Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/479

 CHP.X�.] otDns. 473 throughout the whole world that one elected from the presbyters should preside over the others, to whom all the care of the church belonged, and the seeds of schisms were by this means taken away. Whoever supposes that it is not the decision of Scripture, but merely my own opinion, that a bishop and presbyter is one, and that the one is a name of' age, and the other office, let him read the words o/' the apostle,' saying to the Philipplans, Paul and TimotAe, .... to all ifs saints in Cbist was are at Piilippi, oitA t] bisAo end deae, o. Philippi is one city of Macedonia, and certainly in one city there can- not be allany bishops, such as are now called bishops. But because, at that time, they called those bishops who were aJso called presby- ters, the apostle speaks indiffe.ently of bishops, as though they were presbyters. Besides, we have 8a/d these things that we might show that among the ancients the same persons were presbyters and bishops. But, by degrees, that the plants of dissension might be rooted up, the principal charge was conferred on one. As, therefore, presbyters know that they, by the custom of. the church, are subject to him who was placed over them; 8o bishops should know that they, more by the cus- tom of' the church than by the verity of. our Lord'8 appointment, should govern the church, imitating Moses, who, when he was chosen to pre- side over the people of' Israel, chose seventy persons with whom he would judge the people. "� his hundred and first epistle, otherwise eighty-five, to Evagrius oF Evangelus, in which, reproving the rashness oF a deacon who conducted himself insolently against the presbyters, he repeats the same arguments for the equality of' a presbyter or bishop, to which he adds: "But ar* ward one was elected, who was placed over the others, which was a remedy for schism ..... For also at Alexandria, from the time of' Mark the evangelist, to the bishops Her2'cleas and Dionysius, the presbyters always nominated one of themselves, and elected him bishop to be placed in a higher grade; in such manner as if' an army would make a general, or the deacons would choose some active one of' their number whom they knew, and would call him an archdeacon. For what doth a bishop which a presbyter may* not do, except ordina* tion ?"' + ldem eat ergo presbyter qui set .epbcopus; et antsquare diaboli instinctu stmiia in religinne fierent, et dceretur in populb, ego sum Pauli, ego APUHo, ego ephe, com- muni concilio presbytersrum ecclesim gubernabantur. Pooumu vero unuluioque 9uoe baptizaverst, susa putsbat essc, non Christi, in tots orbs decreturn est. ut anus de presbyteris electus prmficiretur cmters, ad quem omnis ecclese curs purtmeret, et schismsturn seroins tollerentur. Putat sliquis non scripturerum, sed nostram ease sen* tentinto, epis�opum et presbyterurn unum ese, et nlind rotaris, aliud ee nomen ofcii. Relegat apustoli ad Phfiippenses verbs dicentis, Paulus et T*rmotbeus .... omnibus sanctis in Christs qui aunt ?hilippis cure episcopis st disCOhiS. Pbilip. piuna set urb8 Macedenim; et certs in una civiLate plures, ut nuncupantur, episcopt ese non peterant; secl quia eosdem episcopoe ills tempers quos et presbyteros appelhba_nt, propterea indifi'erenter de episcopis quasi de presbytens eat Iocutus hmc propterse dix. irons, ut ootenderemus spud veteL'es eodem fuisso prbyteros quos et episcopoe: paulatim vero, ut disoentionum phnLari8 evellentur, ad unum oranera 8olicitudunem oreo deistare. $icut ergo presbyteri sciunt se ex ecclesim cormuetudine quam dispositi- onis dominicm veritate debere eeclesiam regore, imitantes Moison, qui cam h 5erst solus prmesse popale Israel, septuaginLa elsgit cam quibu$ popalum judcsret.--Hm. ,y, Epit. ad Titurn 1. t Qued antera postes anus eleetus eat qui ceterb prmpuneretur, in schimmtis m- medium facturn eat .... am et Alexmdr/ & Mmrco evmseliott asquo M Hem. 1

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