“The Donatists in some matters are with us; in some matters have gone out from us. Accordingly, those things wherein they agree with us we forbid them not to do; but in those things in which they differ from us, we earnestly endeavour that they should come and receive them from us, or return and recover them.”

In the fourth century, Christianity in North Africa was divided by a bitter controversy: was baptism administered by sinful or schismatic ministers valid? The Donatists said no—only the righteous could confer the sacraments. The Catholic Church said yes—Christ, not man, is the true minister of every sacrament.

In On Baptism, Against the Donatists, St. Augustine defends the Church’s unity and the enduring power of baptism even outside Her visible boundaries. With patient reasoning, scriptural insight, and charity, he exposes the pride at the heart of the schism and shows that holiness comes not from separation, but from the Spirit who sanctifies the whole Body of Christ.

This work remains one of St. Augustine’s most important contributions to sacramental theology, a timeless defense of the Church’s universality and the grace that flows from Christ through His sacraments—independent of human worthiness.

In the highly polarized Church of today, this treatise offers profound insights for the faithful, reminding them that the Bride of Christ has made Her way through major crises before, always under the careful watch of the Bridegroom.

This edition includes:

• The unabridged text of On Baptism, Against the Donatists by St. Augustine

• A must-read introductory essay on the historical background for the Donatist schism