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 is a theological treatise in which a Catholic author refutes a letter from the Donatist bishop Fulgentius. The core of the debate centers on the oneness of baptism and the universality of the Church. The author argues that baptism administered in the name of the Trinity is valid, even if performed by sinful ministers or outside the Church, thereby rejecting the practice of rebaptism. Throughout the discourse, the author counters the Donatist view that the validity of sacraments depends on the moral character of the priest, asserting instead that sacraments belong to God and the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the author exposes the internal contradictions of the Donatists, citing their inconsistent treatment of the Maximianist schismatics and their historical double standards. Ultimately, the work defines the true Church as a universal body characterized by spiritual rather than physical separation from evil, fully dismantling the Donatist claims.