of widows and wards; but they are to be punished by the public tribunals if hereafter the kindred and relatives of these ladies see fit to accuse them. Moreover, we decree that the offenders aforesaid who have privately, under pretext of religion, attached to themselves any woman, shall not be allowed to profit by any liberality, or last decision of hers; and that every bequest left by any such woman to any such person shall be so far invalid as that, not even through a third party, shall he be able to receive anything whether by gift or bequest. On the contrary, if by any chance, after the warning of this our enactment, they imagine that anything is to be left to them by the gift or last decision of any such woman, it is to be confiscated to the Treasury. If, however, they receive anything by the desire of those to whose succession or goods they are entitled by civil law or under the terms of any edict, then let them claim it as next of kin.-Read in the churches of Rome, July 30 [370], in the third consulate of the Augusti, Valentinian and Valens.-K.

No. 41. Donatus of Carthage, 315-†55 From Optatus, De schismate Donatistarum [c. 373], iii. § 3 (C.S.E.L. xxvi. 73-8).

[c. 3] Secondly, Donatus of Carthage was responsible, for through his poisonous wiles the question of [effecting] unity was first mooted.

I shall be able to show that the makers of unity did nothing at our instigation, nor of their own wickedness, but that everything happened through provocatory causes, which were set in motion by Donatus of Carthage, in his lightness of heart, and were due to the actions of individuals controlled by him, whilst he was struggling to be thought great. . . . Who can deny a fact, to which the whole of Carthage is the leading witness, that the Emperor Constans did not originally send Paul and Macarius to bring about unity, but to be his almoner, in order that the poor people. in the various churches might be afforded assistance, by means of which they might breathe anew, be clothed, fed and rejoice?

But when they came to Donatus your father, and told

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him why they had come, he, as was usual with him, fell into a rage, and burst out with these words: "What has the Emperor to do with the Church?" And from the fountain of his levity, he poured forth torrents of reproaches no less evil-sounding than those with which he had once upon a time not hesitated to assail the prefect Gregory--calling him

Gregory the stain upon the Senate, the disgrace of the Prefects," and the like. Gregory replied to him with patience worthy of a bishop.

Why then did Donatus act like a madman? Why was he full of anger? Why did he refuse the gifts which had been sent? For when the commissioners announced that they were going through the different provinces, and that they would give alms to those who were willing to accept them, he declared that he had sent letters everywhere in advance to forbid that anything which had been brought should be distributed anywhere amongst the poor.

He believed that he held dominion over Carthage. Moreover, in the mouths of the people, he was seldom called a bishop, but was spoken of as "Donatus of Carthage" and though men are wont to swear by God alone, he allowed men to swear by him, as if by God. . . . Again, whilst all those who believed in Christ were, before the day of his insolence, called Christians, he ventured to divide the people with God, so that those who followed him were no longer called Christians, but Donatists; and when any people visited him from any province of Africa, he did not ask those questions (which the custom of men always calls for) about the weather, about peace and war, about the harvest, but to every one who came into his presence he spoke thus: 'How goes my party in your part of the world?”—O. R. Vassall-Phillips, The Works of St. Optatus, 131-8.

No. 42.-Creation and Restoration

From Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, 328-†73, De Incarnatione [c. 319], iii. § 3, and vii. §§ 3-5 (ed. A. Robertson: D. Nutt, 1882).

[iii. § 3] For God is good, or rather is essentially the source of goodness; nor could one that is good be niggardly

of anything whence, grudging existence to none, He has made all things out of nothing by His own Word, Jesus Christ our Lord. And among these, having taken especial pity, above all things on earth, upon the race of men, and having perceived its inability, by virtue of the condition of its origin, to continue in one stay, He gave them a further gift, and He did not barely create man, as He did all the other irrational creatures on the earth; but made them after His own Image, giving them a portion even of the power of His own Word; so that having, as it were, a kind of reflection of the Word, and being made rational, they might be able to abide ever in blessedness, living the true life which belongs to the saints in paradise.

