Psalm against the Party of Donatus

Augustine of Hippo · Against Donatism
Revisions I
C. 20Psalm against the Party of DonatusPsalmus contra partem Donati
Volens etiam causam Donatistarum ad ipsius humillimi vulgi et omnino imperitorum atque idiotarum notitiam pervenire, et eorum quantum fieri per nos posset inhaerere memoriae, Psalmum qui eis cantaretur per Latinas litteras feci, sed usque ad V litteram. Tales autem abecedarios appellant.
Wishing also to bring the case against the Donatists to the notice of the very humblest of the common people and of those wholly without learning or skill, and to fix it in their memory so far as I could, I composed a psalm for them to sing, set out in Latin letters but only as far as the letter V. Such pieces they call "abecedarian" psalms.
PsDon
Tres vero ultimas omisi; sed pro eis novissimum quasi epilogum adiunxi, tamquam eos mater alloqueretur Ecclesia. Hypopsalma etiam, quod respondetur, et prooemium causae, quod nihilominus cantaretur, non sunt in ordine litterarum; earum quippe ordo incipit post prooemium. Ideo autem non aliquo carminis genere id fieri volui, ne me necessitas metrica ad aliqua verba quae vulgo minus sunt usitata compelleret.
I left out the last three letters; in their place I added at the end a kind of epilogue, as though mother Church were addressing them. The refrain too, which is sung in response, and the preface to the case, which was likewise to be sung, fall outside the alphabetical order, for that order begins after the preface. I deliberately chose not to compose it in any sort of meter, lest the requirements of versification should force me to use words less familiar to the common people.
PsDon
Iste Psalmus sic incipit: Omnes qui gaudetis de pace, modo verum iudicate, quod eius hypopsalma est.
This psalm begins thus: All you who rejoice in peace, now judge what is true, which is its refrain.
PsDon
Psalm
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
Foeda est res causam audire
et personas accipere.
It is a shameful thing to hear a case
and show favor to persons.
PsDon
Omnes iniusti non possunt
regnum Dei possidere.
No unjust man can
possess the kingdom of God.
PsDon
Vestem alienam conscindas
nemo potest tolerare:
No one can bear it
that you should tear up his neighbor's garment:
PsDon
quanto magis pacem Christi
qui conscindit dignus est morte.
how much more does the man deserve death
who tears apart the peace of Christ.
PsDon
Et quis est ista qui fecit
quaeramus hoc sine errore.
And who it is that has done this,
let us inquire without error.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
A
A
<bsc>Abundantia </bsc>peccatorum
solet fratres conturbare.
<bsc>An abundance </bsc>of sins
tends to throw the brethren into confusion.
PsDon
Propter hoc Dominus noster
voluit nos praemonere
For this reason our Lord
wished to forewarn us,
PsDon
comparans regnum caelorum
reticulo misso in mare (Cf. Mt 13, 47-48).
comparing the kingdom of heaven
to a net let down into the sea (See Matt 13:47-48).
PsDon
Congregavit multos pisces
omne genus hinc et inde,
It gathered many fish,
every kind from here and there,
PsDon
quos cum traxissent ad litus,
tunc coeperunt separare:
and when they had drawn them to the shore,
then they began to separate them:
PsDon
bonos in vasa miserunt,
reliquos malos in mare.
the good they put into vessels,
the rest, the bad, back into the sea.
PsDon
Quisquis novit Evangelium,
recognoscat cum timore.
Whoever knows the Gospel,
let him recognize this with fear.
PsDon
Videt reticulum Ecclesiam,
videt hoc saeculum mare (Cf. Mt 13, 49-50);
He sees the net as the Church,
he sees this world as the sea (See Matt 13:49-50);
PsDon
genus autem mixtum piscis,
iustus est cum peccatore;
and the mixed kinds of fish
are the just man together with the sinner;
PsDon
saeculi finis est litus:
tunc est tempus separare;
the shore is the end of the world:
then is the time to separate;
PsDon
qui modo retia ruperunt,
multum dilexerunt mare;
those who have just now broken the nets
have loved the sea too much;
PsDon
vasa sunt sedes sanctorum,
quo non possunt pervenire.
the vessels are the dwelling places of the saints,
where these men cannot come.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
B
B
<bsc>Bonus </bsc>auditor fortasse
quaerit qui ruperunt rete.
<bsc>A good </bsc>listener perhaps
asks who it was that broke the net.
PsDon
Homines multum superbi,
qui se iustos dicunt esse.
Men full of pride,
who say that they are just.
PsDon
Sic fecerunt conscissuram
et altare contra altare.
So they made the tear
and set up altar against altar.
PsDon
Diabolo se tradiderunt,
cum pugnant de traditione
They handed themselves over to the devil,
when they wrangle about the handing over,
PsDon
et crimen quod commiserunt,
in alios volunt transferre.
and the crime they themselves committed
they want to shift onto others.
