Vincent of Lerins

Vincent was a monk of the celebrated island monastery of Lérins, off the coast of southern Gaul, which in the fifth century was a nursery of bishops and theologians. Little is known of his life; Gennadius of Marseilles records that he was learned in the Scriptures and doctrine and that he reposed during the reign of Theodosius II and Valentinian III. Around 434, writing under the name Peregrinus, he composed the Commonitorium, a small book of immense influence in which he sought a sure standard for distinguishing catholic truth from heresy. There he set down his famous canon: that Christians must hold 'what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all,' testing novel teachings by universality, antiquity, and consent, while allowing for authentic organic development of doctrine. His principle became a touchstone for appeals to Holy Tradition in both East and West.