Letter 66: Addressed, Without Salutation, to Crispinus, the Donatist Bishop of Calama. 1. You ought to have been influenced by the fear of God; but since, in your work of rebaptizing the Mappalians, you have chosen to take advantage of the fear with which as man you could inspire them, let me ask you what hinders the order of the sovereign from being carr...

Letter 66 — To Crispinus, Donatist Bishop of Calama: A Direct Challenge (A.D. 402) Addressed without formal salutation to Crispinus, Donatist Bishop of Calama. You ought to have been moved by the fear of God. Since you chose instead, in your rebaptizing of the Mappalians, to rely on the fear that you as a man could inspire in them, let me ask you this: what prevents the Emperor's order from being enforced throughout the province, when the order of the provincial governor has been so fully carried out in a single village? Compare the persons: you are a tenant-in-possession, he is the Emperor. Compare the situations: you are on an estate, he is on a throne. Compare the causes: his aim is to heal division; yours is to tear unity apart. But I do not tell you to be afraid of a man. Even though we could move to compel you to pay the ten pounds of gold prescribed by imperial decree as the penalty for rebaptizing members of the Church — perhaps you could not even pay the fine, having spent so much money buying the very people you then compelled to undergo the rite. No, I do not tell you to fear man. I tell you to fear Christ. What answer would you give him if he said to you: "Crispinus, was it a great price that you paid to purchase the fear of the Mappalian peasants? And does my death — the price I paid to purchase the love of all the nations — seem so little to you? Was the money counted out from your purse to acquire these serfs for rebaptism a more precious sacrifice than the blood that flowed from my side to redeem the nations for baptism?" I know that if you would listen to Christ, you would hear far more than this. And you might even be warned, by the very property you have acquired, how impious are the things you have said against him. If you believe that human law secures your title to what you have bought with money, how much more securely does divine law secure Christ's title to what he has bought with his own blood? He of whom it is written, "He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth" (Psalm 72:8), shall hold what he purchased with unconquerable power. But what assurance can you have of retaining what you claim to have made your own in Africa, when you assert that Christ has lost the whole world — that all he has left is Africa? Let me propose something simple. If these Mappalians passed into your communion of their own free will, let them hear both of us on the question that divides us — our respective arguments written down and translated into Punic after being attested by our signatures — and then, with all pressure of fear from their landlord removed, let these tenants freely choose for themselves. For by the very fact that you chose to use the means you used — the leverage of ownership — you have implicitly admitted that you do not trust the merits of your own cause to persuade free men. Farewell — if you will hear the truth.

Letter 66 (A.D. 402) Addressed, Without Salutation, to Crispinus, the Donatist Bishop of Calama. 1. You ought to have been influenced by the fear of God; but since, in your work of rebaptizing the Mappalians, you have chosen to take advantage of the fear with which as man you could inspire them, let me ask you what hinders the order of the sovereign from being carried out in the province, when the order of the governor of the province has been so fully enforced in a village? If you compare the persons concerned, you are but a vassal in possession; he is the Emperor. If you compare the positions of both, you are in a property, he is on a throne; if you compare the causes maintained by both, his aim is to heal division, and yours is to rend unity in two. But we do not bid you stand in awe of man: though we might take steps to compel you to pay, according to the imperial decree, ten pounds of gold as the penalty of your outrage. Perhaps you might be unable to pay the fine imposed upon those who rebaptize members of the Church, having been involved in so much expense in buying people whom you might compel to submit to the rite. But, as I have said, we do not bid you be afraid of man: rather let Christ fill you with fear. I should like to know what answer you could give Him, if He said to you: Crispinus, was it a great price which you paid in order to buy the fear of the Mappalian peasantry; and does My death, the price paid by Me to purchase the love of all nations, seem little in your eyes? Was the money which was counted out from your purse in acquiring these serfs in order to their being rebaptized, a more costly sacrifice than the blood which flowed from My side in redeeming the nations in order to their being baptized? I know that, if you would listen to Christ, you might hear many more such appeals, and might, even by the possession which you have obtained, be warned how impious are the things which you have spoken against Christ. For if you think that your title to hold what you have bought with money is sure by human law, how much more sure, by divine law, is Christ's title to that which He has bought with His own blood! And it is true that He of whom it is written, He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth, shall hold with invincible might all which He has purchased; but how can you expect with any assurance to retain that which you think you have made your own by purchase in Africa, when you affirm that Christ has lost the whole world, and been left with Africa alone as His portion? 2. But why multiply words? If these Mappalians have passed of their own free will into your communion, let them hear both you and me on the question which divides us — the words of each of us being written down, and translated into the Punic tongue after having been attested by our signatures; and then, all pressure through fear of their superior being removed, let these vassals choose what they please. For by the things which we shall say it will be made manifest whether they remain in error under coercion, or hold what they believe to be truth with their own consent. They either understand these matters, or they do not: if they do not, how could you dare to transfer them in their ignorance to your communion? And if they do, let them, as I have said, hear both sides, and act freely for themselves. If there be any communities that have passed over from you to us, which you believe to have yielded to the pressure of their superiors, let the same be done in their case; let them hear both sides, and choose for themselves. Now, if you reject this proposal, who can fail to be convinced that your reliance is not upon the force of truth? But you ought to beware of the wrath of God both here and hereafter. I adjure you by Christ to give a reply to what I have written. About this page Source. Translated by J.G. Cunningham. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 1. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1102066.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.