Images de page
PDF
ePub

other occupations permit you) a digest of the blessed together, being made glad by those who perverse dogmas of all the heretics who up to say unto them, "Let us go into the house of the this time have, through arrogance, or ignorance, Lord!"3 Let the stronger lead; let the weaker or self-will, attempted to subvert the simplicity imitate their example, being followers of them, of the Christian faith; a work most necessary as they are of Christ. May we all be as ants for the information of those who are prevented, pursuing eagerly the path of holy industry, as either by lack of leisure or by their not knowing the Greek language, from reading and understanding so many things. I would urge my request at greater length, were it not that this is commonly a sign of misgivings as to the benevolence of the party from whom a favour is sought. Meanwhile I cordially recommend to your goodwill in Christ our brother Paulus, to whose high standing in these regions I bear before God willing testimony.

LETTER XLI.

(A.D. 397.)

TO FATHER AURELIUS, OUR LORD MOST BLESSED
AND WORTHY OF VENERATION, OUR BROTHER
MOST SINCERELY BELOVED, AND OUR PARTNER IN
THE SACERDOTAL OFFICE, ALYPIUS AND AUGUSTIN

SEND GREETING IN THE LORD.

I.

[ocr errors]

bees labouring amidst the fragrance of holy duty; and may fruit be brought forth in patience by the saving grace of stedfastness unto the end! May the Lord "not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but with the temptation may He make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it " ! 4

2. Pray for us: we value your prayers as worthy to be heard, since you go to God with so great an offering of unfeigned love, and of praise brought to Him by your works. Pray that in us also these works may shine, for He to whom you pray knows with what fulness of joy we behold them shining in you. Such are our desires; such are the abounding comforts which in the multitude of our thoughts within us delight our souls.5 It is so now because such is the promise of God; and as He hath promised, so shall it be in the time to come. We beseech you, by Him who hath blessed you, and "Our mouth is filled with laughter, and has by you bestowed this blessing on the people our tongue with singing," by your letter inform- whom you serve, to order any of the presbyters' ing us that, by the help of that God whose sermons which you please to be transcribed, and inspiration guided you, you have carried into after revisal sent to us. For I on my part am effect your pious purpose concerning all our not neglecting what you required of me; and brethren in orders, and especially concerning as I have written often before, I am still longing the regular delivering of a sermon to the people to know what you think of Tychonius' seven in your presence by the presbyters, through Rules or Keys.6" whose tongues thus engaged your love sounds louder in the hearts than their voice does in the ears of men. Thanks be unto God! Is there anything better for us to have in our heart, or utter with our lips, or record with our pen, than this? Thanks be unto God! No other phrase is more easily spoken, and nothing more pleasant in sound, profound in significance, and profitable in practice, than this. Thanks be unto God, who has endowed you with a heart so true to the interests of your sons, and who

We warmly commend to you our brother Hilarinus, leading physician and magistrate of Hippo. As to our brother Romanus, we know how actively you are exerting yourself on his behalf, and that we need ask nothing but that God may prosper your endeavours.

LETTER XLII.
(A.D. 397.)

SISTER IN CHRIST, WORTHY OF RESPECT AND
PRAISE, MOST EMINENT FOR PIETY, AUGUSTIN
SENDS GREETING IN THE LORD.

Could this have been hoped or expected by

has brought to light what you had latent in the TO PAULINUS AND THERASIA, MY BROTHER AND inner soul, beyond the reach of human eye, giving you not only the will to do good, but the means of realizing your desires. So be it, certainly so be it! let these works shine before men, that they may see them, and rejoice and glorify your Father in heaven. In such things delight us, that now by our brother Severus we should yourself in the Lord; and may your prayers for have to claim the answer which your love has these presbyters be graciously heard on their not yet written to us, so long and so impatientbehalf by Him whose voice you do not consider ly desiring your reply? Why have we been it beneath you to hear when He speaks by them! doomed through two summers (and these in the May they go on, and walk, yea, run in the way of the Lord! May the small and the great be

1 Ps. cxxvi. 1.

2 Matt. v. 16.

3 Ps. cxxii. 1.

4 1 Cor. ix. 13.

