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E02992: Peter Chrysologus, bishop of Ravenna (attested 448/449, died before 458), preaches a Latin sermon in Ravenna, probably for the feast of the *Innocents (Children killed on the orders of Herod, S00268).

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posted on 2017-06-14, 00:00 authored by mpignot

Peter Chrysologus, Sermon 153

The title is reconstructed by Olivar as ‘A second on the same' referring to the preceding Sermon 152 bearing the title 'On Herod and the Infants' (E02991).

The sermon starts discussing virgin birth as being divine, and then comes to the reading of the day about the infants killed by Herod in Matthew 2:16-18 (§ 1). It praises these infants as martyrs (§ 2). The sermon ends by rejecting the idea that the baby Jesus fled to Egypt out of fear. It was an act of love, since Christ’s flight enabled the infants to become martyrs in the Church (§ 3).

Text: Olivar 1982, 956-957. Summary: M. Pignot.

History

Evidence ID

E02992

Saint Name

Innocents, children killed at the order of Herod : S00268

Saint Name in Source

Parvuli

Related Saint Records

https://oxford.figshare.com/articles/Innocents_children_killed_on_the_orders_of_Herod/13729852

Type of Evidence

Literary - Sermons/Homilies

Language

Latin

Evidence not before

426

Evidence not after

458

Activity not before

426

Activity not after

458

Place of Evidence - Region

Italy north of Rome with Corsica and Sardinia

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Ravenna

Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)

Ravenna Sardinia Sardinia Sardegna Sardinia

Major author/Major anonymous work

Peter Chrysologus

Cult activities - Liturgical Activity

Sermon/homily

Cult activities - Festivals

Saint’s feast

Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Ecclesiastics - bishops Children

Source

Peter Chrysologus was bishop of Ravenna in the second quarter of the 5th century. The chronology of his life remains uncertain: he is attested as bishop in 448/449 and he died before 458 when there is evidence of his successor Neo receiving a letter from pope Leo the Great: see PCBE 2, 'Petrus Chrysologus 9', pp. 1728-9. While most of Peter's sermons were transmitted in a collection put together by bishop Felix of Ravenna in the 8th century, the current body of sermons attributed to him has been established and critically edited by Olivar, who rejected a number of sermons from Felix's collection as spurious and added 15 sermons not transmitted in the collection but which he considered authentic. All the sermons were preached in Ravenna, generally on specific topics or liturgical feasts that can be identified. Most, however, do not bear indications of their date, although Olivar has attempted to find chronological units within Felix' collection. For an overview of these sermons and hypotheses on their chronology, see A. Olivar, Los sermones de San Pedro Crisologo: estudio critico (Montserrat, 1962); F. Sottocornola, L’anno liturgico nei sermoni di Pietro Crisologo (Cesena, 1973); V. Zangara, “I silenzi nella predicazione di Pietro Crisologo”, Rivista di storia e letteratura religiosa 32 (1996), 225-265, and further bibliography in W.B. Palardy, Peter Chrysologus: Selected Sermons, vol. 2, (Fathers of the Church 109; Washington DC, 2004), xiii-xvi.

Discussion

It seems probable that this sermon was held for the feast of the Innocents, as Matthew 2:16-18, narrating their death was read (as for E02991). They are praised as martyrs recognised by the Church. The discussion of virgin birth at the beginning of the sermon suggests that it was probably preached close to Christmas. This sermon constitutes some of the earliest evidence on the celebration of a feast for the Innocents.

Bibliography

Edition: Olivar, A., Petrus Chrysologus, Sermones (Corpus Christianorum Series Latina 24B; Turnhout, 1982), 956-957. Translation: Palardy, W.B., Peter Chrysologus, Selected Sermons. Volume 3 (Fathers of The Church 110; Washington D.C, 2005), 261-263.

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Keywords

S00268 History

Licence

CC0

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