The More Things Change ...
This is taken from a writing of St. Augustine against the Manicheans. It remains, in its general argument, a valid refutation of any religion which stands in opposition to the Catholic Church. It could just as easily be re-written today against Jehovah's Witnesses, or Mormons, etc.
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For in the Catholic Church, not to speak of the purest wisdom - to the knowledge of which only a few spiritual men attain in this life, so as to know it in the scantiest measure (indeed, because they are but men), yet still without any uncertainty (since the rest of the multitude derive their entire security not from acuteness of intellect, but from simplicity of faith) - not to speak of this wisdom, which you do not believe to be in the Catholic Church, there are many other things which rightly keep me in Her bosom.
The consent of peoples and nations keeps me in the Church; so does her authority, inaugurated by miracles, nourished by hope, enlarged by Charity, established by age.
The succession of priests keeps me, beginning from the very seat of the Apostle Peter - to whom the Lord, after His resurrection, gave the charge to feed His sheep - down to the present episcopate.
And so, lastly, does the name "Catholic" itself, which, not without reason, amid so many heresies, the Church has thus retained; so that, though all heretics wish to be called Catholics, yet when a stranger asks where the Catholic Church meets, no heretic will venture to point to his own chapel or house.
Such then in number and importance are the precious ties belonging to the Christian name which keep a believer in the Catholic Church, as it is right they should, even though the slowness of our understanding, or the small attainment of our life, may keep the truth from fully disclosing itself.
But with you, where there is none of these things to attract or keep me, the promise of truth is the only thing that comes into play. Now if the truth is so clearly proved as to leave no possibility of doubt, it must be held in higher regard than all the things that keep me in the Catholic Church; but if there is only a promise of truth without any fulfillment, no one shall move me from the faith which binds my mind with ties, so numerous and so strong, to the Christian religion.
Let us see then what Manichaeus teaches me; and particularly let us examine that treatment which he calls The Fundamental Epistle, in which almost all that you believe is contained. For in that unhappy time when we read it we were - in your opinion - enlightened.
The epistle begins thus:
"Manichaeus, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the providence of God the Father. These are wholesome words from the perennial and living fountain."
Now, if you please, patiently hear my inquiry. I do not believe Manichaeus to be an apostle of Christ. Do not, I beg of you, be enraged and begin to curse. For you know that it is my rule to believe none of your statements until I have first considered them.
Therefore I ask, who is this Manichaeus? You will reply, "An apostle of Christ."
I do not believe it.
Now you are at a loss what to say or do; for you promised to give knowledge of the truth, and here you are forcing me to believe something of which I have no knowledge.
Perhaps you will read the gospel to me, and will attempt to find there a testimony to Manichaeus. But if you meet with a person who does not even yet believe the gospel, how would you reply to him if he were to say, "I do not believe?"
For my part, I should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church.
So when She on whose authority I have consented to believe in the gospel tells me not to believe in Manichaeus, how can I but consent? Take your choice. If you say, "Believe the Catholics," their advice to me is to put no faith in you, so that, by believing them, I am prevented from believing you. If you say, "Do not believe the Catholics," you cannot fairly use the gospel in bringing me to faith in Manichaeus, for it was at the command of the Catholics that I believed the gospel.
Again, if you say, "You were right in believing the Catholics when they praised the gospel, but wrong in believing their vituperation of Manichaeus," do you think me such a fool as to believe or not to believe as you like or dislike, without any reason?
It is therefore fairer and safer by far for me, having in one instance put faith in the Catholics, not to go over to you until, instead of asking me to just "believe," you make me understand something in the clearest and most open manner.
To convince me, then, you must put aside the gospel. If you stick with the gospel, I will stick with those who commanded me to believe the gospel; and, in obedience to them, I will not believe you at all.
But if by chance you should succeed in finding in the gospel an incontrovertible testimony to the apostleship of Manichaeus, you will weaken my regard for the authority of the Catholics who bid me not to believe you - and the effect of that will be that I shall no longer be able to believe the gospel either, for it was through the Catholics that I got my faith in it - thus, whatever you bring as proof from the gospel will no longer have any weight with me.
Wherefore, if no clear proof of the apostleship of Manichaeus is found in the gospel, I will believe the Catholics rather than you. But if you read thence some passage clearly in favor of Manichaeus, I will believe neither them nor you: not them, for they lied to me about you; nor you, for you quote to me that Scripture which I had believed on the authority of those liars.
But far be it from me that I should not believe the gospel; for believing it, I find no way of believing you too.
For the names of the apostles, as there recorded, do not include the name of Manichaeus. And we read in the Acts of the Apostles who the successor of Christ's betrayer was - and this book I must also believe if I believe the gospel, since Catholic authority equally commends to me both writings.
The same book contains the well-known narrative of the calling and apostleship of Paul. Read to me now, if you can, the passage in the gospel where Manichaeus is called an apostle, or in any other book in which I have professed to believe.
