ON ST. AUSPICIUS, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR,
AT TOUL OF THE LEUCI IN BELGICA PRIMA.
About the year 478.
Collection on the cult and age.
Auspicius, bishop and confessor, at Toul of the Leuci in Belgica Prima (St.)
BY THE AUTHOR J. B. S.
Somewhat timidly was given by us at the 8th of July a synonymous Saint, whom Baronius added to the Roman Martyrology with the title of bishop of Trier, concerning whom we said that nothing but uncertain and doubtful things occur, which there may be seen deduced. That there chiefly tormented us, that Auspicius one seems distracted into two, This one, as distinct from the synonymous one of Trier whom Castellan, I do not know whether rightly enough, calls Auspicianus, at the said 8th of July in his universal Martyrology, by an appended little note expressly expressing that St. Auspicius was not bishop of Trier, but of Toul, and therefore belonged not to the second century or the times of the persecutions, but to the 5th century, which is easily elicited from this, that he was most certainly synchronous with the most celebrated holy bishops Apollinaris Sidonius and Lupus of Troyes. And this opinion indeed of Castellan, whether it be certain enough, and whether the aforesaid Auspicii are so to be confused into one, there is nothing whence you might safely enough define. Less pleasing still is that Baronius made this our one diverse from the pretended one of Toul, concerning which matter he is to be met below. I gave place to the Trier one with the Roman Martyrology at the said 8th of this month; it now remains to be examined whether indeed to this Auspicius of Toul a place here among the Saints belongs.
[2] It must first be confessed that his name was not marked among the Saints in any ancient Martyrologies, is unknown to the more ancient Fasti; at least those which have come to our hands. The first seems to be Saussay, who reported him, equally with the Trier one, on that very 8th of July, adorned with a eulogy of this kind: "On the same day, at Toul of the Leuci, of holy Auspicius, another bishop and likewise confessor, who, contemporary with the most holy Lupus of Troyes, shone forth also nearly equal in the grace of doctrine and religion, so that by a common eulogy (as Sidonius Apollinaris is author) he was proclaimed with the signal title of father and protomystes of the Gauls. Whom both his divine eloquence, still evident in that excellent epistle which he wrote to Arbogast, count of Trier, showed to be an oracle of piety; but the work of his virtues showed him a master, and true imitator of Christ; his merits glorified him eternally, by which he shone, buried in the suburban church of St. Mansuetus." But again he made mention of his discovery and deposition with other holy bishops on the 11th of August in these words: "At Toul of the Leuci, the discovery and replacing of the holy bishops Alcha, Celsinus, Auspicius, and Ursus"; which he could draw only from the tables of Toul; whence at least we take it most probably that St. Auspicius was once endowed with some ecclesiastical cult; and deservedly, since from the words of Sidonius to be reported below, concerning his outstanding virtues and sanctity it seems to be established sufficiently and abundantly.
[3] yet he has a cult And certainly in the two catalogues of the bishops of Toul which we have in manuscript, the title of Saint is prefixed to Auspicius, but not likewise in another which Martène edited, and which he calls the Acts of the bishops of Toul, in the New Thesaurus of anecdota, vol. 3, from page
989, where nevertheless this one is adorned with a brief but signal eulogy: "When he (namely Celsinus) had made his departure from this life with God, Auspicius was ordained to the aforesaid see; a man distinguished for goodness, keen-sighted with solicitous circumspection toward his own, while he lived. Wherefore he merited eternal reward from Christ, and obtained the fellowship of the heavenly citizens with the elect shepherds." And these are almost the words from which the compilers of the later catalogues took their material, noting these things thence concerning St. Auspicius: "St. Auspicius, fifth bishop of this see, a man distinguished for goodness, keen-sighted with solicitous circumspection toward his own, while he lived, wherefore he merited eternal reward from Christ, and obtained the fellowship of the heavenly citizens with the elect shepherds, buried in the suburb in the church of blessed Mansuetus." That these things are proclaimed concerning the Saint is plain enough; you certainly will not deny that our Auspicius approaches so much the nearer to the honors of the Saints, the nearer you judge the synonymous Trier one is to be reduced to him.
[4] in the tables of Toul. Concerning the bishops of Toul the ample man François Riguet, provost at St. Dié in the Vosges, seems to have deserved best, in his French chronological System of them, which he took care to be transmitted to us in manuscript, where he too honors Auspicius with the appellation of Saint, although he refutes another Catalogue, in which he found it written that Auspicius was confused with Aspasius, concerning whom, namely, in the church of St. Dié an office was celebrated; whereas nevertheless it is certain, he says, that neither the one nor the other is known there, still less honored by any festivity. What more? that there Riguet roundly denies that in the more ancient Breviaries or Kalendars of the church of Toul there ever existed any solemn memory of Auspicius before the edition of the Breviary procured for that church in the year 1628, where a lection was fitted to him on this day, and in it especially three things, which, on the testimony of the same Riguet, are true, are recorded: namely that he ruled the church of Toul fifth in order, that he was buried in the monastery of St. Mansuetus, and that he was on familiar terms with St. Apollinaris Sidonius by letters. On his credit we report these things, since he did not describe the lection itself, nor indeed are the Breviaries of all the Gallican churches, so frequent and so often changed hitherto, at hand for us or can easily be. These things concerning cult of whatever sort: it remains that we briefly dispatch a few other things which regard St. Auspicius.
