Severus

ON ST. SEVERUS, PRESBYTER AND CONFESSOR,

AT VIENNE IN GAUL.

Fifth century.

PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY.

His cult, fatherland, age, and deeds.

Severus, presbyter and confessor, at Vienne in Gaul (S.)

BY THE AUTHOR J. B. S.

By a truly rare example, Vienne of Gaul announces to us on this day as a preacher of the faith among them St. Severus, an Indian by nation, who in the fifth century wonderfully made that city illustrious, An Indian, the apostle of Vienne not as Bishop, as Peter of Equilio wrongly reported in his Catalogue, but only as presbyter, as the monuments of Vienne most expressly testify. Ado praises the Man in his Chronicle at the sixth age at the year 452, in these words: At that time Severus the presbyter, an Indian by nation, a man most famous for miracles, the temple of the idols being destroyed, where gentile error was adoring a hundred Gods with a most insane worship, was preparing the church of the most blessed Stephen the protomartyr, before the gates of Vienne, that it might be consecrated. But when he had for a long time awaited the return of the most blessed Germanus, because the same man, when setting out, had said that he would come to the dedication of the house, it happened that on the day of that same dedication, before the offices were begun, the most blessed body of the bishop Germanus, being carried through Vienne, was conveyed into that same new church for the sake of resting there, and so the promise of the Man of God is fulfilled. I pass over the parachronism by which the times of St. Isicius or Izichius are there badly connected with St. Severus.

[2] Here I advise the reader that that year of the coming of the body of St. Germanus, marked by Ado and the rest; or rather the epoch of his death, is to be noted particularly, from which the various errors of the Viennese writers are altogether to be corrected, as will presently be plain when the age of St. Severus has to be determined. First let us hear Ado, celebrating him thus in his Martyrology: At Vienne, a city of Gaul, the birthday of St. Severus, presbyter and confessor: who, as his deeds testify, an Indian by nation, fervent in the faith of Christ, a most laborious pilgrimage being undertaken for the cause of preaching the Gospel, coming also to the aforesaid city, converted an immense multitude of pagans by word and by miracles to the faith of Christ, and, when he had rested in peace, buried in the basilica of St. Stephen, famous for signs, he is venerated with a wonderful reverence of the faithful. Hence in the usual way it passed into Usuard and his whole progeny, whence also into today's Roman Martyrology, with this sole difference, that Usuard seems to have doubted whether the Saint of whom we treat was truly an Indian by race.

[3] From his text you will understand the matter, for he reads thus: At Vienne, a city of Gaul, notably by Le Lièvre, of holy Severus, presbyter and confessor, who, as his deeds testify, undertook a laborious pilgrimage for the cause of preaching the Gospel, and, coming to the aforesaid city, converted an immense multitude of pagans by word and by miracles to the faith of Christ. Baronius, I think, saw this, and, returning to the original phrase, expressed it more openly: At Vienne in Gaul, of holy Severus, presbyter and confessor, who from India for the sake of preaching the Gospel undertook a laborious pilgrimage, etc. The most ancient announcement, unless I am mistaken, is that of the church of Vienne itself in Le Lièvre, page 128: The sixth of the Ides of August. At Vienne, a city of Gaul, the birthday of St. Severus, presbyter and confessor; who, as his deeds testify, an Indian by nation, fervent in the faith of Christ, a most laborious pilgrimage being undertaken for the cause of preaching the Gospel, coming also to the aforesaid city, converted an immense multitude of pagans by word and by miracles to the faith of Christ. And when he had rested in peace, buried in the basilica of St. Stephen, famous for signs, he is venerated with a wonderful reverence of the faithful.

[4] from whom also his epitaph. These things so explain and confirm the matter that I have judged that I should refrain from citing several Martyrologies here, the more elegant discourse of the Gallican Martyrologist being also omitted, as being in the hands of all. To this point rather belongs the epitaph of the Saint himself, whose true age no one would easily explore. It is reported by the praised Viennese writer Le Lièvre, page 127:

In this tomb lies Severus, beautiful in mind, Who once founded this temple from the ground. And not only this building, but the other roofs he consecrated, Very many he established, bound by the love of God. Relying thus on divine help, that always and everywhere Where his right hand set it, the air bore metals. But why should I say more? Let the grace of Christ be praised, By which He thus flourishes everywhere in all good men. Who bestows hidden gifts on His exiles, And distributes to pilgrims things once laid up.