(St. Augustine, Contra Epistolam Manichaei Quam Vacant Fundamenti, 5-6)
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For in the Catholic Church, not to speak of the purest wisdom - to the knowledge of which only a few spiritual men attain in this life, so as to know it in the scantiest measure (indeed, because they are but men), yet still without any uncertainty (since the rest of the multitude derive their entire security not from acuteness of intellect, but from simplicity of faith) - not to speak of this wisdom, which you do not believe to be in the Catholic Church, there are many other things which rightly keep me in Her bosom.
The consent of peoples and nations keeps me in the Church; so does her authority, inaugurated by miracles, nourished by hope, enlarged by Charity, established by age.
The succession of priests keeps me, beginning from the very seat of the Apostle Peter - to whom the Lord, after His resurrection, gave the charge to feed His sheep - down to the present episcopate.
And so, lastly, does the name "Catholic" itself, which, not without reason, amid so many heresies, the Church has thus retained; so that, though all heretics wish to be called Catholics, yet when a stranger asks where the Catholic Church meets, no heretic will venture to point to his own chapel or house.
Such then in number and importance are the precious ties belonging to the Christian name which keep a believer in the Catholic Church, as it is right they should, even though the slowness of our understanding, or the small attainment of our life, may keep the truth from fully disclosing itself.
But with you, where there is none of these things to attract or keep me, the promise of truth is the only thing that comes into play. Now if the truth is so clearly proved as to leave no possibility of doubt, it must be held in higher regard than all the things that keep me in the Catholic Church; but if there is only a promise of truth without any fulfillment, no one shall move me from the faith which binds my mind with ties, so numerous and so strong, to the Christian religion.
Let us see then what Manichaeus teaches me; and particularly let us examine that treatment which he calls The Fundamental Epistle, in which almost all that you believe is contained. For in that unhappy time when we read it we were - in your opinion - enlightened.
The epistle begins thus:
"Manichaeus, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the providence of God the Father. These are wholesome words from the perennial and living fountain."
Now, if you please, patiently hear my inquiry. I do not believe Manichaeus to be an apostle of Christ. Do not, I beg of you, be enraged and begin to curse. For you know that it is my rule to believe none of your statements until I have first considered them.
Therefore I ask, who is this Manichaeus? You will reply, "An apostle of Christ."
I do not believe it.
Now you are at a loss what to say or do; for you promised to give knowledge of the truth, and here you are forcing me to believe something of which I have no knowledge.
Perhaps you will read the gospel to me, and will attempt to find there a testimony to Manichaeus. But if you meet with a person who does not even yet believe the gospel, how would you reply to him if he were to say, "I do not believe?"
For my part, I should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church.
So when She on whose authority I have consented to believe in the gospel tells me not to believe in Manichaeus, how can I but consent? Take your choice. If you say, "Believe the Catholics," their advice to me is to put no faith in you, so that, by believing them, I am prevented from believing you. If you say, "Do not believe the Catholics," you cannot fairly use the gospel in bringing me to faith in Manichaeus, for it was at the command of the Catholics that I believed the gospel.
Again, if you say, "You were right in believing the Catholics when they praised the gospel, but wrong in believing their vituperation of Manichaeus," do you think me such a fool as to believe or not to believe as you like or dislike, without any reason?
It is therefore fairer and safer by far for me, having in one instance put faith in the Catholics, not to go over to you until, instead of asking me to just "believe," you make me understand something in the clearest and most open manner.
To convince me, then, you must put aside the gospel. If you stick with the gospel, I will stick with those who commanded me to believe the gospel; and, in obedience to them, I will not believe you at all.
But if by chance you should succeed in finding in the gospel an incontrovertible testimony to the apostleship of Manichaeus, you will weaken my regard for the authority of the Catholics who bid me not to believe you - and the effect of that will be that I shall no longer be able to believe the gospel either, for it was through the Catholics that I got my faith in it - thus, whatever you bring as proof from the gospel will no longer have any weight with me.
Wherefore, if no clear proof of the apostleship of Manichaeus is found in the gospel, I will believe the Catholics rather than you. But if you read thence some passage clearly in favor of Manichaeus, I will believe neither them nor you: not them, for they lied to me about you; nor you, for you quote to me that Scripture which I had believed on the authority of those liars.
But far be it from me that I should not believe the gospel; for believing it, I find no way of believing you too.
For the names of the apostles, as there recorded, do not include the name of Manichaeus. And we read in the Acts of the Apostles who the successor of Christ's betrayer was - and this book I must also believe if I believe the gospel, since Catholic authority equally commends to me both writings.
The same book contains the well-known narrative of the calling and apostleship of Paul. Read to me now, if you can, the passage in the gospel where Manichaeus is called an apostle, or in any other book in which I have professed to believe.
(St. Augustine, Contra Epistolam Manichaei Quam Vacant Fundamenti, 5-6)
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