Augustine of Hippo preaches a sermon on the feast of *Fructuosus, Augurius and Eulogius (martyrs of Tarragona, S00496), at the memorial shrine of *Theogenes (martyr and probably bishop of Hippo, S01133) in Hippo Regius (Numidia, central North Africa), and refers to the reading of their Martyrdom. He emphasises that, though martyrs like these, as well as *Agnes (virgin and martyr of Rome, S00097), are superior to pagan heroes, they are honoured, not worshipped by Christians. Sermo 273, delivered in Latin at Hippo, between 391 and 430.
E02218
Literary - Sermons/Homilies
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 273
[In natali martyrum Fructuosi episcopi, Augurii et Eulogii diaconorum
'On the feast of the martyr Fructuosus, bishop, and Augurius and Eulogius, deacons.']
Beati sancti in quorum memoriis celebramus diem passionis illorum: illi acceperunt pro temporali salute aeternam coronam, sine fine immortalitatem; nobis dimiserunt in istis solemnitatibus exhortationem. Quando audimus quomodo passi sunt martyres; gaudemus et glorificamus in illis deum: nec dolemus quia mortui sunt. Etenim si mortui pro Christo non essent, numquid usque hodie uiuerent? Quare non faceret confessio, quod factura fuerat aegritudo? Audistis persequentium interrogationes, audistis confitentium responsiones, cum sanctorum passio legeretur.
'Blessed are the saints in whose memory we are celebrating the day they suffered on; they have received an eternal crown, immortality without end, in exchange for temporal well-being; in these solemn celebrations they have left us lessons of encouragement. When we hear how the martyrs suffered, we rejoice and glorify God in them, nor do we grieve because they are dead. Even if they hadn’t died for Christ, would they be still alive today? Why should confession of faith not do what sickness would eventually do in any case? You heard the interrogations of the persecutors, you heard the replies of the confessors, when the passion of these saints was being read.'
Augustine refers to a dialogue from the account of the martyrdom of Fructuosus and his deacons.
6. Beati quorum passio recitata est. Beata Agnes sancta, cuius passionis hodiernus est dies. Virgo quae quod uocabatur, erat. Agnes latine agnam significat; graece, castam. Erat quod uocabatur: merito coronabatur. Quid ergo, fratres mei, quid uobis dicam de hominibus illis quos pagani pro diis coluerunt, quibus templa, sacerdotia, altaria, sacrificia exhibuerunt? Quid uobis dicam? non illos esse comparandos martyribus nostris?
'Blessed are those whose passion has been related; blessed too is saint Agnes, who also suffered on this same day; a virgin who was what she was called. Agnes means "lamb" in Latin, "chaste" in Greek. She was what she was called; she was deservedly rewarded with a martyr's crown. So then what, my brothers, what am I to say to you about these men whom the pagans worshipped as gods, for whom they instituted temples, priesthoods, altars, sacrifices? What am I to say to you? That they are not to be compared to our martyrs?'
Martyrs are superior to pagan heroes. Agnes, a thirteen-year-old girl was much stronger that Juno, and Fructuosus was better than Hercules.
7. Et tamen, charissimi, nos martyres nostros, quibus illi nulla ex parte sunt conferendi, pro diis non habemus, non tanquam deos colimus. non eis templa, non eis altaria, non sacrificia exhibemus. Non eis sacerdotes offerunt: absit. Deo praestantur. Imo Deo ista offeruntur, a quo nobis cuncta praestantur. Etiam apud memorias sanctorum martyrum cum offerimus, nonne deo offerimus? Habent honorabilem locum martyres sancti. Aduertite: in recitatione ad altare Christi loco meliore recitantur; non tamen pro Christo adorantur. Quando audistis dici apud memoriam sancti Theogenis, a me, uel ab aliquo fratre et collega meo, uel aliquo presbytero: offero tibi, sancte Theogenis? aut offero tibi, Petre? aut, offero tibi, Paule? Nunquam audistis. Non fit: non licet. Et si dicatur tibi, numquid tu Petrum colis? Responde quod de Fructuoso respondit Eulogius: ego Petrum non colo, sed Deum colo, quem colit et Petrus.
''‘And yet, dearly beloved, while the gods are in no way at all to be compared to our martyrs, we don’t regard our martyrs as gods, or worship them as gods. We don’t provide them with temples, with altars, with sacrifices. Priests don’t make offering to them; perish the thought! These things are provided for God; or rather these things are offered to God, by whom all things are provided for us. Even if we make an offering at the shrines of the holy martyrs, don’t we offer it to God? The holy martyrs have their place of honour. Notice, please; in the recitation of names at the altars of Christ, their names are recited in the most honoured place; but for all that, they are not worshipped instead of Christ. When did you ever hear said by me at the shrine of Saint Theogenes, or by any of my brethren and colleagues, or by any priest, "I am offering to you, Saint Theogenes"? Or, "I am offering to you, Peter," or "I am offering to you, Paul"? You never did, it doesn’t happen, it is not permitted. And if you should be asked, "Do you, then, worship Peter?", answer what Eulogius answered about Fructuosus: "I do not worship Peter, but I worship God, whom Peter also worships".'
Text: Patrologia Latina 38, 1248 and 1251.
Translation: Hill 1994, 17 and 20.
Sermon/homily
Eucharist associated with cult
Service for the saint
FestivalsSaint’s feast
Cult PlacesCult building - unspecified
Non Liturgical ActivityTransmission, copying and reading saint-related texts
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - lesser clergy
Theorising on SanctityConsiderations about the veneration of saints
Relationships with pagan practices
Considerations about the validity of cult forms
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.
This sermon was certainly delivered in Hippo Regius. Its widely accepted dating to c. 396 (or a slightly earlier period) is based on the fact that Augustine refers to other presbyters as his brothers and colleagues, which seems to suggest that he was not yet a bishop (which he became in 397). Yet, in the letters written during his episcopacy Augustine often refers to his clerical addressees as his fellow-presbyters, thus the dating remains uncertain.
Discussion
The fact that Theogenes had a memorial shrine at Hippo suggests that he was a martyr. He can probably be identified with the bishop of this city, present at the council in Carthage in AD 256, see: Sententiae episcoporum numero LXXXVII de haereticis baptizandis (Concilium Carthaginiense sub Cypriano anno 256 habitum) 14. The feast of Fructuosus and companions was celebrated at Hippo, but they evidently did not have their own shrine in this city, and so the commemoration was held in the memorial shrine of another martyr.The reason that Agnes is included in this sermon is because she shared the feast day of the martyrs of Tarragona, 21 January (see the Martyrologium Hieronymianum, E04617).
Bibliography
Edition:Migne, J.P., Patrologia Latina 38 (Paris, 1865).
Translation:
Hill, E., The Works of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century, vol. III 8. Sermons 273-305A for the Saints (New York: New City Press, 1994).
Dating:
Kunzelmann, A., "Die Chronologie der sermones des hl. Augustinus," Miscellanea Agostiniana, vol. 2 (Rome: Tipografia Poliglotta Vaticana, 1931), 417-452.
Robert Wiśniewski
03/01/2017
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00008 | Paul, the Apostle | Paulus | Certain | S00036 | Peter, the Apostle | Petrus | Certain | S00097 | Agnes, virgin and martyr of Rome | Agnes | Certain | S00496 | Fructuosus, Auguris and Eulogius, bishop and his two deacons, martyrs of Tarragona | Fructuosus, Augurius, Eulogius | Certain | S01133 | Theogenes, martyr and probably bishop of Hippo | Theogenes | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Robert Wiśniewski, Cult of Saints, E02218 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E02218