Chapter XXVIII.—The One Tradition of the Faith, Which is Substantially Alike in the Churches Everywhere, a Good Proof that the Transmission Has Been True and Honest in the Main.

Grant, then, that all have erred; that the apostle was mistaken in giving his testimony; that the Holy Ghost had no such respect to any one (church) as to lead it into truth, although sent with this view by Christ,296    John xiv. 26. and for this asked of the Father that He might be the teacher of truth;297    John xv. 26. grant, also, that He, the Steward of God, the Vicar of Christ,298    [Tertullian knows no other Vicar of Christ than the Holy Spirit.  They who attribute infallibility to any mortal man become Montanists; they attribute the Paraclete’s voice to their oracle.] neglected His office, permitting the churches for a time to understand differently, (and) to believe differently, what He Himself was preaching by the apostles,—is it likely that so many churches, and they so great, should have gone astray into one and the same faith?  No casualty distributed among many men issues in one and the same result. Error of doctrine in the churches must necessarily have produced various issues.  When, however, that which is deposited among many is found to be one and the same, it is not the result of error, but of tradition. Can any one, then, be reckless299    Audeat. enough to say that they were in error who handed on the tradition?

CAPUT XXVIII.

Quod autem apud multos unum invenitur, non censeri erratum, sed traditum.

Age nunc, omnes erraverint; deceptus sit Apostolus de testimonio reddendo quibusdam ; nullam 0040B respexerit Spiritus Sanctus, uti eam in veritatem deduceret (Joan., XIV, 26), ad hoc missus a Christo, ad hoc postulatus de Patre, ut esset doctor veritatis (Joan., XV, 26); neglexerit officium Dei villicus, Christi vicarius, sinens Ecclesias aliter interim intelligere, aliter credere, quam ipse per Apostolos praedicabat: ecquid verisimile est, ut tot ac tantae in unam fidem erraverint? Nullus inter multos eventus unus est exitus: variasse debuerat error doctrinae Ecclesiarum. Caeterum, quod apud multos unum invenitur, non est erratum, sed traditum . Audeat ergo aliquis dicere illos errasse qui tradiderunt?