E02724: Augustine of Hippo (North Africa), preaches in Latin a sermon for the feast of *Laurence (deacon and martyr of Rome, S00037), quoting the story of his martyrdom and referring to his vivid cult and favours, most probably miracles, which are obtained through him at Rome, and complaining about the smallness of the local congregation attending the feast. Sermon 303, preached in the late 420s, in North Africa, possibly in Milevis.

Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 303

1. Beati Laurentii illustre martyrium est, sed Romae, non hic: tantam enim uideo uestram paucitatem. Quam non potest abscondi Roma, tam non potest abscondi Laurentii corona. Sed quare adhuc istam ciuitatem lateret, scire non possum. Ergo pauci audite pauca: quia et nos in hac lassitudine corporis et aestibus non possumus multa.
Diaconus erat, secutus apostolos: tempore post apostolos fuit. Cum ergo persecutio, quam modo ex euangelio audistis praedictam fuisse christianis, Romae, sicut in caeteris locis, uehementer arderet, et tanquam ab archidiacono postulatae essent res ecclesiae; ille respondisse fertur, mittantur me cum uehicula, in quibus apportem opes ecclesiae.

'The blessed Laurence's martyrdom is famous, but at Rome, not here; such as, I mean, is the smallness of the congregation which I see. Just as Rome cannot be hidden, so Laurence's crown cannot be hidden. But why it should still escape the notice of this city, I cannot tell. So listen, the few of you who are here, to just a few words; because I too, in this bodily weariness and this heat, am not capable of much. He was a deacon, following the apostles; he was after the apostles' time. So when a persecution, which as you heard just now from the gospel had been foretold to the Christians, was raging furiously at Rome as in other places, and the goods of the Church were demanded from him, as being the archdeacon, he is reported to have replied: "Let carts be sent with me, in which to bring the wealth of the Church".'


There follows a story in which Laurence fills the carts with the poor and returns with them saying that these are the wealth of the Church. Subsequently Laurence is roasted on a gridiron, bears the torment with calmness and asks the executioner to put him on the other side, since the first one is already cooked.

Tale duxit martyrium: ista gloria coronatus est. Beneficia eius Romae tam clara sunt, ut numerari omnino non possint.

'Such was the martyrdom he achieved; that was the glory he was crowned with. The favours he obtains at Rome are so notable, they simply cannot be counted.'

In what follows Augustine encourages his audience to follow the example of Laurence.


Text: Patrologia Latina 38, 1393 and 1394; Translation: Hill 1994, 313; Summary: Robert Wiśniewski.