Apostles And Tradition

Traditionem itaque Apostolorum in toto mundo manifestatam, in omni Ecclesia adest perspicere omnibus qui vera velint videre, et habemus annumerare eos qui ab Apostolis instituti sunt Episcopi in ecclesiis, et successiones eorum usque ad nos, qui nihil tale docuerunt, neque cognoverunt, quale ab his deliratur. Etenim si recondita mysteria scissent Apostoli, quae seorsim et latenter ab reliquis perfectos docebant, his vel maxime traderent ea quibus etiam ipsas ecclesias committebant. Valde enim perfectos et irreprehensibiles in omnibus eos volebant esse, quos et successores relinquebant, suum ipsorum locum magisterii tradentes: quibus emendate agentibus fieret magna utilitas, lapsis autem summa calamitas. Sed quoniam valde longum est, in hoc tali volumine omnium ecclesiarum enumerare successiones, maximae, et antiquissimae, et omnibus cognitae, a gloriosissimis duobus apostolis Petro et Paulo Romae fundatae et constitutae ecclesiae, eam quam habet ab Apostolis traditionem, et annuntiatam hominibus fidem, per successiones Episcoporum pervenientem usque ad nos indicantes, confundimus omnes eos, qui quoquo modo, vel per sibiplacentiam malam, vel vanam gloriam, vel per caecitatem et malam sententiam, praeterquam oportet colligunt. Ad hanc enim ecclesiam propter potentiorem principalitatem necesse est omnem convenire Ecclesiam, hoc est, eos qui sunt undique fideles, in qua semper ab his, qui sunt undique, conservata est ea quae est ab Apostolis traditio. Sanctus Irenaeus Lugdunensis, Adversus Haereses, Liber III, Caput III Source: Migne PG 7.848a-849a

The tradition of the Apostles manifested throughout the whole world is within the power of everyone in every Church to contemplate clearly who may wish to see the truth, and we are in a position to reckon up those who were instituted bishops in the Churches by the Apostle and the succession of these men to our own times, who neither taught nor did they know anything of what these men rave about. If the Apostles had known hidden mysteries which they taught to the perfect apart from the rest, they would have certainly delivered these things to those whom they were committing the Churches. For they wished these men should be perfect and blameless in everything, these whom they were leaving behind as successors, and to whom they were handing over their own place of headship, which if such men acted well it would be a great boon, but if they fell the greatest calamity. But because it would be a very lengthy exercise in such a volume as this to enumerate the successions of all the Churches, we point at the very great and very ancient and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul, which has its tradition from the Apostles, and the faith preached to men which comes down to us by the successions of the Apostles, to confute all those, who in whatever way, by evil self pleasing, or vainglory, or blind and wicked opinion, gather together. For with this Church, because of its preeminent authority, it is necessary that every church should agree, that is, with those who are faithful in every way, by which in these who are faithful in every way has been preserved the tradition that is from the Apostles. Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapter 3

Understanding And Teaching

Quid est quod ait: Appone cor ad doctrinam meam.? Et paulo post subjungit: Ecce descripsi eam tripliciter, in cogitationibus et scientia ut ostenderem tibi firmitatem et eloquia veritatis? Quomodo descripsit tripliciter doctrinam et scientiam? Aut quid est cor apponere ad doctrinam? Cor apponere est intelligere doctrinam sanctam et justam. Tripliciter vero descripsit suam doctrinam, quia unicuique praecepit ut eam studeat implere cogitatione, locutione, et opere. De quibus terminis dicit: Ne transgrediaris terminos antiquos, quos posuerunt patres tui? Terminos antiquos dicit terminos veritatis et fidei, quos habuerunt ab initio catholici doctores. Hoc ergo praecipit, ut sacrae fidei veritatem et evangelicae doctinae nemo aliter suscipiat, quam a sanctis Patribus est tradita, sive hoc praecipit, ut eloquia sacrarum Scipturarum nemo aliter interpretetur, nisi juxta uniuscujusque scribentis vel docentis sancti Spiritus veritatem et intentionem. Honorius Augustodunensis, Quaestiones Et Ad Easdem Responsiones In Duos Salomonis Libros, In Proverbia, Caput XXII Source: Migne PL 172.324a-b

Why does he say. 'Apply your heart to my teaching.' ? And a little after, 'Behold, I have described it in three ways, in thought and in knowledge, that I might show to you the firmness and elegance of truth.' ? 1 How has he described teaching and knowledge in three ways? Or what is it to apply the heart to teaching? To apply the heart is to understand holy and righteous teaching. But he describes his teaching in three ways, because he commands each one of us to strive to fulfill it in thought and speech and deed. Of what boundaries does he speak of with: 'Do not pass beyond the ancient boundaries that your fathers have established.' 2 He calls the ancient boundaries the boundaries of truth and faith that the catholic teachers had from the beginning. This, therefore, he commands, that no one should take up the truth of the holy faith and the teaching of the Gospel in any other way than according to the tradition of the Holy Fathers, or that no one should interpret the words of Holy Scripture in any other way but writing and teaching according to the truth and intention of the Holy Spirit. Honorius of Autun, Questions and Answers on Two Books of Solomon, On Proverbs, Chapter 22 1 Prov 22.17, 20-21 2 Prov 22.28

