EPISTLE I. OF THE CATHOLIC NAME. Pacian to Sympronian his brother, greeting. 1. If it be not a carnal intention, my lord', but as I judge, 'Domine a calling of the Spirit, that thou enquirest of us the faith of the Catholic verity, thou, before all, taking thy rise as far as appears, from a streamlet at a distance, and not holding to the fountain and source of the principal Church, shouldest, in the first instance, have shewn what or how different are the opinions which thou followest. Thou shouldest unfold thyself as to what cause more particularly had loosened thee from the unity of our body. For those parts, for which a remedy is sought, should be laid bare. Whereas now (if I may so say) the bosom of correspondence being closed, we see not on what members more especially we have to bestow our care. For such are the heresies which have sprung forth from the Christian head, that of the mere names the roll would be immense. For to pass over the heretics of the Jews, Dositheus the Samaritan, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees, it were long to enumerate how many grew up in the times of the Apostles, Simon Magus, and Menander, and Nicolaus, and others hidden by an inglorious fame. What again in later times were Ebion, and Apelles, and Marcion, and Valentinus, and Cerdon, and not long after them, the Cataphrygians, and Novatians, not to notice any recent swarms! 2. Whom then in my letters must I first refute? Wouldest thou the mere names of all, my paper will not contain them; a He was one of the "false Christs" shortly after our Lord's Coming. See Orig. c. Cels. i. 57. in Matt. Comm. Lat. §. 33. ed. de la Rue al. Tr. 27. in EP. I. 3. 320 Variety of heresies united in the Cataphrygians. d S. PAC. unless indeed by your writings every way condemnatory of penance you declare your agreement with the Phrygians. But, most illustrious Lord, so manifold and so diverse is the error of these very men, that in them we have not only to overthrow their peculiar fancies against penance, but to cut off the heads, as it were, of some Lernæan monster. And, in the first place, they rely on more founders than one, for I suppose Blastus the Greek is of them; Theodotus also and Praxeas were once teachers of your party, themselves also Phrygians of some celebrity, who falsely say they are inspired of Leucius, boast that they are instructed by Proculus'. Following Montanus, and Maximilla, and Priscilla, how manifold controversies have they raised concerning the day of Easter, the Paraclete, 1 hoc V. Apostles, Prophets, and many other disputes, as this' also concerning the Catholic name, the pardon of penance. modo 3. Wherefore if we would discuss all these points, thou hadst need been present and teachable. But if on those points merely on which thou writest, my instruction should not be sufficiently full, yet as it is our duty to serve, in what2 quoquo soever way we can, those who solemnly adjure us, we now, adjuran- for the sake of informing you, discourse with thee summarily on those matters about which thou hast deigned to write to us. If thou wouldest have fuller knowledge on our side, thou must on thine declare thyself more unreservedly, lest by somewhat of obscurity in thy enquiries, thou leave us uncertain, whether thou art consulting or censuring. tibus V. R. added V. 4. Meanwhile (and this concerns our present correspond3 literas ence3) I would above all entreat thee not to borrow authority 'for error from this very fact that, as thou sayest, throughout inven- the whole world no one has been found', who could convince or persuade thee contrary to what thou believest. For tus sit V. b He separated from the Church as a Quarto-deciman, whence S. Irenæus wrote to him as a schismatic, (Eus. H. E. v. 20.) he, however, seems to have so done as judaizing, (Tert. adv. omn. hær. c. 8.) S. Epiphanius mentions Quarto-decimans as an off-shoot of Montanists. Hær. 50. c. 1. see Tillemont, t. 2. Art. Montanistes c. 15. e who first denied our Lord in persecution, then His Divinity. Tert. 1. c. Some then of the Montanists became nakedly Humanitarians, as others (note No one convinced against his will; truth not to be blamed ifit fail. 321 tenti nendo although we be unskilled, most skilful is the Spirit of God, and if we are faithless, faithful is God, Who cannot deny 2 Tim.2, Himself. Then, also, because it was not allowed the 13. Priests of God to contend long with one who resisted'. We,' obnisays the Apostle, have no such custom, neither the churches Vat. R. of God. After one admonition", as thou thyself knowest, obtithe contentious is passed by. For who can persuade any of Edd. any thing against his will? Thine own fault was it therefore, Galland. conjecbrother, and not theirs, if no one convinced thee of what in itself tures obis most excellent. For at this day too it is in thy power nitendo. to despise our writings also, if thou hadst rather refute than 16. approve them. Yet very many resisted both the Lord Himself, Titus 3, and the Apostles, nor could any ever be persuaded of the truth, unless he consented to it by his own religious feeling. 