A Woman Against Heretics

Haeretica in his provinciis exorta tempestas, cuncta turbavit; et in tantam rabiem concitata est, ut nec sibi, nec ullu bonorum parceret. Et quasi  parum esset, hic universa movisse, navem plenam blasphemiarum Romano intulit portui. Invenitque protinus patella operculum, et Romanae fidei purissimum fontem, lutosam coeno permiscuere vestigia. Nec mirum si in plateis, et in foro rerum venalium, fictus ariolus stultorum verberet nates, et obtorio fuste dentes mordentium quatiat: cum venenata spuracque doctrina Romae invenerit quos induceret. Tunc librorum περὶ ἄρχώ infamis interpretatio: tunc discipulus ὄλβιος, vere nominis sui, si in talem magistrum non impegisset. Tunc nostrorum διάλυτες contradictio, et Pharisaeorum turbata est schola. Tunc sancta Marcella, quae diu se cohibuerat, ne per aemulationem quippiam facere videretur, postquam sensit fidem apostolico ore laudatem in plerisque violari, ita ut sacerdotes quoque, et nonnullos monacharum, maximque saeculi homines, in assensum sui traheret; ac simplicitati illuderet Episcopi, qui de suo ingenio caeteros aestimabat, publice restitit: malens Deo placere, quam hominibus. Laudat Salvator in Evangelio villicum iniquitatis, quod contra dominum quidem fraudelenter, attamen pro se prudenter fecerit. Cernentes haeretici de parva scintilla maxima incendia concitari; et suppositam dudum flammam jam ad culmina pervenisse; nec posse latere, quod multos deceperat, petunt, et impetrant ecclesiasticas  epistolas: ut communicantes Ecclesiae discessisse viderentur. Non multum tempus in medio, succedit in pontificatum vir insignis Anastasius qui dum Roma habere non meruit, ne orbis caput sub tali episcopo truncaretur. Imo idcirco raptus atque translatus est, ne semel latam sententiam, precibus suis flectere conaretur: dicente Domine ad Jeremiam: Ne oraveris pro populo isto, neque depreceris in bonum. Quia si jejunaverint, non exaudiam preces eorum. Et si holocausta et victimas obtulerint, non siscipiam eos. In gladio enim et fame, et pestilentia ego consumam eos. Dicas, quid haec ad laudem Marcellae? damnationis haereticorum haec fuit principium: dum adducit testes, qui prius ab eis eruditi, et postea ab haeretico fuerant errore correpti: dum ostendit multitudinem deceptorum, dum impia περὶ ἀρχῶν ingerit volumina, quae emendata manu scorpii monstrabantur: dum acciti frequentibus litteris haeretici, ut se defenderent, venire non sunt ausi: tantaque vis conscientiae fuit, ut magis absentes damnari, quam praesentes coragui maluerint. Hujus tam gloriosae victoriae origo Marcella est, tuque caput horum et causa bonorum, scis me vera narrare Sanctus Hieronymus, Epistula CXXVII, Ad Principiam Virginem Source: Migne PL 22 1092-3

There arose in these provinces a storm of heresy which threw everything into confusion, 1 and so great was the fury whipped up that it spared neither itself nor any good. And as if it were too little to have troubled everything here, it brought into the port of Rome a ship full of blasphemies. The dish soon found itself a cover, and the pure fount of the Roman faith was mixed with the mud of filthy feet 2. No wonder if in the streets and market places a lying soothsayer can strike fools from behind, or, taking up his staff, shatter the teeth of those who mock him, when such venomous and foul teaching found in Rome those whom it could persuade. Then came the infamous translation of Origen's 'On First Principles,' then that 'fortunate' disciple, 3 who would have been true to his name had he not dashed himself against such a teacher. Then our destructive refutation which confounded the school of the Pharisees. Then the blessed Marcella, who had restrained herself for a long while lest she should appear to act out of envy, after she understood that the faith of Rome, once praised by the mouth of an Apostle, 4 was likely to be violated, that the heresy was not only drawing in many priests and monks and a great number of men of the world to give assent, but it even tricked the bishop who judged others by his own guilelessness, 5 publicly resisted it, preferring to please God rather than men. In the Gospel the Saviour praises the unjust steward because, although indeed he defrauded his master, he acted prudently for himself. 6 The heretics seeing how a little spark had kindled such a conflagration, 7 and that the flames lit secretly by them a little while ago had already reached the rooves, and they were no longer able to hide that they deceived many, asked for and indeed demanded letters from the Church, so that it appear they had been in communion with the Church. Not long after that celebrated man Anastasius succeeded to the pontificate, who Rome was not worthy to have for long, lest the head of the world be struck off under such a bishop. So he was quickly seized and taken away, lest the sentence once passed he try to avert with prayers, with the Lord saying to Jeremiah: 'Pray not for this people, nor implore their good. Because if they fast I will not hear their prayers. And if they offer holocausts and victims, I will not accept them. For I will consume them by the sword and by famine and by pestilence.' 8 You will say, what has this to do with the praise of Marcella? She was the origin of the condemnation of the heretics. She introduced the witnesses first taught by them and then dragged off into their heretical teaching. She revealed the multitude of deceivers, bringing forward the impious books of 'On First Principles', which had been 'improved' by the hand of the scorpion. Finally she it was who summoned the heretics in frequent letters to defend themselves, but they did not dare come, for they were so troubled in their conscience that they prefered to be condemned by absence than face their accusers. The fount of this glorious victory was Marcella and you know that I speak the truth about the source of these goods. St Jerome, from Letter 127, To The Nun Principia 1 Origenism 2 Ezek 34.18 3 Rufinus Tyrannus translator of Origen 4 Rom 1.8 5 Pope Siricius 6 Lk 16.8 7 James 3.5 8 Jerem 14.11-12