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| Chapter XXVIII. In what Way, on collating the consentient opinions of the Ancient Masters, the Novelties of Heretics may be detected and condemned.
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Chapter XXVIII.
In what Way, on collating the consentient opinions of
the Ancient Masters, the Novelties of Heretics may be detected and
condemned.
[71.] And here I perceive
that, as a necessary sequel to the foregoing, I ought to show by
examples in what way, by collating the consentient opinions of the
ancient masters, the profane novelties of heretics may be detected and
condemned. Yet in the investigation of this ancient consent of the holy
Fathers we are to bestow our pains not on every minor question of the
Divine Law, but only, at all events especially, where the Rule of Faith
is concerned. Nor is this way of dealing with heresy to be resorted to
always, or in every instance, but only in the case of those heresies
which are new and recent, and that on their first arising, before they
have had time to deprave the Rules of the Ancient Faith, and before
they endeavour, while the poison spreads and diffuses itself, to
corrupt the writings of the ancients. But heresies already widely
diffused and of old standing are by no means to be thus dealt with,
seeing that through lapse of time they have long had opportunity of
corrupting the truth. And therefore, as to the more ancient schisms or
heresies, we ought either to confute them, if need be, by the sole
authority of the Scriptures, or at any rate, to shun them as having
been already of old convicted and condemned by universal councils of
the Catholic Priesthood.
[72.] Therefore, as soon as the corruption of each
mischievous error begins to break forth, and to defend itself by
filching certain passages of Scripture, and expounding them
fraudulently and deceitfully, forthwith, the opinions of the ancients
in the interpretation of the Canon are to be collected, whereby the
novelty, and consequently the profaneness, whatever it may be, that
arises, may both without any doubt be exposed, and without any
tergiversation be condemned. But the opinions of those Fathers only are
to be used for comparison, who living and teaching, holily, wisely, and
with constancy, in the Catholic faith and communion, were counted
worthy either to die in the faith of Christ, or to suffer death happily
for Christ. Whom yet we are to believe on this condition, that that
only is to be accounted indubitable, certain, established, which either
all, or the more part, have supported and confirmed manifestly,
frequently, persistently, in one and the same sense, forming, as it
were, a consentient council of doctors, all receiving, holding, handing
on the same doctrine. But whatsoever a teacher holds, other than all,
or contrary to all, be he holy and learned, be he a bishop, be he a
Confessor, be he a martyr, let that be regarded as a private fancy of
his own, and be separated from the authority of common, public, general
persuasion, lest, after the sacrilegious custom of heretics and
schismatics, rejecting the ancient truth of the universal Creed, we
follow, at the utmost peril of our eternal salvation, the newly devised
error of one man.
[73.] Lest any one perchance should rashly think the
holy and Catholic consent of these blessed fathers to be despised, the
Apostle says, in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, “God hath
placed some in the
Church,
first Apostles,”510
of whom himself was
one; “secondly Prophets,” such as Agabus, of whom we read
in the Acts of the Apostles;511
“then
doctors,” who are now called Homilists, Expositors,512
| 512
“Tractatores.” St. Augustine’s Expository Lectures on
St. John’s Gospel are entitled “Tractatus.” | whom the same apostle sometimes calls also
“Prophets,” because by them the mysteries of the Prophets
are opened to the people. Whosoever, therefore, shall despise these,
who had their appointment of God in His Church in their several times
and places, when they are unanimous in Christ, in the interpretation of
some one point of Catholic doctrine, despises not man, but God, from
whose unity in the truth, lest any one should vary, the same Apostle
earnestly protests, “I beseech you, brethren, that ye all speak
the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that ye
be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same
judgment.”513
But if any one
dissent from their unanimous decision, let him listen to the words of
the same apostle, “God is not the God of dissension but of
peace;”514
that is, not of him
who departs from the unity of consent, but of those who remain
steadfast in the peace of consent: “as,” he continues,
“I teach in all Churches of the saints,” that is, of
Catholics, which churches are therefore churches of the saints, because
they continue steadfast in the communion of the faith.
[74.] And lest any one, disregarding every one
else, should arrogantly claim to be listened to himself alone, himself
alone to be believed, the Apostle goes on to say, “Did the word
of God proceed from you, or did it come to you only?” And, lest
this should be thought lightly spoken, he continues, “If any man
seem to be a prophet or a spiritual person, let him acknowledge that
the things which I write unto you are the Lord’s commands.”
As to which, unless a man be a prophet or a spiritual person, that is,
a master in spiritual matters, let him be as observant as possible of
impartiality and unity, so as neither to prefer his own opinions to
those of every one besides, nor to recede from the belief of the whole
body. Which injunction, whoso ignores, shall be himself
ignored;515
that is, he who
either does not learn what he does not know, or treats with contempt
what he knows, shall be ignored, that is, shall be deemed unworthy to
be ranked of God with those who are united to each other by faith, and
equalled with each other by humility, than which I cannot imagine a
more terrible evil. This it is however which, according to the
Apostle’s threatening, we see to have befallen Julian the
Pelagian,516
| 516 Julian, bishop of
Eclanum, a small town in Apulia or Campania, was one of nineteen
bishops, who, having espoused the cause of Pelagius, and having refused
to subscribe a circular letter issued by Zosimus, now adopting the
decisions of the African Council (see above note p. 147) were deposed
and banished. St. Augustine at his death left a work against Julian
unfinished, “Opus imperfectum contra Julianum,” in
which he had been engaged till the sickness of which he died put an end
to his labours. | who either neglected
to associate himself with the belief of his fellow Christians, or
presumed to dissociate himself from it.
[75.] But it is now time to bring forward the
exemplification which we promised, where and how the sentences of the
holy Fathers have been collected together, so that in accordance with
them, by the decree and authority of a council, the rule of the
Church’s faith may be settled. Which that it may be done the more
conveniently, let this present Commonitory end here, so that the
remainder which is to follow may be begun from a fresh beginning.
[The Second Book of the Commonitory is lost. Nothing of it remains
but the conclusion: in other words, the recapitulation which
follows.]E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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