PREFACE.

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A large square ornamental woodcut initial 'C' featuring a central multi-petaled flower, likely a rose, surrounded by intricate scrolling foliage and floral motifs set against a dark, textured background within a decorative border.Since our age has turned its diligence and industry toward illuminating Church History original: Historiam Ecclesiasticam, then especially that part of it which sets forth the origin, growth, fate, destruction, and likewise the doctrines and evil arts of the Heretics original: Haereticorum, has seemed worthy to be called under consideration and examination. Because of this, some indeed have consulted all the records of Church antiquity and, with careful effort and taking the timeline into account, have pursued the narration of all heresies; others, however, have explained one or two selected from the whole body with a more accurate commentary. And the plan of those former authors was so free from all blame—provided they did not indulge too much in emotions, or prejudiced opinions, or freer conjectures (from which some have occasionally failed to guard themselves diligently enough)—that they instead understood, having been received with well-deserved praise, that their industry was kindled and more and more stirred up to press on with the undertaking.

For there were very few—and those prematurely fearful—who judged that the mind should be called away from such a plan and work, claiming that the memory of both the history and the doctrines pertaining to heretics ought rather to seem abolished and extinguished by every effort, following the example of the ancient Church, which with deliberate mind determined that the writings and remains of men turned away from the truth should be removed from our midst by flames and fire, and withdrawn from the hands of readers. Very few, I say, were those who felt this way, and they found even fewer supporters for their opinion—and not without reason.

For, to say nothing of the fact that in such great light of saving doctrine there is hardly any fear that the settled opinions of the Heretics should prove themselves to anyone—opinions which are for the most part no more turned away from the prescription of Scripture than from the judgment of a sound mind, if they are reviewed candidly and without sought-after excuses—certainly it is of great interest for managing the cause of truth more rightly to have a clear view of the beliefs original: placita of these men who once disturbed the Church. This is done both so that it may be understood what front-rank leaders Front-rank leaders: translated from the Latin antesignanos, referring to the elite soldiers who protected the standards of a Roman legion; here it means the original founders of a school of thought. those men had who today are calling back things long since outdated, as well as...