Writings in Connection with the Donatist ControversyAugustine, of Hippo, Saint
ReligionChristian
Writings in Connection with the Donatist Controversy
Augustine, of Hippo, Saint
Donatists; Donatists -- Controversial literature
CHAP. XXIV.--42. Fortunatus of Thuccabori[466] said: "Jesus Christ
our Lord and God, the Son of God the Father and Creator, built His
Church upon a rock, not upon heresy, and gave the power of baptizing to
bishops, not to heretics. Wherefore those who are outside the Church,
and stand against Christ, scattering His sheep and flock, cannot
baptize outside."
43. He added the word "outside" in order that he might not be answered
with a like brevity to Successus. For otherwise he might also have
been answered word for word: Jesus Christ our Lord and God, the Son
of God the Father and Creator, built His Church upon a rock, not
upon iniquity, and gave the power of baptizing to bishops, not to
the unrighteous. Wherefore those who do not belong to the rock on
which they build who hear the word of God and do it,[467] but, living
contrary to Christ in hearing the word and not doing it, and hereby
building on the sand, in this way scatter His sheep and flock by the
example of an abandoned character, cannot baptize. Might not this
be said with all the semblance of truth? and yet it is false. For
the unrighteous do baptize, since those robbers are unrighteous whom
Cyprian maintained to be at unity with himself.[468] But for this
reason, says the Donatist, he adds "outside." Why therefore can they
not baptize outside? Is it because they are worse from the very fact
that they are outside? But it makes no difference, in respect of the
validity of baptism, how much worse the minister may be. For there is
not so much difference between bad and worse as between good and bad;
and yet, when the bad baptizes, he gives the selfsame sacrament as the
good. Therefore, also, when the worse baptizes, he gives the selfsame
sacrament as the less bad. Or is it that it is not in respect of man's
merit, but of the sacrament of baptism itself, that it cannot be given
outside? If this were so, neither could it be possessed outside, and it
would be necessary that a man should be baptized again so often as he
left the Church and again returned to it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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