Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. IV:
Writings in Connection with the Donatist Controversy.: Chapter I

p. 369

Introductory Essay.

By Rev. Chester D. Hartranft, D.D.

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Chapter I.—Bibliography.

A.  Sources.

I.    Of course all the Anti-Donatist writings of Augustin are found in the general editions from Amerbach, 1506, to Migne, 1861.  A few are also collected in Du Pin’s edd. of Optatus Mil.  1. In the Monumenta vetera ad Donatistarum Historiam pertinentia.  2. In the Gesta Collationis Carthagini habitae Honorii Caesaris iussu inter Catholicos et Donatistas.  See also the different Collections of Councils, Labbe, Baluze, Harduin, Mansi, etc.  Since these works are discussed in Chapter II. it is unnecessary to repeat the titles here.  Cp. titles in Retractationes:  and Indiculus librorum, tractatuum et epistolarum S. Augustini, ed. cura Possidii, cap. III.

II.            Separate editions of Augustin’s Anti-Donatist writings.  (From Schönemann’s Bibliotheca, and other bibliographies.)

1.   S. Augustini liber seu Epistola de unitate Ecclesiae contra Petiliani Donat.  Epistolam, Argumentis, Notis atque Analysi illustrata, studio Justi Caluini.  Moguntiae.  1602.

2.   SS. Cypriani et Augustini de unitate Ecclesiae tractatus.  Accedit Georgii Calixti, S. Theo. Doct. et in Acad. Julia Prof. primarii, in eorundem librorum lectionem Introductionis fragmentum edente Frid. Ulrico Calixto.  Georgii filio.  Helmæstadii ex typogr.  Calixt.  1657.  8.

3.      Aurelii Augustini, Episcopi Hipponensis, Liber de Unitate Ecclesiae contra Donatistas.  Ext. cum Commentariis uberrimis et utillisimis in Melchioris Lydeckeri Historia illustrata Ecclesiae Africanae, cujus totum pæne tomum secundum constituit inscriptum:

      Tomus secundus ad Librum Augustini de Unitate Ecclesiae contra Donatistas, de principiis Ecclesiae Africanae, illiusque fide in Articulis de Capite Christo et Ecclesia, de Unitate et Schismate, plurimisque Religionis Christianae capitibus agit.  Ultrajecti apud viduam Guil. Clerck, 1690.  4.

4.   D. Augustini liber de moderate coercendis haereticis ed Bonifacium Comitem. Nic. Bergius Revalensis Holmiae, 1696, in 8.

III.            Translations.

1.      Epistre ou le Livre de St. Augustin de l’Unité de l’Eglise, contre Petilien, Evesque Donatiste, avec certaines observations pour entendre les lieux plus difficiles par Jac.  Tigeou, imprimé à Reims par Jean de Foigny.  1567.  8.

p. 370 2.      L’Epistre à Vincent, Evesque de l’heresie Rogatiane, traduict de latin par Clément Vaillant.  A Paris, Mathurin Prevost.  1573.  8.

3.      Traité du Baptême trad. par l’abbé Dujat, chapelain d’Étampes. Paris.  1778.  12.

4.      Writings in connection with the Donatist controversy, translated by the Rev. J. R. King, M.A.  In the Series of Translations of the Works of Augustin.  Edinburgh.  T. & T. Clark.  1872.

5.      Ausgewählte Schriften des heil.  Aurelius Augustinus, Kirchenlehrers, nach aem Urtexte ubersetzt.  Mit einer kurzen Lebensbeschreibung des Heiligen von J. Motzberger.  1871–1879.  In the Bibliothek der Kirchenväter, Kempten, 1869 sqq.

B.  Literature.

This is a selected literature of the Donatist controversy so far as Augustin was connected with it.

I.    In the Benedictine editions occur:

1.      Their Vita S. Aurelii Augustini.  Tom. XI.  Antw., pp. 1–344.  Tom. I.  Migne, pp. 65–578.

2.      Praefatio of Tom. IX.  Antw. s. p.  Migne, pp. 9–24.

3.      Index opusculorum S. Augustini contra Donatistas.  Tom. IX.  Antw., pp. 463, 4.  Migne, pp. 757–760.

4.      Excerpta et scripta vetera ad Donatistarum historiam pertinentia.  Tom. IX.  Antw., App. pp. 7–50.  Migne, pp. 773–842.

5.      Epistolarum ordo chronologicus.     Tom. II.  Antw., s. p.  Migne, pp. 13–48.

II.            Possidius:  Vita S. Aurelii Augustini.  Reprinted in Migne Aug. Op.  Tom. I., pp. 33–66.  Cp. Migne Pat. Lat. L. p. 407.

III.            Ecclesiastica Historia.  By the Magdeburg Centuriators.  1559–1574.  Tom. II. and III., Centuria, IV. and V., contain the Donatist history.

IV.            Balduinius, Franc.

1.      Delibatio Africanae historiae ecclesticae, s.  Optati libri VII. de Schismate Donatistarum, etc.  Paris, 1563.  A second edition with improved readings.  Ib., 1569.  In this the prefaces and annotations are of value.  Reprinted in Du Pin’s ed. of Optatus Mil.

2.      Historia Carthaginensis Collationis sive disputationis de ecclesia, olim habitae inter Catholicos et Donatistas.  Paris, 1566.  8.  Reprinted in Du Pin. ib.

V.            Baronius.  Annales Ecclesiatici.  1588–1607.  Tom. III.-V., contain the Donatist history.

VI.               Albaspinæus:  Optati Mel. opera cum notis et observationibus Gabrielis Albaspinæi.  Paris, 1631.  Valuable mainly for the observations; reprinted in Du Pin’s ed. of Optatus.