[vii. § 3] But repentance would, first, fail to guard the just claim of God. For He would still be none the more true, if men did not remain in the grasp of death; nor, secondly, does repentance call men back from what is their nature--it merely stays them from acts of sin. [§ 4] Now, if there were merely a misdemeanour in question, and not a consequent corruption, repentance were well enough. But if, when transgression had once gained a start, men became involved in that corruption which was their nature, and were deprived of the grace which they had, being in the Image of God, what further step was needed? or what was required for such grace and such recall, but the Word of God, which had also at the beginning made everything out of nought? [§ 5.] For His it was once more both to bring the corruptible to incorruption, and to maintain intact the just claims of the Father upon all For being Word of the Father and above all, He alone of natural fitness was both able to recreate everything, and worthy to suffer on behalf of all and to be ambassador for all with the Father.A. Robertson, St. Athanasius on the Incarnation, 5, 11–12.

No. 43.-Arianism Idolatrous

From Athanasius, Ad episcopos Ægypti [356], § 13 (Op. i. 221; P.G. xxv. 568 B).

[§ 13]. Infidelity is coming in through these men, or rather a Judaism beside the Scriptures, which has close upon it Gentile superstition; so that he who holds these

opinions can no longer be called a Christian, for they are all contrary to the Scriptures.

John, for instance, saith, "In the beginning was the Word; but these men say, "He was not before he was begotten." And again he has written, "And we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ; this is the true God, and eternal life;" but these men, as if, in contradiction to this, allege that Christ is not the true God, but that He is only called God, as are other creatures, in regard of His participation in the Divine nature. And the Apostle blames the Gentiles, because they worship creatures, saying, "They served the creature more than" God "the Creator." But if these men say that the Lord is a creature, and worship Him as a creature, how do they differ from the Gentiles? If they hold this opinion, is not this passage also against them; and does not the blessed Paul write as blaming them?. The Lord also says, "I and my Father are one" and "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father"; and the Apostle, who was sent by Him to preach, writes, "Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express Image of His Person." But these men dare to separate them, and to say that he is alien from the substance and eternity of the Father; and impiously to represent Him as changeable, not perceiving that, by speaking thus, they make Him to be not one with the Father, but one with created things. Who does not see that the brightness cannot be separated from the light, but that it is by nature proper to it and co-existent with it, and is not produced after it?-L.F. xiii. 141–2.

No. 44.-Flight under Persecution and the Attack on the Church of Theonas, Feb. 8, 356 From Athanasius, Apol. de fuga sua [357], §§ 22-4 (Op. i. 264–5; P.G. xxv. 672–6).

[§ 22] Thus the saints, as I said before, were abundantly preserved in their flight by the providence of God, as physicians for the sake of them that had need. And to all men generally, even to us is this law given, that we should flee when we are persecuted, and hide ourselves when we are sought after, and not rashly tempt the Lord, but should wait, as I said above, until the appointed time of death

arrive, or the Judge determine something concerning us, according as it shall seem to Him to be good: that we should be ready that, when the time calls for us, or when we are taken, we may contend for the truth even unto death. This rule the blessed martyrs observed in their several persecutions. When persecuted, they fled; while concealing themselves, they showed fortitude; and when discovered, they submitted themselves to martyrdom. . . .

[§ 23] Seeing, therefore, that such are the commands of our Saviour, and that such is the conduct of the saints, let these persons, to whom one cannot give a name suitable to their character-let them, I say, tell us from whom they learnt to persecute? They cannot say, From the saints. No, but from the devil (that is the only answer which is left them)—from him who says, "I will pursue, I will overtake." Our Lord commanded to flee, and the saints fled; but persecution is a device of the devil, and one which he desires to exercise against all. .

[$ 24]. The manner of my withdrawal. . . . It was now night, and some of the people were keeping a vigil preparatory to a communion on the morrow, when the General Syrianus suddenly came upon us with more than five thousand soldiers, having arms and drawn swords, bows, spears and clubs, as I have related above. With these he surrounded the church, stationing his soldiers near at hand, in order that no one might be able to leave the church and pass by them. Now I considered that it would be unfair in me to desert the people during such a disturbance, and not to endanger myself in their behalf; therefore I sat down upon my throne, and desired the deacon to read the Psalm, and the people to answer, "For His mercy endureth for ever,” and then all to withdraw and depart home. But the General having now made a forcible entry, and the soldiers having surrounded the chancel for the purpose of apprehending me, the clergy and those of the laity, who were still there, cried out, and demanded that I should withdraw. But I refused, declaring that I would not do so, until they had retired one and all. Accordingly I stood up and having bidden prayer, I then made my request of them, that all should depart before me, saying that it was better that my safety should be endangered, than that any of them