PsDon
Ipsi tradiderunt Libros
et nos audent accusare,
They themselves handed over the books
and yet dare to accuse us,
PsDon
ut peius committant scelus,
quam quod commiserunt ante,
so that they commit a worse crime
than the one they committed before,
PsDon
quia possint causam Librorum
excusare de timore,
since they could have excused the matter of the books
by their fear,
PsDon
quo Petrus Christum negavit,
dum terreretur de morte (Cf. Mt 26, 70. 72. 74).
the fear with which Peter denied Christ,
while he was terrified of death (See Matt 26:70, 72, 74).
PsDon
Modo quo pacto excusabunt
factum altare contra altare?
Now how will they excuse
the setting up of altar against altar?
PsDon
Et pace Christi conscissa
ut spem ponant in homine (Cf. Ier 17, 5),
And having torn apart the peace of Christ,
so that they place their hope in man (See Jer 17:5),
PsDon
quod persecutio non fecit,
ipsi fecerunt in pace.
what persecution did not do,
they themselves did in peacetime.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
C
C
<bsc>Custos </bsc>noster, Deus magne,
tu nos potes liberare
<bsc>Our keeper, </bsc>great God,
you have power to set us free
PsDon
a pseudoprophetis istis,
qui nos quaerunt devorare.
from these false prophets,
who seek to devour us.
PsDon
Maledictum cor lupinum
contegunt ovina pelle (Cf. Mt 7, 15).
Their accursed wolfish heart
they cover with a sheep's skin (See Matt 7:15).
PsDon
Nomen iusti ovina pellis,
schisma est in lupino corde.
The name of just man is the sheep's skin,
the schism is in the wolfish heart.
PsDon
Qui non noverunt Scripturas,
hos solent circumvenire;
Those who do not know the Scriptures
they tend to take in;
PsDon
audiunt enim: "traditores "
et nesciunt quid gestum est ante.
for they hear "the traitors"
and do not know what was done before.
PsDon
Quibus si dicam: " Probate ",
non habent quid respondere.
And if I say to them, "Prove it,"
they have nothing to answer.
PsDon
Suis se dicunt credidisse:
dico ego mentitos esse;
They say they believed their own people:
I say that those people lied;
PsDon
quia et nos credidimus nostris,
qui vos dicunt tradidisse.
for we too believed our own people,
who say that you handed the books over.
PsDon
Vis nosse qui dicant verum?
Qui manserunt in radice.
Do you want to know who speak the truth?
Those who have remained in the root.
PsDon
Vis nosse qui dicant falsum?
Qui non sunt in unitate.
Do you want to know who speak falsely?
Those who are not in unity.
PsDon
Olim causa iam finita est.
Quid vos non statis in pace?
Long ago the case was already settled.
Why do you not stand in peace?
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
D
D
<bsc>Dixerunt </bsc>maiores nostri
et libros fecerunt inde
<bsc>Our elders spoke </bsc>of this
and made books about it,
PsDon
qui tunc causam cognoverunt,
quod recens possent probare.
the men who came to know the case then,
which they could prove while it was recent.
PsDon
Erant quidam traditores
Librorum de sancta lege
There were certain men who handed over
the books of the holy law,
PsDon
episcopi de Numidia,
et non quilibet de plebe.
bishops from Numidia,
and not just anyone from the common folk.
PsDon
Cum Carthaginem venissent
episcopum ordinare,
When they had come to Carthage
to ordain a bishop,
PsDon
invenerunt ordinatum
Caecilianum in sua sede.
they found Caecilian already ordained
in his own see.
PsDon
Irati sunt quia non ipsi
potuerunt ordinare.
They were angry because they themselves
had not been able to do the ordaining.
PsDon
Erant et alii inimici
Caeciliano iniusti valde ,
There were other enemies too,
thoroughly unjust toward Caecilian,
PsDon
impii, fures, superbi,
de quibus longum est referre.
ungodly men, thieves, proud men,
of whom it would take long to tell.
PsDon
Iunxerunt se simul omnes
crimen in illum conflare:
They all joined together
to trump up a charge against him:
PsDon
dicunt ordinatorem eius
sanctos Libros tradidisse.
they say the man who ordained him
had handed over the holy books.
PsDon
Sic pacis retia ruperunt,
et errant modo per mare.
Thus they broke the nets of peace,
and now they wander over the sea.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
E
E
<bsc>Ecce </bsc>quam bonum et iocundumfratres in unum habitare (Ps 132, 1).
<bsc>Behold, </bsc>how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity (Ps 133:1 (132:1)).
PsDon
Audite vocem prophetae
ut sitis in unitate.
Hear the voice of the prophet,
that you may be in unity.
PsDon
Crimen nobis quis probavit
antiquum de traditione?
Who has proved against us
the old charge about the handing over?
PsDon
Quis obiecit in iudicio?
Qui sederunt iudicare?
Who brought it forward at a trial?
Who sat to judge it?
PsDon
Quibus testibus convicit?
Quis hoc ausus est firmare ?
By what witnesses did he convict?
Who dared to confirm this?
