E04009: Augustine of Hippo delivers a Latin sermon on the feast of the *Twenty Martyrs (of Hippo, including bishop Fidentius, Victoria and Valeria, S00703). He emphasises that it is the right case, not the suffering itself, which makes a martyr and presents the local saints as examples which are easier to follow than Christ or the Apostles. Sermon 325, preached in Hippo (North Africa), probably in the 400s.

Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 325

[In natali viginti martyrum

'On the birthday of the Twenty Martyrs']


1. Die solemni sanctorum martyrum debitus sermo reddendus est. De gloria martyrum locuturos, breuiter iustam causam martyrum locuturos, adiuuent nos orationes martyrum. Hoc enim per istas solemnitates commemorari debet sanctitas uestra, primum ne arbitremur aliquid nos conferre martyribus, quia eorum dies solemnissimos celebramus.

'The debt of the sermon must be paid to you on the feast day of the holy martyrs. May the prayers of the martyrs assist me, as I set out to speak about the glory of the martyrs, and so state briefly the just cause of their martyrdom. This, you see, is what your holinesses need to be reminded of by these solemn occasions; first and foremost, that we shouldn't imagine we are conferring any favour on the martyrs by keeping their feasts with great solemnity.'


In what follows Augustine says that the saints, being with God, do not need festivities, but they rejoice that people imitate them. The saints were indeed given to people to imitate, for the example of Christ may be considered too difficult to follow. For those who think they cannot follow great saints such as the Apostles Peter and Paul there are others to imitate:

Postremo adhuc dicit: impar sum Petro, impar sum Paulo. impar es ueritati? coronatur rusticitas, non excusatur uanitas. Postremo impar es pueris? impar es puellis? impar es sanctae Valerianae? Si adhuc sequi piget, non uis adhaerere Victoriae? Sic enim nobis sanctorum uiginti martyrum series recitata est. Coepit ab episcopo Fidentio, clausit ad fidelem feminam sanctam Victoriam. Initium a fide, finis ad uictoriam.

'Finally, he is still saying, "I'm not Peter's equal, I'm not Paul's equal." Are you not the equal of truth? Country bumpkins are crowned, city slickers have no excuse. Finally, aren't you the equal of boys, aren't you the equal of girls? Aren't you the equal of Saint Valeriana? If you are still reluctant to follow, don't you want the company of Victoria? That, you see, is how the list of the Twenty Martyrs has been read out to us; it began with bishop Fidentius, and concluded with the faithful woman Victoria. It starts with fidelity, ends with victory.'


Augustine encourages once more to imitate the martyrs, emphasising that is the right cause which makes a martyr, not the sufferings themselves. The sermon ends with the following words:

2. ... Haec charitati uestrae pro exhortatione in hoc sancto loco sufficiant; quoniam dies parui sunt, et adhuc nobis in maiore basilica restant quae agamus cum charitate uestra.

'... Let that be enough by way of exhortation for your graces in this holy place, since the days are short, and there still remain things we have to do together with your graces in the main basilica.

Text: Patrologia Latina 38, 1447-1449. Translation: Hill 1994, 167-169. Summary: Robert Wiśniewski.