Source edition
Augustine. Sancti Aureli Augustini Opera, Sectio VII, Pars III (Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, Volume 53). Petschenig, Michael, editor. Prague; Vienna; Leipzig: F. Tempsky; G. Freytag, 1910.
Source data
Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work records the debate that took place in a church in Caesarea, where Augustine confronted Emeritus, a Donatist bishop, in an effort to overcome the church schism and foster reconciliation. Before the gathered congregation, Augustine champions peace and Christian unity, urging Emeritus to break his silence and engage in dialogue. To demonstrate the Catholic commitment to reconciliation, Augustine recalls previous generous peace proposals, such as the sharing of episcopal offices, emphasizing that the true purpose of the episcopacy is the salvation and peace of the faithful. He then exposes the theological inconsistencies of the Donatists by bringing up their internal schism with the Maximianists, showing that they reinstated their own defectors without rebaptism—using a council decree once drafted by Emeritus himself. Despite Augustine's relentless logical pressure and calls for conversion, Emeritus remains silent, highlighting the deep-seated division between the two parties.