Chapter XX.—Christ First Delivered the Faith. The Apostles Spread It; They Founded Churches as the Depositories Thereof. That Faith, Therefore, is Apostolic, Which Descended from the Apostles, Through Apostolic Churches.

Christ Jesus our Lord (may He bear with me a moment in thus expressing myself!), whosoever He is, of what God soever He is the Son, of what substance soever He is man and God, of what faith soever He is the teacher, of what reward soever He is the Promiser, did, whilst He lived on earth, Himself declare what He was, what He had been, what the Father’s will was which He was administering, what the duty of man was which He was prescribing; (and this declaration He made,) either openly to the people, or privately to His disciples, of whom He had chosen the twelve chief ones to be at His side,201    Mark iv. 34. and whom He destined to be the teachers of the nations. Accordingly, after one of these had been struck off, He commanded the eleven others, on His departure to the Father, to “go and teach all nations, who were to be baptized into the Father, and into the Son, and into the Holy Ghost.”202    Matt. xxviii. 19. Immediately, therefore, so did the apostles, whom this designation indicates as “the sent.” Having, on the authority of a prophecy, which occurs in a psalm of David,203    Ps. cix. 8; comp. with Acts i. 15–20. chosen Matthias by lot as the twelfth, into the place of Judas, they obtained the promised power of the Holy Ghost for the gift of miracles and of utterance; and after first bearing witness to the faith in Jesus Christ throughout Judæa, and founding churches (there), they next went forth into the world and preached the same doctrine of the same faith to the nations. They then in like manner founded churches in every city, from which all the other churches, one after another, derived the tradition of the faith,204    Traducem fidei. and the seeds of doctrine, and are every day deriving them,205    Mutuantur “borrowing.” that they may become churches. Indeed, it is on this account only that they will be able to deem themselves apostolic, as being the offspring of apostolic churches.  Every sort of thing206    Omne genus. must necessarily revert to its original for its classification.207    Censeatur or, “for its origin.” Therefore the churches, although they are so many and so great, comprise but the one primitive church, (founded) by the apostles, from which they all (spring).  In this way all are primitive, and all are apostolic, whilst they are all proved to be one, in (unbroken) unity, by their peaceful communion,208    Communicatio pacis. and title of brotherhood, and bond209    Contesseratio. [3 John 8.] of hospitality,—privileges210    Jura, “rights.” which no other rule directs than the one tradition of the selfsame mystery.211    That is, of the faith, or Christian creed.

CAPUT XX.

Atqui a Christo unam ejusdem fidei doctrinam Apostolis traditam, qui eam nationibus promulgaverunt, et Ecclesias apud unamquamque civitatem condiderunt, a quibus caeterae Ecclesiae quotidie mutuantur ut Ecclesiae fiant; ita ut tot ac tantae Ecclesiae, una sit illa ab Apostolis prima, ex qua omnes.

Christus Jesus Dominus noster permittat dicere interim, quisquis est, cujuscumque Dei Filius, 0031C cujuscumque materiae homo et Deus, cujuscumque fidei praeceptor, cujuscumque mercedis repromissor, quid esset, quid fuisset, quam Patris voluntatem administraret, quid homini agendum 0032A determinaret, quamdiu in terris agebat, ipse pronuntiabat, sive populo palam, sive discentibus seorsum; ex quibus duodecim praecipuos lateri suo adlegerat destinatos nationibus magistros . Itaque, uno eorum decusso, reliquos undecim, digrediens ad Patrem post resurrectionem, jussit ire et docere nationes, intinguendas in Patrem et in Filium et in Spiritum Sanctum. Statim igitur Apostoli (quos haec appellatio missos interpretatur), assumpto per sortem duodecimo Matthia in locum Judae, ex auctoritate prophetiae quae est in psalmo David, consecuti promissam vim Spiritus Sancti ad virtutes et eloquium primo per Judaeam contestata fide in Jesum Christum et ecclesiis institutis, dehinc in orbem profecti, eamdem doctrinam ejusdem fidei nationibus promulgaverunt, 0032B et proinde ecclesias apud unamquamque civitatem condiderunt, a quibus traducem fidei et semina doctrinae, caeterae exinde ecclesiae mutuatae sunt, et quotidie mutuantur ut ecclesiae fiant: ac per hoc et ipsae apostolicae deputantur , ut soboles apostolicarum ecclesiarum. Omne genus ad originem suam censeatur necesse est. Itaque tot ac tantae ecclesiae, una est illa ab Apostolis prima, ex qua omnes. Sic omnes prima , et apostolicae, dum una omnes probant unitatem; dum est illis communicatio pacis, et appellatio fraternitatis, et contesseratio hospitalitatis: quae jura non alia ratio regit, quam ejusdem sacramenti una traditio .