Receiving And Preserving

Διόπερ αἱ κατὰ τὴν βάρβαρον φιλοσοφίαν αἱρέσεις, κἂν θεὸν λέγωσιν ἕνα κἂν Χριστὸν ὑμνῶσι, κατὰ περίληψιν λέγουσιν, οὐ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν· ἄλλον τε γὰρ θεὸν παρευρίσκουσι καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν οὐχ ὡς αἱ προφητεῖαι παραδιδόασιν, ἐκδέχονται. Ἀλλ´ οὔτι γε τὰ ψευδῆ τῶν δογματισθέντων αὐτοῖς, ἔστ´ ἂν ἐναντιῶνται τῇ κατὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀγωγῇ, καθ´ ἡμῶν ἐστιν. Αὐτίκα ὁ Παῦλος τὸν Τιμόθεον περιέτεμεν διὰ τοὺς ἐξ Ἰουδαίων πιστεύοντας, ἵνα μή, καταλύοντος αὐτοῦ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ νόμου σαρκικώτερον προειλημμένα, ἀποστῶσι τῆς πίστεως οἱ ἐκ νόμου κατηχούμενοι, εἰδὼς ἀκριβῶς ὅτι περιτομὴ οὐ δικαιοῖ· τοῖς πᾶσι γὰρ πάντα γίγνεσθαι ὡμολόγει κατὰ συμπεριφορὰν σῴζων τὰ κύρια τῶν δογμάτων, ἵνα πάντας κερδήσῃ. Δανιὴλ δὲ τὸν μανιάκην ἐβάστασεν ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Περσῶν, μὴ ὑπεριδὼν θλιβῆναι τὸν λεών. Ψεῦσται τοίνυν τῷ ὄντι οὐχ οἱ συμπεριφερόμενοι δι´ οἰκονομίαν σωτηρίας οὐδ´ οἱ περί τινα τῶν ἐν μέρει σφαλλόμενοι, ἀλλ´ οἱ εἰς τὰ κυριώτατα παραπίπτοντες καὶ ἀθετοῦντες μὲν τὸν Kύριον τὸ ὅσον ἐπ´ αὐτοῖς, ἀποστεροῦντες δὲ τοῦ Kυρίου τὴν ἀληθῆ διδασκαλίαν, οἱ μὴ κατ´ ἀξίαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Kυρίου τὰς γραφὰς λαλοῦντές τε καὶ παραδιδόντες· παραθήκη γὰρ ἀποδιδομένη θεῷ ἡ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Kυρίου διδασκαλίαν διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ τῆς θεοσεβοῦς παραδόσεως σύνεσίς τε καὶ συνάσκησις· Ὃ δὲ ἀκούετε εἰς τὸ οὖς, ἐπικεκρυμμένως δηλονότι καὶ ἐν μυστηρίῳ, τὰ τοιαῦτα γὰρ εἰς τὸ οὖς λέγεσθαι ἀλληγορεῖται, Ἐπὶ τῶν δωμάτων, φησί, κηρύξατε, μεγαλοφρόνως τε ἐκδεξάμενοι καὶ ὑψηγόρως παραδιδόντες καὶ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας κανόνα διασαφοῦντες τὰς γραφάς· οὔτε γὰρ ἡ προφητεία οὔτε ὁ σωτὴρ αὐτὸς ἁπλῶς οὕτως, ὡς τοῖς ἐπιτυχοῦσιν εὐάλωτα εἶναι, τὰ θεῖα μυστήρια ἀπεφθέγξατο, ἀλλ´ ἐν παραβολαῖς διελέξατο. Λέγουσιν γοῦν οἱ ἀπόστολοι περὶ τοῦ Kυρίου, ὅτι Πάντα ἐν παραβολαῖς ἐλάλησεν καὶ οὐδὲν ἄνευ παραβολῆς ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς. Εἰ δὲ Πάντα δι´ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν, καὶ ἡ προφητεία ἄρα καὶ ὁ νόμος δι´ αὐτοῦ τε ἐγένετο καὶ ἐν παραβολαῖς ἐλαλήθησαν δι´ αὐτοῦ· πλὴν Ἅπαντα ὀρθὰ ἐνώπιον τῶν συνιέντων, φησὶν ἡ γραφή, τουτέστι τῶν ὅσοι ὑπ´ αὐτοῦ σαφηνισθεῖσαν τὴν τῶν γραφῶν ἐξήγησιν κατὰ τὸν ἐκκλησιαστικὸν κανόνα ἐκδεχόμενοι διασῴζουσι· κανὼν δὲ ἐκκλησιαστικὸς ἡ συνῳδία καὶ ἡ συμφωνία νόμου τε καὶ προφητῶν τῇ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Kυρίου παρουσίαν παραδιδομένῃ διαθήκῃ. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Ϛ', Κεφ ΙΕ' Source: Migne PG 9.348a-349b

So the sects of the barbarian philosophy, although they may speak of one God, though they may hymn Christ, speak without accuracy, not in accordance with truth, for they find another God, and do not receive Christ as the prophecies give Him. The deceit of their false teachings, in opposing the conduct according to the truth, is against us. Paul, who well knew that circumcision does not make righteous men, circumcised Timothy for the sake of the Jews who believed, lest they who had been formed by the Law, because of a loosening of things of the Law understood more carnally, fall away from the faith, and he confessed that all things were for all by accomodation, preserving the essentials of the teachings, that he might gain all. 1 And Daniel, under the king of the Persians, wore the chain, though he did not scorn the afflictions of the people. 2 The liars, then, in truth, are not those who accomodate for the sake of salvation, nor those who err in minor parts, but those who err in essentials, and reject the Lord, and, as far as they can, strip the Lord of true teaching, men who do not quote or deliver the Scriptures in a manner worthy of God and of the Lord. For the deposit given to God, according to the teaching of the Lord through His Apostles, is the understanding and the practice of the sacred tradition. He says: 'And what you hear in the ear,' that is, in a hidden manner and in a mystery, for such things are figuratively said to be spoken in the ear, 'proclaim on the housetops,' 3 That is, understanding the Scriptures sublimely, and delivering them in a lofty strain, and explaining them according to the canon of truth. For neither prophecy nor the Saviour Himself announced the Divine mysteries simply so as to be easily grasped by all, but they were expressed in mystery. Thus the Apostles say of the Lord that 'He spoke all things in parables, and without a parable He spoke nothing to them.' 4 And if 'All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made,' 5 even prophecy and the Law were by Him, and were spoken by Him in parables. Scripture says: 'All things are right before those who understand,' 6 that is, those who receive and preserve, according to the ecclesiastical rule, the clear exposition of the Scriptures explained by Him; and the ecclesiastical rule is the concord and harmony of the Law and the Prophets in the testament given in the coming of the Lord. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, Book 6, Ch 15 1 1 Cor 9.20-22 2 Daniel 5.7 3 Mt 10.27 4 Mt 13.34 5 Jn 1.3 6 Prov 8.9

