Letter 49: Augustine invites Honoratus to explain the Donatist claim against the worldwide church.

Your proposal pleased us very much. Through our very dear brother Herotes, a man praiseworthy in Christ, you were kind enough to suggest that we should conduct the matter between us by letter, where no uproar of crowds can disturb the disposition with which this business must be undertaken and carried on: with complete gentleness and peace of mind. As the apostle says, "The servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, patient, correcting opponents with modesty." So I will briefly set out what I would like you to answer. We see the church of God, which is called catholic, spread throughout the world, just as prophecy said it would be. For that reason I do not think we should doubt such an evident fulfillment of holy prophecy, confirmed by the Lord in the Gospel and by the apostles through whom that same church was spread, just as it had been foretold. At the very beginning of the sacred Psalter it is written of the Son of God: "The Lord said to me, You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your possession." The Lord Jesus Christ himself says that his Gospel will be among all nations. And the apostle Paul, before the word of God had reached Africa, says at the beginning of the letter he wrote to the Romans: "Through him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name." Then Paul himself preached the Gospel from Jerusalem in a circuit through all Asia as far as Illyricum, and established and founded churches; not he, but the grace of God with him, as he himself testifies. What could appear more clearly than this, when in his letters we find the names of regions and cities themselves? He writes to the Romans, the Corinthians, the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Thessalonians, and the Colossians. John also writes to seven churches, named in those parts, and in that number seven we understand the whole church to be commended: Ephesus, Smyrna, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, Pergamum, and Thyatira. It is clear that we are in communion today with all these churches, and it is clear that you are not in communion with them. So I ask you, please do not find it burdensome to answer this: what cause do you know by which Christ lost his inheritance spread throughout the world, so that it suddenly remained only among Africans, and not even among all of them? The catholic church is in Africa too, because God willed and foretold that it would be in every land. But your party, called the party of Donatus, is not in all those places through which the apostolic writings, preaching, and deeds ran their course. And in case you say that our church is not called catholic but Macarian, as you call it, you should know something that is very easy to verify: in all those regions from which the Gospel of Christ flowed into these lands, neither the name of Donatus nor the name of Macarius is known. But your group is called the party of Donatus, as you cannot deny, and as everyone knows wherever your communion exists. Be kind enough, then, to write back, so that we may know how it could happen that Christ lost his church throughout the whole world and began to have it in you alone. It is your task to show this. For our case it is enough that we see prophecy and holy Scripture being fulfilled throughout the world. I, Augustine, dictated this because I have long wanted to speak with you about it. It seems to me that, especially because we are neighbors, we can discuss this matter by letter without disorder, with God's help, as much as the necessity itself requires.

EPISTOLA 49 Scripta forte a. 398. A. gratias agit Honorato, Donatianae partis episcopo, quod statuerit de pace Christiana tractare (n. 1) rogatque ut per litteras placide reddat rationem quomodo nomen Ecclesiae, quae utique toto orbe futura praevidetur in Scripturis sanctis (n. 2), ad ipsos solos reciderit (n. 3). Honorato episcopo partis Donati, Augustinus episcopus Ecclesiae catholicae De Ecclesia pace tractanda. 1. Consilium tuum nobis multum placuit, quod per fratrem Herotem carissimum nobis, et in Christo laudabilem virum mandare dignatus es, ut litteris inter nos agamus, ubi nullus turbarum tumultus perturbare possit dispositionem nostram, quae cum tota lenitate et pace animi suscipienda et agenda est, sicut dicit Apostolus: Servum autem Domini litigare non oportet, sed mitem esse ad omnes, docibilem, patientem, in modestia corripientem diversa sentientes 1. Itaque breviter insinuamus, quid a te responderi desideremus. A Christo Ecclesia toto orbe futura praedicta. 2. Quoniam Ecclesiam Dei, quae catholica dicitur, sicut de illa prophetatum est, per orbem terrarum diffusam videmus, arbitramur nos non debere dubitare de tam evidentissima completione sanctae prophetiae, quam Dominus etiam in Evangelio confirmavit et Apostoli, per quos eadem Ecclesia dilatata est, sicut de illa praedictum erat. Nam et in capite sacrosancti Psalterii scriptum est de Filio Dei: Dominus dixit ad me: Filius meus es tu, ego hodie genui te. Postula a me, et dabo tibi gentes haereditatem tuam, et possessionem tuam terminos terrae 2. Et ipse Dominus Iesus Christus dicit Evangelium suum in omnibus gentibus futurum 3. Et apostolus Paulus, antequam sermo Dei in Africam pervenisset, in ipso capite Epistolae quam scripsit ad Romanos: Per quem accepimus, inquit, gratiam et apostolatum, ad obediendum fidei, in omnibus gentibus pro nomine eius 4. Deinde ipse a Ierusalem in circumitu per totam Asiam usque in Illyricum Evangelium praedicavit 5, Ecclesias constituit atque fundavit; non ipse, sed gratia Dei cum eo 6, sicut ipse testatur. Quid autem evidentius apparere potest, quam cum in eius Epistolis nomina etiam regionum vel civitatum invenimus? Ad Romanos, ad Corinthios, ad Galatas, ad Ephesios, ad Philippenses, ad Thessalonicenses, ad Colossenses scribit. Ioannes etiam scribit ad septem Ecclesias 7, quas commemorat in illis partibus constitutas, in quibus etiam universam Ecclesiam septenario numero intellegimus commendari, Ephesum, Smyrnam, Sardos, Philadelphiam, Laodiciam, Pergamum, Thiatyram. Quibus omnibus Ecclesiis nos hodie communicare manifestum est, sicut manifestum est vos istis Ecclesiis non communicare. Num Ecclesia universa ad solos schismaticos redacta sit. 3. Quaerimus ergo ut nobis respondere non graveris, quam causam forte noveris, qua factum est ut Christus amitteret haereditatem suam per orbem terrarum diffusam, et subito in solis Afris, nec ipsis omnibus remaneret. Etenim Ecclesia catholica est etiam in Africa, quia per omnes terras eam Deus esse voluit et praedixit. Pars autem vestra, quae Donati dicitur, non est in omnibus illis locis, in quibus et Litterae et sermo et facta apostolica cucurrerunt. Sed ne dicatis, non vocari Ecclesiam nostram catholicam, sed Macarianam, sicuti eam vos appellatis; nosse debes, quod facillime potest, in illis omnibus partibus, unde istas terras Evangelium Christi perfudit, nec nomen Donati sciri, nec nomen Macarii. Vestra autem quia Donati pars dicitur, nec vos negare potestis, et omnibus notum est ubicumque est vestra communio. Dignare ergo rescribere nobis, ut sciamus quomodo fieri possit ut Ecclesiam suam Christus de toto orbe perdiderit, et in vobis solis habere coeperit: vestrum enim est haec ostendere; nam nobis sufficit ad causam nostram quod compleri prophetiam et Scripturas sanctas per orbem terrarum videmus. Hoc autem ego Augustinus dictavi, quia olim volo loqui inde tecum. Videtur enim mihi, vel propter ipsam vicinitatem, posse nos per litteras de hac re colloqui sine aliquo tumultu, adiuvante Deo, quantum ipsa necessitas postulat.