E02262: Augustine of Hippo, preaches a sermon on the feast of *Vincent (deacon and martyr of Saragossa and Valencia, S00290), probably after the public reading of his Acts. Sermon 277, preached in Latin, probably at Hippo Regius (North Africa) in c. 413.

Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 277

[In festo martyris Vincenti. Habitus in basilica Restituta

'On the feast of the martyr Vincent. Preached in the Restored basilica']


The preacher mentions the martyrdom of Vincent and claims that the bodies of the martyrs are offered by God to the Church.

Praestitit ergo [Deus] sanctorum corpora ecclesiis suis ad memorias orationum, non ad glorias martyrum. Illi enim habent integram gloriam suam apud creatorem suum. Nec ipsi corpori aliquid timent, quoniam non est quod timeant.

'So God has bestowed the bodies of the saints on the Churches for memorials to pray at and as reminders to pray, not for monuments to martyrs to give them glory. They, after all, have their glory complete and intact in the presence of their creator. Nor are they afraid of anything happening to their bodies, since there is in fact nothing to fear.'


There follow reflection about the status of the body after death and after resurrection with occasional references to the story of Vincent's martyrdom, which suggest that it has been read before the sermon.

Text: Patrologia Latina 38, 1258. Translation: Hill 1994, 33. Summary: Robert Wiśniewski.