In this blog post, we explore St. Augustine's description of the one true church in his work against the Manachian heresy. Augustine identifies the Catholic Church as the true church based on its authority, apostolic succession, and universal presence, providing a compelling argument for its legitimacy that resonates even today.
What if I told you that a work written by St. Augustine in AD 397 described the one true church as not only the Catholic Church but in ways that continue to fit the Catholic Church to this very day? Welcome to eternal Christendom consecrated to our lady for the glory of our Lord. I'm Joshua Charles. Thank you as always to our patrons for making this possible.
Throughout the writings of the church fathers, one is overwhelmed by ubiquitous references to the Catholic Church. This term, combined with descriptions of that church, continues to match the Catholic Church to this day. This is one of the many reasons Protestant and other non-Catholic readers who read the church fathers in any sort of comprehensive way often end up Catholic—a journey with which I am very familiar.
In this miniseries, which we'll call "The One True Church," we will cover specific works of various church fathers so that those who are open to considering Catholic claims can see for themselves how the church fathers describe the one true church and how it continues to match the Catholic Church to this day. In this first installment, we will dive into a work by St. Augustine against the fundamental letter of Manakius.
Our thesis is that St. Augustine describes the one true church as the Catholic Church in both name and features in this work. We will show this by quoting the words of this work, which are addressed to the believers of the Manachian heresy about the nature of the one true church, followed by a summary of the various features of this one true church described by St. Augustine.
St. Augustine's work against the fundamental letter of Manakius, written in 397, addresses the Manachian heresy and specifically one of the main works of its founder, the Persian prophet Manachius. While we will not cover the details of what the Manachians believed, we will focus on what St. Augustine says about the nature of the one true church.
St. Augustine is quite clear right at the beginning about the characteristics of the one true church. He lays them out to contrast it with the Manachians' lack of these very things, which he points out is typical of heresy. In Chapter 4, Section 5, he states:
"For in the Catholic Church not to speak of the purest wisdom to the knowledge of which a few spiritual men attain in this life... The consent of peoples and nations keeps me in the church. So does her authority, inaugurated by miracles, nourished by hope, enlarged by love, established by age. The succession of priests keeps me, beginning from the very seat of the Apostle Peter... and so lastly does the name itself of Catholic..."
St. Augustine identifies several key features:
St. Augustine's comments were profoundly surprising to me as a Protestant, as he identified the true church in ways that I had been taught to reject. He appeals to a priesthood, apostolic succession, and the papacy, which he claims all priests derive from the chair of St. Peter. He emphasizes that the Catholic Church possesses authority and has been established by miracles, thus remaining a tangible, visible society with authority over all its members across nations.
In Chapter 5, Section 6, St. Augustine asserts:
"For my part, I should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church."
This statement highlights that his belief in the gospel depended upon the authority of the Catholic Church, which also condemned the heresy of Manakius. He argues that to believe Manakius would weaken his belief in both the Catholic Church and the gospel itself.
St. Augustine claims that the Catholic faith offers certainty, not mere opinion, unlike the heresies of Manakius. In Chapter 4, Section 17, he states:
"For I profess the Catholic faith, and by it I expect to attain certain knowledge."
He later asserts that all can avoid heresy if they remain within and learn from the Catholic Church. In Chapter 23, Section 25, he encourages Manachians to be nourished by the Catholic Church to understand the scriptures spiritually.
In summary, St. Augustine identifies multiple key features of the one true church established by Christ in his work against the fundamental letter of Manakius:
For those today seeking to find the one true church of Christ, St. Augustine's criteria from 1600 years ago provide striking guidance. There is only one denomination that continues to exhibit the same traits identified by St. Augustine as peculiar to the one true church, known by its members and the outside world by the exact same name: the Catholic Church.
As we reflect on St. Augustine's insights, we are reminded of the enduring nature of the Catholic Church and its role in the history of Christianity.
Psalm 73:25-26: "Who have I in heaven but you? And on earth I desire nothing besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but the Lord is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
