Chapter 52.—119. Petilianus said: "If you suppose that you can offer sacrifice, God Himself thus speaks of you as most abandoned sinners: ‘The wicked man,’ He says, ‘that sacrificeth a calf is as if he cut off a dog’s neck; and he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood.’2136
Recognize herein your
sacrifice, who have already poured out human
blood. And again He says, ‘Their sacrifices shall be unto them as the
bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted.’"
2137
120. Augustin answered: We say that in the case of every man the sacrifice that is offered partakes of the character of him who approaches to offer it, or approaches to partake of it; and that those eat of the sacrifices of such men, who in approaching to them partake of the character of those who offer them. Therefore, if a bad man offer sacrifice to God, and a good man receive it at his hands, the sacrifice is to each man of such
character as he himself has shown himself to be, since we find it also written that "unto the pure all things are pure."2138
In accordance with this true and catholic
judgment, you too are free from
pollution by the
sacrifice of Optatus, if you disapproved of his
deeds. For certainly his
bread was the
bread of mourners, seeing that all Africa was mourning under his
iniquities. But the
evil involved in the
schism of all your party makes this
bread of mourners common to you all. For, according to the
judgment of your
Council, Felicianus of Musti was a shedder of man’s
blood. For you said, in
condemning them,
2139
"Their
feet are swift to shed
blood."
2140
See therefore what
kind of
sacrifice he offers whom you hold to be a priest, when you have yourselves convicted him of sacrilege. And if you think that this is in no way to your prejudice, I would ask you how the emptiness of your calumnies can be to the prejudice of the whole world?
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