5 Ps. xciv. 19.

6 On this work of Tychonius, see Augustin, De Doctrina Christiana, b. iii., in which these seven keys for the opening of Scripture are stated and examined.

parched land of Africa) to bear this thirst? however, though they have sometimes read them, What more can I say? O generous man, who they have not been willing, or perhaps it is more art daily giving away what is your own, be just, probable, have not been able, to answer. In and pay what is a debt to us. Perhaps the rea- these cases, it seems to me that I have disson of your long delay is your desire to finish charged the obligation laid on me by that love and transmit to me that book against heathen which the Holy Spirit teaches us to render, not worship, in writing which I had heard that you only to our own, but to all, saying by the aposwere engaged, and for which I had expressed a tle: "The Lord make you to increase and very earnest desire. O that you might by so rich abound in love one toward another, and toward a feast satisfy the hunger which has been sharp- all men."3 In another place we are warned ened by fasting (so far as your pen was con- that those who are of a different opinion from cerned) for more than a year! but if this be us must be corrected with meekness, "if God not yet prepared, our complaints will not cease peradventure will give them repentance to the unless meanwhile you prevent us from being acknowledging of the truth, and that they may famished before that is finished. Salute our recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, brethren, especially Romanus and Agilis. From who are taken captive by him at his will." this place all who are with me salute you, and they would be less provoked by your delay in writing if they loved you less than they do.

LETTER XLIII.

(A.D. 397.)

2. I have said these things by way of preface, lest any one should think, because you are not of our communion, that I have been influenced by forwardness rather than consideration in sending this letter, and in desiring thus to confer with you regarding the welfare of the soul; though I believe that, if I were writing to you about an affair of property, or the settlement of some dispute about money, no one would find fault with me. So precious is this world in the esteem of men, and so small is the value which they set upon themselves! This letter, therefore, shall be a witness in my vindication at the 1. The Apostle Paul hath said: "A bar of God, who knows the spirit in which I man that is an heretic after the first and second write, and who has said: "Blessed are the admonition reject, knowing that he that is such peacemakers: for they shall be called the sons is subverted and sinneth, being condemned of of God." 5

TO GLORIUS, ELEUSIUS, THE TWO FELIXES, GRAM-
MATICUS, AND ALL OTHERS TO WHOM THIS MAY
BE ACCEPTABLE, MY LORDS MOST BELOVED AND
WORTHY OF PRAISE, AUGUSTIN SENDS GREETING.
CHAP. I.

2

6

himself." But though the doctrine which men CHAP. II. 3. I beg you, therefore, to call hold be false and perverse, if they do not main- to mind that, when I was in your town, and tain it with passionate obstinacy, especially when was discussing with you a little concerning the they have not devised it by the rashness of their communion of Christian unity, certain Acts own presumption, but have accepted it from were brought forward by you, from which a parents who had been misguided and had fallen statement was read aloud that about seventy into error, and if they are with anxiety seeking bishops condemned Cæcilianus, formerly our the truth, and are prepared to be set right when Bishop of Carthage, along with his colleagues, they have found it, such men are not to be and those by whom he was ordained. In the counted heretics. Were it not that I believe same Acts was given a full account of the case you to be such, perhaps I would not write to of Felix of Aptunga, as one singularly odious you. And yet even in the case of a heretic, and criminal. When all these had been read, I however puffed up with odious conceit, and in- answered that it was not to be wondered at if sane through the obstinacy of his wicked resist- the men who then caused that schism, and who ance to truth, although we warn others to avoid did not scruple to tamper with Acts, thought him, so that he may not deceive the weak and that it was right to condemn those against whom inexperienced, we do not refuse to strive by they had been instigated by envious and wicked every means in our power for his correction. On this ground I wrote even to some of the deliberation, in the absence of the parties conmen, although the sentence was passed without chief of the Donatists, not indeed letters of com- demned, and without acquainting them with the munion, which on account of their perversity matter laid to their charge. I added that we they have long ceased to receive from the un- have other ecclesiastical Acts, according to divided Catholic Church which is spread through- which Secundus of Tigisis, who was for the time out the world, but letters of a private kind, such as we may send even to pagans. These letters,

1 See Epistle XXXI. p. 258.

2 Tit. iii. 10, 11.

31 Thess. iii. 12.

4 2 Tim. ii. 25, 26.
5 Matt. v. 9.

