Historical Sketches, Volume I (of 3): The Turks in Their Relation to Europe; Marcus Tullius Cicero; Apollonius of Tyana; Primitive ChristianityNewman, John Henry
HistoryHistory
Historical Sketches, Volume I (of 3): The Turks in Their Relation to Europe; Marcus Tullius Cicero; Apollonius of Tyana; Primitive Christianity
Newman, John Henry
Apollonius, of Tyana; Church history -- Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600; Cicero, Marcus Tullius; Turkey -- History
"Again, within the Catholic Church itself we are greatly to consider
that we hold that which hath been believed _everywhere_, _always_,
and _of all men_: for that is truly and properly _Catholic_ (as the
very force and nature of the word doth declare) which comprehendeth
all things in general after an universal manner, and that shall we
do if we follow _universality, antiquity, consent_. Universality
shall we follow thus, if we profess that one faith to be true which
the whole Church throughout the world acknowledgeth and confesseth.
Antiquity shall we follow, if we depart not any whit from those
senses which it is plain that our holy elders and fathers generally
held. Consent shall we likewise follow, if in this very Antiquity
itself we hold the definitions and opinions of all, or at any rate
almost all, the priests and doctors together."--_Ch._ 2, 3.
It is sometimes said, that what is called orthodoxy or Catholicism is
only the opinion of one or two Fathers--- fallible men, however able
they might be, or persuasive--who created a theology, and imposed it on
their generation, and thereby superseded Scriptural truth and the real
gospel. Let us see how Vincent treats such individual teachers, however
highly gifted. He is speaking in the opening sentence of the Judaizers
of the time of St. Paul:--
"When, therefore, such kind of men, wandering up and down through
provinces and cities to set their errors to sale, came also unto
the Galatians, and these, after they had heard them, were delighted
with the filthy drugs of heretical novelty, loathing the truth, and
casting up again the heavenly manna of the Apostolic and Catholic
doctrine: the authority of his Apostolic office so puts itself
forth as to decree very severely in this sort. 'But although (quoth
he) we or an Angel from heaven evangelize unto you beside that
which we have evangelized, be he Anathema.'[369] What meaneth this
that he saith, 'But although we?' why did he not rather say, 'But
although I?' that is to say, Although Peter, although Andrew,
although John, yea, finally, although the whole company of the
Apostles, evangelize unto you otherwise than we have evangelized,
be he accursed. A terrible censure, in that for maintaining the
possession of the first faith, he spared not himself, nor any other
of the Apostles! But this is a small matter: 'Although an Angel
from heaven (quoth he) evangelize unto you, beside that which I
have evangelized, be he Anathema,' he was not contented for keeping
the faith once delivered to make mention of man's weak nature,
unless also he included those excellent creatures the Angels....
But peradventure he uttered those words slightly, and cast them
forth rather of human affection than decreed them by divine
direction. God forbid: for it followeth, and that urged with great
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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