Testimonia

{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"cap\">CHAP. I.—1. We have the testimony of the blessed\r\nCyprian, that the custom of the Catholic Church is at\r\npresent retained, when men coming from the side of heretics\r\nor schismatics, if they have received baptism as consecrated\r\nin the words of the gospel, are not baptized afresh. For he\r\nhimself proposed to himself the question, and that as coming\r\nfrom the mouth of brethren either seeking the truth or contending\r\nfor the truth. For in the course of the arguments\r\nby which he wished to show that heretics should be baptized\r\nagain, which we have sufficiently considered for our present\r\npurpose in the former books, he says: \"But some will say,\r\nWhat then will become of those who in times past, coming to\r\nthe Church from heresy, were admitted without baptism?\"<a id=\"FNanchor_305_305\"></a><a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_305_305\">[305]</a>\r\nIn this question is involved the shipwreck of the whole cause\r\nof the Donatists, with whom our contest is on this point.\r\nFor if those had not really baptism who were thus received\r\non coming from heretics, and their sins were still upon them,\r\nthen, when such men were admitted to communion, either by\r\nCyprian himself, or by those who came before him, we must\r\nacknowledge that one of two things occurred,—either that the\r\nChurch perished then and there from the pollution of communion\r\nwith such men, or that any one abiding in unity is\r\nnot injured by even the notorious sins of other men. But\r\nsince they cannot say that the Church then perished through\r\nthe contamination arising from communion with those who,\r\nas Cyprian says, were admitted into it without baptism,—for\r\notherwise they cannot maintain the validity of their own origin<span class=\"pagenum\"><a id=\"Page_116\">[Pg 116]</a></span>\r\nif the Church then perished, seeing that the list of consuls\r\nproves that more than forty years elapsed between the martyrdom\r\nof Cyprian and the burning of the sacred books,<a id=\"FNanchor_306_306\"></a><a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_306_306\">[306]</a> from\r\nwhich they took occasion to make a schism, spreading abroad\r\nthe smoke of their calumnies,—it therefore is left for them\r\nto acknowledge that the unity of Christ is not polluted by\r\nany such communion, even with known offenders. And, after\r\nthis confession, they will be unable to discover any reason\r\nwhich will justify them in maintaining that they were bound\r\nto separate from the churches of the whole world, which, as\r\nwe read, were equally founded by the apostles, seeing that,\r\nwhile the others could not have perished from any admixture\r\nof offenders, of whatsoever kind, they, though they would not\r\nhave perished if they had remained in unity with them,\r\nbrought destruction on themselves in schism, by separating\r\nthemselves from their brethren, and breaking the bond of\r\npeace. For the sacrilege of schism is most clearly evident in\r\nthem, if they had no sufficient cause for separation. And it\r\nis clear that there was no sufficient cause for separation, if\r\neven the presence of notorious offenders cannot pollute the\r\ngood while they abide in unity. But that the good, abiding\r\nin unity, are not polluted even by notorious offenders, we\r\nteach on the testimony of Cyprian, who says that \"men in\r\npast times, coming to the Church from heresy, were admitted\r\nwithout baptism;\" and yet, if the wickedness of their sacrilege,\r\nwhich was still upon them, seeing it had not been purged\r\naway by baptism, could not pollute and destroy the holiness\r\nof the Church, it cannot perish by any infection from wicked\r\nmen. Wherefore, if they allow that Cyprian spoke the truth,\r\nthey are convicted of schism on his testimony; if they maintain\r\nthat he does not speak truth, let them not use his testimony\r\non the question of baptism.</p>","headings":["WRITINGS IN CONNECTION WITH THE DONATIST CONTROVERSY.","BOOK FIFTH."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg45843-paragraph-160"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"68d109f5bd06b711e31b60292a95da14c503818d323dc54c0b628ced14802723","edition_title":"Writings in Connection with the Donatist Controversy","edition_translators":["John Richard King"],"edition_year":1872,"explicit_reference_candidates":[],"headings":[],"id":"pg45843-Footnote_306_306","license_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html","public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"original-editor-translator-note","review_required":["work and recension attribution","original-work chronology","Bible reference numbering and citation kind","English edition rights and attribution"],"review_status":"needs_review","rights_evidence":"Provider catalog reports public domain in the USA. Title leaves identify J. R. King, T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1872; catalog identifies translator John Richard King (1835-1907). Gutenberg credits Internet Archive/American Libraries without an exact scan identifier. Full provider license preserved with acquired original; republication and per-work metadata remain unreviewed.","source_anchor":"Footnote_306_306","source_ebook":45843,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\">\n<p><a id=\"Footnote_306_306\"></a><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#FNanchor_306_306\"><span class=\"label\">[306]</span></a> See below, Book <span class=\"smcap\">VII</span>. c. ii.</p></div>","source_sha256":"a7a04003f4d3c49eb73db6c5936713979fcecadd86884373a9914ac54373ac5b","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/45843/pg45843-images.html#Footnote_306_306","text_sha256":"60d80fd2dea39985bf1a0595b80ca89e8400629fb92a4dd1d2ce4ea16e80f89b","verified":false,"work_id":null}

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