Struggling With Serpents

Cum enim ex Scripturis arguuntur, in accusationem convertuntur, ipsarum Scripturarum, quasi non recte habeant, neque sint ex auctoritate, et quia varie sint dictae, at quia non possit ex his inveniri veritas ab his, qui nesciant Traditionem. Non enim per litteras traditam illam, sed per vivam vocem: ob quam causam et Paulum dixisse: Sapientiam autem loquimur inter perfectos; sapientiam autem non mundi hujus. Et hanc sapientiam unusquisque eorum esse dicit, quam a semetipso adinvenerit, fictionem videlicet, ut digne secundum eos sit veritas, aliquando quidem in Valentino, aliquando autem in Mearcione, aliquando in Cerintho: postea deinde in Basilide fuit, aut et in illo qui contra disputat, qui nihil salutare loqui potuit. Unusquisque enim ipsorum omnimodo perversus, semetipsum, regulam veritatis depravans, praedicare non confunditur. Cum autem ad eam iterum Traditionem, quae est ab apostolis, quae per successiones presbyterorum in Ecclesiis custoditur, provocamus eos; adversantur Traditioni, dicentes se non solum presbyteris, sed etiam apostolis exsistentes sapientiores, sinceram invenisse veritatam. Apostolos enim admiscuisse ea quae sunt legali Salvatoris verbis: et non solum apostolos, sed etiam ipsum Dominum, modo quidem a Demiurgo, modo autem a medietate, interdum autem a summitate fecisse sermones: et se vero indubitate, et intaminate, et sincere absconditum scire mysterium: quod quidem impudentissime est blasphemare suum factorem. Evenit itaque, neque Scripturis jam, neque Traditioni consentire eos. Adversus tales certamen nobis est, o deliectissime, more serpentum lubricos undique resistendum est illis, si quos ex his retusione confundentes, ad conversionem veritatis adducere possimus. Etenim si non facile est ab errore apprehensam resipiscere animam, sed non omnimodo impossibile est errorem effugere, apposita veritate. Sanctus Irenaeus Lugdunensis, Adversus Haereses, Liber III, Caput II.  Source: Migne PG 7.846a-847b

When, however, they are condemned from the Scriptures, they turn around and accuse these same Scriptures, as if they were not correct, nor of authority, but they say many different things, and that the truth cannot be found in them by those who are ignorant of tradition. For the truth was not delivered by means of writing, but by the living voice, for which reason Paul said, 'But we speak wisdom among those that are perfect, but not the wisdom of this world.' 1 And this wisdom each one of them says to be whatever is found among them, a fiction certainly that is worthy according to them to be truth, so that at one time it is in Valentinus, at another in Marcion, at another in Cerinthus, then afterwards in Basilides, or even in any other man who disputes and was able to speak nothing for the cause of salvation. For every one of these being perverse, corrupting the rule of truth, does not blush to preach himself. And when we call them to attend to that tradition which is from the Apostles, which is preserved by the succession of presbyters in the Churches, they set themselves against tradition, calling themselves wiser, not only than the presbyters, but even the Apostles, because they have found the pure truth. For the Apostles, they say, mixed the things of the law with the words of the Saviour, and not only the Apostles, but even the Lord Himself, spoke at one time from the Demiurge, at another from the intermediate place, and again from the Pleroma, and they themselves, indubitably, without defilement, purely, know the hidden mystery, which is, indeed, most impudently to blaspheme their Creator. So it comes about that they neither hold to Scripture nor to tradition. Against such folk is our struggle, my dear friend, who like slippery serpents must be opposed at all points, that some of them, dismayed by their quelling, we might lead to turn back to the truth. Even if it is not easy for a soul in error to return to reason, it is not altogether impossible to escape from error when the truth is brought near.   Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapter 2 1 1 Cor 2.6

The Burning Of The Sons Of Aaron

Filii autem Aaron, qui, imponentes altari ignem alienum, igne divino exusti sunt, illos significaverunt qui, Dei traditione contempta, alienas doctrinas appetunt, et magisteria humanae institutionis inducent. Quos increpat Dominus et objurgat in Evangelio, dicens: 'Rejecistis mandatum Dei, ut traditionem vestram statuatis.' Videtur et ignem alienum incendere, quisquis, corporeae vel saecularis alicujus cupiditatis ignem in sacrario sui cordis accendens, audet altaribus Domini appropinquare. Quae non recipiunt, nisi illius ignis accensionem de quo ait Dominus: Ignem veni mittere in terram. Hoc igne nos Dominus Jesus semper incendat, ut illuminemur in sensibus, ne flagremus in vitiis. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis,Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Leviticum, Caput VIII Source: Migne PL 83.325

The sons of Aaron, they who placed unhallowed fire on the altar and with Divine fire were burnt up, 1 signify those who are contemptuous of the traditions of God and grasp after strange teachings, and introduce instructions of human provenance. The Lord cries out against these and rebukes them in the Gospel, saying, 'You reject the command of God that you might set up your own tradition.' 2 It seems that to burn with unhallowed fire refers to anyone who has the fire of bodily or worldly desire burning in the sanctuary of his heart and who dares approach the altar of the Lord. They are not received unless they are inflamed with the fire of which the Lord says, 'I have come to place fire on the earth.' 3 With this fire the Lord Jesus always inflames us, that we be illuminated in our senses, lest we be burnt up in our vices. Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On Leviticus, Chap 8  1 Lev 10.1-3 2 Mt 15.3 3 Lk 12.49

Sin and Neighbours

Λέγουσι δὲ ἐν ταϊς Παραδόσεσι Ματθίαν τὸν ἀπόστολον παρ' ἕκαστα εἰρηκένι, ὅτι, ' Ἐὰν ἐκλεκτοῦ γείτων ἁμαρτήσῃ, ἥμαρτεν ὁ ἐκλεκτός· εἰ γὰρ οὕτως ἑαυτὸν ἦγεν ὡς ὁ Λόγος ὑπαγορεύει, κατῃδέσθη ἄν αὐτοῦ τὸν βίον καὶ ὁ γείτων εἰς τὸ μὴ ἁμαρτεῖν.' Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Ἑβδομος, Κεφ ΙΓ'

They say in The Traditions that Matthias the Apostle constantly said, 'If the neighbour of an elect man sin, the elect man has sinned, for if he had  conducted himself as the Word commands, his neighbour in awe of his life would not have sinned.' Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 7, Ch 13.

