she is the entrance to life; all
others are thieves and robbers. On this account are we bound to avoid
them, but to make choice of the thing pertaining to the Church
with the utmost diligence, and to lay hold of the tradition of the truth.
For how stands the case? Suppose there arise a dispute relative to some
important question3319
3319 Latin,
“modica quæstione.” | among us, should we not have
recourse to the most ancient Churches with which the apostles held
constant intercourse, and learn from them what is certain and clear in
regard to the present question? For how should it be if the apostles
themselves had not left us writings? Would it not be necessary, [in that
case,] to follow the course of the tradition which they handed down to
those to whom they did commit the Churches?
2. To which course many nations of those barbarians who
believe in Christ do assent, having salvation written in their hearts by
the Spirit, without paper or ink, and, carefully preserving the ancient
tradition,3320
believing in one God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and all things
therein, by means of Christ Jesus, the Son of God; who, because of His
surpassing love towards His creation, condescended to be born of the
virgin, He Himself uniting man through Himself to God, and having
suffered under Pontius Pilate, and rising again, and having been received
up in splendour, shall come in glory, the Saviour of those who are saved,
and the Judge of those who are judged, and sending into eternal fire
those who transform the truth, and despise His Father and His advent.
Those who, in the absence of written documents,3321
3321 Literally, “without letters;”
equivalent to, “without paper and ink,” a few lines
previously. | have believed this faith, are barbarians, so far
as regards our language; but as regards doctrine, manner, and tenor of
life, they are, because of faith, very wise indeed; and they do please
God, ordering their conversation in all righteousness, chastity, and
wisdom. If any one were to preach to these men the inventions of the
heretics, speaking to them in their own language, they would at once stop
their ears, and flee as far off as possible, not enduring even to listen
to the blasphemous address. Thus, by means of that ancient tradition of
the apostles, they do not suffer their mind to conceive anything of the
[doctrines suggested by the] portentous language of these teachers, among
whom neither Church nor doctrine has ever been established.
3. For,
prior to Valentinus, those who follow Valentinus had no existence; nor
did those from Marcion exist before Marcion; nor, in short, had any of
those malignant-minded people, whom I have above enumerated, any being
previous to the initiators and inventors of their perversity. For
Valentinus came to Rome in the time of Hyginus, flourished under Pius,
and remained until Anicetus. Cerdon, too, Marcion’s predecessor,
himself arrived in the time of Hyginus, who was the ninth bishop.3322
3322 The old Latin translation says
the eighth bishop; but there is no discrepancy. Eusebius, who has
preserved the Greek of this passage, probably counted the apostles as the
first step in the episcopal succession. As Irenæus tells us in
the preceding chapter, Linus is to be counted as the first bishop.
| Coming frequently into the Church, and making public confession,
he thus remained, one time teaching in secret, and then again making
public confession; but at last, having been denounced for corrupt
teaching, he was excommunicated3323
3323 It is thought that this does not mean excommunication
properly so called, but a species of self-excommunication, i.e.,
anticipating the sentence of the Church, by quitting it altogether. See
Valesius’s note in his edition of Eusebius. | from the
assembly of the brethren. Marcion, then, succeeding him, flourished under
Anicetus, who held the tenth place of the episcopate. But the rest, who
are called Gnostics, take rise from Menander, Simon’s disciple, as
I have shown; and each one of them appeared to be both the father and the
high priest of that doctrine into which he has been initiated. But all
these (the Marcosians) broke out into their apostasy much later, even
during the intermediate period of the Church.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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