Беседа 18

1. Let our care for you, for our enemies and yours, for the salvation of all, for silence, for common peace, for the unity that the Lord commanded and which the Lord loves, be assisted by the prayers of your holiness, so that we can speak to you about this more often and rejoice with you. Because we should always talk about peace and love if we always love. And especially at a time when peace is so sought after and on the threshold of possessing it there are those to whom we do not repay evil with evil, and with whom, as the Scripture says, we are at peace, when they hate us, who want to be at war with us, when we speak to them of peace (Ps. 119:7). They stand at the crossroads between love for the world and a sense of shame. Not wanting to be defeated, they do not, however, avoid defeat at all. Not wanting to be defeated by the truth, they are defeated by error. Oh, if only love, and not pride, would prevail over them! Then they would become winners when they were defeated. We love, recognize and defend the Catholic Church, with which we call her enemies to consent and unity, by virtue of Divine commandments. But what to do with the one who protects a part and goes against the whole? And is it not good for someone to be defeated, who, if defeated, will own everything, and if he wins, or more precisely, if he thinks that he will win, should be content with only a part? After all, nothing wins except the truth. The power (victoria) of truth is in love. 2. But why, brethren, should I say a lot on my own about the Catholic Church, bearing fruit and growing throughout the entire circle of the earth? We have in her defense the words of the Lord Himself. “The Lord,” says the psalm, “said to Me: You are My Son; Today I have given birth to You; Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Ps. 2:7-8). Why, brothers, should we argue about ownership and is it not better to read these sacred pages? Let's imagine that we come to the judge. Our dispute is about the ownership of land and the dispute is peaceful. One litigant advocates removing his opponent, but we advocate accepting him. The first, when he hears the words of the enemy: “I want to own,” replies: “I do not accept.” And I say to my brother: “I want you to own with me”; the same one, objecting, replies: “I don’t want to.” I am not afraid that the Lord will reproach me and put me to shame, like those brothers or that brother who from among the people cried out to Him and said: “Teacher! tell my brother that he should share the inheritance with me” (Luke 12:13). The Lord immediately reproached him because he hated division. “Who,” He said, “has made Me a judge or to divide you?... See that you beware of covetousness” (Luke 12:14-15). I am not afraid of such a reproach. I appeal to my Lord, I confess, I do. However, I don’t say: “Lord! Tell my brother to share the inheritance with me,” but I say: “Lord! Tell my brother to be in unity with me.” So I read the testimony about this disputed possession, but not in order for me to own it alone, but to expose my brother, who does not want to own it with me. This is the testimony: “Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for Your inheritance and the ends of the earth for Your possession.” This was said to Christ, and, consequently, to us, because we are members of Christ. So, why do you still remain and remain in division, in part? Accept everything that is said here. You are looking for where your property is, just as landowners usually mark the boundaries of their possessions in a special way. But He who gave you all the ends did not indicate any limits (Qui tibi dedit omnes fines, nullos dimisit affines). 3. Listen further to other testimony from the sacred pages. About the Lord, about Christ, it is said here under the image of Solomon: “he will rule from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth; the inhabitants of the desert will fall before him, and his enemies will lick the dust; the kings of Tarshish and the islands will bring him tribute; the kings of Arabia and Sheba will bring gifts; and all kings will worship him; all nations will serve him” (Ps. 72:8-11). At the time when these words were spoken, they believed it, but when they are fulfilled, they reject it. So, own with me the property from sea to sea and from the river, of course, the Jordan, where the ministry of Christ began, to the ends of the earth. Why don't you want to? Why are you an enemy to this promise, to this wealth of yours? Why don't you want to? Because of Donat?! Because of Caecilian?! But who was Donat? Who was Caecilian? In any case, they were people; if they are good, they are good for themselves, not for me; if they are evil, they are also evil to themselves. Listen to Christ and His apostle who is zealous for Christ. “Was Paul crucified for you? or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Look what made him say that. “You,” he writes to the Corinthians, “say: “I am Pavlov”; “I am Apollosov”; “I am Kifin”; “And I am Christ’s.” Was Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. 1:12–13). If not in the name of Paul, then still less in the name of Caecilian, or in the name of Donatus. And, however, after these words of the apostles, after the recognition and spread of the Church throughout the world, they still say to me: I do not want to leave Donatus, or some Gaius, Lucius, Parmenian. A thousand names, a thousand rumors, and are you really going to deprive yourself, by following this or that person, of that inheritance that you just heard about that is “from sea to sea and from river to the ends of the earth”? Why don't you have it? Because you bow before a person. But what is man if not a rational animal created from the earth? So, because you honor the earth, you are your enemy; leave it better. Do not revere the earth, but place your hope in Him who created heaven and earth. There is our hope. Here is the evidence of this: the God of gods, the Lord, has spoken and called the earth, from the rising of the sun to the west (Ps. 49:1). Do not want to remain on the earth, but strive where the earth is called. 