Humanitext Reader

Augustine · On the One Baptism §retractationes.1-retractationes.3

Circumstances of Composition and Chronological Corrections

Passage 1 of 1 · Latin

Summary

Augustine describes the circumstances under which he wrote his refutation of the Donatist Petilianus's work *On One Baptism*, and corrects a historical chronological error regarding Emperor Constantine mentioned in that book.

§retractationes.1Eo tempore librum de unico baptismo amicus quidam meus a nescio quo Donatista presbytero accepit indicante, quod Petilianus episcopus eorum Coustantiniensis eum scripserit.
At that time, a certain friend of mine received a book *On One Baptism* from some Donatist priest or other, who indicated that Petilianus, their bishop of Constantina, had written it.
hunc ad me ille adtulit ac uehementer, ut ei responderem, rogauit.
This book he brought to me and earnestly requested that I answer it.
librum autem etiam meum, in quo respondi, eundem titulum habere uolui, hoc est de unico baptismo.
Moreover, I wanted my own book, in which I replied, to have the same title, that is, *On One Baptism*.
§retractationes.2In quo libro illud, quod dixi: Constantinum imperatorem Donatistis criminantibus ordinatorem Caeciliani Felicem Aptugnensem non negasse accusationis locum, quamuis eos inCaecilianum fictis criminibus calumniosos fuisset expertus, in ordine temporum postea consideratum aliter inuentum est.
In this book, what I said—namely, that the Emperor Constantine, although he had found the Donatists to be slanderous in their fabricated charges against Caecilianus, did not deny them the opportunity for accusation when they blamed Felix of Aptunga, the ordainer of Caecilianus—when considered afterwards in the order of time, was found to be otherwise.
nam prius memoratus imperator causam Felicis fecit audiri a proconsule, ubi legitur absolutus, et postea ipse Caecilianum cum accusatoribus eius auditum comperit innocentem, ubi eos expertus est in eius criminibus calumniosos.
For the aforementioned Emperor first had the case of Felix heard by the proconsul, where he is read to have been acquitted, and afterwards he himself, having heard Caecilianus along with his accusers, found him to be innocent, wherein he experienced them to be slanderous in their charges against him.
qui ordo temporum per consules declaratus multo uehementius in ea causa calumnias Donatistarum conuincit penitusque subuertit, quod alibi ostendimus.
This order of time, declared through the consuls, much more vehemently convicts and utterly subverts the slanders of the Donatists in that case, which I have shown elsewhere.
§retractationes.3Hic liber sic incipit: Respondere aduersa sentientibus.
This book begins thus: "To reply to those who hold contrary views..."

Notes

  1. retractationes.1indicante — indicante is a present participle in the ablative case, modifying presbytero in the preceding prepositional phrase a nescio quo Donatista presbytero (from some Donatist priest). It functions as a circumstantial participle expressing attendant circumstance ("indicating that...").
  2. retractationes.2fecit audiri — A causative construction consisting of facio + passive infinitive (audiri), meaning "caused to be heard" or "had [the case] heard". This usage is common in Late Latin.
  3. retractationes.2illud ... consideratum aliter inuentum est — The core of the main clause consists of the neuter nominative singular pronoun illud (which introduces an appositive quod clause) as the subject, modified by the perfect participle consideratum (neuter nominative singular), and leading to the passive verb aliter inuentum est (was found to be otherwise). Due to the long intervening clauses, the gender/number agreement must be traced carefully.

Cite this passage

Augustine, On the One Baptism §retractationes.1-retractationes.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:stoa0040.stoa063.humanitext-lat1:retractationes.1-retractationes.3

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