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E00961: In his sermon to catechumens, preached in Latin probably in Carthage, 429/439, Quodvultdeus, bishop of this city, refers to *Mary (mother of Christ, S00033) as holy, and emphasises her role as both mother and virgin.

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posted on 2015-12-10, 00:00 authored by pnowakowski
Sermon 1, De Symbolo I, ch. 2

The preacher compares diverse aspects of pagan and Christian religion and in this context says what follows:

Illic fingitur quod idem Iouis Iunonem habeat sororem et coniugem: hic praedicamus sanctam Mariam matrem simul et uirginem.

'There they imagine that Juno was both sister and wife of the same Jupiter, here we proclaim holy Mary to be both mother and virgin'.

Text: Braun 1976. Translation: Robert Wiśniewski.

History

Evidence ID

E00961

Saint Name

Mary, Mother of Christ : S00033

Saint Name in Source

Maria

Type of Evidence

Literary - Sermons/Homilies

Language

  • Latin

Evidence not before

429

Evidence not after

454

Activity not before

429

Activity not after

439

Place of Evidence - Region

Latin North Africa

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Carthage

Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)

Carthage Carthage Carthago Karthago قرطاج‎ Qarṭāj Mçidfa Carthage

Major author/Major anonymous work

Quodvultdeus

Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Ecclesiastics - bishops

Source

Quodvultdeus' sermons were most probably preached during his episcopate in Carthage which started at some point between 429 and 439 and was terminated in the latter year by his exile to Italy, although it is not impossible that they were delivered in exile. In that case the terminus ante quem would be Quodvultdeus' death in 454.

Discussion

This mention cannot be considered to be evidence of cult. Yet, the sermon was probably preached in the same period during which, in the East, the role of Mary and especially the issue of her being Mother of God (Theotokos) was extensively debated. The vivacity of this debate both bore witness to a emerging cult of the Mother of God and gave it an additional stimulus. In this context Quodvultdeus' remark, otherwise quite banal, is worth mentioning.

Bibliography

Edition: Braun, R., Quodvultdeus Carthaginiensis, Opera Tributa (Corpus Christianorum. Series Latina 60; Turnhout, 1976), 305-334.

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    Evidence -  The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

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