Tubursi, a town recently identified, half-way between Calama and Madaura,

Primate of Numidia, left those who, being there cundus of Tigisis did not dare to depose his present, confessed themselves traditors to the colleagues in office who confessed themselves judgment of God, and permitted them to remain in the episcopal sees which they then occupied ; and I stated that the names of these men are in the list of those who condemned Cæcilianus, and that this Secundus himself was president of the Council in which he secured the condemnation of those who, being absent, were accused as traditors, by the votes of those whom he pardoned when, being present, they confessed the same crime.

to be traditors; but afterwards, by the help of these very men, dared to condemn, without their confessing the crime, and in their absence, Cæcilianus and others who were his colleagues. And we next read the proconsular Acts in which Felix was, after a most thorough investigation, proved innocent. These, as you will remember, were read in the forenoon. In the afternoon I read to you their petition to Constantine, and the ecclesiastical record of the proceedings in 4. I then said that some time after the ordi- Rome of the judges whom he appointed, by nation of Majorinus, whom they with impious which the Donatists were condemned, and Cæwickedness set up against Cæcilianus, raising cilianus confirmed in his episcopal dignity. In one altar against another, and rending with in- conclusion, I read the letters of the Emperor fatuated contentiousness the unity of Christ, | Constantine, in which the evidence of all these they applied to Constantine, who was then em- things was established beyond all possibility of peror, to appoint bishops to act as judges and dispute. arbiters concerning the questions which, having arisen in Africa, disturbed the peace of the Church. This having been done, Cæcilianus and those who had sailed from Africa to accuse him being present, and the case tried by Melchiades, who was then Bishop of Rome, along with the assessors whom at the request of the Donatists the Emperor had sent, nothing could be proved against Cæcilianus; and thus, while he was confirmed in his episcopal see, Donatus, who was present as his opponent, was condemned. After all this, when they all still persevered in the obstinacy of their most sinful schism, the Emperor being appealed to, took pains to have the matter again more carefully examined and settled at Arles. They, however, declining an ecclesiastical decision, appealed to Constantine himself to hear their cause. When this trial came on, both parties being present, Cæcilianus was pronounced innocent, and they retired vanquished; but they still persisted in the same perversity. At the same time the case of Felix of Aptunga was not forgotten, and he too was acquitted of the crimes laid to his charge, after an investigation by the proconsul at the order of the same prince.

5. Since, however, I was only saying these things, not reading from the record, I seemed to you to be doing less than my earnestness had led you to expect. Perceiving this, I sent at once for that which I had promised to read. While I went on to visit the Church at Gelizi, intending to return thence to you, all these Acts were brought to you before two days had passed, and were read to you, as you know, so far as time permitted, in one day. We read first how Se

1 They asked judges from Gaul, as a country in which none had been guilty of surrendering the sacred books under pressure of persecution. The bishops appointed were Maternus of Agrippina, Rheticius of Augustodunum, and Marinus of Arles. They were sent to Rome with fifteen Italian bishops: Melchiades, Bishop of Rome, pre

sided in their meeting in A.D. 313, and acquitted Cæcilianus.

CHAP. III. 6. What more do you ask, sirs? what more do you ask? The matter in question here is not your gold and silver; it is not your land, nor property, nor bodily health that is at stake. I appeal to your souls concerning their obtaining eternal life, and escaping eternal death. At length awake! I am not handling an obscure question, nor searching into some hidden mystery, for the investigation of which capacity is found in no human intellect, or at least in only a few: the thing is clear as day. Is anything more obvious? could anything be more quickly seen? I affirm that parties innocent and absent were condemned by a Council, very numerous indeed, but hasty in their decisions. I prove this by the proconsular Acts, in which that man was wholly cleared from the charge of being a traditor, whom the Acts of the Council which your party brought forward proclaimed as most specially guilty. I affirm further, that the sentence against those who were said to be traditors was passed by men who had confessed themselves guilty of that very crime. I prove this by the ecclesiastical Acts in which the names of those men are set forth, to whom Secundus of Tigisis, professing a desire to preserve peace, granted pardon of a crime which he knew them to have committed, and by whose help he afterwards, notwithstanding the destruction of peace, passed sentence upon others of whose crime he had no evidence; whereby he made it manifest that in the former decision he had been moved, not by a regard for peace, but by fear for himself. For Purpurius, Bishop of Limata, had alleged against him that he himself, when he had been put in custody by a curator and his soldiers, in order to compel him to give up the Scriptures, was let go, doubtless not without paying a price, in either giving up something, or ordering others to do so for him. He, fearing that this suspicion might be easily enough confirmed, having

obtained the advice of Secundus the younger, his own kinsman, and having consulted all his colleagues in the episcopal office, remitted crimes which required no proof to be judged by God, and in so doing appeared to be protecting the peace of the Church: which was false, for he was only protecting himself.