PsDon
Sed hoc libenter finxerunt,
quod se noverant fecisse,
But they gladly invented this,
the very thing they knew they had done themselves,
PsDon
Quia fama iam loquebatur
de Librorum traditione.
because rumor was already speaking
of the handing over of the books.
PsDon
Sed qui fecerant latebant
in illa perturbatione.
But those who had done it were lying hidden
in that turmoil.
PsDon
Inde alios infamarunt,
ut se ipsos possent celare.
So they slandered others,
that they might be able to hide themselves.
PsDon
Per illos ceteri errarunt
principes ex ipsa parte,
Through them the rest went astray,
the leaders of that party,
PsDon
quia non credere collegis
putaverunt sibi turpe.
because they thought it shameful
not to believe their colleagues.
PsDon
Iam fratres finiatur error
et simus in unitate.
Now, brethren, let the error be ended
and let us be in unity.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
F
F
<bsc>Fecerunt </bsc>quod voluerunt
tunc in illa caecitate.
<bsc>They did </bsc>what they wished
then, in that blindness.
PsDon
Non iudices consederunt
tot sacerdotes de more
No judges took their seats,
so many priests, after the custom
PsDon
quo solent in magnis causis
congregati iudicare,
by which in great cases they are wont,
gathered together, to judge;
PsDon
non accusator et reus
steterunt in quaestione,
no accuser and defendant
stood at the inquiry,
PsDon
non testis, non documentum
quo possent crimen probare,
no witness, no document
by which they could prove the charge,
PsDon
sed furor, dolus, tumultus,
qui regnant in falsitate.
but only fury, deceit, and uproar,
which reign in falsehood.
PsDon
Aut proferte nobis gesta,
quae in concilio solent esse.
Either produce for us the records,
such as are usually kept in a council.
PsDon
Videamus quae res coegit
fieri altare contra altare.
Let us see what cause compelled
altar to be set up against altar.
PsDon
Si malus erat sacerdos,
deponendus erat ante,
If the priest was bad,
he should have been deposed first;
PsDon
si non poterat deponi,
tolerandus intra rete,
if he could not be deposed,
he should have been tolerated within the net,
PsDon
sicut modo toleratis tam
multos malos aperte;
just as you now openly tolerate
so many bad men;
PsDon
qui tot fertis pro furore,
ferretis unum pro pace.
you who put up with so many out of fury,
could have put up with one for the sake of peace.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
G
G
<bsc>Gaudium </bsc>magnum esset nobis
si tunc nolletis errare;
<bsc>Great joy </bsc>it would be to us
if even then you were unwilling to go astray;
PsDon
sed si tunc non visum est verum
vel nunc experti videte.
but if then the truth was not seen,
at least now, taught by experience, look and see.
PsDon
Multos enim nunc habetis
For you now have many bad men
PsDon
nec tamen hos separatis
a vestra communione.
and yet you do not separate them
from your communion.
PsDon
Non dico de illis peccatis,
quae potestis et negare:
I am not speaking of those sins
which you can even deny:
PsDon
fustes, ignes, mortes dico,
quae committunt vestri in luce;
I mean cudgels, fires, killings,
which your people commit in broad daylight;
PsDon
et tamen suffertis illos
vel errore vel timore.
and yet you put up with them,
whether out of error or out of fear.
PsDon
Quantum erat ut ferrent unum
patres vestri pro unitate
How small a thing it would have been for your fathers
to put up with one man for the sake of unity,
PsDon
si tantus erat tumultus
ut non possent degradare.
if there was such an uproar
that they could not depose him.
PsDon
Adde quod innocens erat
et nil poterant probare,
Add to this that he was innocent
and they could prove nothing,
PsDon
sed ne crimen quaereretur,
ubi se videbant esse,
but, lest the charge be looked into
where they saw they themselves were caught,
PsDon
finxerunt se nimis iustos,
cum totum vellent turbare.
they pretended to be exceedingly just,
while they wished to throw everything into confusion.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
H
H
<bsc>Honores </bsc>vanos qui quaerit
non vult cum Christo regnare,
<bsc>Whoever seeks </bsc>empty honors
does not wish to reign with Christ,
PsDon
sicut princeps huius mali,
de cuius vocantur parte.
like the prince of this evil,
after whose name they are called.
PsDon
Nam Donatus tunc volebat
Africam totam obtinere;
For Donatus then wished
to take over all of Africa;
PsDon
tunc iudices transmarinos
petiit ab imperatore.
then he asked the emperor
for judges from overseas.
PsDon
Sed haec tam iusta petitio
non erat de caritate.
But this petition, however just,
did not spring from love.
PsDon
Hoc ipsa veritas clamat,
quam volo modo referre.
This the very truth proclaims,
which I now wish to relate.
PsDon
Nam consensit imperator,
misit qui sederent Romae
For the emperor consented,
and sent men to sit at Rome,
PsDon
sacerdotes, qui tunc possent
Caecilianum cum illo audire.
priests who could then
hear Caecilian along with him.
