Keeping It Straight

I have been reading Vincent of Lérins and the Development of Christian Doctrine prompting me to reread his Commonitories, which was written in the early fifth century but is relevant for today.
From the earliest years, Christianity has gone through a series of variations in doctrine. Judaizers and proto-Gnostics attempted to pivot the apostolic teaching to make it palatable for their belief systems; however, the apostle Paul had left explicit teaching on how to handle doctrine.

Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.… And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Tim 1:13–14; 2:2)

Gnostics, Marcionites, etc. later attempted to sway the Gospel and doctrine or otherwise steal away followers, prompting teachers of the church to lay down what was important based on what they had received, notably Irenaeus in the second century (Against Heresies 10.1; Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching 6) and Tertullian in the third century (The Prescription Against Heretics 12). Following this desire for faithfulness, Vincent noted variations of interpretation that prompted him to write his treatise.

Holy Scripture, because of its depth, is not universally accepted in one and the same sense. The same text is interpreted differently by different people, so that one may almost gain the impression that it can yield as many different meanings as there are men. (Commonitories, 2)

He acknowledges that well-meaning teachers have unique perspectives on Scripture, then goes on to note egregious errors of specific teachers that had arisen in the post-apostolic era. To help steer clear of further error, Vincent set down what has become a well-known maxim: the Church should take care to hold fast to “what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all” (quod ubique quod semper quod ab omnibus creditum est). To quote the full paragraph:

In the Catholic Church itself, every care should be taken to hold fast to what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all. This is truly and properly “Catholic,” as indicated by the force and etymology of the name itself, which comprises everything truly universal. This general rule will be truly applied if we follow the principles of universality, antiquity, and consent. We do so in regard to universality if we confess that faith alone to be true which the entire Church confesses all over the world; in regard to antiquity if we in no way deviate from those interpretations which our ancestors and fathers have manifestly proclaimed as inviolable; in regard to consent if, in this very antiquity, we adopt the definitions and propositions of all, or almost all, the bishops and doctors. (Commonitories, 2)

Someone will say at this point that Vincent must be speaking of the Roman Catholic church with its heavy reliance on church tradition. While he is within proximity of Rome, he is writing at a time before the Roman church as we know it came into being. As well, the Church had not split into Western and Eastern but was attempting to operate in a united manner having already worked through three ecumenical councils (Nicea, Constantinople, and Ephesus).

While Commonitories is an ancient work, we have to remember that just because a book is new, does not mean that it is helpful or worthwhile. As C. S. Lewis rightly noted:

A new book is still on its trial and the amateur is not in a position to judge it. It has to be tested against the great body of Christian thought down the ages, and all its hidden implications (often unsuspected by the author himself) have to be brought to light.

The old ways are important for Christians, and with that in mind, I plan to occasionally  offer thoughts on it in hope of helping Christians “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).