The Presbyters Project

Letter 25*

Dominis carissimis et sincerissimis fratribus et compresbyteris Deogratias et Theodoro et diaconis Titiano, Quintiano, Quoduultdeo et Carissimo et fratri Comiti Augustinus in domino salutem.

Incolumes nos Deo propitio ad propria peruenisse, sollemnitatem beatissimi martyris cum populo Dei qui de mea multum absentia murmurabat egisse, quod nobis gratissimum esse confidimus, nuntiamus. Commendo autem perlatorem fratrem nostrum presbyterum Mascelionem quem credo uestram recolere sanctitatem qui te, frater Comes, etiam per me rogat, ut illi hospitium quod poscit facias sine difficultate praestari.

(ed. Divjak 1981: 128)

Letter 25*

To our most dear lords and most sincere brothers and fellow presbyters Deogratias and Theodore, and to the deacons Titianus, Quintianus, Quodvultdeus, and Carissimus, and to his brother Comes, Augustine sends greetings in the Lord.

We announce that by God’s mercy we have arrived home safe and sound and that we have celebrated the solemnity of the most blessed martyr with the people of God, who were complaining greatly concerning my absence. We trust that this news is most welcome to you. I recommend, however, the bearer of this letter, our brother, the presbyter Mascelio. I believe that Your Holiness recalls him. Through me he also asks of you, Brother Comes, that you arrange for the hospitality that he requests to be offered him without any difficulty.

(trans. R. Teske, slightly altered)

Discussion:

Place of event:

Region

Latin North Africa

City

Hippo Regius
Carthage

About the source:

Author: Augustine of Hippo
Title: Letters, Epistulae
Origin: Hippo Regius (Latin North Africa)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

The letters of Augustine of Hippo cover a wide range of topics: Holy Scripture, dogma and liturgy, philosophy, religious practice and everyday life. They range from full-scale theological treatises to small notes asking someone for a favour. The preserved corpus includes 308 letters, 252 written by Augustine, 49 that others sent to him and seven exchanged between third parties. 29 letters have been discovered only in the 20th century and edited in 1981 by Johannes Divjak; they are distinguished by the asterisk (*) after their number.

The preserved letters of Augustine extend over the period from his stay at Cassiciacum in 386 to his death in Hippo in 430.

Edition:

J. Divjak ed., Sancti Aureli Augustini Epistolae ex duobus codicibus nuper in lucem prolatae, Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, v. 88, Wien, 1981.

J. Divjak ed., Saint Augustin. Lettres 1*-29*, Bibliothèque Augustinienne 46B. Paris 1987.

Categories:

Food/Clothes/Housing - Type of housing

PR164.

Travel and change of residence

PR164.

Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος

PR164.

Relation with - Bishop/Monastic superior

PR164.

Described by a title - Conpresbyter

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: S. Adamiak, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER413, http://presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=413