PsDon
Dicta causa, nil probatum est:
ausus est et appellare
The case was argued, nothing was proved:
and he even dared to appeal
PsDon
et post collegarum sedem
audiri ab imperatore.
and, after the tribunal of his colleagues,
to be heard by the emperor.
PsDon
Hinc petitio illa probatur
non esse de caritate.
From this his petition is shown
not to have sprung from love.
PsDon
Deinde ubique victus coepit
christianos rebaptizare.
Then, beaten everywhere, he began
to rebaptize Christians.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
I
I
<bsc>Iustitiam </bsc>sequi si vultis,
totam causam cogitate.
<bsc>If you wish </bsc>to follow justice,
consider the whole case.
PsDon
Quod postea fecit Donatus,
factum quare non est ante?
Why was what Donatus did afterward
not done before?
PsDon
Dissentiebant sacerdotes
in tota africana parte:
The priests were at odds with one another
throughout the whole African region:
PsDon
sacerdotes transmarini
possent inde iudicare.
priests from overseas
could thereupon pass judgment.
PsDon
Quid cucurristis ad schisma
et altare contra altare,
Why did you rush off to schism
and altar against altar,
PsDon
ut quod postea iudicatum est,
iam non possetis audire
so that what was judged afterward
you would no longer be willing to hear,
PsDon
et a iudicibus vestris
cogeremini appellare,
and you would be forced to appeal
away from your own judges,
PsDon
dum vultis erroris regnum
quoquo modo confirmare?
while you wish to confirm
the reign of error by any means at all?
PsDon
Et nunc et vos totum nostis,
sed fingitis vos nescire,
And now you yourselves know it all,
but you pretend not to know,
PsDon
et cum vos veritas urguet ,
patres dicitis errasse,
and when the truth presses you hard,
you say your fathers went astray,
PsDon
quasi vos aliquis vetet iam
recedere ab errore.
as though anyone were now forbidding you
to draw back from error.
PsDon
Sed superbia vos ligavit
in cathedra pestilentiae (Cf. Ps 1, 1).
But pride has bound you
in the seat of pestilence (See Ps 1:1).
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
K
K
<bsc>Karitatem </bsc>Christi qui habet,
pacem non potest odisse.
<bsc>Whoever has the love </bsc>of Christ
cannot hate peace.
PsDon
Vel iam vos populi audite,
et nobiscum concordate,
Or now at least hear, you peoples,
and be reconciled with us,
PsDon
qui non tenetis cathedram,
pro qua pugnetis iniuste.
you who hold no episcopal seat
for which you might fight unjustly.
PsDon
Si modo episcopi vestri
ex una aliqua regione
If now your own bishops,
from some one region,
PsDon
haberent inter se litem,
quos velletis iudicare
had a dispute among themselves,
whom would you want to judge it
PsDon
nisi alterarum regionum
qui non essent de ipsa lite?
but men of other regions
who had no part in that dispute?
PsDon
Sed cum discussissent causam
pronuntiarent pro una parte,
But when they had examined the case
and pronounced for one side,
PsDon
numquam communicaretis
qui illis nollent consentire.
you would never hold communion
with those unwilling to agree with them.
PsDon
Quare ergo communicastis
istis qui hoc fecerunt ante?
Why then did you hold communion
with these men who did this before?
PsDon
Nam et ipsi non consenserunt
transmarinorum sententiae,
For they themselves did not agree
with the verdict of the overseas bishops,
PsDon
qui pro nobis iudicarunt;
nam nobis iunguntur hodie.
who judged in our favor;
for they are joined to us today.
PsDon
Si iudex Christus hoc dicat,
quid habetis respondere?
If Christ as judge says this,
what have you to answer?
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
L
L
<bsc>Lumen </bsc>cordis si est in vobis,
verum potestis videre.
<bsc>If the light </bsc>of the heart is in you,
you can see the truth.
PsDon
Sunt Preces Donati et Acta
quibus quod dictum est probate.
There are the Petition of Donatus and the Acts
by which you may prove what has been said.
PsDon
Quae si credere non vultis,
vos huc aliqua proferte.
And if you are unwilling to believe these,
then bring forward something of your own here.
PsDon
Quibus si et nos non credamus
erit rixa sine fine.
And if we too do not believe it,
there will be a quarrel without end.
PsDon
Amplectamur ergo pacem.
Quid ad nos quod gestum est ante?
Let us embrace peace, then.
What is it to us, what was done before?
PsDon
Obicitis traditionem:
respondemus vos fecisse.
You charge us with the handing over:
we answer that you did it.
PsDon
Clamatis vos de Machario
et nos de circumcellione.
You cry out about Macarius
and we about the Circumcellions.
PsDon
Illud nostrum iam transactum
vestri non cessant usque hodie.
That deed of ours is over and done;
your people do not cease even to this day.
PsDon
Habet paleas area nostra:
vos hoc solum vultis esse.
Our threshing floor has its chaff:
you want to be this chaff alone.