The Author of Hebrews

Ὁ χαρακτὴρ τῆς λέξεως τῆς πρὸς Ἑβραίους ἐπιγεγραμμένης Ἐπιστολῆς οὐκ ἔχει τὸ λόγῳ ἰδιωτικὸν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου, ὁμολογήσαντος ἑαυτὸν ἰδιώτην εἴναι τῷ λόγῳ, τουτέστι, τῇ φράσει. Ἀλλὰ ἐστὶν ἡ Ἐπιστολὴ συνθέσει τῆς λέξεως ἑλληνικωτέρα, πᾶς ὁ ἐπιστάμενος κρίνειν φράσεων διαφορὰς, ὁμολογήσαι ἄν· πάλιν τε αὖ ὅτι τὰ νοήματα τῆς ἐπιστολῆς θαυμάσιά ἐστι, καὶ οὐ δεύτερα τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ὁμολογουμένων γραμμάτων, καὶ τοῦτο ἄν συμφήσαι εἶναι ἀληθὲς πᾶς ὁ προσέχων τῇ ἀναγνώσει τῇ ἀποστολικῇ. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἀποφαινόμενος εἴποι μ' ἄν, ὅτι τὰ μὲν νοήματα τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ἐστὶν, ἡ δὲ φράσις, καὶ ἡ σύνθεσις, ἀπομνημονεύσαντός τινος τὰ ἀποστολικὰ, καὶ ὡσπεριεὶ σχολιογραφήσαντος τὰ εἰρημένα ὑπὸ τοὺ διδασκάλου. Εἰ τις οὖν Ἐκκλησία ἔχει ταύτην τὴν Ἐπιστολὴν ὡς Παύλου, αὔτη εὐδοκιμείτω καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ, οὐ γὰρ εἰκῆ οἱ ἀρχαῖοι ἄνδρες ὡς Παύλου αὐτὴν παραδεδώκασι. Τίς δὲ ὁ γράψας τὴν Ἐπιστολὴν, τὸ μὲν ἀληθὲς Θεὸς οἴδεν.  Ὠριγένης, Ὁμιλίαι Πρὸς Ἑβραίους Ἐπιστολὴς

The character of the writing style of the letter entitled to the Hebrews does not have the roughness of speech which the Apostle himself confesses to, that is, in the phrasing. Rather the letter is fashioned more in the Greek way, as anyone able to distinguish differences of style would admit; but even so the thought of the letter is wonderful, and not inferior to the acknowledged writings of the Apostle, and anyone who has read the Apostle carefully would agree to the truth of this. If I were asked to declare myself, I would say that the thought is the Apostle's but the phrasing and the arrangement are by someone who remembered the Apostolic teaching and, just like a recorder of a lesson, wrote his own version of the things spoken by his teacher. If, then, any church holds this letter to be Paul's, let it be commended for it, for not without reason did the men before us hand it down as Paul's. But who wrote the letter is known to God alone. Origen, Homily on the Epistle to the Hebrews 1 2 Cor 11.6

Belief and the Gospels

Augustinus respondit: O mirabilem insaniam, de Christo aliquid narranti nolle credi Matthaeo, et velle credi Manichaeo! Si Matthaeus non interfuit, cum Christus dixisset: Non veni solvere Legem aut Prophetas, sed adimplere; et propterea non est ei credendum: numquid Manichaeus interfuit, aut iam vel natus fuit, cum Christus inter homines appareret? Secundum ergo hanc fidei vestrae legem, nihil ei de Christo testificanti credere debuistis. Nos autem non propterea dicimus non credendum esse Manichaeo, quia dictis factisque Christi non interfuit, et longe post natus est; sed quia de Christo contra Christi discipulos loquitur, et contra Evangelium quod illorum auctoritate firmatum est. Habemus enim Apostoli vocem, qui in Spiritu sancto tales venturos esse cernebat. Unde fidelibus dicebat: Si quis vobis evangelizaverit praeterquam quod accepistis, anathema sit. Nam si nemo de Christo vera dicit, nisi qui eum praesens vidit et audivit, hodie de illo nemo vera dicit. Porro si hodie propterea de illo fidelibus eius vera dicuntur, quia illi qui viderunt et audierunt, vel praedicando vel scribendo ea disseminaverunt; cur ex ore Ioannis condiscipuli sui non posset vera Matthaeus audire de Christo, ubi ille adfuit, et ipse non adfuit, si ex libro Ioannis possumus vera loqui de Christo, non solum nos tanto post nati, sed etiam post nos alii nascituri? Hinc enim non solum Matthaei, verum etiam Lucae ac Marci Evangelium, qui eosdem discipulos secuti sunt, in non imparem auctoritatem receptum est. Huc accedit, quia et ipse Dominus potuit narrare Matthaeo, quod antequam eum vocasset, cum iis egerat quos prius vocaverat. At enim hoc ipse Ioannes in Evangelio suo ponere debuit, si hoc dictum a Domino audierat, qui, cum diceretur, praesens erat? Quasi fieri non potuerit ut cum omnia quae a Domino audierat, scribere non posset, inter alia quae praetermisit, et hoc praetermiserit, cum in alia scribenda esset intentus. Nonne Evangelium suum ita ipse conclusit, dicens: Et alia quidem multa fecit Iesus, quae si scriberentur singula, nec ipsum existimo capere mundum qui scriberentur libros. Hic utique ostendit se scientem multa praetermisisse. Sed si de Lege et Prophetis vos delectat Ioannis auctoritas, Ioanni credite attestanti Legi et Prophetis. Ipse scripsit quod Isaias viderit Christi gloriam. In eius habetis Evangelio, unde iam paulo ante tractavimus: Si crederetis Moysi, crederetis et mihi; de me enim ille scripsit. Undique tergiversatio vestra contunditur. Aperte dicite non vos credere Christi Evangelio: nam qui in Evangelio quod vultis creditis, quod vultis non creditis, vobis potius quam Evangelio creditis. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensis, Contra Faustum  Manichaeum, Liber XVII

