Page:The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII.djvu/372



366 THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH.

. . . and other some pastors and doctors, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ}

Wherefore, from the very earliest times the Fathers and Doctors of the Church have been accustomed to follow and with one accord to defend this rule. Origen writes: "As often as the heretics allege the possession of the canonical scriptures, to which all Christians give unanimous assent, they seem to say: 'Behold the word of truth is in the houses.' But we should believe them not and abandon not the primary and ecclesiastical tradition. We should be- lieve not otherwise than has been handed down by the tradition of the Church of God." ^ Irenaeus too says: "The doctrine of the apostles is the true faith . .. which is known' to us through the episcopal succession . . . which has reached even unto our age by the very fact that the Scriptures have been zealousJy_^uarded and fully, in- terpreted." ^ And Tertullian: "It is therefore clear that all doctrine which agrees with that of the apostohc churches â€” the matrices and original centres of the faith â€” must be looked upon as the truth, holding without hesitation that the Church received it from the apostles, the apostles from Christ, and Christ from God. . . . We are in com- munion with the apostolic churches, and by the very fact that they agree amongst themselves we have a testi- mony of the truth." ^ And so Hilary: "Christ teaching from the ship signifies that those who are outside the Church can never grasp the divine teaching; for the ship typifies the Church where the word of life is deposited and preached. Those who are outside are like sterile and worthless sand: they cannot comprehend."^ Ru- finus praises Gregory of Nazianzum and Basil because

lEph. iv. 11, 12.

^ Vetus Interpretatio Commentariorum in Matt. n. 46,

^ Contra Haereses, lib. iv., cap. 33, an. 8.


 * De Prajscript., cap. xxxi.

' Comment, in Matt. xiii. n. 1,