E02841
Literary - Hagiographical - Lives of saint
Eugippius, Life of Severinus 23
Igitur sanctissimus Severinus, dum in monasterio Favianis evangelium legeret, oratione suppleta consurgens scafam sibi iubet ilico praeparari et mirantibus ait: "Sit nomen domini benedictum: sanctuariis beatorum martyrum nos oportet occurrere". Nec mora, transmeato Danuvio inveniunt hominem considentem in ripa ulteriore fluminis ac multis eos precibus postulantem, ut ad servum dei, ad quem fama vulgante olim venire cuperet, duceretur. Mox itaque ei Christi famulo demonstrato suppliciter santi Iohannis Baptistae reliquias optulit multis apud se servatas temporibus. Quas dei servus debita veneratione suscipiens basilicam sancti Iohannis, sicut praedixerat, ultronea benedictione collatas sacravit officio sacerdotum.
‘One day St. Severin, reading the Gospel in his monastery at Favianis, after offering prayer, arose and ordered a boat to be made ready for him; when they wondered he said: “Blessed be the name of the Lord: we must go to meet the relics of the blessed martyrs.” They crossed the Danube without delay and found a man sitting on the opposite bank of the river, who asked them with many entreaties to be led to the servant of God, to whom, on account of his fame with all people, he had long wished to come. The servant of Christ was pointed out to him, and he humbly offered him relics of St. John Baptist, which he had kept with him for a long time. Receiving them with due reverence, brought together by a voluntary blessing, the servant of God consecrated the basilica of St John, as he had promised, through the sacred service of priests.'
Text: Noll 1981, 88.
Translation: Bieler-Krestan 1965, 80 (modified).
Cult building - independent (church)
MiraclesRevelation of hidden knowledge (past, present and future)
RelicsBodily relic - unspecified
Discovering, finding, invention and gathering of relics
Construction of cult building to contain relics
Privately owned relics
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - abbots
Ecclesiastics - monks/nuns/hermits
Ecclesiastics - lesser clergy
Source
For the Life of Severinus see E02347.Discussion
The final sentence of the extract is difficult to interpret with confidence; it perhaps suggests that a basilica was consecrated to John the Baptist after the acquisition of his relics, possibly the basilica attached to Severinus’ monastery, where relics of various martyrs were kept (see E02838). As in Severinus' other acquisition of relics (E02838), Eugippius says that the saint is able to obtain them through his power of divination and because their owners wish to give them to him because of his fame.As with other episodes in the Life of Severinus, this incident cannot be precisely dated, but has to be situated between around 454, when Severinus arrived in Noricum, and 482, when he died.
Bibliography
Edition:Noll, R., Eugippius. Das Leben des heiligen Severin, 2nd edition (Passau, 1981), 59-116, at 88.
Translation:
Bieler, L., and Krestan, L., Eugippius, The Life of St. Severin (Fathers of the Church 55; Washington D.C., 1965), 57-119, at 80.
Matthieu Pignot
24/5/2017
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00020 | John the Baptist | Iohannes Baptista | Certain |
|---|
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