Commonitory
| Author | Peregrinus (pseud. of Vincent of Lérins) |
|---|---|
| Original title | Commonitorium[1] |
| Translator | Reginald S. Moxon |
| Language | Latin |
| Subject | apologetics, Christian theology |
| Media type | |
| LC Class | BR65 .V4 |
The Commonitorium or Commonitory is a 5th century Christian treatise written after the council of Ephesus under the pseudonym "Peregrinus" and attributed to Vincent of Lérins.[2][3] It is known for Vincent's famous rule which reads "Moreover, in the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all."[3](p132)[lower-alpha 1]
Charles Heurtley introduced the Commonitory, in his translation, as Vincent's personal reference to "distinguish Catholic truth from heresy" based on the authority of Holy Scripture by which "all questions must be tried in the first instance" and "supplemented by an appeal to that sense of Holy Scripture which is supported by universality, antiquity, and consent."[3]
- by universality – of the whole Church
- by antiquity – held from the earliest times
- by consent – acknowledged belief of all, or of almost all, whose office and character gave authority to their decision
Thomas Guarino commented, in Vincent of Lérins and the Development of Christian Doctrine, that Vincent of Lérins' theology "is often reduced to a memorable slogan: 'We hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, and by everyone'."[4]
Bernard Prusak explained, in The Church Unfinished, that for Vincent "the decrees of a universal council were to be preferred to the ignorance of a few" and the deposit of faith "did not exclude development or progress, as long as it was not an alteration" and accordingly doctrines "could be taught in a new way."[5]
Most of this work contains illustrations and applications of this principle. The work consisted originally of two tomes; but the second was lost, or according to Gennadius of Massilia stolen, while Vincent was still alive and he only wrote a synopsis of the lost tome's contents but never rewrote it.
Further reading
- Ferreiro, Alberto (1995). "Simon Magus and Priscillian in the Commonitorium of Vincent of Lérins". Vigiliae Christianae (Leiden: Brill) 49 (2): 180–188. doi:10.2307/1584394. ISSN 0042-6032. JSTOR 1584394.
- Guarino, Thomas (1994). "Vincent of Lerins and the hermeneutical question: historical and theological reflections". Gregorianum (Rome: Gregorian & Biblical Press) 75 (3). ISSN 0017-4114. JSTOR 23579794.
Notes
References
- ↑ Vincentius Lerinensis (1985). "Commonitorium". In Demeulenaere, Roland. Corpus Christianorum. Series Latina (in Latin) 64. Turnholti: Brepols. ISBN 2503006418.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Vincent of Lérins (1915). Moxon, Reginald S., ed. Commonitorium of Vincentius of Lerins. Cambridge patristic texts (in Latin with English commentary). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. OCLC 635499104. Has good notes. - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Vincent of Lérins; Charles A. Heurtley, trans. (1955) [1894 by various publishers]. "The Commonitory of Vincent of Lérins, for the antiquity and universality of the catholic faith against the profane novelties of all heresies". In Schaff, Philip; Wace, Henry. Sulpitius Severus, Vincent of Lerins, John Cassian. A select library of the Nicene and post-Nicene fathers of the Christian Church. Second series 11 (Reprint ed.). Grand Rapids: B. Eerdmans. pp. 127–130. OCLC 16266414 – via Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
- ↑ Guarino, Thomas G. (2013). Vincent of Lérins and the development of Christian doctrine. Foundations of theological exegesis and Christian spirituality 2. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. ISBN 0801049091.
- ↑ Prusak, Bernard P. (2004). The church unfinished: ecclesiology through the centuries. New York: Paulist Press. p. 131. ISBN 0809142864.