26. Ps. xlix, 16, 17, 18, 20.
27. St. Optatus here passes abruptly from the singular to the plural number, from Parmenian individually to the Donatists collectively.
28. Ps. xxxiii, 15.
29. Luke ii, 14.
30. Ps. cxxxii, 1.
31. Here St. Optatus returns to the singular.
32. John xiii, 10.
33. Ps, civ, 15.
34. We have the plural once more.
35. John xiii, 34.
36. Cf. vii, 3.
37. We have the singular again.
38. iustificationes.
39. Ziwsa has added at the beginning of this last sentence a second quomodo and places a note of interrogation at the end (Quomodo testamentum vecitas?). This addition (for which no reason is given) seems unnecessary. The vecitas testamentum corresponds well with the exponis iustificationes Dei etc. of the beginning of the paragraph.
40. electi estis, qui sedentes populum doceatis. To sit, i.e. when teaching the people. We learn from St. Augustine (Hom. xxvi; Tract. xix and cxii in S. Ioan.; in Expos. Ps. cxlvii etc.) that in the Churches of Africa the Bishops only were allowed to sit (though an exception was made in favour of those who were ill or tired, at least when the reading was long). He tells us, however, that a far better custom prevailed in some European Churches: 'longe consultius in quibusdam ecclesiis transmarinis, non solum antistites sedentes loquuntur ad populum, sed ipsi etiam populo sedilia subiacent' (de Catech. rudibus, c. xiii).
41. Ps. xlix, 20.
42. ne nos salutent, ne a nobis dignationem accipiant. In the early days of Christianity, Christians were accustomed to salute one
another with the kiss of peace, not only at a stated time in the church during divine service, but also when meeting in the street. Casaubon points out that in Low Latin dignatio was used for facilitas or humanitas and quotes from Sidonius Apollinaris the phrase ' dignitate clarus, dignatione communis.' (For legitimum, cf. note 5, p. 164.)
43. tractatus ----i.e. ad populum = sermons. Ziwsa, however, gives libellus as its equivalent.
44. et invenietis oleum vestrum timuisse, qui rogabat. Du Pin rejects this sentence, as not being consistent with the context; but it is found in all the MSS.
45. qui non aut aliud initiet aut aliud explicet.
46. lectiones dominicas.
47. Ps. xlix, 20.
48. non ad populum qui in Ecclesia non habent sedendi licentiam. Cf. supra: 'Electi estis, qui sedentes populum doceatis,' where see note.
49. in perfunctoria salutatione oscula denegatis solita.