E04534: Augustine of Hippo preaches in Latin a sermon on the feast of the women martyrs of Thuburbo (North Africa), almost certainly *Maxima, Donatilla, and Secunda (S01812), showing them as an example to men. Sermon 345, delivered in an unknown city in North Africa, c. 391/430.

Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 345

1. Admonet nos et sollemnitas martyrum, et dominicus dies, hoc loqui caritati uestrae, quod pertineat ad contemptum praesentis saeculi, et ad spem futuri...

'The fact that today is both a feast of the martyrs of the Lord's day constrains me to speak to your graces about what concerns indifference or contempt for the present age and hopes for the age to come...'


After that Augustine does not refer to the martyrs or their cult until the following sentence:

... Erubesce, barbate: feminae secutae sunt, quarum hodie natalicia celebramus. Feminarum martyrum Tuburbitanarum sollemnitatem hodie celebramus.

'Blush for shame, bearded man, women have followed Him, those whose birthday (natalicia) we are celebrating today. We are celebrating the feast today of the feast today of the women martyrs of Thuburbo.'

Text: Morin 1930, 201 and 207. Translation: Hill 1995, 58 and 62 (slightly adapted). Summary: Robert Wiśniewski.