He died on the sixth of the Ides of August, in the year 430.

[5] Chronological errors With the Acts of the Saint the things which this poet has somehow sung are not badly in accord. The noted year of death, 430, displeases; and it is a wonder that Le Lièvre did not observe this, who in the same work of his, page 12, had written that the temple of a hundred gods once existed in that place where there is now seen the church built by St. Severus about the year 445. Nor yet is that aptly enough said, for since in the deeds it is read that the sacred body of St. Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, was brought to Vienne while there was question of dedicating the church, but that Saint first made an end of living in the year 448, it would surely be more rightly said that that temple was brought to completion a little later; but that St. Severus died in the year 430 is convicted of the most open falsehood. But indeed anyone would try in vain to exact just chronological reckonings here, since the recent illustrator of the church of Vienne, Monsieur de Maupertuy, confesses that the historians of Vienne have everywhere struck upon chronological rocks; just as here also it is manifest that with Ado all will have it that St. Severus arrived at Vienne under St. Isicius the bishop, whereas it is established from elsewhere that he was twenty years and more later than St. Severus, as you will find proved more than once in this our work; most recently on the Acts of St. Germanus, volume VII of July, page 262, in the Annotations.

[6] Among the various erring chronological marks you will find one certain one, several are corrected namely that, the history concerning the coming of the body of St. Germanus to Vienne, and its being carried to the church of St. Stephen lately built and to be dedicated, being admitted as true, this must altogether have happened in the very year in which St. Germanus died at Ravenna, namely 448; so that then especially St. Severus must have been famous at Vienne, whom it is probable enough came there about the year 430 (which was wrongly marked as the year of his death), and prolonged his life to three or four years after the consecration of the said temple; whereby it will come about that here at least the reckoning of Ado can be admitted, that about the year 452 St. Severus was called to the reward of his labors, and was buried in the same church of St. Stephen which he himself had founded, as you will presently understand from his brief Life. Brief, I say, and taken from the Viennese Breviary itself, printed in the year 1522, four other much longer manuscript ones being omitted, embellished according to the capacity and judgment of those who wrote them out, from which you would not hammer out a jot which contributes even the least to illustrating the matter.

[7] Nay rather, into the brief compendium of the Life, short though it is, two articles are mixed which cannot at all be reconciled with the genuine Acts of St. Germanus. also from the Life. The first indeed, by which St. Severus is said to have awaited for two full years the coming, or rather the promised return, of St. Germanus from Italy. How false this is may be understood from this, that in the very same year in which he had gone thither for the sake of the Armoricans he was brought back thence dead. The other error is that it will have it that, in the presence of the body of the same St. Germanus, the dedication of the said church of St. Stephen, now mentioned more than once, was performed on the dawning of the Lord's day, the seventh of the Kalends of June, that is, the XXVI of May; whereas meanwhile it is most certain that the said St. Germanus did not die before the XXXI of July, and that in the very same year in which he died he was brought back to Auxerre. Which things again prove what was intimated above, that the Viennese writers either were wholly ignorant of chronological reckonings, or at least combined them most unskillfully. Behold now word for word the lessons praised above, as they are reported and printed in the Breviary.

THE LIFE

From the Viennese Breviary of the year 1522.

Severus, presbyter and confessor, at Vienne in Gaul (S.)

Having arrived at Vienne from India, Lesson I. Blessed Severus therefore, an Indian by nation, famous in the stock of his parents, of no small worldly means, yet perfect in the faith of Christ. Who, when as a little one he was left by the death of both parents, judged that all which had been left him by his parents was to be distributed to the poor. His course being accomplished inviolably, he came, being raised up, to the place of the presbyterate. Who, when, a pilgrimage being undertaken, and such great spaces of lands and sea being traversed, he had come to Vienne, the greatest city of the Gauls, at a certain place whose name is Vogaria, before he approached the city, he rested some time for the sake of pausing.

