A law of the emperor Justinian of 534, mentions that *African confessors whose tongues were cut out by the Vandals (S01481) were miraculously still able to speak. Codex Iustinianus 1.27.1.4, written in Latin in Constantinople.
Evidence ID
E07833
Type of Evidence
Canonical and legal texts
Codex Iustinianus 1.27.1.4
Vidimus uenerabiles uiros, qui abscissis radicitus linguis poenas suas mirabiliter loquebantur: alii uero post diuersa tormenta per diuersas dispersi prouincias uitam in exilio peregerunt.
'We saw venerable men who, after their tongues were cut out at the root, talked miraculously about their sufferings; others after different tortures led a life in exile, dispersed through different provinces.'
Text: Krueger 1877.
Translation: David Lambert.
MiraclesMiracle during lifetime
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesHeretics
Miracle during lifetime
Miracles experienced by the saint
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesHeretics
Foreigners (including Barbarians)
Other lay individuals/ people
Source
Codex Iustinianus 1.27 is a law re-establishing Roman administration in Africa following its reconquest by Justinian's forces in 533/4. It is dated 534 (the fourth consulship of Justinian and the consulship of Paulinus).Discussion
Justinian's law is concerned with establishing Roman administrative institutions in the reconquered provinces of Africa, primarily the post of Praetorian Prefect of Africa. It begins, however, with a preamble justifying the Roman reconquest by describing the cruelty and oppression of the Vandal regime. The claim about the confessors comes at the end of a passage denouncing the Vandals for practising rebaptism, torturing people to change their religious beliefs, profaning churches by taking them over for Arian use and turning others into stables.Other sources for the confessors say that some of them travelled to Constantinople, where their miraculous ability to speak after their tongues were cut out was observed by many people (see E03599, E07832, E07834). While this is not mentioned explicitly in Justinian's law, it is probably what he is referring to when he says that 'we saw' (vidimus) the confessors speaking miraculously, rather than this being a claim that he had witnessed it personally.
Bibliography
Edition:Krueger, P., Codex Justinianus, in: Corpus luris Civilis II: Codex lustinianus (Berlin, 1877).
Record Created By
David Lambert
Date of Entry
10/11/2021
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S01481 | African confessors whose tongues were cut out by the Vandals | Certain |
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Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
David Lambert, Cult of Saints, E07833 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E07833