E03498: Augustine of Hippo delivers a Latin sermon on the feast of *Eulalia (virgin and martyr of Mérida, S00407), in which he also mentions other martyrs, all of them from Africa. Sermon 313G, preached at an unknown date, probably in the early 410s, possibly in Hippo (North Africa).

Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 313G

[Sermo de die sanctae Eulaliae

'Sermon on the day of saint Eulalia']


Augustine emphasises that the readings on the feast days of the martyrs remind us about their victories and show that they triumphed over the persecutors thanks to the help of Christ whom they followed.

3. Quod autem ait Dominus, ueniet hora, ut, qui uos occiderit, putet se obsequium praestare Deo, non pertinet ad illos martyres, de quibus erat ista, cuius celebramus sollemnitatem. Ista enim sancta Eulalia, de prouincia Spania, sancta et fortis femina, quae per affectum uicit sexum, sicut sancta Crispina, sicut beatus Cyprianus, sicut alii multi martyres sancti, sicut Octo, sicut Viginti, et omnes eorum socii, de gentium multitudine crediderunt, et a paganis occisi sunt.

'As to what the Lord said, though, "the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering a service to God" (John 16:2); it does not apply to those martyrs among whom this one is included, whose feast we are keeping. This Saint Eulalia, you see, from the province of Spain, a holy and valiant woman, who by her love overcame the weakness of her sex like Saint Crispina, was like the blessed Cyprian, like many other holy martyrs, like the Eight, like the Twenty and all their companions, who all came to believe from the number of the Gentiles, and were killed by the pagans.'

Text: Morin 1930, 595. Translation: Hill 1994, 124. Summary: Robert Wiśniewski.