Chapter 12.—18. Nemesianus of Tubunæ1610
| 1610 Tubunæ, a town in Mauritania Cæsariensis. Nemesianus probably same with one of that name in Cypr. Epp. lxii., lxx., lxxvi., lxxvii.
|
said: "That the
baptism which is given by
heretics and schismatics is not true is everywhere declared in the holy Scriptures, inasmuch as their very prelates are false Christs and false
prophets, as the
Lord declares by the mouth of
Solomon, ‘Whoso trusteth in
lies, the same feedeth the
winds; he also followeth flying
birds. For he deserteth the ways of his own
vineyard, and hath strayed from the paths of his own
field. For he walketh through pathless and dry places,
and a
land destined to
thirst; and he gathereth fruitless weeds in his
hands.’
1611
| 1611 Prov. ix. 12, LXX., the passage being altogether absent in the Hebrew, and consequently in the English version. Probably in N. Afr. version. The text in Erasmus is somewhat different, and was revised by the Louvain editors to bring it into harmony with the answer of Augustin and the text of Cyprian (Conc. Carth. sec. 5).
|
And again, ‘
Abstain from
strange water, and drink not of a
strange fountain, that thou mayest
live long, and that years may be added to thy
life.’
1612
And in the
gospel our
Lord Jesus Christ spake with His own voice, saying, ‘Except a man be
born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of
God.’
1613
This is the Spirit which from the beginning ‘moved upon the face of the waters.’
1614
For neither can the Spirit act without the
water, nor the
water without the Spirit.
Ill, therefore, for themselves do some
interpret, saying that by imposition of
hands they receive the Holy
Ghost, and are received into the
Church, when it is manifest that they ought to be
born again by both sacraments in the Catholic
Church. For then indeed will they be able to become the sons of
God, as the
apostle says, ‘Endeavoring to keep the
unity of the Spirit in the
bond of
peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one
hope of your calling; one
Lord, one
faith, one
baptism, one
God.’
1615
All this the Catholic
Church asserts. And again he says in the
gospel, ‘That which is
born of the
flesh is
flesh, and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit; for the Spirit is
God, and is
born of
God.’
1616
| 1616 Quoniam Spiritus Deus est, et de Deo natus est. These words are found at the end of John iii. 6, in the oldest Latin Ms. (in the Bodleian Library), and their meaning appears to be, as given in the text, that whatsoever is born of the Spirit is spirit, since the Holy Ghost, being God, and born of, or proceeding from God, in virtue of His supreme power makes those to be spirits whom He regenerates. If
the meaning had been (as Bishop Fell takes it), that "he who is born of the Spirit is born of God," the neuter "de Deo natum est" would have been required. To refer "Spiritus Deus est," with the Benedictines, to John iv. 24, "God is a Spirit," reverses the grammar and destroys the sense of the passage. The above explanation is taken from the preface to Cyprian by the monk of St. Maur (Maranus), p. xxxvi., quoted by Routh, Rel. Sac. iii.
193.
|
Therefore all things whatsoever all
heretics and schismatics do are
carnal, as the
apostle says, ‘Now the works of the
flesh are manifest, which are these:
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath,
seditions,
heresies, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not
inherit the
kingdom of
God.’
1617
The
apostle condemns, equally with all the
wicked, those also who cause
divisions, that is, schismatics and
heretics. Unless therefore they receive that
saving baptism which is one, and found only in the Catholic
Church, they cannot be
saved, but will be
condemned with the
carnal in the
judgment of the
Lord."
19. Nemesianus of Tubunæ has advanced many passages of Scripture to prove his point; but he has in fact said much on behalf of the view of the Catholic Church, which we have undertaken to set forth and maintain. Unless, indeed, we must suppose that he does not "trust in what is false" who trusts in the hope of things temporal, as do all covetous men and robbers, and those "who renounce the world in words but not in deeds," of whom Cyprian yet bears witness
that such men not only baptize, but even are baptized within the Church.1618
For they themselves also "follow flying
birds,"
1619
since they do not attain to what they desire. But not only the heretic, but everyone who leads an
evil life "deserteth the ways of his own
vineyard, and hath strayed from the paths of his own
field. And he walketh through pathless and dry places, and a
land destined to
thirst; and he gathereth fruitless weeds in his
hands;" because all
justice is
fruitful, and all
iniquity is
barren. Those, again, who "drink
strange water out of a
strange fountain," are found not only
among
heretics, but among all who do not
live according to the teaching of
God, and do
live according to the teaching of the
devil. For if he were speaking of
baptism, he would not say, "Do not drink of a
strange fountain," but, do not
wash thyself in a
strange fountain. Again, I do not see at all what aid he gets towards proving his point from the words of our
Lord, "Except a man be
born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of
God."
1620
For it is one thing to say that every one who shall enter into the
kingdom of
heaven is first
born again of
water and the Spirit, because except a man be
born of
water and of the Spirit, he shall not enter into the
kingdom of
heaven, which is the
Lord’s saying, and is true; another thing to say that every one who is
born of
water and the Spirit shall enter into the
kingdom of
heaven, which is assuredly false. For
Simon Magus also was
born of
water and of the Spirit,
1621
and yet he did not enter into the
kingdom of
heaven; and this may possibly be the case with
heretics as well. Or if only those are
born of the Spirit who are changed with a true conversion, all "who
renounce the
world in word and not in
deed" are assuredly not
born of the Spirit, but of
water only, and yet they are within the
Church, according to the
testimony of Cyprian. For we must perforce grant one of two things,—either those who
renounce the
world deceitfully are
born of the Spirit, though it is to their
destruction, not to
salvation, and therefore
heretics may be so
born; or if what is written, that "the
Holy Spirit of
discipline will
flee deceit,"
1622
extends to proving as much as this, that those who
renounce the
world deceitfully are not
born of the Spirit, then a man may be
baptized with
water, and not
born of the Spirit, and Nemesianus says in
vain that neither the Spirit can
work without the
water, nor the
water without the Spirit. Indeed it has been already often shown how it is possible that men should have one
baptism in common who have not one
Church, as it is possible that in the body of the
Church herself
those who are sanctified by their
righteousness, and those who are polluted through their
covetousness, may not have the same one Spirit, and yet have the same one
baptism. For it is said "one body," that is, the
Church, just as it is said "one Spirit" and "one
baptism." The other arguments which he has adduced rather
favor our position. For he has brought forward a
proof from the
gospel, in the words, "That which is
born of the
flesh is
flesh, and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit;
for the Spirit is
God, and
born of
God;"
1623
and he has advanced the argument that therefore all things that are done by any heretic or schismatic are
carnal, as the
apostle says, "The works of the
flesh are manifest, which are these:
fornication, uncleanness;" and so he goes through the list which the
apostle there enumerates, amongst which he has reckoned
heresies, since "they who do such things shall not
inherit the
kingdom of
God."
1624
Then he goes on to add, that "therefore the
apostle condemns with all
wicked men those also who cause
division, that is, schismatics and
heretics." And in this he does well, that when he enumerates the works of the
flesh, among which are also
heresies, he found and declared that the
apostle condemns them all alike. Let him therefore
question the holy Cyprian himself, and
learn from him how many even within the
Church live according to the
evil works of the
flesh, which
the
apostle condemns in common with the
heresies, and yet these both
baptize and are baptized. Why then are heretics alone said to be incapable of possessing baptism, which is possessed by the very partners in their condemnation?
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