Augustine replied: O wondrous madness, to be unwilling to believe something Matthew told of Christ, while you are eager to believe Mani! If Matthew was not present when Christ said, 'I came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill,' 1 and therefore should not be believed, was Mani there? Was he even born when Christ appeared among men? According to this rule of your faith, then, you should not trust anything that Mani says of Christ. We indeed refuse to believe what Mani says, not because he was not there to witness Christ's words and deeds, but because he speaks against Christ's disciples and against the Gospel which is founded on their authority. Indeed we have the voice of the Apostle, who by the Holy Spirit discerned that such teachers would come, concerning which, he says to the faithful: 'If any one preaches to you another Gospel than that you have received, let him be accursed.' 2 If no one can speak the truth about Christ unless he has himself seen and heard Him, no one today can be trusted. However if the faithful can now say what is true because those who saw and heard such things have by preaching and writing being disseminated, why might not Matthew have heard the truth from his fellow disciple John, when John was present and he was not, if from the book of John we can acquire truth about Christ, and not only we who were born after but others who will be born after us? Thus not only Matthew but the Gospels of Luke and Mark, who were followers of the disciples, with no lesser authority are received. And it may have been that the Lord Himself told Matthew what he had done among those who were called before him. But should have John recorded this, if this saying of the Lord he heard, he who was, as was said, present on the occasion? As if it were not possible, since it was impossible to write all that be heard from the Lord, he omitted this among others. Does he not say at the end of his Gospel: 'And there were also many other things which Jesus did, which, if each one were  written, I think that not even the world itself could contain the books which should be written?' 3 Which shows that he omitted many things intentionally. But if it pleases you to have John as an authority regarding the Law and the Prophets, believe his testimony of the Law and Prophets. It is he who writes that Isaiah saw Christ's glory. 4 It is in his Gospel you will find that passage we discussed a little while ago: 'If you believed Moses, you would also believe me, for he wrote of me.' 5 Your evasions are met on every side. Say plainly that you do not believe the Gospel of Christ, for to believe what you please in the Gospel, and not to believe what you please, is to believe yourselves rather than the Gospel. Saint Augustine of Hippo, Against Faustus Book 17 1. Mt 4.17 2  Gal 1.19 3 Jn 21.25 4 Jn 12.41 5 Jn 5:46

Spirit Of The Gospels

Non enim per alios dispositionem salutis nostrae cognovimus, quam per eos, per quos Evangelium pervenit ad nos; quod quidem tunc praeconaverunt, postea vero per Dei voluntatem in Scripturis nobis tradiderunt, fundamentum et columnam fidei nostrae futurum. Nec enim fas est dicere quoniam ante praedicaverunt, quam perfectam haberent agnitionem; sicut quidam audent dicere, gloriantes, emendatores se esse apostolorum. Postea enim quam surrexit Dominus noster a mortuis, et induti sunt supervenientis Spiritus sancti virtutem ex alto, de omnibus adimpleti sunt, et habuerunt perfectam agnitionem; exierunt in fines terrae, ea quae a Deo nobis bona sunt evangelizantes, et coelestem pacem hominibus annuntiantes, qui quidem et omnes pariter et singuli eorum habentes Evangelium Dei. Ita Matthaeus in Hebraeis ipsorum lingua Scripturam edidit Evangelli, cum Petrus et Paulus Romae evangelizarent, et fundarent Ecclesiam. Post vero horum excessum, Marcus discipulus et interpres Petri, et ipse quae a Petro annuntiata erant, per scripta nobis tradidit. Et Lucas autem sectator Pauli, quod ab illo preadicabatur Evangelium in libro condidit. Postea et Joannes discipulus Domini, qui et supra pectus ejus recumbebat, et ipse edidit Evangelium, Ephesi Asiae commorans. Et omnes isti unum Deum factorem coeli et terrae a lege et prophetis annuntiatum, et unum Christum Filium Dei tradiderunt nobis: quibus si quis non assentit, spernit quidem participes Domini, spernit autem et ipsum Christum Dominum, spernit vero et Patrem, et est a semetipso damnatus, resistens et repugnans saluti suae: quod faciunt omnes haeretici. Sanctus Irenaeus Lugdunensis, Adversus Haereses, Liber III, Caput I

For from no others did we come to know the plan of our salvation, than from those through whom the Gospel has come to us, which they then openly proclaimed, and later by the will of God, handed down to us in the Scriptures, to be the foundation and pillar of our faith. For it is not right to say that they preached before they had perfect knowledge, as some dare say, boasting of themselves as improvers of the Apostles. For, after our Lord rose from the dead, when the Holy Spirit came down they were endowed with power from on high, and they were filled with everything, and had perfect knowledge. They departed to the ends of the earth, preaching the the good things sent to us from God and announcing the peace of heaven to men, all of them together and each one of them having the Gospel of God. Matthew issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own language, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome and founding the Church. After their departure, Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, also handed down to us in writing what had been announced by Peter. Luke also, the follower of Paul, composed in a book the Gospel preached by him. Afterwards, John, the disciple of the Lord, who had leaned upon His breast, published a Gospel when he dwelt at Ephesus in Asia. All these have handed down to us that there is one God, Creator of heaven and earth, announced by the law and the prophets, and one Christ the Son of God. If anyone does not assent to these things, he scorns the companions of the Lord, and so he scorns Christ the Lord Himself, and so he scorns the Father, and thus he damns himself, resisting and opposing his own salvation, as all heretics do. Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapter 1

A Problem of Tradition

Non est ergo, frater charissime, quod aliquis existimet sequendam esse quorumdam consuetudinem, si qui in praeteritum in calice Dominico aquam solam offerendam putaverunt. Quaerendum est enim ipsi quem sint secuti. Nam, si in sacrifico quod Christus obtulit, non nisi Christus sequendus est, utique id nos obaudire et facere oportet quod Christus fecit et quod feciendum esse mandavit, quando ipse in Evangelico dicat: Si feceitis quod  mando vobis, iam non dico vos servos, sed amicos. Et quod Christus debeat solus audiri, Pater etiam de coelo contestatur dicens: Hic est filius meus dilectissimus in quo bene sensi, ipsum audite. Quare, si solus Christus audiendus est, non debemus attendere quid alius ante nos faciendum esse putaverit, sed quid qui ante omnes est Christus feceit. Neque enim hominis consuetudinem sequi oportet, sed Dei veritatem, cum per Esaiam prophetam Deus loquatur et dicat: Sine causa autem colunt me, mandata et doctrinas hominum docentes. Et iterum Dominus in Evangelico hoc idem repetat dicens: Rejicitis mandatum Dei, ut traditionem vestram statuatis. Sed et alio in loco ponit et dicit: Qui solverit unum ex mandatis istis minimis, et sic docuerit homines, minimus vocabitur in regno coelorum. Quod si nec minima de mandatis Dominicis licet solvere, quanto magis tam magna, tam grandia, tam ad ipsum Dominicae passionis et nostrae redemptionis sacramentum pertinentia fas non est infringere, aut in aliud quam quod divinitus institutum sit humana traditione mutare? Nam si Jesus Christus Dominus et Deus noster ipse et summus sacerdos Dei Patris, et sacrificium Patri se ipsum primus obtulit et hoc fieri in sui commemorationem praecepit, utique ille sacerdos vice Christi vere fungitur qui id quod Christus fecit imitatur, et sacrificium verum et plenum tunc offert in Ecclesia Deo Patri, si sic incipiat offerre secundum quod ipsum Christum videat obtulisse. Sanctus Cyprianus, Epistola LXIII, Ad Caecilium

