The Commonitory of Vincent of Lérins: Latin

by Vincent of Lérins

Publisher:

Joseph Robinson

, 1847

Overview

St. Vincent of Lérins wrote his famous The Commonitory, or Commonitorium, in AD 434, under the pseudonym Peregrinus. A classic text affirming the authority of Scripture and the teachings of the Church Fathers, The Commonitory was written as a “reminder,” in an effort to preserve the authority of the Christian tradition. Citing Deuteronomy 32:7 (“ask thy father and he will show thee; thy elders and they will tell thee”), St. Vincent notes that “to commit to writing such things as I have faithfully received from the holy fathers, would be a work of no small utility.” The Commonitory is his effort to do so—a theological treatise in which he affirms authentic Christian teaching and advocates the necessity of interpreting Scripture under the authority of the Church and her tradition. An important window into Christian thought between the Council of Ephesus and the Council of Chalcedon, The Commonitory is rich with historical and theological insights; it’s the source the well-known definition of orthodoxy as “that which has been believed in the Church everywhere, always, by everyone.”

Product Details

• Title: The Commonitory of Vincent of Lérins: Latin
• Author: Vincent of Lérins
• Series: The Commonitory of Vincent of Lérins
• Publisher: Joseph Robinson
• Print Publication Date: 1847
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Language: Latin
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Christian heresies; Christian heretics; Catholic Church › Doctrinal and controversial works
• Resource ID: LLS:CMMNTRYVNCNTLRNSLAT
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T19:25:10Z

About Vincent of Lérins

Saint Vincent of Lérins (died c. 445) was a Gallic author of early Christian writings. In earlier life he had been engaged in secular pursuits, whether civil or military is not clear, though the term he uses, “secularis militia,” might possibly imply the latter. He refers to the First Council of Ephesus, held in the summer and early autumn of 431, as having been held some three years previously to the time at which he was writing “ante triennium ferme.