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Against the Donatists
St Optatus of Milevis, tr. Vassall-Phillips, 1917
Book 1, 6. The Arguments Set Forth in Parmenian’s Treatise
My brother Parmenian, you have indeed treated of many things, but I see that I must not answer you point by point, in the same order as that which you have employed. For you have written in the first place of the figures and praise of Baptism. Here (with the exception of your error concerning the Flesh of Christ) you have written well. But this, however, tells in our favour, as we shall show in its proper place.
Secondly, you have maintained that there is only One Church, from which heretics are shut out. You have, however, been unwilling to recognise where this One Church is to be found.
Thirdly, you have denounced the ‘Betrayers’ without fixing names or describing persons.
Fourthly, you have attacked the makers of Unity.1
Fifthly (to pass over matters of but trifling importance), you have written about the Sacraments and Sacrifice of a sinner.
Notes
- operarii Unitatis. St. Optatus uses this phrase in very many places. Ziwsa says that it = administri Unitatis (officers or servants of Unity). I think, however, that it also carries with it the idea that these ‘workmen’ (Leontius, Macarius, Paulus, Taurinus and others of whom we shall hear so often in the course of this work----iii, i, 3, etc.) achieved the task at which they laboured, no doubt, in an official capacity. Operari est opus facere (cf. note 3, p. 30). So I have translated it throughout simply makers.