VII.               Casaubonus:  Optati Mel. de schismate Donatistarum libri VII.  In eosd. notae et emendationes Merici Casauboni.  Lond. 1631.  These notes are of value and are reproduced with those of other editions in the Annotationes Variorum of Du Pin’s ed.

p. 371 VIII.               Valesius Henricus:  Eusebii Pamph. Historia ecc., libri de Vita Constantini, Panegyricus, Const. Oratio ad Sanctorum coetum, gr. et lat. cum annotatt.  Paris, 1659 and often.  In this is his dissertation:  De schismate Donatistarum.

IX. Long, Thomas, B.D.  History of the Donatists.  Lond. 1677.  8.

X.  Du Pin:  Nouvelle Bibliothéque des Auteurs Ecclésiastiques.

1.   St. Augustin.  Tom. III. première partie, pp. 522–839, 1690.  Particularly the review of vol. IX. of Augustin’s collected works, pp. 792–811.

2.   In Tom. II., Troisième partie, 1701, there are also many allusions to the history and literature.

3.   In his ed. of Optatus Mel., Historia Donatistarum.

XI.    Ittig, Thomas:  de Haeresiarchis œvi apostolici at apostol. prox.  Lips. 1690–1703.  4.

XII.               Leydecker Melchior; Historia Ecclesiastica Africana.  2 Tom. 4, See above.  Traj. 1690.  4.

XIII.               Witsius, Hermann:  Miscellaneorum Sacrorum libri.  2 vols. Amst. 1692.  4.  In vol. I. Dissertatio de schismate Donatistarum.

XIV.               Bernino:  Historia di tutte l’heresie descritta da Domenico Bernino.  Venezia 1711.  Tom. I., contains hist. of Donatism.

XV.               Storren, J. Ph.:  ansführlicher und gründlicher Bericht von den Namen, Ursprung, v.s.w. der Donatisten.  Frankf. 1723.  8.

XVI.               Norisius, Henricus:  Opera omnia nunc prim. collecta et ordinata.  Veronae, Tumermani, 1729–32, fol.  4vols.  The fourth volume contains his posthumous work on History of Donatism, as finished by Ballerini.

XVII.                  Tillemont:  in his Memoires pour servir a l’histoire Ecclésiastique:

1.      Tom. VI.  Histoire du schisme des Donatistes, où l’on marque aussi tout ce qui regardé l’Eglise d’Afrique depuis l’an 305, jusques en l’an 391que S. Augustin fut fait Prestre.  1732.

2.      Tom. XIII.  La Vie de Saint Augustin, dans laquelle on trouvera l’histoire des Donatistes de son temps, et celle des Pelagiens.  1732.

XVIII.                  Orsi:  Della Istoria Ecclesiastica descritta da F. Guiseppe Agostino Orsi.  Tom. IV. (1741) and V. (1749) contain the history ot the Donatists.

XIX.               Walch, Ch. Wilh. Fr.:   Entwurf einer vollständigen Historie der Ketzereien, Spaltungen und Religionsstreitigkeiten, bis auf die Zeiten der Reformation.  Leipzig, 1768.  Vierter Theil:  Von der Spaltung der Donatisten; with its three sections:

a.      Von der historie der Donatisten.

b.      Von den zwischen den Donatisten und ihren Gegnern geführten Religionsstreitigkeiten.

c.      Beurtheilung der Donatistichen Streitigkeiten.  This work was the beginning of a new critical estimate of the documents.

XX.               Schröckh, Johann Mattheus:  Christliche Kirchengeschichte.  Sechster Theil:  1784, but particularly Elfter Theil, 1786.  A juster estimate of Donatism.

p. 372 XXI.               Morcellii, Steph. Ant.:  Africa christiana in tres partes distributa.  3 vols. 4Brixiae, 1816–17.  4. P. II. for Donatism.

XXII.                  Bindemann, C.:  Der heilige Augustinus, 1844–1869.  Bdd. II. & III. contain excellent analyses of the works on Donatism, as well as a history during Augustin’s life.

XXIII.                  Roux, Adrianus:  Dissertatio de Aurelio Augustino, adversario Donatistarum.  Lugduni Batavorum, 1838.  A brief summary of the works and doctrine.

XXIV.                  Ribbeck:  Donatus und Augustinus oder der erste entscheidende Kampf zwischen Separatismus und Kirche.  Ein Kirchenhistorischer Versuch von Ferdinand Ribbeck.  Elberfeld.  1857.  8.  An uncritical history; but a vigorous analysis, apologetic and polemic.

XXV.                  Deutsch:  Drei Actenstücke zur Geschichte Donatismus.  Neu herausgegeben und erklärt von Martin Deutsch.  Berlin, 1875.  The first work on the textual and historical criticism of the sources.

XXVI.                  Voelter:  Der Ursprung des Donatismus, nach den Quellen untersucht und dargestellt von Lic Dr. Daniel Voelter.  Freiburg i. B. und Tübingen, 1883.  This keen writer, at present Prof. Ord. in Univ. of Amsterdam, has gone still further into textual and historical criticism, and gives fair promise of a more impartial hearing for Donatism.  It is to be hoped that he will fulfill his qualified promise of further research.

Among the general church histories particular mention may be made of Gieseler, Neander, Lindner, Niedner, Robertson, Ritter, Hergenröther, Schaff.  The articles on Augustin, Donatism and related persons and topics in Ceillier, Ersch und Gruber, Herzog, Schaff-Herzog, Smith’s Dictionary of Christian Biography, Wetzer and Welte, Lichtenberger, are more or less noteworthy.  Mention must also be made of the Patrologies, the biographies, Hefele’s Conciliengeschichte, the Analyses Patrum, etc.