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The Prescription Against Heretics

Chapter XXVIII.--The One Tradition of the Faith, Which is Substantially Alike in the Churches Everywhere, a Good Proof that the Transmission Has Been True and Honest in the Main.

Grant, then, that all have erred; that the apostle was mistaken in giving his testimony; that the Holy Ghost had no such respect to any one (church) as to lead it into truth, although sent with this view by Christ, ¹ and for this asked of the Father that He might be the teacher of truth; ² grant, also, that He, the Steward of God, the Vicar of Christ, ³ neglected His office, permitting the churches for a time to understand differently, (and) to believe differently, what He Himself was preaching by the apostles,--is it likely that so many churches, and they so great, should have gone astray into one and the same faith? No casualty distributed among many men issues in one and the same result. Error of doctrine in the churches must necessarily have produced various issues. When, however, that which is deposited among many is found to be one and the same, it is not the result of error, but of tradition. Can any one, then, be reckless ⁴ enough to say that they were in error who handed on the tradition?

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De Praescriptione Haereticorum

XXVIII.

[1] Age nunc, omnes errauerint, deceptus sit et apostolus de testimonio reddendo quibusdam ; nullam respexerit Spiritus sanctus uti eam in ueritatem deduceret, ad hoc missus a Christo, ad hoc postulatus de patre ut esset doctor ueritatis. Neglexerit officium Dei uillicus, Christi uicarius, sinens ecclesias aliter interim intelligere, aliter credere quod ipse per apostolos praedicabat; ecquid uerisimile est ut tot ac tantae in unam fidem errauerint? [2] Nullus inter multos euentus unus est exitus: uariasse debuerat error doctrinae ecclesiarum. [3] Ceterum quod apud multos unum inuenitur, non est erratum sed traditum. [4] Audeat ergo aliquis dicere illos errasse qui tradiderunt!