PsDon
Vos enim non vultis pacem.
Illi minantur de fuste
For you do not want peace.
Those men threaten with the cudgel,
PsDon
et utinam minarentur
et non tunderent cotidie.
and would that they only threatened
and did not strike day after day.
PsDon
Hos si expellunt isti vestri
non habent per quos regnare.
If these men of yours drove them out,
they would have no one through whom to reign.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
M
M
<bsc>Modum </bsc>si excessit Macharius
conscriptum in christiana lege,
<bsc>If Macarius </bsc>exceeded the measure
laid down in the Christian law,
PsDon
vel legem regis ferebat
cum pugnaret pro unitate.
he was at least carrying out the law of the king
when he fought for unity.
PsDon
Non dico istum nil peccasse,
sed peiores vestros esse.
I do not say this man committed no sin,
but that your people are worse.
PsDon
Quis enim praecepit illis
per Africam sic saevire?
For who commanded them
to rage so through Africa?
PsDon
Non Christus, non imperator
haec probatur permisisse,
Neither Christ nor the emperor
is shown to have allowed this:
PsDon
fustes et ignes privatos
et insaniam sine lege.
cudgels and fires of their own
and madness without law.
PsDon
Quia scriptum est: Reconde gladium 8
scelus non putant in fuste
Although it is written, Put away the sword,
they think it no crime to use the cudgel,
PsDon
non ut homo non moriatur,
sed ut conquassetur valde
not so that a man should not die,
but so that he should be battered hard
PsDon
et postea moriatur inde,
iam cruciatus in languore.
and die from it afterward,
already tormented in his weakness.
PsDon
Sed tamen si miserentur
occidunt et uno fuste.
And yet, if they show mercy,
they kill with a single blow of the cudgel.
PsDon
Fustes Israeles vocant
quod Deus dixit cum honore (Cf. Gen 32, 23),
They call their cudgels "Israels,"
a name God uttered with honor (See Gen 32:28),
PsDon
ut plus vastent ipsum nomen
quam corpus quod caedunt inde.
so that they outrage that very name
more than the body they strike with it.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
N
N
<bsc>Nolite </bsc>nobis iam, fratres,
tempus Macharii imputare.
<bsc>Do not </bsc>now, brethren,
charge the time of Macarius against us.
PsDon
Si crudeles erant illi,
et nobis displicent valde;
If those men were cruel,
they too greatly displease us;
PsDon
si autem falsa de illis dicunt,
Deus potest iudicare.
but if they say false things about them,
God can be the judge.
PsDon
Nos amemus pacem Christi,
gaudeamus in unitate.
Let us love the peace of Christ,
let us rejoice in unity.
PsDon
Si qui sunt mali in Ecclesia,
non nobis possunt nocere.
If there are bad men in the Church,
they cannot harm us.
PsDon
Si non possunt nobiscum esse
excludantur salva pace.
If they cannot remain among us,
let them be shut out, with peace preserved.
PsDon
Si non poterunt excludi,
excludantur vel de corde.
If they cannot be shut out,
let them be shut out at least from the heart.
PsDon
Dixit Ezechiel sanctus
quosdam consignatos esse,
Holy Ezekiel said
that certain men were marked,
PsDon
qui gemunt peccata fratrum
et non separantur inde (Cf. Ez 9, 4).
who groan over the sins of the brethren
and yet are not separated from them (See Ezek 9:4).
PsDon
Sic nos propter malos fratres
non separemur a matre,
So let us, on account of bad brethren,
not separate ourselves from our mother,
PsDon
quod tunc impii fecerunt
extra levantes altare,
which is what the ungodly did then,
raising up an altar outside,
PsDon
ut peiores nunc haberent
quam quos se fingunt fugisse.
so that they now have worse men
than those they pretend to have fled.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
O
O
<bsc>Omnis </bsc>qui Scripturas novit ,
novit quod volo aperire.
<bsc>Everyone </bsc>who knows the Scriptures
knows what I want to make plain.
PsDon
Iohannes Baptista dixit
tunc ad Iudaeos aperte,
John the Baptist said
then to the Jews openly
PsDon
quod hos tamquam aream suam
nosset Christus ventilare (Cf. Mt 3, 12).
that Christ would winnow these
as his own threshing floor (See Matt 3:12).
PsDon
Misit in messem operarios
discipulos praedicare (Cf. Mt 9, 38; Lc 10, 1s),
He sent laborers into the harvest,
the disciples, to preach (See Matt 9:38; Luke 10:1-2),
PsDon
per quos area collecta est
et ventilata de cruce.
through whom the threshing floor was gathered
and winnowed from the cross.
PsDon
Tunc iusti tamquam frumentum
Ecclesiam impleverunt caste
Then the just, like grain,
filled the Church in purity,
PsDon
vendentes quae possidebant 13
et mundo dicentes vale.
selling what they possessed
and bidding the world farewell.
