| Author | Peregrinus (pseud. ofVincent of Lérins) |
|---|---|
| Original title | Commonitorium[1] |
| Translator | Reginald S. Moxon |
| Language | Latin |
| Subject | apologetics,Christian theology |
| Media type | |
| LC Class | BR65 .V4 |
TheCommonitorium orCommonitory is a 5th-century Christian treatise written after thecouncil of Ephesus under thepseudonym "Peregrinus" and attributed toVincent of Lérins.[2][3] It is known for Vincent's famous maxim: "Moreover, in the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all."[3]: 132 [a]
Charles Heurtley introduced theCommonitory, in his translation, as Vincent's personal reference to "distinguish Catholic truth fromheresy" based on the authority of Holy Scripture by which "all questions must be tried in the first instance" and "supplemented by an appeal to that sense of Holy Scripture which is supported by universality, antiquity, and consent."[3]
Thomas Guarino commented, inVincent of Lérins and the Development of Christian Doctrine, that Vincent of Lérins' theology "is often reduced to a memorable slogan: 'We hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, and by everyone.'"[4]
Bernard Prusak explained inThe Church Unfinished, that for Vincent, "the decrees of a universal council were to be preferred to the ignorance of a few" and the deposit of faith "did not exclude development or progress, as long as it was not an alteration" and accordingly, doctrines "could be taught in a new way."[5]
Most of the work contains illustrations and applications of this principle. The work consisted originally of two tomes; but the second was lost or, according toGennadius of Massilia, stolen while Vincent was still alive, and he wrote only a synopsis of the lost tome's contents but never rewrote it.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Vincent of Lérins (1915). Moxon, Reginald S. (ed.).Commonitorium of Vincentius of Lerins. Cambridge patristic texts (in Latin and English). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.OCLC 635499104. Has good notes.