Proceedings with Emeritus · §6 · Augustine of Hippo

The bishops' willingness to lay down their bishoprics for unity

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Augustine interrupts Alypius's reading of the bishops' letter to tell the people what happened among the Catholic bishops before the Conference of Carthage.

While he was reading, Bishop Augustine said: I will tell your charity, and call to mind, something most sweet and most pleasant that we experienced with the Lord's help. Before the conference itself, when some of us brothers were talking together about this matter—because for the peace of Christ bishops ought either to exist or not to exist, which we must admit—as we looked around at all our brothers and fellow bishops, it was not easy for us to think of any who would want to take this on and sacrifice to the Lord by such humility. We said, as people do, 'That one can do it, that one cannot; that one agrees to it, that one will not tolerate it'—speaking more from our own suspicions, since we could not see their hearts at all. But when it came to the point that this was done openly, in a council of all together, so crowded with nearly three hundred bishops, it pleased everyone so much, and everyone burned with such zeal, that they were ready to lay down the bishopric for the unity of Christ—not to lose it, but to commend it more safely to God. There were barely two found there who were displeased: one an aged old man, who even dared to say this rather freely; the other indicated his wish by a silent face. But after the brotherly correction of all overwhelmed that old man who spoke so freely, and he changed his opinion, that other one also changed his face. Listen, then, to the ways in which the exhortation itself was made, for the sake of him who said: he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11).

Latin

Et cum legeret, Augustinus episcopus dixit: Dicam caritati uestrae et commemorem rem dulcissimam et suauissimam, quam domino adiuuante sumus experti. cum ante ipsam collationem inter nos aliqui fratres de hac re colloqueremur, quia pro pace Christi episcopi debent esse aut debent non esse, quod nobis fatendum est, circumspicientes omnes fratres et coepiscopos nostros, non facile nobis occurrebant, qui hoc uellent suscipere et de hac humilitate domino sacrificare. dicebamus, ut fieri solet, 'ille potest, ille non potest, ille consentit hoc, ille non tolerat', loquentes pro suspicionibus nostris magis, qui corda illorum uidere minime poteramus. quando autem uentum est ut hoc palam fieret, in concilio uniuersorum tam frequenti paene trecentorum episcoporum sic placuit omnibus, sic exarserunt omnes, ut parati essent episcopatum pro Christi unitate deponere et non perdere, sed deo tutius commendare. duo ibi uix inuenti sunt quibus displiceret, unus annosus senex, qui hoc etiam dicere liberius ausus est; alter uoluntatem suam tacito uultu significauit. sed posteaquam illum senem liberius hoc dicentem obruit omnium fraterna correptio, illo mutante sententiam uultum etiam ille mutauit. audite ergo, quibus modis etiam ipsa exhortatio facta est propter illum qui ait: qui se humiliat exaltabitur.

About this text

Emeritus, a Donatist bishop, came to the city two days earlier and agreed to enter the Catholic church.

Augustine of Hippo (354–430) wrote this dialogue for the Catholic congregation at Caesarea in Mauretania, with Emeritus the Donatist bishop present. Emeritus had come to the city two days earlier and agreed to enter the Catholic church. The Catholic bishops, with Deuterius the metropolitan of Caesarea presiding alongside Augustine and others, held a public session to question him about why he came and to expose the weakness of the Donatist position before the people.

Augustine publicly confronts Emeritus, who remains largely silent, and argues that the Donatists were defeated at the Conference of Carthage not by power but by truth. He says their treatment of the Maximianist schism proves inconsistency, because they received Felicianus and Praetextatus back in their honors without rebaptizing them after condemning them with Maximianus, while refusing communion with the worldwide Catholic Church over the long settled case of Caecilian. The reader also meets the Catholic bishops Deuterius, Alypius, Possidius, Rusticus and Palladius, the judge Marcellinus, Primianus, Donatus, Optatus and Rogatus, and hears Alypius read the bishops letter to Marcellinus with Augustine interrupting to comment, while Augustine quotes and argues against the words of Emeritus himself condemning the Maximianists, and closes by urging prayer for the conversion of Emeritus.

Here conference means the formal public debate between Catholic and Donatist bishops held at Carthage, and judge means Marcellinus the imperial official appointed to decide it. Communion means full fellowship sharing the Eucharist, unity means the visible unity of the Church throughout the world, and Catholic peace is contrasted with schism and dissension. To rebaptize means to baptize again those coming from the Catholic Church, Maximianists means the followers of Maximianus who split from Primianus, and Circumcellions means violent Donatist bands. Old Testament names follow the Septuagint, so Dathan, Chore and Abiron appear as Dathan, Korah and Abiram, and Psalms follow Septuagint numbering with a note where it differs from the Hebrew used in modern Bibles.

New English from the Latin base text; no published English used as wording.

Printed text used

Translated from CSEL 53 (1910) (Latin)

This work has passed this project's source check. This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.