There is then no reason, dearest brother, for any one to think that the custom of certain persons should be followed who in the past have thought to offer water alone in the cup of the Lord. Certainly we must inquire whom they have followed. For if in the sacrifice which Christ offered no one is to be followed but Christ, assuredly it is fitting that we obey and do that which Christ did and what He commanded to be done, since He Himself says in the Gospel, 'If you do what I command you, henceforth I call you not servants but friends.'  And that it should be that Christ alone should be heard the Father also testifies from heaven, saying, 'This is my well-beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.'  Thus if Christ alone must be heard we ought not to give heed to what another before us may have  thought was to be done but rather what Christ, who is before all, first did. Neither is it right to follow the practice of man but rather the truth of God, since God speaks by Isaiah the prophet, and says, 'In vain do they worship me, teaching the commandments and doctrines of men.'  And again the Lord in the Gospel repeats this same and says, 'You reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition.' Moreover, in another place He establishes it, saying, 'Whosoever shall break the least of these commandments and shall teach men to do so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.'  But if we may not break even the least of the Lord's commandments, how much more is it forbidden to infringe such important ones, so great, so pertaining to the very sacrament of our Lord's passion and our own redemption, or to change it by human tradition into anything else than what was divinely appointed? For if Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, is Himself the chief priest of God the Father, and has first offered Himself a sacrifice to the Father, and has commanded this to be done in commemoration of Himself, certainly that priest truly discharges the office of Christ who imitates that which Christ did, and he then offers a true and full sacrifice in the Church to God the Father when he proceeds to offer it according to what he sees Christ Himself to have offered. Saint Cyprian, Letter 63, To Caecilius

The Instruction and Benefit of Fasting

Quotidiano enim, dilectissimi, experimento probatur satietate carnis aciem mentis obtundi, et ciborum nimietate vigorem cordis hebetari, ita ut delectatio edendi etiam corporum contraria sit saluti, nisi ratio temperantiae obsistat illecebrae, et quod futurum est oneri, subtrahat voluptati. Quamvis enim sine anima nihil caro desideret, et inde accipiat sensus unde sumit et motus; ejusdem tamen est animae, quaedam subditae sibi negare substantiae, et interiori judicio, ab inconvenientibus exteriora frenare, ut a corporeis cupiditatibus saepius libera, in aula mentis possit divinae vacare sapientiae, ubi omni strepitu terrenarum silente curarum, in meditationibus sanctis, et in deliciis laetetur aeternis. Quod etsi in hac vita difficile est continuari, potest tamen frequenter assumi, ut saepius ac diutius spiritalibus potius quam carnalibus occupemur; et cum melioribus curis majores impendimus moras, ad incorruptibiles divitias, etiam temporales transeant actiones. Hujus observantiae utilitas, dilectissimi, in ecclesiasticis praecipue est constituta jejuniis, quae ex doctrina sancti Spiritus ita per totius anni circulum distributa sunt, ut lex abstinentiae omnibus sit ascripta temporibus. Siquidem jejunium vernum in Quadragesima, aestivum in Pentecoste, autumnale in mense septimo, hiemale autem in hoc qui est decimus celebramus, intelligentes divinis nihil vacuum esse praeceptis, et verbo Dei ad eruditionem nostram omnia elementa servire; dum per ipsius mundi cardines, quasi per quatuor Evangelia, incessabiliter discimus quod et praedicemus et agamus. Sanctus Leo Magnus, Sermo XIX

Indeed, beloved, by daily experience it is proved that the mind's edge is blunted by indulgence of the flesh and the heart's vigour is dulled by excess of food, so that the delights of eating are actually opposed to the health of the body unless reasonable temperance resists enticement and prospect of future burdens draws us from pleasure. Although without the soul the flesh desires nothing, and from whence it receives its sense so it receives its motions, yet it is of the same soul to deny certain things to the matter which is subject to it and by interior judgment to restrain the exterior from things inconvenient, that it may be more often liberated from bodily desires and in the palace of the mind have leisure for Divine wisdom, where, all clamor of earthly cares being silent, it may rejoice in sacred meditations and eternal delights. And even though in this life it is is difficult to maintain, yet one can frequently take up the task again, that we may more often and for longer be occupied with spiritual rather than bodily cares, and that by devoting ever greater time to higher cares even our temporal actions may pass to incorruptible riches. So this useful observance, dearly beloved, is especially established for the fasts of the Church, which, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, are distributed over the whole course of the year that the law of abstinence may be present at all times. Thus it is we practise the spring fast in Lent, the summer fast at Pentecost, the autumn fast in the seventh month, and the winter fast in the tenth month, knowing that there is nothing lacking in the Divine commands and that to our instruction all the elements serve the Word of God, while on the very hinges on which the world turns, as if on the four Gospels, we learn unceasingly what to preach and to do. Saint Leo the Great, Sermon 19

The Two Epiphanies

Epiphania Graece, Latine apparitio sive manifestatio vocatur. Eo enim die Christus sideris indicio Magis apparuit adorandus. Quod fuit figura primitiae credentium gentium. Quo die et Dominici baptismatis sacramentum et permutatae in vinum aquae, factorum per Dominum signorum principia extiterunt. Duae sunt autem epiphaniae: prima, in qua natus Christus pastoribus Hebraeorum angelo nuntiante apparuit; secunda, in qua ex gentium populis stella indice praesepis cunabula Magos adoraturos exhibuit. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis, Etymologiae, Lib 6.