quieted or restrained the mouths of those who were raging against men who were absent, if he had spoken thus: "Ye see, brethren, how after so great havoc of persecution peace has been given to us, through God's mercy, by the princes of this world; surely we, being Christians and bishops, ought not to break up the. Christian 7. For if, in truth, regard for peace had any unity which even pagan enemies have ceased to place in his heart, he would not afterwards at assail. Either, therefore, let us leave to God, as Carthage have joined those traditors whom he Judge, all those cases which the calamity of a had left to the judgment of God when they were most troublous time has brought upon the present, and confessed their fault, in passing Church; or if there be some among you who sentence for the same crime upon others who have such certain knowledge of the guilt of other were absent, and against whom no one had parties, that they are able to bring against them proved the charge. He was bound, moreover, a definite indictment, and prove it if they plead to be the more afraid on that occasion of dis- not guilty, and who also shrink from having turbing the peace, inasmuch as Carthage was a communion with such persons, let them hasten great and famous city, from which any evil origi- to our brethren and peers, the bishops of the nating there might extend, as from the head of churches beyond the sea, and present to them the body, throughout all Africa. Carthage was also near to the countries beyond the sea, and distinguished by illustrious renown, so that it had a bishop of more than ordinary influence, who could afford to disregard even a number of enemies conspiring against him, because he saw himself united by letters of communion both to the Roman Church, in which the supremacy of an apostolic chair has always flourished,' and to all other lands from which Africa itself received the gospel, and was prepared to defend himself before these Churches if his adversaries attempted to cause an alienation of them from him. Seeing, therefore, that Cæcilianus declined to come before his colleagues, whom he perceived or suspected (or, as they affirm, pretended to suspect) to be biassed by his enemies against the real merits of his case, it was all the more the duty of Secundus, if he wished to be the guardian of true peace, to prevent the condemnation in their absence of those who had wholly declined to compear at their bar. For it was not a matter concerning presbyters or deacons or clergy of the deposition of the bishop, whose ordination of inferior order, but concerning colleagues who might refer their case wholly to the judgment of other bishops, especially of apostolical churches, in which the sentence passed against them in their absence would have no weight, since they had not deserted their tribunal after having compeared before it, but had always declined compearance because of the suspicions which they entertained.

8. This consideration ought to have weighed much with Secundus, who was at that time Primate, if his desire, as president of the Council, was to promote peace; for he might perhaps have

"In qua semper apostolicæ cathedræ viguit principatus." The use in the translation of the indefinite article, an apostolic chair," is vindicated by the language of Augustin in sec. 26 of this letter regarding Carthage, and by the words in Letter CCXXXII. sec. 3: Christianæ societatis quæ per sedes apostolorum et successiones episcoporum certa per orbem propagatione diffunditur."

[ocr errors]

in the first place a complaint concerning the conduct and contumacy of the accused, as having through consciousness of guilt declined the jurisdiction of their peers in Africa, so that by these foreign bishops they may be summoned to compear and answer before them regarding the things laid to their charge. If they disobey this summons, their criminality and obduracy will become known to those other bishops; and by a synodical letter sent in their name to all parts of the world throughout which the Church of Christ is now extended, the parties accused will be excluded from communion with all churches, in order to prevent the springing up of error in the see of the Church at Carthage. When that has been done, and these men have been separated from the whole Church, we shall without fear ordain another bishop over the community in Carthage; whereas, if now another bishop be ordained by us, communion will most probably be withheld from him by the Church beyond the sea, because they will not recognise the validity

was everywhere acknowledged, and with whom letters of communion had been exchanged; and thus, through our undue eagerness to pronounce without deliberation a final sentence, the great scandal of schism within the Church, when it has rest from without, may arise, and we may be found presuming to set up another altar, not against Cæcilianus, but against the universal Church, which, uninformed of our procedure, would still hold communion with him."

