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Against the Donatists

St Optatus of Milevis, tr. Vassall-Phillips, 1917

Book 1, Argument
Book 1, 1. The Divine Gift of Peace, Bestowed Upon All Christians
Book 1, 2. This Peace Was Disturbed by the Schism
Book 1, 3. Why Schismatics Should Be Called Brethren
Book 1, Why Optatus Thought It Well to Undertake the Task of Refuting Parmenian’s Book
Book 1, 5. The Nature of Parmenian’s Book
Book 1, 6. The Arguments Set Forth in Parmenian’s Treatise
Book 1, The Division of This Work and the Contents of Its Several Books
Book 1, 8. The Flesh of Christ is Not Sinful
Book 1, 9. Mention of Heretics Made by Parmenian to No Good Purpose
Book 1, 10. The Distinction Between Heretics and Schismatics
Book 1, 11. The Marks of the Catholic Church, and of Schism
Book 1, To Return to the Difference Between Heretics and Schismatics
Book 1, 13. The Originators of the Donatist Schism Were Betrayers
Book 1, 14. The Acts of the Council of Cirta
Book 1, 15. The Schism Took Its Rise from the Consecration of Majorinus
Book 1, 16. The Quarrel of Lucilla Against Caecilian
Book 1, Mensurius When Summoned to the Court Entrusted the Ornaments of the Church to…
Book 1, The Consecration of Caecilian as Bishop of Carthage. The Cause and the Beginning…
Book 1, The Unlawful Consecration by Numidian Bishops of Majorinus Against Caecilian
Book 1, The Letter of the Numidian Bishops Against Felix, the Consecrator of Caecilian
Book 1, How Grave is the Evil of Schism, of Which the Donatists are Guilty
Book 1, The Letter of the Donatist Bishops to the Emperor Constantine, in Which They Ask…
Book 1, The Answer of Constantine. He Appointed Judges to Meet at Rome
Book 1, 24. The Acquittal of Caecilian by the Roman Council
Book 1, How Constantine Received the Appeal of Donatus from the Roman Judgement
Book 1, 26. What Took Place in Africa After the Roman Synod
Book 1, 27. The Clearing of Felix, the Consecrator of Caecilian
Book 1, 28. The End of This First Book
Book 2, Argument
Book 2, Which and Where is the Catholic Church? It is Spread All Over the World
Book 2, He Proves from the Cathedra Petri that the Cathedra Which is the First Endowment…
Book 2, 3. The Succession of Bishops of Rome
Book 2, 4. The Donatist Bishops and Their Meetinghouses in Rome
Book 2, 5. The Donatist Authors of Schism, Foes of Peace
Book 2, The Second Endowment of the Church, ‘The Angelus,’ or Bishop, is Not with the…
Book 2, The Third Endowment, Spiritus, the Holy Spirit, is in the Church, Not with the…
Book 2, 8. Concerning the Fons, the Sigillum and the Umbilicus
Book 2, The Endowments of the Church are with Catholics; Not with Donatists
Book 2, 10. Catholics Possess the Sacraments
Book 2, The Church is Rightly Called Paradise, But It Belongs to the Wide World
Book 2, From the Prayer of Oblation We Gather that the One Church is Everywhere
Book 2, The Praise Bestowed Upon the Church by Parmenian Belongs to Catholics
Book 2, 14. The Catholics Have Done Nothing with Cruelty
Book 2, The Peace and Happiness of the Church Before It Was Disturbed by the Donatists
Book 2, 16. The Edict of Julian
Book 2, 17. The Madness and Cruelty of the Donatists
Book 2, 18. The Donatists’ Murderous Deeds
Book 2, The Eucharist Was Given by the Donatists to Dogs. An Ampulla of Chrism Was Thrown…
Book 2, It is Proved Against the Donatists, Who Call Themselves Saints, that No Man Can…
Book 2, The Sin of the Donatists in Stripping Bishops of Their Dignity and Submitting…
Book 2, The Impiety of the Donatists, Who Were Accustomed to Swear by Their Bishops
Book 2, The Wickedness of the Donatists in Scraping the Heads of Anointed Priests
Book 2, The Wrong Done by the Donatists to Men of Every Degree and Age by Laying Hands…
Book 2, Matrons, Boys and Virgins Were Compelled by the Donatists to Do Penance
Book 3, Argument
Book 3, The Severities Against the Donatists Were Provoked by Themselves, and Catholics…
Book 3, These Things Happened to the Donatists Through the Just Punishment of God
Book 3, 3. The Pride of Donatus
Book 3, An Account of Violent Deeds Done by Donatists Against Donatists
Book 3, Excuse is Made for the Severities Exercised by the Champions of Unity
