Folio 69

St. Siricius, 384-398

printed p. 37 · pdf p. 69

the whole body, out of consideration for our office do not have the liberty to dissimulate, nor to remain silent. We carry the weight of all who are burdened; nay rather the blessed apostle PETER bears these in us, who, as we trust, protects us in all matters of his administration, and guards his heirs.

The Baptism of Heretics 1

[From the same letter to Himerius]

88. (1, 1) And so on the first page of your letter you have indicated that very many baptized by the impious Arians are hastening to the Catholic faith and that certain of our brothers wish to baptize these same ones again. This is not allowed since the Apostle forbids it to be done [cf. Eph. 4:5; Heb. 6:4 ff. (?)] and the canons oppose it, and after the cessation of the Council of Ariminum general decrees 2 sent to the provinces by my predecessor LIBERIUS of venerable memory prohibit it. These together with the Novatians and other heretics we join to the company of the Catholics through the sole invocation of the sevenfold Spirit by the imposition of a bishop's hands, just as it was determined in the Synod, which, too, the whole East and West observe. It is proper that you also do not deviate from this course henceforth, if you do not wish to be separated from our company by synodal decision.3

Christian Marriage 4

[From the same epistle to Himerius]

88a. (4, 5) But you have inquired concerning the marriage veil, whether one can receive in matrimony a girl betrothed to another. Let this not be done. We prohibit it in every way, because, if that blessing which the priest gives to the bride is violated by any transgression, it is like a kind of sacrilege among the faithful.

  1. Cst 624 C f. ↩

  2. These decrees do not seem to be extant now. ↩

  3. After this that very famous controversy concerning rebaptism finally reached an end [see n. 46 f. 53, 55]. The Council of Carthage I under Gratus in the year 348 or 349, can. 1 [Msi III 145 B] forbade rebaptism; that of Laodicea between 341 and 381, can. 7 and 8, decided that the Cataphrygians ought to be rebaptized, but the Novatians and the Quartodecimans ought only to be anointed with chrism (see Kch. n. 521 f.); that of Arles II of the year 443 (452 ?) can. 16 gave orders to baptize the Photinians or the Paulianists (see Kch. n. 878). There even exists concerning this matter the canon (7) [Msi III 563 B] of the Synod of CONSTANTINOPLE I of the year 381, which however seems to have arisen in the Council of Constantinople of the year 382. ↩

  4. Cst 628 C, ML 13, 1136 f.; Msi III 657 A; Hrd I 848 B.  ↩