50. The Donatists held that the Invocation of the Trinity effected nothing in Baptism unless the Minister of the Sacrament was pure ( mundus ). But, as they taught that all the Catholics were impure ( inmundi ), it followed that they held practically that the Trinity could do nothing in Baptism unless they were present.
51. si nobis derogatis.
52. qui in Trinitate prior est. The reference is to Psalm cix, 1: 'Dixit Dominus Domino meo.'
53. omnia operatur et complet.
54. aquas primum vivas animas edidisse. Parmenian no doubt had before his mind the following words of Tertullian ( De Baptismo ): ' Primus liquor quod viveret edidit; nec mirum sit in Baptismo, si aquae animare noverunt.'
55. numquid sua sponte.
56. Gen. i, 20.
57. sine operante.
58. qui operabatur (cf. John i, 3).
59. Gen. i, 2.
60. nihil minus a Tribus.
61. revocate pisces in originem.
62. geminare (cf. vi. 2: inmane facinus a vobis geminatum est; vi. 8: geminata fraude; vii. 6: salutatione geminata ).
63. non leve certamen innatum est et dubitatur, an . . .
64. nutant et remigant animae populorum.
65. omnes contentiosi homines sumus.
66. studiis veritas impeditur. Cf. i, 26: 'de studio partium strepitus cotidiani sunt habiti.'
67. non potest Christiana nosse secreta.
68. Obviously this comparison cannot be unduly pressed. The Gospels cannot strictly be called Christ's Will, since not one word of them had been written at the time of His Death. St. Optatus, and St. Augustine after him (see note 2, p. 212), took advantage, for the purpose of their argument, of the word Testamentum ( διαθήκη ), which was already in use, though in a quite different sense, for the Sacred Books of the New Covenant. Dean Swift in his Tale of a Tub (Section II) is thought by some to have had this passage in his mind.
69. numerosos.
70. de pectore morituro transfert in tabulas diu duraturas.
71. Catholics have always appealed in domestic dissensions amongst themselves on theological questions, concerning which the Church has not spoken authoritatively, to the testimony of (1) Holy Scripture, (2) Apostolic Tradition. In dissensions with heretics they have appealed to the testimony of Scripture, which heretics profess at least to accept. So St. Augustine in controversy with the Donatists makes the same appeal, and indeed uses the same words as St. Optatus: 'Fratres sumus; quare litigamus? Non intestatus mortuus est Pater; fecit testamentumet sic mortuus est . . . Sedet Christus in caelo, et contradicitur Eius testamento' ( in Ps. xxi). But St. Augustine makes this appeal with greater caution than did St. Optatus. St. Optatus in the text appeals to John xiii, 7, in order to prove that Baptism may not be repeated; whereas St. Augustine, who no doubt felt that this was a forced application (cf. con. Petil. ii, 22) of the text, prefers to press the appeal to Scripture in order to prove thereby that the Catholic Church is the one Church of Christ. This he does without ceasing, urging the authority of the Catholic Church as decisive. When the discussion concerns any particular question (e.g. the repetition of Baptism) St. Augustine prefers to appeal to Apostolic Tradition rather than to Holy Scripture (cf. De Unit. xix; De Bapt. ii, 7, iv, 6, v, 23).
72. John xiii, 8.
73. inter ceteros Testamenti titulos.
74. hunc titulum.