What is named the Epiphany in Greek is called The Attendance or Manifestation in Latin. On this day the worshipful Christ appeared to the Magi who were guided by the star, which is a figure of the first gentile believers. On this day is also celebrated the Baptism of the Lord and the Changing of Water into Wine, the first signs made by the Lord. But really there are two Epiphanies, the first when Christ just born was shown to the shepherds of the Hebrews by the report of the angel, the second when he was shown in his manger of a crib to the star guided Magi of the gentile people. Saint Isidore of Seville, The Etymologies, Book 6

Roman Penance

Καὶ ἐν ταὶς κατὰ Δύσιν Ἐκκλησίαις φυλάττεται, και μάλιστα ἐν τῇ Ρωμαίων. Ἐνθάδε γὰρ ἔκδηλός ὀστιν ὁ τόπος τῶν ἐν μετανοίᾳ ὄντων· ἐστᾶσι δὲ κατηφεὶς, καὶ οἰονει πενθοῦντες. Ἤδη δὲ πληρωθείσης τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ λειτουργίας, μὴ μετασχοντες ὦν μύσταις θέμις, σὺν οἰμωγῇ καὶ ὀδυρμῷ πρηνεὶς ἐπὶ γῆς ῥίπτουσι σφᾶς. Ἀντιπρόσωπος δὲ δεδακρυμένος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος προσδραμὼν, ὁμοίως ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐδάφους πίπτει· σὺν ὀλολυγῇ καὶ τὸ πᾶν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας πλῆθος δακρύων ἐμπίπλαται. Τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ, πρῶτος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ἐξανίσταται, καὶ τοὺς κειμένους ἀνίστησι· καὶ ἧ προσῆκεν ὑπὲρ ἡμαρτηκότων μεταμελουμένων εὐξάμενος, ἀποπέμπει. Και ἑαυτὸν δ' ἑκοντὶ ταλαιπωρούμενος ἕκαστος, ἢ νηστείαις, ἢ ἀλουσίαις, ἢ ἐδεσμάτων ἀποχῇ, ἢ ἑτέροις οἶς προστέτακται, περιμένει τὸν χρόνον, εἰς ὅσον αὐτῷ τέταχεν ὁ ἐπίσκοπος. Τῇ δὲ προθεσμίᾳ, ὥσπερ τι ὅφλημα διαλύσας τήν τιμωρίαν, τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀνίεται, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ εκκλησιάζει. Ταδε μὲν ἀρχῆθεν οἱ Ῥωμαίων ἱερείς ἄχρι καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς φυλάττουσιν.   Ἑρμείος Σωζομενός, Ἐκκλησιαστίκη Ἱστορία, Τομ Ζ´ Κεφ ΙϚ´

Penance is observed by the Western churches, and especially at Rome, for there there is a conspicuous place for those penitent, where they stand downcast and silent, lamenting in their minds, until the divine service is over, for it is not lawful for them to participate in the mysteries, then with cries and wailing they cast themselves prostrate on the ground. Facing them, having wept, the bishop conducts the ceremony, and falls to the floor in like manner; and all the church overflows with weeping and groaning. After this the bishop rises first, and raises up those laying down, and he offers up prayer on behalf of the repentant sinners present, and so dismisses them. Each of the penitents voluntarily humbles himself, by fasting, or not washing, or by abstaining from meats, or by other prescribed means, for a certain time determined by the bishop. When the period is over, he is relieved of the debt of his sin, and he attends church with the people. These things from the beginning the Roman priests have carefully observed until our times. Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History, Book VII, Chapter 16

Determining The Truth

Saepe igitur magno studio et summa attentione perquirens a quamplurimis sanctitate et doctrina praestantibus viris quonam modo possim certa quadam et quasi generali ac regulari via catholicae fidei veritatem ab haereticae pravitatis falsitate discernere, hujusmodi semper responsum ab omnibus fere retuli , quod sive ego, sive quis alius vellet exsurgentium haereticorum fraudes deprebendere laqueosque vitare, et in fide sana sanus atque integer permanere, duplici modo munire fidem suam, Domino adjuvante, deberet : primum scilicet divinae legis auctoritate, tum deinde Ecclesiae catholicae traditione. Hic forsitan requirat aliquis : Currsit perfectus Scripturarum Canon , sibique ad omnia satis superque sufficiat , quid opus est ut ei Ecclesiasticae intelligentiae jungatur auctoritas? Quia videlice Scripturam sacram pro ipsa sua altitudine non uno eodemque sensu universi accipiunt, sed ejusdem eloquia aliter atque aliter alius atque alius interpretatur ; ut pene quot homines sunt, tot illinc sententioe erui posse videantur. Aliter namque illam Novatianus, aliter Sabellius, aliter Donatus exponit, aliter Arius, Eunomius, Macedonius ; aliter Photinus , Apollinaris, Priscillianus , aliter Jovinianus , Pelagius , Coelestius; aliter postremo Nestorius. Atque idcirco multum necesse est , propter tantos tam varii erroris anfractus, ut propheticae et apostolicoe interpretationis linea secundum Ecclesiaslici et Catholici sensus normam dirigatur. In ipsa item Catholica Ecclesia magnopere curandum est ut id teneamus quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est. Hoc est etenim vere proprieque catholicum, quod ipsavis nominis ratioque declarat, quoe omnia fere universaliter comprehendit. Sed hoc ita demum fiet , si sequamur universitalem , antiquitatem, consensionem. Sequemur autem universilatem hoc modo , si hanc unam fidem veram esse fateamur quam toti per orbem terrarum confitetur Ecclesia ; antiquitatem vero ita , si ab his sensibus nullatenus recedamus quos sanctos majores ac patres nostros celebrasse manifestum est : consensionem quoque itidem, si, in ipsa vetustate, omnium vel certo pene omnium sacerdotum pariter et magistrorum definitiones sententiasque sectemur. Quid igitur tunc faciet Christianus catholicus, si se aliqua Ecclesiae particula ab universalis fidei communioneproeciderit? Quid utique nisi ut pesiifero corruptoque membro sanitatem universi corporis anteponat? Quid si novella aliqua contagio non jam portiunculam tantum , sed totam pariter Ecclesiam commaculare conetur? Tunc item providebit ut antiquitati inhaereat , quae prorsum jam non potest ab ulla novitatis fraude seduci. Quid si in ipsa vetustale, duorum aut trium hominum, vel cerle civitatis unius aut etiam provincise alicujus error deprehendatur? Tunc omnino curabit ut paucorum temeritati vel inscitiae , si qua sunt, universaliter antiquitus universalis Ecclesiae decreta praeponat. Quid si tale aliquid emergat ubi nihil hujusmodi reperiatur? Tunc operam dabit utcollatas inter se majorum consulat interrogetque sententias, eorum duntaxat qui diversis licet temporibus et locis, in unius tamen Ecclesiae Catholicoe communione et fide permanentes , magistri probabiles exstiterunt ; et quicquid non unus aut duo tantum, sed omnes pariter uno eodemque consensu aperte, frequenter, perseveranter tenuisse, scripsisse, docuisse eognoverit, id sibi quoque intelligat absque ulla dubitatione credendum.  Sanctus Vincentius Lirinensis, Commonitorium

