Chromatius of Aquileia preaches a sermon (Sermon 26) at the consecration of a church in Concordia, with relics, shared between the churches of Concordia and Aquileia, of the Apostles *John (S00042), *Andrew (S00288), and *Thomas (S00199), and of *John (the Baptist, S00020) and *Luke (the Evangelist, S00442). Chromatius refers to the translation of Thomas' relics from India to Edessa. Delivered in Latin in Concordia (near Aquileia, northern Italy), 388/407.
E05301
Literary - Sermons/Homilies
Chromatius of Aquileia
Chromatius of Aquileia, Sermon 26
Summary:
The basilica dedicated to the saints (basilica in honorem sanctorum) is now finished, and relics of the saints will be deposited there as part of its consecration. These relics had been obtained by Concordia, but had then been passed to Aquileia [as Concordia’s sovereign church]. Some of these relics are now being returned to Concordia, to the benefit of both churches, since even a portion of these relics is also their totality: ‘A portion has been given, so that you might have the totality in that portion, while we lose nothing of that which had been given us.’ (Data est portio, ut et vos totum in portione haberetis, et nos nihil de eo quod datum fuerat amitteremus.)
Chromatius then proceeds to praise the saints whose relics are present, stating that their virtues are numerous and their fame has spread across the earth. He then extols the individual greatness of these saints, opening with John the Baptist and John the Apostle and Evangelist. He then turns to the Apostles Andrew and Thomas, and the Evangelist Luke, whose relics are also present. He describes Andrew as the brother of *Peter (the Apostle, S00036), stating that the brothers were 'equals in suffering, because they were equals in faith' (aequales in passione, quia aequales in fide). He focuses particularly on Thomas, whose doubt affirmed the faith of the church. In particular, affirming the bodily resurrection of Christ, thus proving Marcion and the Manichees wrong. He then describes Thomas’s mission to India and the later translation of his relics from India to Edessa.
The sermon presumably continued with specific praise of Luke (and perhaps other saints), but the text breaks off at this point.
Summary: Frances Trzeciak.
Sermon/homily
Ceremony of dedication
Cult PlacesCult building - independent (church)
Non Liturgical ActivityComposing and translating saint-related texts
Oral transmission of saint-related stories
Construction of cult buildings
RelicsUnspecified relic
Transfer/presence of relics from distant countries
Transfer, translation and deposition of relics
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Heretics
Source
A sermon of Chromatius, the bishop of Aquileia between 388 and 407. Chromatius’ sermons were unknown for centuries after his death and were only rediscovered in the mid 20th century by Joseph Lemarié and Raymond Étaix. This sermon was preached to Chromatius’ congregation at some point during his episcopate.Before he was bishop, Chromatius took an active role in the 381 Council of Aquileia. This was one of the councils which condemned Arius' teachings as heretical. Chromatius was also a correspondent of several prominent figures in the late 4th c. church, including Jerome, Rufinus of Aquileia and Ambrose of Milan. In the late 4th century, Aquileia was a lively and diverse port town at a crossroads of the empire. It had strong links to the east and prominent Jewish and pagan communities. Chromatius’ sermons provide a view of the Nicene community of Aquileia in this dynamic time.
Discussion
The presence of relics of John in Aquileia is attested in Sermon 22 (see E05300). The precise origin of these relics at Concordia is not known. The celebration of the translation of relics of several of these saints, and of the martyr *Euphemia (martyr of Chalcedon, S00017), to Aquileia was apparently celebrated in the city in later years. Joseph Lemarié argues that this event is the same as the one commemorated in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum on 3 September (E04940).This consecration should be viewed in the context of other, similar consecration ceremonies which took place in northern Italy in the later 4th century. In each case, the relics of saints were deposited in the church. See, for example, references to Ambrose consecrating churches in this way in Milan (E05211) and Florence (E05209); or Gaudentius consecrating a church in this way in Brescia (E05338).
The treatment of the apostles is interesting here: John is the first of the apostles to be named, and Andrew is listed as the brother and equal of Peter. In contrast to other northern Italian churchmen of the later 4th century, Chromatius does not praise Peter at length (see E05217 and E05316). It is possible this reveals some ambivalence about Peter's position amongst the apostles, very possibly because of an ambivalence over the claims of the Roman see.
Note added 11/12/2025: The opening passage on how even tiny relics contain the full presence of the saint is paralleled by other authors of this period: Victricius of Rouen (E00717), the fullest statement on the subject; and Gaudentius of Brescia (E05338).
Bibliography
Text, French translation and commentary:Lemarié, J. (ed.), and Tardif, H. (trans.), Chromace d’Aquilée, Sermons. 2 vols. (Sources Chrétiennes 154, 164; Paris: Cerf, 1969-71).
Further Reading:
Beatrice, P.F. (ed.), Chromatius of Aquileia and His Age: Proceedings of the International Conference Held in Aquileia, 22-24 May 2008 (Turnhout: Brepols, 2011).
Lizzi, R., "Ambrose’s Contemporaries and the Christianization of Northern Italy," Journal of Roman Studies 80 (1990) 156-173.
McEachnie, R., Chromatius of Aquileia and the Making of a Christian City (London: Routledge, 2017).
Thélamon, F., "Reliques et mérites de saints: une lecture spirituelle de Chromace d’Aquilée lors de la dédicace de la basilique de Concordia (Sermon 26)," in: Beatrice, P.F. (ed.), Chromatius of Aquileia and His Age: Proceedings of the International Conference Held in Aquileia, 22-24 May 2008 (Turnhout: Brepols, 2011), 321-338.
Truzzi, C., Zeno, Gaudenzio e Cromazio. Testi e contenuti della predicaione Cristiana per le chiese di Verona, Brescia e Aquileia (360 – 410 ca.) (Brescia: Paideia, 1985).
Frances Trzeciak
09/04/2018
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00020 | John the Baptist | Iohannes | Certain | S00042 | John, the Apostle and Evangelist | Iohannes | Certain | S00199 | Thomas, the Apostle | Thomas | Certain | S00288 | Andrew, the Apostle | Andreas | Certain | S00442 | Luke, the Evangelist | Lucas | Certain |
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