Lactantius — Divine Institutes 4.30
But since many heresies have arisen and by the instigation of demons the people of God has been split, the truth must be briefly determined for us and set in its own proper dwelling, so that if anyone desires to draw the water of life he is not led to worn-out cisterns that have no spring, but knows God’s richest fountain, by which irrigated he may drink perennial light. Before all things it befits us to know that both he himself and his ambassadors foretold that very many sects would arise which would break the concord of the holy body, and warned that we should beware with the highest prudence lest we ever fall into the snares and frauds of that adversary of ours with whom God has willed us to wrestle; then that he gave sure commands which we ought to keep forever. Most, forgetful of these, deserted the heavenly road and built for themselves deviant paths through bends and precipices, by which they might lead an unwary and simple part of the people to darkness and death.
How that happened I will set out. There were some of ours—either less firm in faith, or less taught, or less cautious—who made a split of unity and scattered the church. But those whose faith was slippery, while they pretended to know and worship God, aiming at increasing wealth and honor, were grasping after the highest priesthood. Beaten by stronger men, they preferred to withdraw with their supporters rather than endure as superiors those whom they themselves had coveted to outrank. Some, not well enough trained in the heavenly letters, when they could not answer truth’s accusers—who objected that it was impossible or unfit that God should shut himself in a woman’s womb, or that heavenly majesty could be brought down to such weakness as to be contempt, mockery, insult, and sport to humans, and at last even endure torments and be fixed to the abominable gibbet—were warped from the straight road and corrupted the heavenly letters, so that they might compose a new teaching for themselves without any root or stability. Others, drawn by the prophecy of false prophets, of whom both the true prophets and he himself had foretold, fell away from God’s teaching and left the true tradition. But all those, caught in demonic frauds which they ought to have foreseen and avoided, lost the divine name and worship through imprudence. For when they are called Phrygians or Novatians or Valentinians or Marcionites or Anthropians or any others, they have ceased to be Christians—having lost Christ’s name, they have put on human and foreign titles.
Therefore only the catholic church is the one that retains the true worship. This is the fountain of truth, this the dwelling of faith, this the temple of God: if anyone has not entered it, or if anyone has gone out from it, he is alien from the hope of life and salvation. No one ought to flatter himself with stubborn dispute. For it is about life and salvation: unless it is looked after carefully and diligently, it will be lost and extinguished. Yet because each and every gathering of heretics thinks itself especially Christian and its own to be the catholic church, one must know that that is the true one in which there is confession and repentance, which healthfully cures the sins and wounds to which the weakness of the flesh is subject. I have reported these things for now in a few words by way of warning, lest anyone, desiring to flee error, be entangled in a greater error while he does not know the inner shrine of truth. Afterward we will fight more fully and richly against all the sects of lies in a work of its own. It follows that, since we have spoken enough of true religion and wisdom, in the next book we should treat of justice.
Latin
Sed quoniam multae haereses extiterunt et instinctibus daemonum populus dei scissus est, determinanda est nobis ueritas breuiter et in suo proprio domicilio conlocanda, ut si quis aquam uitae cupiet haurire, non ad detritos lacus deferatur qui non habent uenam, sed uberrimum dei nouerit fontem quo inrigatus perenni luce potiatur. ante omnia scire nos conuenit et ipsum et legatos eius praedixisse quod plurimae sectae haberent exsistere quae concordiam sancti corporis rumperent, ac monuisse ut summa prudentia caueremus, ne quando in laqueos et fraudes illius aduersarii nostri cum quo nos luctari deus uoluit incideremus; tum dedisse certa mandata, quae in perpetuum custodire debemus: quorum plerique immemores deserto itinere caelesti uias sibi deuias per anfractus et praecipitia condiderunt, per quas partem plebis incautam et simplicem ad tenebras mortemque deducerent. quod quatenus acciderit exponam.
fuerunt quidam nostrorum uel minus stabilita fide uel minus docti uel minus cauti, qui discidium facerent unitatis et ecclesiam dissiparent. sed ii quorum fides fuit lubrica, cum deum nosse se et colere simularent, augendis opibus et honori studentes adfectabant maximum sacerdotium. et a potioribus uicti secedere cum suffragatoribus suis maluerunt quam eos ferre praepositos quibus concupierant ipsi ante praeponi. quidam uero non satis caelestibus litteris eruditi cum ueritatis accusatoribus respondere non possent, obicientibus uel inpossibile uel incongruens esse ut deus in uterum se mulieris includeret nec caelestem illam maiestatem ad tantam infirmitatem potuisse deduci, ut hominibus contemtui derisui contumeliae ludibrio esset, postremo etiam cruciamenta perferret atque exsecrabili patibulo figeretur, quae omnia cum neque ingenio neque doctrina defendere ac refutare possent — nec enim uim rationemque penitus peruidebant —, deprauati sunt ab itinere recto et caelestes litteras corruperunt, ut nouam sibi doctrinam sine ulla. radice ac stabilitate conponerent. nonnulli autem falsorum prophetarum uaticinio inlecti, de quibus et ueri prophetae et ipse praedixerat, exciderunt a doctrina dei et traditionem ueram reliquerunt. sed illi omnes daemonicis fraudibus inretiti, quas prospicere et cauere debuerant, diuinum nomen et cultum per inprudentiam perdiderunt. cum enim Phryges aut Nouatiani aut Valentiniani aut Marcionitae aut Anthropiani seu quilibet alii nominantur, Christiani esse desierunt, qui Christi nomine amisso humana et externa uocabula induerunt.
sola igitur catholica ecclesia est quae uerum cultum retinet. hic est fons ueritatis, hoc domicilium fidei, hoc templum dei: quo si quis non intrauerit uel a quo si quis exierit, a spe uitae ac salutis alienus est. neminem sibi oportet pertinaci concertatione blandiri. agitur enim de uita et salute: cui nisi caute ac diligenter consulatur, amissa et extincta erit. sed tamen quia singuli quique coetus haereticorum se potissimum Christianos et suam esse catholicam ecclesiam putant, sciendum est illam esse ueram in qua est confessio et paenitentia, quae peccata et uulnera quibus subiecta est inbecillitas carnis salubriter curat. haec interim paucis admonendi gratia rettuli, ne quis errorem fugere cupiens maiore inplicetur errore, dum penetrale ueritatis ignorat: postea plenius et uberius contra omnes mendaciorum sectas proprio separatoque opere pugnabimus. Sequitur ut quoniam satis de religione uera et sapientia locuti sumus, in proximo libro de iustitia disseramus.