E02656: Augustine of Hippo preaches in Latin a sermon on the feast of the *Scillitan Martyrs (martyrs in Carthage from Scillium, S00913). Sermon 299D, preached probably in Carthage (North Africa), possibly in 413.

Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 299D

[In natali sanctorum martyrum Scillitanorum

'On the birthday of the Scillitan martyrs']


1. Martyres sancti, testes Dei, ne uiuendo morerentur, moriendo uiuere maluerunt; ne timendo mortem negarent uitam, amando uitam contempserunt uitam. Ut negaretur Christus, uitam promittebat inimicus, sed non qualem Christus. Credentes ergo quod a Saluatore promittebatur, riserunt quod persecutor comminabatur. Fratres, quando sollemnia martyrum celebramus, exempla nobis proposita nouerimus, quae imitando assequamur.

'1. The holy martyrs, witnesses of God, preferred to live by dying, in order not to die by living; in order not to deny life by fearing death, they despised life by loving life. To get them to deny Christ, the enemy was promising them life, but not the kind Christ was. So as they believed the promises of the Saviour, they laughed at the threats of the persecutor. Brothers, when we celebrate the festivals of the martyrs, we should know that examples are being set before us, which we should try to match by imitating them.'

In what follows Augustine refers to a dialogue between the judge and the martyrs, which does not seem to be related with any specific text that we know.


Text: Morin 1930, 75. Translation: Hill 1994, 256. Summary: Robert Wiśniewski.