Optatus of Milevis, Against the Donatists (1917). Preface to the appendix. pp.321-325.
PREFACE TO THE APPENDIX
St. Optatus makes several references to the documents which he tells us that he was appending to his work, in order fully to establish the accuracy of his statements. For example, with regard to the Council at Cirta, which was the beginning of all the evil subsequently to be known as Donatism, he appeals to the evidence afforded by the writings of Nundinarius the Deacon, and to the Acts of the Council, which----so he says----
'dubitantibus proferre poterimus, harum namque plenitudinem rerum in novissima parte istorum libellorum ad implendam fidem adiunximus' (i, 14).
In the same way he states (i, 20) that he is appending the letter, in which the Bishops who were responsible for the consecration of Majorinus brought their charges against Caecilian. Again, with regard to the decrees of Eunomius and Olimpius he is able to write (i, 26):
'De iis rebus habemus volumina actorum, quod, si quis voluerit, in novissimis partibus legat.'
These decrees have been lost. But we have still extant (in their entirety or in part) most of the documents which were placed in his Appendix by St. Optatus. |322
The Colbertine MS. (C) has alone preserved for us any part of this Appendix. Moreover we possess this MS. in a very incomplete state. It commences only with the middle of the Sixth Book, and at the end of the Seventh we read:
'Expliciunt Sancti Optati Episcopi Libri Numero VII vel Gesta Purgationis Caeciliani Episcopi et Felicis Ordinatoris Eiusdem. necnon Epistola Constantini Imperatoris. Amen.'
But unfortunately there are many pages wanting between the Gesta Purgationis Caeciliani and the Gesta Purgationis Felicis ----so that Duchesne writes that at least as much of the Gesta Purgationis Caeciliani has been lost as yet remains, perhaps double or treble or possibly even more. With regard to the Gesta Purgationis Felicis comparatively little is missing, though the account of the inquiry before the Pro-Consul Aelianus starts somewhere in the middle.
Duchesne has carefully reconstructed the Appendix of St. Optatus, and shown that it probably contained the following documents:
I. Acta Purgationis Caeciliani
(1) Gesta apud Zenophilum.
(2) Acts of Cirta.
(3) Synodal letter of Donatist Council at Carthage against Caecilian (lost).
(4) Letter of Pro-Consul Anulinus to Constantine. |323
(5) Supplication of Donatists (in Optatus i, 22).
(6) Letter of Constantine to Miltiades.
(7) Report of Anulinus to Constantine (lost).
(8) Acts of Roman Council (nearly all lost: a fragment in Opt. i, 23, 24).
(9) Letter of Constantine to Eumelius (lost).
(10) Proceedings of Eunomius and Olimpius in Africa (lost).
II. Acta Purgationis Felicis
(11) Letter of Constantine to Aelius (or Aelianus?) (lost).
(12) Letter of Constantine to Probianus.