Augustine of Hippo preaches a sermon, most probably at the feast of *Stephen (the First Martyr, S00030) or possibly at the translation of his relics to Hippo Regius (Numidia, central North Africa); he states that the body of Stephen is deposited in many places, refers to dust (pulvis) which attracts people to the church in which he is preaching, and expresses his belief that miracles will occur in this place. Sermon 317, delivered in Latin, probably in Hippo, 425/430.
E03605
Literary - Sermons/Homilies
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 317
[De Stephano martyre
'On the martyr Stephen']
1. Martyr Stephanus, beatus et primus post apostolos ab apostolis diaconus ordinatus, ante apostolos coronatus; illas terras passus illustrauit, istas mortuus uisitauit. Sed mortuus non uisitaret, nisi et mortuus uiueret. Exiguus puluis tantum populum congregauit: cinis latet, beneficia patent. Cogitate, charissimi, quae nobis Deus seruet in regione uiuorum, qui tanta praestat de puluere mortuorum. Caro sancti Stephani per loca singula diffamatur: sed fidei eius meritum commendatur. Sic exspectemus consequi temporalia beneficia, ut eum imitando accipere mereamur aeterna. Quod nobis beatus martyr imitandum in sua passione proposuit, hoc attendere, hoc credere, hoc implere, uere est solemnia martyris celebrare.
'The blessed martyr Stephen, the first after the apostles to be ordained deacon by the apostles, and crowned before the apostles, shed luster on those lands when he suffered, and now that he is dead has come to visit these lands. Such a small quantity of dust has assembled such a big congregation here; the ashes can't be seen; the favours received are visibly evident. Imagine, dearly beloved, what God must be keeping for us in the land of the living, if he grants us such favours from the dust of the dead. The flesh of Saint Stephen is widely known in several particular places, but it is the merit of his faith that is being commended to us. Let our hope and expectation of receiving temporal benefits be such, that we may deserve, by imitating that faith, to receive eternal ones. To pay attention to what the blessed martyr set before us in his passion for our imitation, to believe this, that is the true way to celebrate the martyr's feast.'
In what follows Augustine compares the martyrdom of Stephen to that of Christ and asks his audience to imitate both examples, admitting that Stephen is easier to follow, as a lamp is easier to look at than the sun. The sermon ends with the following words:
6. ... Sancti ergo Stephani natalem celebremus et cum debita ueneratione colamus. Celebrauimus natalem Domini; celebremus et serui. Frequentauimus natiuitatem Saluatoris; frequentemus et natalem martiris. Dominum nostrum peperit incorrupta uirgo Maria, et Stephanum gloriosum ad martirii palmam sancta mater prouexit ecclesia.
'... So let us celebrate Saint Stephen's birthday (natalis), and honour him with due reverence. We have celebrated the Lord's birthday; let us also celebrate his servant's. We have thronged to the birth (nativitas) of the Saviour; let us also throng to the birthday of the martyr. The undefiled Virgin Mary gave birth to our Lord, and our holy mother the Church has conferred on the glorious Stephen the palm of martyrdom.'
Text: Patrologia Latina 38, 1435, and Wilmart 1932, 205, for the last paragraph.
Translation: Hill 1994, 142 and 145-146.
Summary: Robert Wiśniewski.
Service for the saint
FestivalsSaint’s feast
MiraclesMiracle after death
Unspecified miracle
RelicsBodily relic - corporeal ashes/dust
Contact relic - dust/sand/earth
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Theorising on SanctityConsiderations about the veneration of saints
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 preached after the discovery of the relics of Stephen in Caphargamala, Palestine, in 415 and their arrival in Africa c. 420 and in Hippo c. 424, for some relics were evidently deposited in the church in which Augustine is preaching. The emphasis put on the fact that a bit of dust attracted big crowds may suggest that the sermon was delivered at the ceremony of deposition of Stephen's relics in Hippo. The last paragraph refers to the feast of the martyr (celebrated on 26 December), but it is preserved only in a part of the manuscript tradition, so it is not certain whether it belongs to the same sermon.
Discussion
The relics of Stephen were brought to Africa probably by Orosius, and deposited in several cities, including Hippo, Calama, and Uzalis. They came from the tomb which was discovered in Caphargamala in 415. After the discovery, the martyr's body was taken to Jerusalem, but some dust, earth and small particles were given to the priest Lucian, the finder of the grave (see E07605). Orosius, who was coming back from Jerusalem to the West in 416 took some of these relics with him. He left some of them on Minorca (see E07606 and E07864), and brought the rest to Africa. The story of the arrival of these relics to various cities in this region can be found in Augustine's City of God (E01109, E01111, E01116) and in the anonymous Book of the Miracles of St Stephen (E00165).Bibliography
Edition:Migne, J.P., Patrologia Latina 38 (Paris, 1865).
Wilmart, A., "Le morceau final du sermon 317 de Saint Augustin pour la fête de S. Étienne,” Revue Bénédictine 44 (1932), 201-206.
Translation:
Hill, E., The Works of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century, vol. III 9. Sermons 306-340A 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
23/08/2017
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00030 | Stephen, the First Martyr | Stephanus | Certain |
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