The Agreed Faith of the Catholics

This confession of his, then, which was the faith of all catholics, was approved by all the bishops of Africa, from where he wrote, and by all those of Gaul, to whom he wrote. And no one has ever quarreled with this faith without being guilty of unbelief; for to deny what is right and proven is to confess what is wrong. [a]

The agreement of all, then, ought in itself to be enough to refute heresy. For the authority of all shows the truth beyond doubt, and where no one disputes it, the reasoning is complete. So if anyone tries to hold opinions contrary to these, we should begin by condemning his perverseness rather than by listening to his assertions. Whoever attacks the judgment of all announces his own condemnation beforehand, and a man who disturbs what all have settled is not even given a hearing. When the truth has once for all been established by all, whatever arises against it is by that very fact to be recognized at once as falsehood, because it differs from the truth. And so it is agreed that this alone is enough to condemn a man: that he differs from the judgment of the truth.

But still, explaining a teaching does it no harm, and the truth always shines brighter when it is thoroughly aired. And it is better for those who are wrong to be set right by discussion than to be condemned by severe censures. So we should cure, as far as we can with God’s help, this old heresy appearing in the persons of new heretics, so that, when by God’s mercy they have recovered their health, their cure may bear witness to our holy faith instead of their condemnation serving as an instance of just severity. Only may the Truth indeed be present at our discussion and our discourse about it, and help our human weakness with that goodness in which God graciously came to men. For this above all was why he willed to be born on earth and among men: that there might be no more room for falsehood.