Book 3, 6. Against the Alleged Donatist Martyrs
Book 3, 7. Macarius is Defended from the Donatist Calumnies
Book 3, That Neither Can Macarius Be Called a Persecutor, nor Can Those Who Were Put to…
Book 3, 9. It Was Necessary to Bring About Unity in Africa
Book 3, It is Shown from Ezekiel that the Severity Employed Against the Donatists Was by…
Book 3, 11. It is Shown that the Donatists are Deceivers
Book 3, 12. A Calumny that Had Been Brought Against Macarius
Book 3, 13. In What Way and Why Macarius Was Admitted to Communion
Book 3, That Even If Macarius Was Guilty, He Ought Not to Have Been Repelled from…
Book 4, Argument
Book 4, 1. The Argument of This Book
Book 4, 2. That the Donatists are the Brethren of Catholics
Book 4, 3. That the Donatists are Sinners
Book 4, 4. That the Donatists are Despisers of Discipline
Book 4, That the Donatists are Slanderers and Have Propagated Scandals
Book 4, 6. That the Donatists are Thieves and on What Ground
Book 4, In What Sense It Has Been Said: Let Not the Oil of the Sinner Anoint My Head
Book 4, 8. That Heretics are Children of Adulterers
Book 4, That a Certain Passage in Jeremiah is to Be Understood of the Idolatrous Jews
Book 5, Argument
Book 5, From Parmenian’s Own Principles It Follows that Baptism is One
Book 5, That in Baptism the Work is Done by the Trinity, Not by the Person of the Minister
Book 5, 3. That Baptism is Not to Be Repeated
Book 5, That It is God, Not the Minister, Who Cleanses in the Sacrament of Baptism
Book 5, 5. Why and When the Baptism of Christ Was Conferred
Book 5, An Answer to the Argument, that a Man Cannot Give that Which He Has Not
Book 5, That the Grace of Baptism is the Gift of God, Not of Man, Who is Shown to Be Only…
Book 5, 8. Concerning the Faith of Him Who Receives Baptism
Book 5, That the Example of Naaman the Syrian Was Brought by Parmenian Without Relevance
Book 5, The Parable of the Marriage Feast Was Wrongly Brought Forward by Parmenian
Book 5, As the Donatists Could Not Rebaptise Children Who Were Dead, Why Should They…
Book 6, Argument
Book 6, The Wickedness of the Donatists in Breaking or Scraping the Altars
Book 6, That the Donatists Sacrilegiously Broke and Sold the Chalices
Book 6, Refutation of the Donatist Pretext that the Altars and Sacred Vessels Had Been…
Book 6, That Virgins Consecrated to God Were Wrongfully Stripped by the Donatists of the…
Book 6, That the Sacred Books and Vessels Were Taken Away Forcibly from the Catholics by…
Book 6, 6. The Folly of the Donatists in Washing the Walls
Book 6, 7. That the Donatists Raged Even Against the Dead
Book 6, 8. The Donatists Compared to Bird-catchers
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Book 7, Argument
Book 7, That the Donatists Can Be Received Back into the Communion of the Church More…
Book 7, That Good and Evil Will Be Found in the Church of God, and Must Be Borne with to…
Book 7, The Donatists Might Have Appealed to the Example of the Apostle Peter to Ask…
Book 7, That Eccles. x, 1 Should Be Referred to Donatists Rather Than to Catholics
Book 7, That the Donatists and Not the Catholics Resembled Jamnes and Mambres
Passages Wrongly Attributed to Optatus, Passage A (see p. 276, l. 21)
Passages Wrongly Attributed to Optatus, Passage B (see p. 279, line 3)
Passages Wrongly Attributed to Optatus, Passage C (see p. 279, l. 16)
d3
Appendix 1: The Acts of the Vindication of Felix, Bishop of Aptunga
2. Appendix 2: The Proceedings Before Zenophilus
3. Appendix 3: Letter of Constantine to Aelafius
Appendix 4: Letter of the Council of Arles to Pope Sylvester
5. Appendix 5: Letter of Constantine to the Catholic Bishops
6. Appendix 6: Letter of Constantine to the Donatist Bishops
7. Appendix 7: Letter of Prefects to Celsus
8. Appendix 8: Letter of Constantine to Celsus
Appendix 9: Letter of Constantine to the Bishops and People of Africa
10. Appendix 10: A Rescript of Constantine
11. Appendix 11: Acts of the Council of Cirta
Appendix 12: Letter of the Proconsul Anulinus to Constantine
13. Appendix 13: Letter of Constantine to Pope Miltiades
14. Appendix 14: Letter of Constantine to Probianus
15. Appendix 15: Letter of Constantine to Anulinus (I)
16. Appendix 16: Letter of Constantine to Anulinus (II)