10. omits et, 5. Therefore, my Lord, neither have we written with that confidence, as though we could persuade thee, if thou resistest, but in that faith by which we would not deny thee an entrance to holy peace, if thou willest. Which peace if it be after thine own soul and heart, there ought to be no2 Vat. contest about the name of Catholic. For if it is through if it be God that our people obtain this name, no question is to be dear to raised, when Divine authority is followed. If through man, soul." you must discover when it was first taken. Then, if the debet name is good, no odium rests with it; if ill, it need not be envied. The Novatians, I hear, are called after Novatus or Novatian; yet it is the sect which I accuse in them, not the name: nor has any one objected their name to Montanus or the Phrygians. 5. But under the Apostles, you will say, no one was called Catholic. Be it thus. It shall have been so. Allow even that. When after the Apostles heresies had burst forth, and were striving under various names to tear piecemeal and divide the Dove and the Queen of God, did not the Apostolic people require a name of their own, whereby to mark the unity of the people that were uncorrupted, lest the error of some should rend limb by limb the undefiled virgin of God? Was it not seemly that the chief head should be distinguished by its own peculiar appellation? Suppose, this very day, I entered a populous city. When I had found Marcionites, Apolh see ab. St. Cypr. Ep. 59. fin p. 171. Y 3 thy V. 322 Value and antiquity of the name Catholic. S. PAC. linarians, Cataphrygians, Novatians, and others of the kind Ep.1.8. who call themselves Christians, by what name should I recognise the congregation of my own people, unless it were named Catholic? Come tell me, who bestowed so many names on the other peoples? Why have so many cities, so many nations, each their own description? The man who asks the meaning of the Catholic Name, will he be ignorant himself of the cause of his own name if I shall enquire its origin? Whence was it delivered to me? Certainly that which has stood through so many ages was not borrowed from man. This name 66 Catholic" sounds not of Marcion, nor of Apelles, nor of Montanus, nor does it take heretics as its authors. 1 multa ed. Rom. 11, 14. 7. Many things' the Holy Spirit hath taught us, Whom God sent from Heaven to the Apostles as their Comforter and Guide. Many things reason teaches us, as Paul saith, 1 Cor. and honesty, and, as he says, nature herself. What! Is the authority of Apostolic men, of Primitive Priests, of the most blessed Martyr and Doctor Cyprian, of slight weight with us? Do we wish to teach the teacher? Are we wiser than he was, and are we puffed up by the spirit of the flesh against the man, whom his noble shedding of blood, and a crown of most glorious suffering, have set forth as a witness of the Eternal God? What thinkest thou of so many Priests on this same side, who throughout the whole world were compacted together in one bond of peace with this same Cyprian? What of so many aged Bishops, so many Martyrs, so many Confessors? Come say, if they were not sufficient authorities for the use of this name, are we sufficient for its rejection? And shall the Fathers rather follow our authority, and the antiquity of Saints give way to be emended by us, and times now putrifying through their sins, pluck out the grey hairs of Apostolic age? And yet, my brother, be not troubled; Christian is my name, but Catholic my surname. The former gives me a name, the latter distinguishes me. By the one I am approved; by the other I am but marked. 8. And if at last we must give an account of the word Catholic, and draw it out from the Greek by a Latin inter2 ubique unum V.pretation, " Catholic" is every where one,' or, (as learned tores v. men think,)" obedience in all," i. e. all the commands of 3 doc |