Augustine of Hippo, in his City of God (22.8), tells how relics of *Stephen (the First Martyr, S00030) were deposited in Castellum Sinitense, close to Hippo Regius (Numidia, central North Africa); the local bishop was healed when he carried them in procession; all in the early 420s. Written in Latin in Hippo, 426/427.
Evidence ID
E01111
Type of Evidence
Literary - Other
Major author/Major anonymous work
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo, City of God 22.8
Memorati memoriam martyris [sc. Stephani], quae posita est in Castello Sinitensi, quod Hipponiensi Coloniae uicinum est, eiusdem loci Lucillus episcopus populo praecedente atque sequente portabat. Fistula, cuius molestia iam diu laborauerat et familiarissimi sui medici, qui eum secaret, opperiebatur manus, illius piae sarcinae uectatione repente sanata est; nam deinceps eam in suo corpore non inuenit.
'Relics (memoria) of the same saint [Stephen], which are deposited in the Castle of Sinitis [Castellum Sinitense], in the neighbourhood of the city of Hippo [Colonia Hipponiensis], were carried by Lucillus, the bishop of this place, and many people were both preceding and following him. A fistula under which he had long laboured, and which his private physician was watching an opportunity to cut, was suddenly cured by the mere carrying of that sacred burden, for afterwards there was no trace of it in his body.'
Text: Dombart and Kalb 1955.
Translation: Dods 1887, lightly modified.
MiraclesHealing diseases and disabilities
RelicsUnspecified relic
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Healing diseases and disabilities
Miracle at martyrdom and death
Miracle after death
RelicsUnspecified relic
Transfer, translation and deposition of relics
Transfer/presence of relics from distant countries
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Crowds
Source
Augustine of Hippo was born in 354 in the north African city of Thagaste. He received an education in rhetoric at Carthage, and after a period teaching there moved to Rome, and then in 384 to a public professorship of rhetoric in Milan. In these early years of adulthood Augustine was a Manichaean, but then got disillusioned with this religion, and in Milan in 386, largely under the influence of Ambrose, bishop of the city, he converted to Christianity, and was baptised by Ambrose in 387. Returning to Africa in 388, he was ordained a priest in 391 at Hippo Regius (in the province of Numidia), and rapidly acquired a reputation as a preacher. In 395 he became bishop of Hippo, which he remained until his death in 430. Details of his early life were recorded by Augustine himself in his Confessions, and shortly after his death a pupil and long-time friend, Possidius, wrote his Life, focused on Augustine as an effective Christian writer, polemicist and bishop (E00073).Amongst his many writings, the most informative on the cult of saints are his numerous Sermons, the City of God, and a treatise On the Care of the Dead. The Sermons tell us which saints (primarily African, but with some from abroad) received attention in Hippo, Carthage and elsewhere, and provide occasional details of miracles and cult practices. The City of God records the distribution, and subsequent miracles, of the relics of saint Stephen, after they arrived in Africa from Palestine in around 420. On the Care of the Dead, discusses the possible advantages of burial ad sanctos (in other words, close to a saint), and theorises on the link between the saints who dwell in heaven and their corporeal remains buried in their graves. In these works, and others, Augustine reveals his own particular beliefs about the saints, their relics and their miracles.
Augustine wrote Book 22 of the City of God in Hippo, in 426/427. Chapters 8-9 enumerate a number of contemporary miracles, most of which took place in Hippo and other cities of North Africa, either at the relics of Stephen, the first martyr or those of *Gervasius and Protasius, martyrs in Milan.
Discussion
Around 420 these relics, most probably brought to Africa by Orosius, found their way also to several cities in North Africa, such as Hippo Regius, Calama, and Uzalis.The precise location of Castellum Sinitense is unknown, though Augustine tells us it was close to Hippo. Despite almost certainly being a very small place, it had its own bishop.
The term memoria (literally 'memory' or 'memorial') is also used by Augustine both for the shrines of martyrs and, more narrowly, for their relics. Since it is evident that, for Augustine, the memorial shrine (memoria) of a saint contained relics of that saint, there is often no substantive difference in the ways he uses the word. In this case he is clearly referring to relics.
Bibliography
Edition:Dombart, B., and Kalb, A., Augustinus, De civitate dei, 2 vols. (Corpus Christianorum Series Latina 47-48; Turnhout: Brepols, 1955).
English translation:
Dods, M., Augustine, The City of God (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, vol. 2; Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887).
Further reading:
Meyers, J., Les miracles de saint Etienne. Recherches sur le recueil pseudo-augustinien (BHL 7860-7861), avec édition critique, traduction et commentaire (Turnhout: Brepols, 2006).
Record Created By
Robert Wiśniewski
Date of Entry
21/02/2016
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00030 | Stephen, the First Martyr | Stephanus | Certain |
|---|
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