[5] When of St. Auspicius of Trier, already more than once forenoted on the 8th of July, not rightly distinguished by Baronius treatment had to be made, at the notation of Baronius it was observed that many things in few are asserted rather confusedly in its context, which would need a longer discussion, but since they were not proper to that place, they had to be deferred hither. Baronius's words liable to examination must again be repeated and set before the eyes of the readers: "There was another of the same name (Auspicius) bishop of Toul, fifth in order, conspicuous for sanctity and doctrine, whose signal epistle written in meter to Arbogast the count exists: and he lived in the times of the emperor Theodosius. Diverse from all these must be held that Auspicius to whom Sidonius Apollinaris writes, epistle 2, book 7." Thus far the very words of Baronius, which if they were true, thence it would become consequent that not now one but altogether two men marked with the name of Auspicius presided over that same church of Toul, the one namely in the fourth century up to the times of Valentinian and Theodosius, the other in the fifth century, to whom St. Apollinaris Sidonius was equal in age, which before the most Eminent man no one wrote, as before me Riguet observed, nor after him, at least so far as I know, has anyone dared to assert.
[6] Baronius was deceived, I think, by the equivocation of the name, that, understanding Arbogast the count to be addressed, from the other, he referred to him the metrical epistle of St. Auspicius, whom he knew more famous in history under Valentinian and Theodosius, and to whom therefore he judged that Auspicius bishop of Toul had written; whereas nevertheless from the epistle itself, which it is plain Baronius did not read, it is openly proved that it is directed not to that elder Arbogast, at last run through in idolatry by his own sword and hand, but to another younger Arbogast, who is there marvelously extolled not only for his skill in handling arms, but also for truly Christian virtues. Behold the very words of the epistle in Chesne, vol. 1, page 864:
From a great seed descends the origin of your name; Certainly it is of his virtue, as Arbogast is read. Let them be written in the annals of this triumph likewise, As also are written those of him whom we mentioned above. But let us add this merit to this one, who is truly greater, That he invokes the name of Christ, devoted to religion. That ancient one was eager in arms, it is true; But he dies unfaithful, and by death lost all. But this our one is strenuous, warlike, renowned, And, what is greater than all these, a worshiper of the divine name.
[7] What clearer, what more manifest, than that Arbogast, or Arbogast the count, is here indicated as truly Christian and pious, whom he wrongly recalls to the times of Theodosius, whom St. Auspicius names "son" in two places, and as such paternally instructs to the exercises of true justice, which offices certainly were very far from that one whom we just now depicted. And that this bishop of Toul cannot belong to the age of Theodosius is most plainly proved from this, that to him is inscribed St. Apollinaris Sidonius's epistle 17, book 4, and that St. Auspicius himself commends Jamblychus, Pope of Trier, to be honored and loved by his Arbogast, that one at all events who flourished in the fifth century, as the Catalogues of the bishops of Trier hand down; by which arguments Baronius must be recalled to the most received opinion, namely that there was only one St. Auspicius, our bishop of Toul, to define whose determined age we have hitherto labored in vain, nor indeed do we see reason to labor, since neither the beginning of his life, nor its course, nor the time of his attaining the episcopal see, nor the duration of his government, nor the year of his death, has it hitherto been permitted to find anywhere expressed, as also ingenuously in more than one place confesses François Riguet, provost of St. Dié, praised by me above.
[8] as is plain from the letters of St. Sidonius. That he was synchronous with the most celebrated St. Lupus, bishop of Troyes, and of about the same age, this too Sidonius, bishop of Clermont, teaches in the above-said epistle to Arbogast, where the things which he describes more at length explain not only the age of St. Auspicius but especially the endowments of his sublime merits, which Saussay did not neglect. Behold the very words of St. Sidonius: "But as to your wishing that I, an improper interpreter, should chatter something concerning spiritual pages, these things are more justly demanded from Priests near in place, aged in years, illustrious in faith, well known in work, ready of speech, tenacious of memory, and finally more powerful in every endowment of sublime merits. For, to leave aside the prelate of your city, a most consummate man, and near-blessed by the consciousness and fame of all virtues, much more opportunely will the renowned fathers and protomystae of the Gauls be consulted by you about whatever questions—Lupus not set sufficiently far off, and Auspicius not a little near at hand—for the ventilation of whose abundant doctrine not even your consultation suffices."
[9] He was equal in age to St. Lupus of Troyes. Aged, therefore, was St. Auspicius, when these things were written, equally as St. Lupus; and the common opinion is that the chief epistles of St. Sidonius were given between about the years 472 and 484, so that if that which we just now in part recited was written within those limits, it is plainly clear that our Saint did not survive the year 484, perhaps not even 482, whatever Cointe insinuate, that he could have been surviving in the year 486, to which Riguet does not dare to assent. We seem able safely to assert that he did not long survive St. Lupus, nay more probably did not survive him; but since he died in the year 478 or 479, you have material by which, in this ambiguity of things, you may in some way determine concerning the term of St. Auspicius's life, and consequently concerning his birth year, which you would not incongruously recall to the beginning of that century. And here it must be stopped, since concerning the other matters done throughout the whole time of his government, concerning his virtues, merits, or miracles, we have found nothing handed to memory, nor could the praised Riguet, by no means indeed careless in this part, assign to us any source whence they might be drawn.