PsDon
Illi tamquam semen erant,
quod toto dispersum est orbe (Cf. Mt 13, 24, 30. 37-43)
They were like the seed
that was scattered over the whole world (See Matt 13:24, 30, 37-43)
PsDon
ut alia surgeret messis,
quae ventilanda est in fine,
so that another harvest might spring up,
which is to be winnowed at the end,
PsDon
et crescit inter zizania 15,
quia sunt haereses ubique;
and it grows among the weeds,
since there are heresies everywhere;
PsDon
huius palea sunt iniusti,
qui non sunt in unitate,
the chaff of this harvest are the unjust,
who are not in unity,
PsDon
ex quibus si erat Macharius,
nos quid vis rebaptizare?
and if Macarius was one of these,
why do you want to rebaptize us?
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
P
P
<bsc>Pone </bsc>in corde areas duas,
possis quod dico videre.
<bsc>Set </bsc>two threshing floors in your heart,
that you may see what I say.
PsDon
Certe et prior habebat sanctos,
sicut ostendunt Scripturae.
Surely the earlier one also had its saints,
as the Scriptures show.
PsDon
Nam et septem milia virorum
Deus se dixit reliquisse (Cf. 3 Reg 19, 18; Rom 11, 4),
For God said that he had kept
for himself seven thousand men (See 1 Kgs 19:18; Rom 11:4),
PsDon
et sacerdotes et reges
multi iusti sunt in lege.
and priests and kings,
many just men, are in the law.
PsDon
Ibi habes tantos prophetas,
habes multos et de plebe.
There you have so many prophets,
you have many also among the people.
PsDon
Dic mihi: quis tunc iustorum
separavit sibi altare?
Tell me: which of the just men then
set up an altar for himself apart?
PsDon
Multa scelera admittebat
iniquus populus ille,
That wicked people committed
many crimes,
PsDon
idolis sacrificatum est,
tot occisi sunt prophetae (Cf. Mt 23, 29-38),
sacrifice was offered to idols,
so many prophets were killed (See Matt 23:29-38),
PsDon
et nemo tamen iustorum
recessit ab unitate.
and yet none of the just men
withdrew from unity.
PsDon
Iusti iniustos sufferebant
venturo ventilatore,
The just put up with the unjust,
awaiting the winnower to come,
PsDon
uno templo miscebantur,
sed mixti non erant corde,
they were mingled under one temple,
but, though mingled, were not so in heart,
PsDon
dicebant in illos tanta
et unum habebant altare.
they said such things against them
and yet had one altar.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
Q
Q
<bsc>Quid </bsc>vobis ad haec videtur?
Secunda messis Ecclesiae,
<bsc>What </bsc>do you think of this?
The second harvest of the Church,
PsDon
quae per orbem totum crescit,
plura debet sustinere.
which grows throughout the whole world,
must endure still more.
PsDon
Habet iam Domini exemplum
et in Iuda traditore (Cf. Mt 10, 4).
It has the Lord's own example
in Judas the traitor too (See Matt 10:4).
PsDon
Hunc inter bonos ferebat,
hunc misit et praedicare.
Him he bore among the good,
him he even sent out to preach.
PsDon
Malus servus praedicabat,
sed Christus erat in fide,
A bad servant was preaching,
but Christ was the object of faith,
PsDon
quia qui iudici credebant
non curabant de praecone.
for those who believed the judge
did not concern themselves with the herald.
PsDon
Quando dedit sanctam cenam,
nec tunc illum exclusit inde (Cf. Mt 26, 25),
When he gave the holy supper,
not even then did he shut him out (See Matt 26:25),
PsDon
et posset per illum tradi,
etiam si inde exisset ante.
and he could be betrayed by him
even if he had gone out beforehand.
PsDon
Sed nobis exemplum datum est
malos fratres tolerare,
But an example was given us
to tolerate bad brethren,
PsDon
ut quando excludi non possunt,
solo separemur corde.
so that, when they cannot be shut out,
we should be separated from them in heart alone.
PsDon
Sed palea quasi aristarum,
quidam &lt;sunt&gt; superbi valde,
But like chaff sticking to the ears of grain,
certain men are exceedingly proud,
PsDon
quos antequam ventilentur,
tempestas rapit de messe.
whom, before they are winnowed,
the storm snatches from the harvest.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
R
R
<bsc>Rogo</bsc>, respondete nobis,
quid vultis rebaptizare?
<bsc>I ask, </bsc>answer us:
what do you wish to rebaptize?
PsDon
Lapsos sacerdotes vestros
pellitis a communione
Your lapsed priests
you drive from communion,
PsDon
et nemo tamen post illos
ausus est rebaptizare
and yet no one, after them,
has dared to rebaptize,
PsDon
et quoscumque baptizarunt
vobis communicant hodie.
and all whom they baptized
are in communion with you today.
PsDon
Quid ab eis acceperunt,
si non habebant quid dare?
What did they receive from them,
if they had nothing to give?