4. And who can read here all the testimonies of this dominion of the Church contained in the sacred pages? But why don’t they turn to the Church, if not because of what the Church itself indicates when it says: “Let those who fear You and those who know Your revelations turn to me” (Ps. 119:79)? Now this is precisely what the Church sees, as stated in the words just quoted from the psalm. These words are fresh in your minds and hearts. “I saw,” it says there, “the limit of all perfection.” What does this mean: “saw the limit of all perfection”? What is the limit? “Your commandment is wide and great” (Ps. 119:96). “The end of the 5th testament - repeat after me [listeners repeat - a populo acclamatum est] - is love from a pure heart" (1 Tim. 1:5). You all said this. It was not in vain, therefore, that you listen: “The end of a testament is love from a pure heart.” The end is in the sense of improvement, and not in the sense of destruction. This end is broad, because this is precisely the commandment God, about which it is said: “Your commandment is broad.” Notice how broad it is physically? Even if you were broad in body, pious listeners, you would not tolerate embarrassment. But she is wide in heart. Notice where it is wide, if you can notice, and then listen from the apostle about how broad the commandment of love is. “The love of God is poured out into our hearts” (Rom. 5:5). He did not say: imprisoned, but poured out (non dixit: inclusa, sed diffusa). The word “confined” seems to indicate tightness. And the word “poured out” - as if into space. So, “thy commandment is great.” In the name of our Lord and God we testify that for the sake of this very breadth we invite our brothers into the dominion of the world. If you want to be bishops, be with us. The people do not want two bishops; be brothers in our inheritance. Let us not hinder the peace of Christ because of our honors. What honor will we receive in that heavenly world if now in earthly strife we ​​defend only our honor? Let the barrier of delusion be destroyed, and we will be together. Recognize me as brother; I recognize you as a brother, but with the destruction of division, with the elimination of error and strife. Let this all be fixed and you are mine. Or don't you want to be mine? But if you improve, I want to be yours. So, with the removal of error, as if some wall blocking and dividing, be my brother, and I will be yours, so that together we both belong to the One who is both yours and my Lord. 5. We say this with love for the world, with conviction of the truth. We have already written, and you have read about this intention of ours 6 , that we do not at all shy away from introducing the matter for general discussion, but, on the contrary, we insist that as soon as I prove my ownership rights, we will immediately enter into the inheritance together with the enemy. Let the interlocutor speak calmly, calmly, let him speak skillfully (doctus). I don’t want to act with authority in advance (nolo auctoritate praejudicare). Let us turn our gaze to the One who cannot make mistakes. Let him show us what the Church is. Have you heard His testimony? Human wickedness does not defile that which human righteousness does not make pure. However, we do not fear for the affairs of people whom the Donatists accused and could not convict. We know they are clean. From the case we see that they are clean. If they were not pure, I would not try to turn these matters into favor of the Church - (non in causa eorum Ecclesiam constituerem), I would not build on sand, I would separate them from the stone. “On this rock,” said the Lord, “I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). This stone is Christ. “Was Paul crucified for you?” – remember these words, hold on to these, speak brotherly and lovingly. 6. Let no one from among you forcibly invade the place where the interview will take place, my brothers. In general, if possible, avoid even passing near that place, so as not to give any impetus to a dispute or discord, so that some pretext does not present itself for this, and so that those who are looking for a reason do not find a reason for discord here. And whoever does not fear God or does not pay attention to our requests, let him at least fear threats from the civil authorities. Have you read the publicly displayed order of the high-ranking husband [Marcellinus, the representative at the council of Emperor Honorius]. It was published not for you, of course, who fear God and do not neglect the instructions of your bishops, but so that someone does not forget and neglect it. Let everyone watch himself so that what the apostle says does not happen to him: “Whoever resists authority resists God’s ordinance... For those in authority are not a terror to good deeds, but to evil ones” (Rom. 13:2-3). Let us avoid discord and all causes of discord. But perhaps you will say: we will try to be attentive to ourselves and how will we hinder you? But the Orthodox party, fortunately, is quite strong (partes forte uberes pietalis). We will reason for you, and you pray for us, while supporting your prayers, as we admonished you before, with fasting and almsgiving. Add to them (prayers) wings with which they rise to God. By doing this, you will perhaps be even more useful to us than we are to you. After all, none of us in this upcoming interview [i.e. in an interview with the Donatists] does not rely on his own strength. All our hope is in God. We are no better than the apostle who asks us to pray for him. “Pray,” he says, “for me, that the word may be given to me” (Eph. 6:18–19). So, ask for us the One in whom we place our hope, so that you too may rejoice in our conversation. Remember this, brothers, we beseech you. In the name of the Lord Himself, the Author, the Planter and the Patron of the world, we ask that you pray to Him in peace, peacefully ask Him. Remember that you are children of the One who said: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). in Russian text - “goal”. see Epist. 128 and 129. August. Opera omn. volume II You might be interested in: