Yet though neither party yielded to the other, they did not, on that account, break the bonds of charity.*

Toward the end of the century, Victor, bishop of Rome, as bishops were in those days, undertook to force upon the Asiatic Christians the custom of the west; and on their refusing to comply, "broke communion with them, pronounced them unworthy of the name of brethren, and excluded them from all fellowship with the church of Rome." But Victor and his associates were obliged to give back; and both sides "retained their own customs until the fourth century, when the council of Nice abolished that of the Asiatics, and rendered the time of the celebration of Easter the same through all the Christian churches."

There is extant on this subject a fragment of Irenæus, being part of a letter which he wrote in his own name and the name of his brethren, to Victor; and which had great influence in healing the breach. It is worth inserting.

After admonishing Victor that he ought not, for such a reason, "to cut off from communion whole churches of God who observed the custom handed down from their ancestors," he adds:

* Mosheim, Vol. I. p. 204. † Ib. p. 204, 205.

‡ Ib.

"Not only is there a controversy about the day, but about the very form, of the fast. For some think it ought to be kept for one day, others for two, others even for several; others measure for their term forty hours, including both night and day. And this variety among those who keep it, has not originated in our times, but prevailed long before us; our predecessors, it seems, not having been very scrupulous with regard to accuracy; but having adopted their custom in their simplicity and according to their peculiar feelings, handed it down, thus diversified, to the succeeding age. But all these were not, therefore, the less at peace among themselves, nor are we. The difference about the fast commends the agreement in the faith.

"The Presbyters who, before Soter, ruled the church which you now govern; we mean Anicetus, and Pius, and Hyginus, and Telesphorus, and Xystus, neither observed themselves, nor permitted their people to observe, the day which is kept by the Asiatic Christians: and, nevertheless, while they did not observe that day, they maintained peace* with the other Presbyters who did, when they visited them; although the observance was more obnoxious to them, than the

Maintaining peace," in the phraseology of Irenæus and the primitive Christians, is equivalent with "holding communion."

non-observance to the Asiatics; yet never were any, on account of this diversity, cast out of the church. But the Presbyters who preceded you, and did not keep the day, sent the Eucharist to the others who did. And when blessed Polycarp went on a journey to Rome in the time of Anicetus, and they had some little difference about other matters, they immediately dropped it for the sake of peace; and would by no means cherish contention on this head. Anicetus could not, indeed, persuade Polycarp to relinquish his observance; as having always kept it with John, the disciple of the Lord, and the other Apostles with whom he had been conversant. Nor did Polycarp persuade Anicetus to adopt it, as he pleaded for the necessity of retaining the custom of the Presbyters who had gone before him. Yet while things were in this state, they held communion with each other. And in the church, Anicetus, from pure respect, yielded to Polycarp the dispensation of the Eucharist, and they amicably separated from each other; and the peace of the whole church was preserved, both by those who kept the day, and those who did not."* Thus Irenæus.

* The importance of this document, on several accounts, will be deemed a sufficient apology for accompanying it with the original, notwithstanding its length.

Ου γαρ μόνον περι της ημερας εστιν ἡ αμφισβητησις, αλλά και περι

του

In the next century there was a keen controversy concerning the validity of baptism administered by heretics, as well as concerning their readmission into the Catholic church. Stephanus, bishop of Rome, had acted with hauteur and even violence towards the celebrated Cyprian. This drew from Firmilianus, bishop of Cæsarea

Και τοιαύτη μεν ποικιλία

είδους αυτου της νηστείας. Οι μεν γαρ οιονται μιαν ἡμέραν δειν αυτους νηστευειν· ὁι δε δυο, οι δε κ πλείονας· ὁι δε τεσσαρακοντα ώρας, ἡμερινας σε * νυκτερινας συμμετρουσι την ήμεραν αυτων. των επιτηρούντων, ου νυν εφ' ήμων γεγονυία, αλλά και πολυ πρότερον επε των προ ήμων, των παρά το ακριβες, ὡς εικος, κρατούντων, την καθ ̓ ἁπλο τητα ή ιδιωτισμον συνηθειαν εις το μετέπειτα πεποιηκότων. Και ουδεν ελαττον παντες ουτοι ειρηνευσαν τε, και ειρηνευόμεν προς αλλήλους· καὶ ἡ δια φωνία της νηστείας την ὁμονοιαν της πίστεως, συνίστησι.

Και οι προ Σωτηρος πρεσβύτεροι οι προσταντες της εκκλησίας, ἧς νυν αφηγή, Ανίκητον λεγομεν και Πιον, Υγίνον τε και Τελεσφόρον, και Ξυστον, ούτε αυτοί ετηρησαν, ούτε τοις μετ' αυτούς επέτρεπον. Και ουδεν ελαττον αυτοί μη τηρουντες, ειρηνευον τοις απο των παροικίων εν αἷς ετηρειτο, ερχο μένοις προς αυτους, καίτοι μάλλον εναντιον ην το τηρείν τοις μη τηρουσι· κα ουδεποτε δια το είδος τουτο απεβλήθησαν τινες. Αλλ' αυτοί μη τηρούντες

προ σου πρεσβύτεροι τοις απο των παροικίων τηςουσιν επεμπον ευχαριστ λιαν. Και τον μακαρίου Πολυκαρπου επιδημήσαντος τη Ρωμη επι Ανικητου, και περί άλλων τινων μικρα σχονίες προς αλλήλους, ευθύς ειρηνευσαν, περι Ιούλου του κεφαλαίου μη φιλεριστησαντες ἑαυτους. Ούτε γας ὁ Ανικητος 7ον Πολυκαρπον πεισαι εδύνατο μη τηρειν, ότε μέλα Ιωάννου του μαθήτου Κυρίου ήμων, κ λοιπων Αποστολων οἷς συνδιέτριψεν, και λέληςηκολα· ούτε μην ὁ Πολυκαρπος τον Ανικητον έπεισε Τήρειν, λεγοντα, την συνηθειών των προ αυτού πρεσβύτερων οφελειν κατεχειν. Και τούτων οὕτως εχονίων, εκοινώνησαν ἑαυλοις· * εν 7η εκκλησία παρεχώρησε την ευχαριστίαν 7ῳ Πολύκαρπῳ, κατ' εντροπ δηλονότι, και μετ' ειρηνης απ' αλλήλων απηλλάγησαν, πάσης της εκκλησιας ειρη την εχοντων ήλων Τηρούντων, ήλων μη πηρουνιών.

IREN. ap. Εuseb. Η. Ε. I. VI. c. 24. T. I. p. 246249

Ed. Reading, 1720.

in Cappadocia, about A. D. 256, a letter to Cyprian, in which is the following statement.

"But that they who are at Rome do not entirely observe all things which have been handed down from the beginning; and that they appeal in vain to Apostolic authority for their own usages, any one may know from the fact of his seeing that there are some differences among them about the days on which the Paschal feast" (before Easter) "is to be kept; and about many other particulars of divine worship; and that they have not precisely the same observances there as prevail in Jerusalem. So likewise, in a very great number of other provinces, many things vary according to the diversity of place and people; but nevertheless these variations have at no time infringed the peace and unity of the Catholic church which Stephanus has now dared to do; breaking that peace, in regard to you, which his predecessors always maintained with you,' (the African churches) "in mutual love and honour."*

* Eos autem qui Romæ sunt non ea in omnibus observare quæ sunt ab origine tradita, et frustra Apostolorum auctoritatem prætendere; scire quis etiam inde potest, quod circa celebrandos dies paschæ, et circa multa alia divinæ rei sacramenta, videat esse apud illos aliquas diversitates; nec observari illic omnia æqualiter quæ Hierosolymis observantur. Secundum quod in ceteris quoque plurimis provinciis, multa pre locorum et nominum diversitate variantur; nec tamen prop