9. If any one had been disposed to reject sound and equitable counsels such as these, what could he have done? or how could he have procured the condemnation of any one of his absent peers, when he could not have any decisions with the authority of the Council, seeing that the Primate was opposed to him? And if such a serious revolt against the authority of

the Primate himself arose, that some were re- 11. Secundus, therefore, was not acting in the solved to condemn at once those whose case he interests of peace and unity when he remitted desired to postpone, how much better would it to the divine tribunal the crimes which these have been for him to separate himself by dissent men confessed: for, if so, he would have been from such quarrelsome and factious men, than much more careful to prevent a schism at Carfrom the communion of the whole world! But thage, when there were none present to whom he because there were no charges which could be might be constrained to grant pardon of a crime proved at the bar of foreign bishops against which they confessed; when, on the contrary, all Cæcilianus and those who took part in his ordi- that the preservation of peace demanded was nation, those who condemned them were not a refusal to condemn those who were absent. willing to delay passing sentence; and when They would have acted unjustly to these innothey had pronounced it, were not at any pains cent men, had they even resolved to pardon to intimate to the Church beyond the sea the them, when they were not proved guilty, and had names of those in Africa with whom, as con- not confessed the guilt, but were actually not demned traditors, she should avoid communion. present at all. For the guilt of a man is estabFor if they had attempted this, Cæcilianus and the lished beyond question when he accepts a pardon. others would have defended themselves, and would | How much more outrageous and blind were they have vindicated their innocence against their false who thought that they had power to condemn for accusers by a most thorough trial before the crimes which, as unknown, they could not even ecclesiastical tribunal of bishops beyond the sea. have forgiven! In the former case, crimes that 10. Our belief concerning that perverse and were known were remitted to the divine arbitraunjust Council is, that it was composed chiefly tion, lest others should be inquired into; in the of traditors whom Secundus of Tigisis had par- latter case, crimes that were not known were made doned on their confession of guilt; and who, ground of condemnation, that those which were when a rumour had gone abroad that some had known might be concealed. But it will be said, been guilty of delivering up the sacred books, the crime of Cæcilianus and the others was known. sought to turn aside suspicion from themselves Even if I were to admit this, the fact of their by bringing a calumny upon others, and to absence ought to have protected them from such escape the detection of their crime, through a sentence. For they were not chargeable with surrounding themselves with a cloud of lying deserting a tribunal before which they had never rumours, when men throughout all Africa, be- stood; nor was the Church so exclusively reprelieving their bishops, said what was false con- sented in these African bishops, that in refusing cerning innocent men, that they had been to appear before them they could be supposed condemned at Carthage as traditors. Whence to decline all ecclesiastical jurisdiction. For you perceive, my beloved friends, how that there remained thousands of bishops in counwhich some of your party affirmed to be im- tries beyond the sea, before whom it was maniprobable could indeed happen, viz. that the very fest that those who seemed to distrust their peers men who had confessed their own guilt as tradi- in Africa and Numidia could be tried. Have tors, and had obtained the remission of their you forgotten what Scripture commands: "Blame case to the divine tribunal, afterwards took part no one before you have examined him; and in judging and condemning others who, not be- when you have examined him, let your correcing present to defend themselves, were accused tion be just "? If, then, the Holy Spirit has of the same crime. For their own guilt made forbidden us to blame or correct any one before them more eagerly embrace an opportunity by we have questioned him, how much greater is which they might overwhelm others with a the crime of not merely blaming or correcting, groundless accusation, and by thus finding oc- but actually condemning men who, being absent, cupation for the tongues of men, which screen could not be examined as to the charges brought their own misdeeds from investigation. More- against them! over, if it were inconceivable that a man should condemn in another the wrong which he had himself done, the Apostle Paul would not have had occasion to say: "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things." This is exactly what these men did, so that the words of the apostle may be fully and appropriately applied to them.

I

1 Rom. ii. 1.

12. Moreover, as to the assertion of these judges, that though the parties accused were absent, having not fled from trial, but always avowed their distrust of that faction, and declined to appear before them, the crimes for which they condemned them were well known; I ask, my brethren, how did they know them? You reply, We cannot tell, since the evidence is not stated in the public Acts. But I will tell you how they knew them. Observe carefully the

2 Ecclus. xi. 7.

« PrécédentContinuer »