Lesson II. Who in that same place, a heathen tree being cut down, and money underground being found by the Lord's bounty, built a basilica in honor of St. Alban. a treasure being found, he builds a basilica: These things being duly accomplished, and the gentiles of that place being baptized, he came to the walls of the aforesaid city. Traversing the spaces of the whole city, the bridge being crossed, he came at once to that place where there was a temple, to which, on account of the multitude of idols, an ancient founder had given the name of a hundred gods, which overlooks the river Gère, and is placed at a distance neighboring the city.

the shrine being overthrown, he builds another. Lesson III. That temple, with the images of the idols, being by divine power at the Saint's petition suddenly laid level with the ground, and a very great multitude of pagans, with his help, being led to the recognition of the fullest truth, he began with the devout people, in honor of blessed Stephen, in that place which before had been the idols', to dig a foundation, and to lay the structure of the future house of prayer: and when they were carrying out the greatest part of the earth, suddenly they found a silver vessel, full of the most approved coins, laid up there; which is known to serve to this present day for the ministry of the sacrosanct altar of the church of Vienne.

St. Germanus, passing that way Lesson IV. When blessed Severus was building the work begun by the urgency of divine power, it happened that the most blessed Germanus, bishop of the city of Auxerre, while he was hastening to Rome, reached the city of Vienne. And when he approached the place of the aforesaid work, it happened by chance that the venerable men Germanus the bishop and Severus the presbyter met one another; and thus they are known to have greeted one another by their proper names, as if they had had the knowledge of a former acquaintance of long time.

promises that he will be present at the consecration, Lesson V. Here therefore, the holy Man's prayer being completed, blessed Germanus, rejoicing with blessed Severus at the work begun, thus addresses him: I ask, brother, he says, that you would deign to await for this notable votive offering of the temple only the coming of our littleness, so that of the structure of the building which we admire in the present, at its consecration both of us may rejoice by a heaping up of blessing. St. Severus assenting, and each bidding the other farewell, blessed Germanus took up the journey he had begun.

but the body of the dead man is brought. Lesson VI. And when blessed Severus had dispatched with what speed he could the work begun, two years having likewise passed, he was awaiting the coming of holy Germanus. Overcome, however, by the devotion of very many of the faithful, lest the awaited dedication should be deferred, recourse is had to blessed Ysicius, bishop of the same city, and the things which were necessary for this work are prepared. It happened that no taper could be lighted when fire was applied. All wonder, and these things are made known in order to blessed Ysicius. And when again for the performing of the mysteries of that same solemnity

the appointed day was dawning; while from every side all were proceeding to the holy church, suddenly they announce to blessed Severus that the body of St. Germanus is present before the gates of the city. For, as the Lord's day dawned, on the seventh of the Kalends of the month of June, both the holy little body of Blessed Germanus arrived, and the venerable relics of St. Stephen were laid up with the honor of those chanting psalms.

He builds a third likewise, Lesson VII. Two most sacred places therefore being completed in honor of the Saints, blessed Severus again sets about building a third place. On the hill therefore which is set in the midst of four mountains, which overhangs the city lying beneath, he found there also, by the Lord's bounty, as he had done before, no small number of gold coins; which when he had taken up, he built the work he had begun, and there placed with due honor the venerable patronal relics of blessed Lawrence the martyr.

Lesson VIII. When therefore blessed Severus was most severely afflicting his body with various modes of abstinence, and was preparing his struggling soul against the darts of spiritual wickedness, and dies most holily, he determined assiduously to go round the foundations of the Lord placed on the holy mountains and in level places, and there without intermission to offer the sacrifice of praise to the Lord. Performing this work of the divine gift all the days of his life, full of virtues he rested in the Lord. For it happened that on a certain night, while he was making his way from the place Vogaria to the city, he found a man lying half-alive in the middle of the road, and, addressing him, heard in him no sound of a living man, and understood that he had been struck down not by human but by demonic violence.

Lesson IX. Whom immediately, a prayer being poured forth to God, and the sign of the cross being impressed, in the twilight of that same night he restored unharmed. And presently, when he learned that the wickedness of an army of the noonday demon had done these things, a throng of demons being first put to flight. he, kindled by the holy Spirit, follows them with unbroken course, and, having overtaken them, orders them to stand immovable. And when the demons were now begging to be released, at his command all that pomp of demons withdrew like smoke. So by the intervention of the most blessed Man, both the harassed man is restored to his former health, and the aforesaid road, as we have said, is freed from the danger of demons. Many other admirable and outstanding graces of virtues also the divine goodness wrought through the venerable Man for those asking in faith, our Lord Jesus Christ granting it, to whom be honor, praise, and power forever and ever. Amen.

* read "the coming"