PsDon
Legite quomodo adulter
puniatur in sancta lege (Cf. Lev 20, 10; Deut 22, 22);
Read how the adulterer
is punished in the holy law (See Lev 20:10; Deut 22:22);
PsDon
non enim dicere potest,
quia peccavit a timore.
for he cannot say
that he sinned out of fear.
PsDon
Si sancti soli baptizant,
post istos rebaptizate.
If only the holy baptize,
then rebaptize after these men.
PsDon
Quid calumniamini nobis
qui sumus in unitate,
Why do you bring false charges against us
who are in unity,
PsDon
qui nondum eramus vel nati
in illa persecutione?
who were not yet even born
at the time of that persecution?
PsDon
Et scriptum est peccata patrum
ad iustos non pertinere (Cf Deut 24, 16; Ez 18);
And it is written that the sins of the fathers
do not belong to the just (See Deut 24:16; Ezek 18);
PsDon
sed nemo dat fructum bonum
si praecisus est de vite.
but no one bears good fruit
if he has been cut off from the vine.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
S
S
<bsc>Scitis </bsc>Catholica quid sit
et quid sit praecisum a vite.
<bsc>You know </bsc>what the Catholic Church is
and what has been cut off from the vine.
PsDon
Si qui sunt inter vos cauti,
veniant, vivant in radice;
If any among you are wary,
let them come, let them live in the root;
PsDon
antequam nimis arescant
iam liberentur ab igne.
before they dry up too far,
let them now be freed from the fire.
PsDon
Ideo non rebaptizamus,
quod unum signum est in fide,
For this reason we do not rebaptize,
because there is one sign in the faith,
PsDon
non quia vos sanctos videmus,
sed solam formam tenere,
not because we see you as holy,
but as holding only the outward form,
PsDon
quia ipsam formam habet sarmentum
quod praecisum est de vite.
for the branch that has been cut off from the vine
has that same form.
PsDon
Sed quid illis prodest forma,
si non vivant de radice?
But what good is the form to them,
if they do not live from the root?
PsDon
Venite, fratres, si vultis
ut inseramini in vite.
Come, brethren, if you wish
to be grafted into the vine.
PsDon
Dolor est cum vos videmus
praecisos ita iacere.
It is a grief to us when we see you
lying there cut off like this.
PsDon
Numerate sacerdotes
vel ab ipsa Petri sede
Count the priests
down from the very seat of Peter,
PsDon
et in ordine illo patrum
quis cui successit videte:
and in that line of fathers
see who succeeded whom:
PsDon
ipsa est petra quam non vincunt
superbae inferorum portae (Cf. Mt 16, 18)
that is the rock which the proud gates of hell
do not overcome (See Matt 16:18).
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
T
T
<bsc>Talis </bsc>si quis ad te veniat
plenus catholica fide,
<bsc>If such a man </bsc>should come to you
full of catholic faith,
PsDon
quales illos sanctos viros
omnes solemus audire
such as those holy men
we are all accustomed to hear about,
PsDon
et tibi dicat: " O frater,
quid me vis rebaptizare?
and should say to you, "O brother,
why do you want to rebaptize me?
PsDon
Quid sit ante factum nescio,
nunc autem sum in Christi fide.
What was done before I do not know,
but now I am in the faith of Christ.
PsDon
Si me maculat quod nescio,
tu qualis sis nunc ostende:
If what I do not know defiles me,
show now what sort of man you are:
PsDon
vultus tuos ecce attendo,
ignoro quid sit in corde.
see, I look upon your face,
but I do not know what is in your heart.
PsDon
Si me maculat quod nescio,
tu me maculas fortasse
If what I do not know defiles me,
perhaps you defile me,
PsDon
et si te credo esse sanctum,
quibus communicas vide.
and if I believe you to be holy,
look at those with whom you are in communion.
PsDon
Si maculat quod nescimus,
iam non potes sanctus esse,
If what we do not know defiles,
then you can no longer be holy,
PsDon
quem maculant tot peccata,
quae committunt vestri occulte.
you whom so many sins defile
that your people commit in secret.
PsDon
Si autem quod nescis non curas,
nec ego quod factum est ante ".
But if you do not trouble over what you do not know,
neither do I over what was done before."
PsDon
Et tamen christianum talem
audes tu rebaptizare?
And yet such a Christian as this
you dare to rebaptize?
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
V
V
<bsc>Vae </bsc>qui pro cathedris vestris
sic contenditis iniuste.
<bsc>Woe </bsc>to you who for the sake of your episcopal seats
contend thus unjustly.
PsDon
Clamatis vos solos sanctos,
aliud dicitis in corde
You cry out that you alone are holy,
but you say otherwise in your heart,
PsDon
quia videtis et vos multos
malos abundare ubique.
because you too see that many
bad men abound everywhere.
PsDon
Numquid dicere potestis:
"Mixti sumus intra rete "?
Surely you cannot say,
"We are mingled within the net"?
PsDon
Respondetur enim vobis
iam vos illud disrupisse.
For the answer is given you
that you have already broken that net.