From very many men eminent for sanctity and learning I have often sought with great diligence and the utmost attention how I may by a certain way, and indeed as a general rule, distinguish the truth of Catholic faith from the falsehood of depraved heresy; and I have always received the response that whenever I or any someone else wishes to detect the lies and avoid the traps of heretics, and so to remain unharmed and intact in the pure faith, one should, with the Lord's assistance, fortify faith in two ways: first, by the authority of Divine Law, then, by the Tradition of the Catholic Church. Here perhaps some one perhaps may ask, 'Since the canon of Scripture is finished, and for everything sufficient and indeed more than sufficient, why should it be bound to the authority of the Church's interpretation?' Because, of course, on account of the depth of Holy Scripture, not everyone receives it in the same sense, but one understands the words in one way, another in another way; so it seems that as many as there are men so there are as many interpretations. For Novatian expounds it one way, Sabellius another, Donatus another, Arius, Eunomius, Macedonius, another, Photinus, Apollinaris, Priscillian, another, Jovinian, Pelagius, Celestius, another, lastly, Nestorius another. On account of these great complexity of various errors it is absolutely necessary that the measure for the correct meaning of the prophets and apostles should be directed by the standard of Ecclesiastical and Catholic interpretation. And in the same Catholic Church the greatest care must be taken that we hold to that which everywhere, always, and by all has been believed. That is truly and properly Catholic, which, as the name itself and reason declare, comprehends all universally. This rule we shall observe if we follow universality, antiquity, agreement. We shall follow universality in this way: if we confess the one faith to be true which the whole Church throughout the world confesses; antiquity: if we in no manner depart from those interpretations which it is patent were famously held by our holy ancestors and fathers; agreement: if in this antiquity we cleave to the consonant definitions and decisions of all, or almost all, priests and teachers. What then will a Catholic Christian do, if a particular Church cut itself off from the communion of the universal faith? What but to prefer the soundness of the whole body to a diseased and corrupt member? What if some new contagion try to infect not only a portion of the Church, but the whole? Then he will be wise to cleave to antiquity, which can no longer be seduced by any deceit of novelty. But what if in the past there be found error infecting two or three men, or even a whole city or a province? Then it will be his care to prefer the decrees, if there are any, of the universal Church to the recklessness and blundering of a few men. But what if some error should come about on which no such decree speaks? Then his duty is to collate and consult and interrogate the opinions of the ancients who, though living in various times and places persevered in the communion and faith of the one Catholic Church, standing forth as approved teachers; and whatever he finds held, written and taught, not by one or two only, but by all, equally, in harmony, overtly, frequently and persistently, that he shall understand that he is to trust without any doubt. Saint Vincent of Lerins, from the Commonitory

A Synod Reports To A Pope

Delectissimo papae Silvestro Marinus, Afraecius, Natalis, Theodorus, Proterius, Vocius, Verus, Probatius, Caecilianus, Faustinus, Surgentius, Gregorius, Reticius, Ambitausus, Termatius, Merocles, Pardus, Adelfius, Hibernius, Fortunatus, Aristasius, Lampadius, Vitalis, Maternus, Liberius, Gregorius, Crescens, Avitianus, Dafaus, Orientalis, Quintasius, Victor, Epictetus, in Domino aeternam salutem.  Communi copulas charitatis et unitate matris Ecclesiae catholicae vinculo inhaerentes, ad Arelatensium civitatem piissimi imperatoris voluntate adducti, inde te, gloriosissime papa, commerita reverentia salutamus. Ubi graves ac perniciosos legi nostrae atque traditioni effrenataeque mentis homines pertulimus, quos et Dei nostri praesens auctoritas, et traditio ac regula veritatis ita respuit, ut nulla in illis au dicendi ratio subsisteret, aut accusandi modus ullus aut probatio conveniret. Ideo judice Deo et matre Ecclesia, quae suos novit et comprobat, aut damnati sunt, aut repulsi. Et utinam, frater dilectissime, ad hoc tantum spectaculum interesse tanti fecisses: profecto credimus quia eos severior fuisset sententia prolate, et, te pariter nobiscum judicate, coetus noster majore laetitia exultasset. Sed quoniam recedere a partibus illis minime potuisti, in quibus et Apostoli quoque sedent, et cruor ipsorum sine intermissione Dei gloriam testatur.  Synodi Arelatensis ad Silvestrum Papam

To the beloved Pope Silvester, from Marinus, Afraecius, Natalis, Theodorus, Proterius, Vocius, Verus, Probatius, Caecilianus, Faustinus, Surgentius, Gregorius, Reticius, Ambitausus, Termatius, Merocles, Pardus, Adelfius, Hibernius, Fortunatus, Aristasius, Lampadius, Vitalis, Maternus, Liberius, Gregorius, Crescens, Avitianus, Dafaus, Orientalis, Quintasius, Victor, Epictetus, eternal greetings in the Lord. Remaining in the common bond of charity and the unifying chain of the Catholic Church our mother, summoned to the city of Arles by the the will of the most pious Emperor, from there with befitting reverence we greet you, most glorious Pope. We have suffered the grave and pernicious injury to our law and tradition from men of undisciplined minds, the Donatists, men repulsive to the present authority of God and to the tradition and rule of truth, men who had neither any reason for speech in them nor any proper manner of accusation of proof. Thus by the judgement of God and Mother Church, she who knows and approves her own, they have either been condemned or expelled. That, most beloved brother, you had deemed such a spectacle as this worthy of your presence! Indeed we believe that a more harsh sentence would have been passed on them if you had judged together with us, and indeed we would have rejoiced. But you were not able to leave that place where the Apostles sit daily, those whose blood without cessation testifies to the glory of God. Synod of Arles to Pope Silvester