An anonymous sermon for Epiphany ('Eusebius Gallicanus', Sermon 4) includes a passage in praise of the *Innocents (children killed on the orders of Herod, S00268). Preached in Latin in Gaul, probably in the 5th century.
Evidence ID
E06052
Type of Evidence
Literary - Sermons/Homilies
Major author/Major anonymous work
Eusebius Gallicanus
Eusebius Gallicanus, Sermon 4 (De epiphania Domini et de innocentibus)
Summary:
This sermon is clearly intended to be preached on Epiphany (6 January), and is not specifically about the Holy Innocents. The first half of the sermon (§§ 1-3) is devoted to the journey of the Magi to the infant Jesus, and on various lessons that the preacher draws from it for the congregation. Only then (§ 4) does he turn to the Innocents slaughtered by Herod, praising them for gaining the crown of martyrdom as soon as they had entered the world. The remainder of the sermon (§§ 5-7) returns to the theme of the journey of the Magi and its lessons.
Text: Glorie 1970.
Summary: David Lambert.
Liturgical Activities
Sermon/homily
Source
The sermon was preached in Gaul, probably at some point in the 5th century. It survives as part of the large collection of anonymous Gallic sermons known as 'Eusebius Gallicanus'. This was compiled in southern Gaul at some point between the late 5th and early 7th centuries, but the precise date and circumstances remain uncertain. For a detailed examination of the collection, see Bailey 2010.Bibliography
Edition:Glorie, F., Eusebius 'Gallicanus'. Collectio Homiliarum I (Corpus Christianorum Series Latina 101; Turnhout: Brepols, 1970), 45-53.
Further Reading:
Bailey, L.K., Christianity's Quiet Success: The Eusebius Gallicanus Sermon Collection and the Power of the Church in Late Antique Gaul (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2010).
Record Created By
David Lambert
Date of Entry
06/12/2023
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00268 | Innocents, children killed on the orders of Herod | Innocentes | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
David Lambert, Cult of Saints, E06052 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E06052