PsDon
Neque dicere potestis
paleas vos sustinere;
Nor can you say
that you are putting up with the chaff;
PsDon
iterum enim respondemus:
Hoc fecissetis et ante.
for again we answer:
you would have done this before as well.
PsDon
Non enim peiores erant
illo Iuda traditore (Cf. Mt 24, 25),
For they were no worse
than that Judas the traitor (See Matt 24:25),
PsDon
cum quo Apostoli acceperunt
primum sacramentum cenae (Cf Io 13, 22-30),
with whom the apostles received
the first sacrament of the supper (See John 13:22-30),
PsDon
cum tanti sceleris reum
inter se iam scirent esse;
though they already knew him among them
to be guilty of so great a crime;
PsDon
nec tamen hos inquinabant
sordes in alieno corde.
and yet the filth in another's heart
did not defile them.
PsDon
Et tamen christianos fratres
audetis rebaptizare.
And yet Christian brethren
you dare to rebaptize.
PsDon
Vos qui gaudetis de pace,
modo verum iudicate.
You who rejoice in peace,
now judge what is true.
PsDon
Audite fratres quae dico
et mihi irasci nolite
Hear, brethren, what I say,
and do not be angry with me,
PsDon
quia non sunt falsa quae auditis,
potestis considerare.
for what you hear is not false;
you can consider it for yourselves.
PsDon
Quid si ipsa mater Ecclesia
vos alloquatur cum pace
What if mother Church herself
were to address you in peace
PsDon
et dicat: " O filii mei,
quid querimini de matre?
and say, "O my children,
why do you complain of your mother?
PsDon
Quare me deseruistis,
iam volo a vobis audire.
Why have you deserted me?
I want now to hear it from you.
PsDon
Accusatis fratres vestros
et ego laceror valde.
You accuse your brethren
and I am torn cruelly.
PsDon
Quando me premebant gentes,
multa tuli cum dolore.
When the nations were pressing me hard,
I bore much with grief.
PsDon
Multi me deseruerunt,
sed fecerunt in timore;
Many deserted me,
but they did it out of fear;
PsDon
vos vero nullus coegit
sic contra me rebellare.
but you, no one compelled
to rebel against me like this.
PsDon
Dicitis mecum vos esse,
sed falsum videtis esse.
You say that you are with me,
but you see that it is false.
PsDon
Ego Catholica dicor
et vos de Donati parte.
I am called Catholic
and you are of the party of Donatus.
PsDon
Iussit me apostolus Paulus
pro regibus mundi orare (Cf 1 Tim 2, 1-2);
The apostle Paul commanded me
to pray for the kings of the world (See 1 Tim 2:1-2);
PsDon
vos invidetis quod reges
iam sunt in christiana fide.
you begrudge it that kings
are now in the Christian faith.
PsDon
Si filii estis, quid doletis ,
quia auditae sunt praeces meae?
If you are my children, why do you grieve
that my prayers have been heard?
PsDon
Quando enim dona miserunt
noluistis acceptare
For when they sent gifts,
you were unwilling to accept them
PsDon
et obliti estis Prophetas,
qui illud praedixerunt ante,
and you forgot the prophets
who foretold this beforehand,
PsDon
quod gentium reges magni
missuri essent dona Ecclesiae (Cf Ps 71, 10).
that the great kings of the nations
would send gifts to the Church (See Ps 72:10 (71:10)).
PsDon
Quae dona cum respuistis,
ostendistis vos non esse
And when you spurned these gifts,
you showed that you were not mine
PsDon
et Macharium coegistis
suum dolorem vindicare.
and you forced Macarius
to avenge his own grief.
PsDon
Sed ego quid vobis feci,
mater vestra in toto orbe?
But what have I done to you,
I, your mother throughout the whole world?
PsDon
Expello malos quos possum,
quos non possum cogor ferre.
I drive out the bad whom I can;
those I cannot, I am forced to bear.
PsDon
Fero illos, donec sanentur,
aut separentur in fine.
I bear them until they are healed,
or are separated at the end.
PsDon
Vos me quare dimisistis
et crucior de vestra morte?
Why have you abandoned me
and I am tormented over your death?
PsDon
Si multum malos odistis
quales habetis videte.
If you hate bad men so much,
look at the sort you have among you.
PsDon
Si et vos toleratis malos,
quare non in unitate,
If you too tolerate bad men,
why not within unity,
PsDon
ubi nemo rebaptizat nec
altare est contra altare?
where no one rebaptizes
and altar is not against altar?
PsDon
Malos tantos toleratis
sed nulla bona mercede
You tolerate so many bad men,
but for no good reward,
PsDon
quia quod debetis pro Christo,
pro Donato vultis ferre ".
because what you owe for Christ's sake
you choose to bear for Donatus's sake."
PsDon
Cantavimus vobis, fratres,
pacem si vultis audire.
We have sung to you, brethren,
if you are willing to hear of peace.
PsDon
Venturus est iudex noster:
nos damus, exigit ille.
Our judge is coming:
we give, and he requires.
PsDon

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