Vincentii Lirinensis Adversus profanas omnium novitates hæreticorum commonitorium cum notis v. c. Stephani Baluzii : Adjicitur S. Augustini liber De hæresibus.
Cambridge: ex officinæ Joh. Hayes, celeberrimë Academië typographi; impensis Guiliel. Graves, Bibliop. 1687. First edition published in England. Bound in early full vellum. (1660–1723). The "Commonitorium" which survives today is a book on identifying 'Heretics and Heretical tendencies, from the beginning of the book Vincent develops (chapters i-ii) a practical rule for distinguishing heresy from true doctrine, namely Holy Writ, and if this does not suffice, the tradition of the Catholic Church. Here is found the famous principle, the source of so much discussion particularly at the time of the Vatican Council, "Magnopere curandum est ut id teneatur quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est". Should some new doctrine arise in one part of the Church, Donatism for example, then firm adherence must be given to the belief of the Universal Church, and supposing the new doctrine to be of such nature as to contaminate almost the entirety of the latter, as did Arianism, then it is to antiquity one must cling; if even here some error is encountered, one must stand by the general councils and, in default of these, by the consent of those who at diverse times and in different places remained steadfast in the unanimity of the Catholic Faith (iii-iv).
Applications of these principles have been made by St. Ambrose and the martyrs, in the struggle with the Donatists and the Arians; and by St. Stephen who fought against rebaptism; St. Paul also taught them (viii-ix). If God allows new doctrines, whether erroneous or heretical, to be taught by distinguished men, as for example Tertullian, Origen, Nestorius, Apollinaris, etc. (x-xix), it is but to test us. The Catholic admits none of these new-fangled doctrines, as we see from 1 Timothy 6:20-21 (20-22, 24). Not to remove all chance of progress in the faith, but that it may grow after the manner of the grain and the acorn, provided it be in the same sense, eodem sensu ac sententia; here comes the well-known passage on dogmatic development. "crescat igitur. . ." (xxiii).
The fact that heretics make use of the Bible in no way prevents them from being heretics, since they put it to a use that is bad, in a way worthy of the devil (xxv-xxvi). The Catholic interprets Scripture according to the rules given above (xxvii-xxviii). Then follows a recapitulation of the whole "Commonitorium" (xxix-xxx).
All this is written in a literary style, full of classical expressions, although the line of development is rather familiar and easy, multiplying digressions and always more and more communicative. The two chief ideas which have principally attracted attention in the whole book are those which concern faithfulness to Tradition (iii and xxix) and the progress of Catholic doctrine (xxiii). The first one, called very often the Canon of Vincent of Lérins, which Newman considered as more fit to determine what is not then what is the Catholic doctrine, has been frequently involved in controversies. According to Vincent, this principle ought to decide the value of a new point of doctrine prior to the judgment of the Church. Vincent proposes it as a means of testing a novelty arising anywhere in a point of doctrine. This cannon has been variously interpreted; some writers think that its true meaning is not that which answered Vincent's purpose, when making use of it against Augustine's ideas. It is hardly deniable that despite the lucidity of its formula, the explanation of the principle and its application to historical facts are not always easy; even theologians such as de San and Franzelin, who are generally in agreement in their views, are here at variance. Vincent clearly shows that his principle is to be understood is a relative and disjunctive sense, and not absolutely and by uniting the three criteria in one: ubique, semper, ab omnibus; antiquity is not to be understood in a relative meaning, but in the sense of a relative consensus of antiquity. When he speaks of the beliefs generally admitted, it is more difficult to settle whether he means beliefs explicitly or implicitly admitted; in the latter case the canon is true and applicable in both senses, affirmative (what is Catholic), and negative or exclusive (what is not Catholic); in the former, the canon is true and applicable in its affirmative bearing; but may it be said to be so in its negative or exclusive bearing, without placing Vincent completely at variance with all he says on the progress of revealed doctrine? ( C.E.)
Saint Augustine had planed to write a work entitled De Haeresibus ad Quodvultdeum (428) this was never finished, only the first part was and is published here as De Haeresibus contains an overview, as lucid as it is succinct, of known and unknown heretical factions. This gives the work special value, as it affords us a glimpse of the increasingly globalised and yet some- how interconnected Christianity of his day, of the multi-dogmatic plurality of Christian communities and their leaders, as well as of his awareness of these facts (Brown, Doody and Paffenroth 2008).
The "Commonitorium" has been frequently printed and translated, the first edition was 1528 by Sichardus and then that of Baluze (our edition) (1663, 1669, 1684, 1687,1689 ), the latter being the best of the three, accomplished with the help of the four known manuscripts; these have been used again in a new accurate collation by Rauschen, for his edition ("Florilegium patristicum", V, Bonn, 1906);, and by Hurter (Innsbruck, 1880, "SS. Patrum opuscula selecta", IX) with useful notes. (C.E.)
In about 1667, Baluze entered the service of Jean-Baptiste Colbert's service (the future minister of finances to King Louis XIV,), and until 1700 was in charge of the invaluable library belonging to that minister and to his son, Marquis de Seignelay. Colbert rewarded him for his work by obtaining various benefices for him, and the post of king's almoner (1679). Subsequently Baluze was appointed professor of Canon law at the Collège de France on December 31, 1689, and directed it from 1707 to 1710. Wing (2nd ed.), V454A [In this issue, leaf M3r has catchword "Appen-" and leaves M4-5 are present. Another issue has catchword "STE-" and lacks leaves M4-5.] / This is a beautiful copy and is bound in early (perhaps original the marking on the paste down mats the library numbers of other of Henry Sinclair's ((1660–1723) books see [Penn Libraries call numbers: IC C1515 Ei572p]) Bound in full vellum. with the stamp of Sinclair on the spine (?) and the Bookplate of Henry Sinclair, 10th Lord Sinclair (1660–1723). Also (bound with two titles dated differently) . Item #896
Duodecimo, 3 X 5 inches a-c¹² a⁶(a1 cut out Blank? two stubs) A-N¹².(this copy has an extra or cancel title page a1&2dated 1589, both title pages are bound in the front) This is a beautiful copy and is bound in early (perhaps original the marking on the paste down are similar to the library numbers of other of Henry Sinclair's books.
Price: $1,100.00