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Against the Donatists

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

Book 1, 3. Why Schismatics Should Be Called Brethren

Lest any one should say, that without thought I call them brethren, I would reply that such they are, for we cannot escape from the words of the prophet Isaiah¹; and, although they would not deny (as all men know well) that they hold us in abhorrence, and ban us utterly and are unwilling to be called our brethren,² still we may not depart from the fear of God, for the Holy Spirit exhorts us by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
‘You who fear the Word of the Lord, hear ye the Word of the Lord.
‘To those who detest and curse you, and are unwilling to be called your brethren,³ say ye nevertheless:
‘ “You are our brethren.” ‘⁴
They therefore are without doubt brothers, though not good brothers. Wherefore let no one marvel that I term those brothers, who are unable to escape being our brethren.⁵ They and we have one spiritual birth, though widely differing is our conduct.

For even Ham, who mocked undutifully at his father’s shame,⁶ was the brother of the innocent. In accordance with his deserts, he incurred the yoke of slavery, so that he----their brother----was assigned in bondage to his brethren. From this we see that, even where there is sin, the name of brotherhood is not lost.

Concerning the sins of these our brethren, I will speak in another place. For they, sitting over against us, speak⁷ evil things about us.⁸ They consort with that Thief⁹ who robs God, and share their lot with adulterers¹⁰ (that is, with heretics), and make their sins an object of praise,¹¹ and plan reproachful words against us Catholics.

Notes

Is. lxvi, 5.
St. Augustine also bears witness (con. Gaudent. iii; con. Parm. iii, 2) that the Donatists repudiated the name of Brothers in their dealings with Catholics.
et nolunt se dici fratres vestros. These words are interpolated by Optatus in the midst of his quotation, to make his sense clear.
St. Optatus quotes here from the Septuagint Version; the same passage (also from the Septuagint) is quoted by Tertullian, con. Marc. iv, 16, and by St. Augustine Lib. post Coll. The Vulgate (from the Hebrew) conveys quite a different sense: dixerunt fratres vestri odientes vos et abiicientes propter Nomen Meum.
They could not escape this, because by Baptism they had become Sons of God, and therefore brethren of all the brothers of Christ.
Gen. ix, 22.
denotant. Literally ‘they brand us with infamy.’ This is the reading of PG and gains added probability from the fact that St. Optatus twice (iv, 3; iv, 5) quotes Ps. xlix, 20 thus: ‘Sedens adversus fratrem tuum denotabas.’ Du Pin says of Denotant ‘legunt sed male.’ But we must never forget that Du Pin did not see P, and therefore looked upon denotant merely as an emendation of G, destitute of authority. The other MSS. have detrahunt.
Ps. xlix, 19 et seq. (cf. iv, 5, where Optatus discusses this passage at length).
Satan (cf. iv, 6).
moechis. Optatus argues that moechi = haeretici in iv, 6. (Cf. i, 10.)
peccata sua laudant.