Theological Theses · §268

Rebaptism of those baptized by heretics is not simply necessary to salvation — Cyprian, Stephen, Augustine

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Rome presses hardest the rule against rebaptizing those baptized by heretics — as if it were necessary faith we cannot deny, yet cannot prove from Scripture.

Cyprian died holding the opposite view the Church later repudiated — yet who would say that martyr fell from salvation?

Their dodge that nothing was yet defined in Cyprian's day fails: if the dogma is Apostolic tradition, a later Church decree adds nothing to Apostolic authority.

Stephen of Rome condemned Cyprian while he lived; Cyprian refused and answered him.

We share the Church's settled practice — no rebaptism of heretics' baptism — but will not urge it as simply necessary to salvation.

We hold it not by unwritten word, but because Augustine's Scripture arguments make it highly probable — and it would be shameless to reject universal practice Scripture does not oppose.

Latin

XXIV. Sed adversarii vim praecipue faciunt in dogmate de non iterando baptismo in iis qui ab haereticis baptizati sunt, quasi negare non possimus dogma illud ad fidem necessario pertinere, & haereticos esse qui illud negant, nec tamen etiam possimus illud ex sacra Scriptura probare. Sed certe utrum illud sit ad salutem necessarium, si nihil aliud esset, ambiguum facere posset Cyprianus Christi Martyr, qui sancti nomen post obitum in Ecclesia meruit. Etenim dubium non est illum e vivis excessisse retinentem ejus sententiae quam Ecclesia postea communiter repudiavit. Et tamen quis auderet pronunciare salute excidisse virum doctrina, pietate, constantique in Christum fide praecellentissimum? Neque difficultatem expedit quod excipere solent adversarii ea de re tempore Cypriani nihil dum ab Ecclesia fuisse definitum: Nam si, quod Pontificii volunt, Ecclesia illud dogma accepit ab Apostolica traditione, quid ad sanctionis Apostolicae authoritatem accedere potuit ex Ecclesiae decreto? Sane si necessarium non fuit ex Apostolorum authoritate, necessarium esse non potuit ex authoritate Conciliorum. Adde quod ipso vivente Cypriano sententia ejus publice damnata & reprobata fuit a Stephano Episcopo Romano, cujus ore volunt Ecclesiam loqui, & illius rescripta esse totidem oracula Christianorum fidem obligantia. Et tamen ejus judicio Cyprianus non acquievit, sed liberum sibi putavit in sententia propria permanere, & Stephani scripta refellere. Itaque, quanquam in illam eamus sententiam, quae Ecclesiae communi judicio sancita est, nempe iterandum non esse baptismum apud haereticos susceptum, eam tamen urgere nollemus, tanquam quae sit ad salutem simpliciter necessaria. Quod vero illam sequimur ac tuemur, id non facimus quod eam alicujus verbi non scripti authoritate fultam esse putemus, sed quia, si non ex Scriptura demonstrari, probabilissime tamen ex ea colligi potest, ut manifestum faciunt argumenta quae ex Scriptura sacra sedulo in hanc rem collegit Augustinus. Ac praeterea protervum & inverecundum esset sententiam ab universali Ecclesia jam receptam, nec ulla in re Scripturae contrariam rejicere, & animi quadam libidine diversam praxin sequi ab ea quae diuturno fidelium usu probata est, nihil Scripturae repugnante.

About this text

Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu - Sedan Theological Theses, newly rendered from the 1675 London Latin. Covers De Theologia through Angelorum & Hominum Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII and Pars Secunda (Reformata) I-XL. Not the collected folio.

English follows locked Pitt Latin through Imaginum CLOSED + Sanctorum Cultu Romana CLOSED + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL. 1675 PDF ~384-390 (book ~370-376); Vision OCR + pdftotext + tess. No modern English. This slice densifies Sanctorum Pars Secunda I-XL. Next: Pars Secunda XLI–fin (~CI). Claim stays claimed (book densify not done).

Catalogue & scope

ESTC R17887; Wing L802. IA bub_gb_eOkHAW4G0-wC (+ EEBO 1675 for gap leaves). Densify through Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL (Pars Secunda not closed; not whole folio).

Witnesses

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.