Augustine of Hippo preaches a sermon on the feast of the discovery of the relics of *Gervasius and Protasius (brothers and martyrs of Milan, S00313) in Milan (northern Italy), in an undetermined place in central North Africa where some of their relics were deposited. He mentions the martyrs, *Agnes (virgin and martyr of Rome, S00097), *Crispina (of Thagora, martyred at Theveste, S00905), *Nemesianus (child martyr of Africa, S01811), and *Peter the Apostle (S00036), relates a miracle of Gervasius and Protasius when their relics were discovered, and mentions the reading of written accounts (libelli) of martyrs' miracles at their shrines. Sermon 286, delivered in Latin, possibly in 425/430.
E02323
Literary - Sermons/Homilies
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 286
Augustine explains that the word martyr means 'witness' in Greek. The blood of the martyrs is the seed from which the Church grows. He compares Peter to other martyrs and says that Peter was outdistanced by the martyrs Gervasius and Protasius, the boy martyr (puer) Nemesianus, and women martyrs Agnes and Crispina.
4. Celebramus ergo hodierno die, fratres, memoriam in hoc loco positam sanctorum Protasii et Geruasii, Mediolanensium martyrum. Non eum diem quo hic posita est, sed eum diem hodie celebramus, quando inuenta est pretiosa in conspectu Domini mors sanctorum eius per Ambrosium episcopum, hominem Dei: cuius tunc tantae gloriae martyrum etiam ego testis fui. Ibi eram, Mediolani eram, facta miracula noui, attestante deo pretiosis mortibus sanctorum suorum: ut per illa miracula iam non solum in conspectu Domini, sed etiam in conspectu hominum esset mors illa pretiosa. Caecus notissimus uniuersae ciuitati illuminatus est, cucurrit, adduci se fecit, sine duce reuersus est. Nondum audiuimus quod obierit: forte adhuc uiuit. In ipsa eorum basilica, ubi sunt eorum corpora, totam uitam suam seruiturum se esse deuouit. Nos illum gauisi sumus uidentem, reliquimus seruientem.
5. Non cessat deus attestari: et nouit quomodo ipsa miracula sua debeat commendare. Nouit agere, ut magnificentur: nouit agere, ne uilescant. Non omnibus donat per martyres sanitatem: sed omnibus promittit imitatoribus martyrum immortalitatem.
'So today, brothers, we are celebrating the memory and relics (memoriam) of Saints Protasius and Gervasius that are here, the martyrs of Milan. Not the day when they were placed here, but the day we are celebrating today is the day of the discovery of the death of these saints, precious in the sight of the Lord, by bishop Ambrose, that man of God. Of that glorious occasion for the martyrs I was myself a witness. I was in Milan, I know about the miracles that occurred, when God bore witness to the precious deaths of his saints, so that by means of those miracles that death might be precious not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. A blind man, known to the whole city, had his sight restored; he ran, he had himself led to the spot, he went home without guide. I haven't heard that he died; perhaps he's still alive. He vowed that he was going to serve all the rest of his life in that basilica of theirs, where their bodies are. We all rejoiced at his being able to see, we left him at his service. God never stops bearing witness; and he knows the right way to bring his miracles to our notice. He knows how to act, so that they may be famous; he knows how to act, do that they don't become commonplace. He doesn't grant health to everyone through the martyrs; but to all who imitate the martyrs, he does promise immortality.'
Even martyrs do not always receive from God what they request. Some of them, like the three boys in the fiery furnace do, some, like the Maccabean brothers don't, yet they receive a more splendid crown.
7. Ego aliquando memoror de libellis miraculorum martyrum, quae in conspectu uestro leguntur. Ante dies lectus est quidam libellus, ubi cuidam aegrotae quae doloribus acerrimis torquebatur, cum dixisset, ferre non possum; ait illi ipse martyr qui sanare uenerat: quid, si martyrium duceres?
'I on occasion am reminded of the written accounts (libelli) of the miracles of the martyrs, which are read in your presence. A few days ago a written account was read, in which a sick woman, wracked by the severest pains said "I can't bear it." The martyr, to whom she had come to be healed, said, "What if you were enduring martyrdom?" So it is that many people endure martyrdom on their sickbeds, very many indeed.'
Text: Patrologia Latina 38, 1299-1300.
Translation: Hill 1994, 103-105, lightly modified.
Summary: Robert Wiśniewski.
Service for the saint
Sermon/homily
FestivalsSaint’s feast
Anniversary of relic invention/translation
Cult PlacesCult building - unspecified
Non Liturgical ActivityOral transmission of saint-related stories
Composing and translating saint-related texts
MiraclesMiracle after death
Healing diseases and disabilities
RelicsBodily relic - entire body
Unspecified relic
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesWomen
Ecclesiastics - bishops
Theorising on SanctityConsiderations about the nature of miracles
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 is tentatively dated to 425/430, on the basis of intertextual relations with other Augustine'es writings. According to one manuscript it was preached in otherwise unknown place called Argentarium, perhaps near Hippo Regius.
Discussion
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.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. On 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 | S00036 | Peter, the Apostle | Petrus | Certain | S00097 | Agnes, virgin and martyr of Rome | Agnes | Certain | S00313 | Gervasius and Protasius, brothers and martyrs of Milan | Gervasius, Protasius | Certain | S00905 | Crispina, of Thagora, martyred at Theveste, with companions | Crispina | Certain | S01811 | Nemesianus, child martyr of Africa | Nemasianus | Certain |
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