Tractates on the Gospel of John (continued)
152 ST. AUGUSTINE are not Augustine's; and if you do not know but think that I delight in the possession of country houses, God knows, he understands what I feel about those country houses, what I suffer over them. He knows my moanings over the fact that he has deigned to impart to me something of the dove.
(2) Look, there are country houses. By what right do you claim the country houses? By divine or by human right? Let them answer that we have divine right in the Scriptures, human right in the laws of kings. By which does each man possess what he possesses? Is it not by human right? For by divine right "the Lord's are the earth and its fullness."'^ The poor and the rich God made from one and the same slime; and one and the same earth supports the poor and the rich. And yet by human right he says, "This country house is mine, this city house is mine, this slave is mine." By human right, then, by the right of emperors. Why? Because God has distributed these very human rights to the human race through the kings and emperors of the world.
(3) Do you want us to read the laws of the emperors and to act according to them in regard to the country houses? If you wish to possess by human right, let us recite the laws of the emperors; let us see if they wish anything to be possessed by heretics. "But what has the Emperor to do with me?"^' It is according to his right that you possess the earth. Or take away the rights of emperors and who dares to say, "That country house is mine or that slave is mine or this city house is mine?"
(4) But if the men have received the rights of kings in order that these possessions might be kept, do you wish us to recite the laws that you might delight that you have even one garden
75. Ps 23.1. 76. The Conference of Carthage, held in 411 A.D., at the order of the Emperor Honorius and under the presidency of his Comes, Marcellinus, among its provisions suppressing Donatism, confiscated all Donatist property to the Catholics. This gave rise to numerous disputes such as that mentioned here. Cf. Frend, Donatist Church, 275-289. But see Introduction, paragraphs (40) and (41).
77. This was the famous (or infamous) response made by Donatus himself in 347 A.D. to the legates of the Emperor Constans, Paul and Macarius. Cf. Optatus of Milevis, 3.3 (CSEL 26.73); Frend, Donatist Church, 177-178; and Berrouard, Homelies I-XVI, 882-883.
TRACTAl E 6 153 and that you may ascribe it solely to the clemency of the dove that it is even permitted you to stay there? For unmistakable laws are read wherein the emperors have instructed that those who appropriate to themselves the name of Christian outside the community of the Catholic church and do not wish to worship the author of peace in peace are to venture to possess nothing in the name of the Church.
26. "But what have we to do with the Emperor?" But I have already said, it is a question of human right. And yet the Apostle intended that kings be served, he intended that kings be honored; and he said, "Honor the king."^^ Do not say, "What have I to do with the king?" What then have you to do with a possession? Through the rights of kings possessions are possessed. You have said, "What have I to do with the king?" Do not mention your possessions; for you have based your claim on the very human rights by which possessions are possessed.
(2) "But I am dealing with divine Law," he says. Then let us read the gospel. Let us see how far the Catholic church is Christ's, upon whom the dove came who taught: "He it is who baptizes." How then can he possess by divine right who says, "I baptize," when the dove says, "He it is who baptizes"? When Scripture says, "One is my dove, the only one her mother has"?'^ Why have you torn the dove to pieces? Why, you have torn out your own intestines; for you are tearing at yourselves, the dove perseveres uninjured.
(3) Therefore, my brothers, if on every point they have nothing to say, I say what they should do: let them come to the Catholic church, and they will have together with us not only the earth, but also him who made heaven and earth.
78. 1 Pt 2.17. 79. Cf. Song 6.8 (NAB 6.9).