32. Ep. 105.5.16 (CSEL 34.2:608–9); trans. Parsons, FOTC 18:209–10. (continued)
Donatist Frogs
Given his internationalist view of the Church, Augustine often poked fun at the Donatists for their sectarianism, referring to them disdainfully as the pars Donati ("sect of Donatus"). He also satirized their provincialism when preaching on the Psalms, which often speak of the whole world praising God. From Expositions of the Psalms 95:
(11) "Let the entire earth be moved before His face. Say to the nations, 'The Lord reigns from the wood.' For He has corrected the whole world, which is not to be moved" (Ps 95:9–10). What great testimonies for building up the house of God! Heavens' clouds thunder out throughout the whole world where God's house is being built up. Meanwhile the [Donatist] frogs croak from their marsh, "We alone are the Christians!" What testimonies can I bring forward? Psalms. I bring forward what you, the deaf, sing. Open your ears. You sing the words, you sing them with me, but you are out of tune with me. Your tongue sings out what mine sings out, but your heart is out of harmony with my heart. Don't you sing these words? Look at the testimony of the whole world. "Let the whole world be moved before His face."33
Theology of Baptism
Through the dispute, Augustine also forged a theology of baptism that influenced Christianity for centuries. He set out three key principles: (i) the power of baptism vs. the moral purity of its minister; (ii) the character of baptism; and (iii) the validity of baptism vs. its fruitfulness. Let us look at each, one by one.
Theology of Baptism: Power vs. Minister
Whereas Petilian had argued that the giver's conscience cleansed the receiver's, Augustine insisted that the minister's conscience was irrelevant; what mattered was Christ's power. Christ, not the minister, made baptism effective. Augustine found this view confirmed in John's Gospel where it says that Christ baptized more than John the Baptist "although Jesus himself was not baptizing, just his disciples" (Jn 4:2). This distinction allowed Augustine to counter those like Petilian who dismissed Catholic baptism as the baptism of Judas. From Tractates on the Gospel of John 5:
(6) For it is one thing to baptize in the role of a minister; another to baptize with power. For the quality of baptism is commensurate with the quality
33. En. Ps. 95.11 (CCL 39:1350); my trans.