§ 123. Оптат Милевийский.

On the other side of the Mediterranean, opposite Italy, in Numidia, the debate of frenzied Donatists was in full swing. Optatus, Bishop of Milevia in Numidia, became famous for his struggle with the Donatists, although due to other circumstances of his life, he remains completely unknown. It is only known that he was educated at a pagan school 271. In 370, in response to the work of the Donatist Parmenian, Blessed. Optatus wrote an essay: Against the Donatists 272. Then, under Pope Siricia (in 385), he again revised his work - and added a 7th book 273. Blzh. Augustine placed the name Optatus on a par with Cyprian, Hilary and Ambrose 274; according to his review, Optatus is “the venerable bishop of Milevian memory of the Catholic Union” 275; and Fulgentius called him a saint 276 . Optat himself shows the contents of his 6 books. “To me,” he says, it seems necessary to first show society, the faces, the names of traitors and schismatics, so that the real culprits of what is said about them are known. Then, I need to talk about what or where the one real Church is, since besides the one there is no other. Thirdly, it will be shown that we did not call the troops and what the builders of unity say does not apply to us. Fourthly, who is the sinner whose sacrifice God rejects, or whose oil must be run from? Fifthly, about Baptism. The sixth book is about your unreasonable prejudices and delusions.” As for the seventh book, it contains three additions to the three books of the composition. Essay by blzh. Optata, read with respect by Augustine, Jerome, Fulgentius and everyone who knew Latin. It reveals in detail the concept of the true Church of Christ, and how those who separate from the Church dream in vain of salvation. Blzh. the teacher speaks about the corruption of our nature and the non-participation in sin of our Savior alone 277; about the redemptive power of Christ's death 278 ; about the sacraments of Baptism 279, Confirmation 280, Communion 281. Russian schismatics can be pointed out here how the Donatists considered it impure to have communion in food and prayer with the Orthodox, ran away from their churches, and how the Holy Church called the Donatists for this reason crazy people and an ecclesiastical plague, although the Donatists separated from the Church not just for their letters, but for their lives. Augustine de doctor. Christ. lib. 2. § 40. 61. Jerome (de scriptor. § 120) says that the work was written under the emperor. Valerians and Valens (364–375). The work itself (I. 1. p. 3) says: “for almost 60 years or more a storm swept across all of Africa, when some were martyrs, others were confessors.” This is the storm of Diocletian 304–305. The heretic Photinus is called (lib. 4. p. 5) a heretic of the “present time”; and he died, according to Jerome’s Chronicle, in 376. In the second book, according to its current form: Damaso (successit) Siricius, qui noster est socius. Siricius was pope from 384. De doctr. Christ. 2. 40. § 61. De unitate eccl. c. 19. § 50. Cont. Parmen. lib. 1. c. 17. § 5. Lib. 2. ad Monimum: Sanctus Milevitanus episcopus in sexto adversus Parminianum libro. In the Western Church the memory of St. Optata June 4. Martyrologium romanum ad 4 d. junii: Milevi in ​​Numidia sancti Optati episcopi, doctrina et sanctitate conspicui. “We saw how some Donatists threw a vessel with holy oil out of the window in order to break it; but their wickedness did not achieve its goal: the vessel fell on a stone, but, guarded by an angel of God, it did not break” (lib. 2. § 28). “What could be more sacrilegious than destroying the altars of God - those on which both the vows of the people and the body of Christ are raised? What is an altar if not the throne of the body and blood of Christ?” (lib. 6. § 1). “You even broke the bowls in which the blood of Christ” (lib. 5. § 2). You might be interested in: