Gennadius treated St. Augustine shabbily?

 

Wikipedia often uncritically repeats entries from the old 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia.  For example, the entry on Gennadius of Massilia, repeats simply what the CE says, under "Attitudes and Views"; it states:

"There are many indications that the author was a Semipelagian in "De Viris illustribus".  Semipleagians are warmly praised (Fastidiosus, lvi, p. 80; Cassian, lxi, 81; Faustus, lxxxv, 89); full Pelagians (Pelagius himself, xlii, 77; Julian of Eclanum, xlv, 77) are heretics; Catholics are treated shabbily (Augustine, xxxviii, 75; Prosper of Aquitania, lxxxiv, 89); even popes are called heretics (Julius I, in i, 61)."

Of course, this particular CE entry copied into Wikipedia word for word comes from the infamous Adrian Fortescue, who wrote the original CE article on Gennadius. 

Off the bat, it seems as if Fortescue is trying to read far too much into Gennadius' entries in "De Viris illustribus" than is actually there, if we are to state it charitably.  Let us actually look at what Gennadius says in the entries.   

Now the numbering of the Chapters is going to be slightly different in the available English translations, but bear with me. 

Chapter LVII on Fastidius says:

Fastidius, Bishop in Britain, wrote to one Fatalis, a book On the Christian Lilfe, and another On preserving the estate of virginity, a work full of sound doctrine, and doing honour to God.

Ch. LXII entry on St. John Cassian says:

Cassianus, a Scythian by race, ordained Deacon by Bishop John the Great at Constantinople, and a Presbyter at Marseilles, founded two monasteries, that is to say one for men and one for women, which are still standing.  He wrote from experience, and in forcible language, or to speak more clearly, with meaning back of his words, and action back of his talk.  He covered the whole field of practical directions, for monks of all sorts, in the following works: On dress, also On the canon of prayers, and the Usage in the saying of Psalms, (for these in the Egyptian monasteries, are said day and night), three books.  One of Institutes, eight books On the origin, nature and remedies for the eight principal sins, a book on each sin.  He also compiled Conferences with the Egyptian Fathers, as follows: On the aim of a monk and his creed, On discretion, On three vocations to the service of God, On the warfare of the flesh against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh, On the nature of all sins, On the slaughter of the saints, On the fickleness of mind, On principalities, On the nature of prayer, On the duration of prayer, On perfection, On chastity, On the protection of God, On the knowledge of spiritual things, On the Divine graces, On friendship, On whether to define or not to define, On three ancient kinds of monks and a fourth recently arisen, On the object of cenobites and hermits, On true satisfaction in repentance, On the remission of the Quinquagesimal fast, On nocturnal illusions, On the sayings of the apostles, "For the good which I would do, I do not, but the evil which I would not, that I," On mortification, and finally at the request of Leo the Archdeacon, afterwards Bishop of Rome, he wrote seven books against Nestorius, On the Incarnation of the Lord, and writing this, made an end, both of writing and living, at Marseilles, in the reign of Theodosius and Valentinianus.

On St. Faustus of Riez, Gennadius gives the following entry in Chapter LXXXVI:

    Faustus, first Abbot of the Monastery at Lerins, and then made Bishop of Riez in Gaul, a man studious of the Divine Scriptures, taking his text from the historic Creed of the Church, composed a book On the Holy Spirit, in which he shows from the belief of the Fathers, that the Holy Spirit is Consubstantial and Co-Eternal with the Father and the Son, the fulness of the Trinity and therefore God.  He published also an excellent work, On the Grace of God, through which we are saved, in which he teaches that the Grace of God always invites, precedes and helps our will, and whatever gain that freedom of will may attain for its pious effect, is not its own desert, but the gift of Grace.  I have read also a little book of his Against the Arians and Macedonians, in which he posits a Co-Essential Trinity, and another against those who say that there is anything incorporeal in created things, in which he maintains from the testimony of Scriptures, and by quotations from the Fathers, that nothing is to be regards as incorporeal but God.  There is also a letter of his, written in the form of a little book, and addressed to a certain Deacon, named Greacus, who, leaving the Catholic Faith, had gone over to the Nestorian impiety.     

    In this epistle he admonishes him to believe that the Holy Virgin Mary did not bring forth a mere human being, who afterwards should receive Divinity, but True God in True Man.  There are still other works by him, but as I have not read, I do not care to mention them.  This excellent Doctor is enthusiastically believed in and admired.  He wrote afterwards also to Felix, the Praetorian Prefect, and a man of Patrician rank, son of Magnus the Consul, a very pious letter, exhorting to the fear of God, a work well fitted to induce one to repent with his whole heart. 

Now, Gennadius praises them warmly; but, why is this surprising?  St. John Cassian was a Great Monastic Father who resided near Marseilles, where Gennadius is priest, and St. Faustus was a famous Bishop in Gaul; Fastidius seems to have resided in nearby Britain.  

Now, that he considers rightly Julian of Eclanum, and Pelagius, to be heretics, there is no issue, for they were heretics.  But, what about this "treating Catholics shabbily"?  What does Gennadius says about St. Augustine?  In Chapter XXXIX, concerning St. Augustine, he says:

    Augustine, of Africa, Bishop of Hipporegensis, a man renowned throughout the world for learning both sacred and secular, unblemished in the faith, pure in life, wrote works so many that they cannot all be gathered.  For who is there that can boast himself of having all his works, or who reads with such diligence as to read all he has written?  As an old man even, he published Fifteen Books On the Trinity which he had begun as a young man.  In which, as Scripture says, brought into the chamber of the king and adorned with the manifold garment of the wisdom of God, he exhibited a Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.  In his work On the Incarnation of the Lord also he manifested a peculiar piety.  On the resurrection of the dead he wrote with equal sincerity, and left it to the less able to raise doubts respecting abortions.  [Ed. Note: This is in reference to the physical state of children in the resurrection who died in the womb; which was a question discussed among some Father, i.e., where they given adult bodies, or not?]

How is this entry treating St. Augustine 'shabbily'?  He praises him; is the complaint that he doesn't have an extra paragraph praising him and listing more works like he did for St. Cassian and St. Faustus?  Certainly this entry for St. Augustine far exceeds the one for Fastidius of Britain.  All I can gather is that Fortescue is upset that the entry isn't longer, and more praise is heaped upon St. Faustus and St. John Cassian than is heaped upon St. Augustine (though high praise is placed on St. Augustine).  St. Augustine is an important Latin Father, but he was NOT the ONLY Latin Father, and Gennadius simply is looking to his own native Gallican Church teachers and traditions.  

What about Gennadius' entry for St. Prosper?  Here it is in Chapter LXXXV: 

    Prosper of Aquitania, a man scholastic in style and vigorous in statement, is said to have composed many works, of which I have read a Chronicle, which bears his name, and which extends from the creation of the first man, according to Divine Scriptures, until the death of the Emperor Valentinianus and the taking of Rome by Genseric, King of the Vandals.  I regard as his also an anonymous book against certain works of Cassianus, which the Church of God finds salutary, but which he brands as injurious, and in fact, some of the opinions of Cassian and Prosper on the Grace of God and on free will are at variance with one another.  Epistles of Pope Leo against Eutyches, On the True Incarnation of Christ, sent to various persons, are also thought to have been dictated by him.

Again, I am at a loss to see the ill-treatment that Fortescue says is afforded to St. Prosper?  The entry says St. Prosper is scholastic in style (learned), but, it also makes no attempt to hide the controversy that took place in Gaul in the 420s and early 30s.  It states that St. John Cassian's "Conferences" were considered salutary by the Church (something the Rule of St. Benedict also says), and it states St. Prosper was opposed to certain statements in them.  This is all matter of fact, and is stated in a respectful manner of St. Prosper.  Not too shabby on the part of Gennadius, it seems. 

Now, what of the last entry concerning St. Julius of Rome.  In Chapter II we read:

    Julius, Bishop of Rome, wrote to one Dionysius a single epistle On the Incarnation of Our Lord, which at that time was regarded as useful against those who asserted that, as by incarnation there were two persons in Christ, so also there were two natures, but now this too is regarded as injurious for it nourishes the Eutchian and Tomthean heresies. 

I do not know where to find this Epistle of St. Julius of Rome, so, I cannot comment on its contents.  However, St. Julius lived in the mid 300s, and wrote mostly during the Arian heresy; that it might be possible that Monophysite heretics over 150 years later would wrench out of context a letter written for a different purpose, perhaps using less formal and technical language, is not impossible.  However, to imply this means Gennadius is calling St. Julius an heretic is absurd; Gennadius has no problem calling Julian of Eclanum and Pelagius heretics, what would prevent him from naming others?  

All in all, Genandius' entries seem very respectful, and Fortescue seems simply to be reaching, probably with some hidden Papist agenda, as always.