Constantius of Lyon, in his Life of *Germanus (bishop of Auxerre, ob. c. 448, S00455), recounts how the saint restored the ability of a farmer's cocks to crow by giving them corn he had blessed. Written in Latin at Lyon (south-east Gaul) between c. 460 and c. 480.
E07039
Literary - Hagiographical - Lives
Constantius of Lyon, Life of Germanus of Auxerre 11
For a full account of Constantius' Life of Germanus, see E05841. This passage follows the one discussed in E07552.
Neque illud omittendum uidetur, quod in eodem itinere, post dies aliquot, noctis caecitate conpulsus, mediocrium personarum successit hospitio; nam id maxime, ambitum refugiens, requirebat. Cumque in diuino opere solito pernoctasset officio, lux orta est nullis gallorum cantibus nuntiata, cum earum auium copia in hisdem domibus non deesset. Causam nouitatis explorat; agnoscit multum esse iam tempus, quo tristis taciturnitas naturale gallicinium damnauisset. Ab omnibus exoratus, mercedem mansionis exsoluit. Acceptum enim triticum benedictione condiuit, quo pastae auiculae auditus habitantium usque ad molestiam frequentatis cantibus fatigabant. Ita uirtus diuina etiam in rebus minimis maxima praeeminebat.
'Another incident deserves to be recounted that took place some days later on the same journey. Oncoming darkness had compelled the Bishop to seek hospitality, and his hosts were quite humble people, a thing which he greatly preferred, as he shunned ostentation. When he had spent the night according to his custom in the recitation of the divine office, the sun rose, but no crowing of cocks heralded it, although there were numbers of these birds about the place. He enquired the cause of this novelty and was told that for a long time now, the natural habits of the cocks had given way to a melancholy silence. Everybody asked for his help, so he made return for their hospitality. He took some corn and seasoned it with a blessing and when the birds had eaten it they wearied the ears of the household almost to distraction by their constant crowing. Thus the power of God reveals its greatness even in the smallest things.'
This passage concludes Constantius' narrative of miracles local to Auxerre. It is followed by his account of Germanus' first visit to Britain (§§ 12-18), in which the first miraculous event occurs during Germanus' crossing of the Channel: E06024.
Text: Borius 1965, 142.
Translation: Hoare 1954.
Miracle during lifetime
Miracle with animals and plants
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Peasants
Source
Germanus of Auxerre (PCBE 4, 'Germanus 1', pp. 878-883) was the most important and revered episcopal saint of 5th-century Gaul. The Life of Germanus was written some years after his death (traditionally dated to 448, but perhaps earlier) by Constantius, a literary figure, possibly a cleric, attested in Lyon in the 460s and 470s (PCBE 4, 'Constantius 3', pp. 521-522). The precise date when he composed the Life is not documented, but it must have been sometime between the 460s and the early 480s. For full discussion of the authorship and date of the Life of Germanus, see its overview entry: E05841.Discussion
This incident is narrated during part of the Life (§§ 7-11) in which Constantius narrates miracles that took place in Germanus' see of Auxerre (most of the Life is devoted to events that take place elsewhere). It follows on immediately from the story of the haunted house (E07552), and is said by Constantius to have taken place on the same journey.Bibliography
Editions:Borius, R., Constance de Lyon, Vie de saint Germain d'Auxerre (Sources chrétiennes 112; Paris: Cerf, 1965), with French translation.
Levison, W., Vita Germani episcopi Autissiodorensis auctore Constantio, in: Passiones vitaeque sanctorum aevi Merovingici V (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum 7; Hannover and Leipzig, 1919), 246-283.
English translation:
Hoare, F.R., The Western Fathers (London, 1954), 283-320. Reprinted in T.F.X. Noble and T. Head (eds.), Soldiers of Christ: Saints and Saints' Lives from Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages (University Park PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1995), 75-106.
David Lambert
15/05/2019
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00455 | Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, ob. 445/450 | Certain |
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