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E07830: The anonymous Gallic Chronicle of 452, written in Latin in Gaul in the mid 5th c., mentions the life and miracles of *Germanus (bishop of Auxerre, ob. c. 448, S00455).

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posted on 2019-11-15, 00:00 authored by dlambert
Gallic Chronicle of 452, 114

Germanus episcopus Altisiodori virtutibus et vitae districtione clarescit.

'Germanus bishop of Auxerre became famous for his miracles and the strictness of his life.'

Text: Mommsen 1892, 660 (Burgess 2001, 78). Translation: David Lambert.

History

Evidence ID

E07830

Saint Name

Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, ob. c. 448 : S00455

Saint Name in Source

Germanus

Type of Evidence

Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)

Language

  • Latin

Evidence not before

452

Evidence not after

460

Activity not before

418

Activity not after

448

Place of Evidence - Region

Gaul and Frankish kingdoms

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

Tours Tours Toronica urbs Prisciniacensim vicus Pressigny Turonorum civitas Ceratensis vicus Céré

Cult Activities - Miracles

Miracle during lifetime

Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Ecclesiastics - bishops

Source

The Gallic Chronicle of 452 was written by an unknown author who is generally located by scholars in southern Gaul on the basis of the prominence of southern Gallic events in the Chronicle. The last event mentioned in the Chronicle is the invasion of Italy by Attila in 452. It is therefore assumed to have been compiled at around that date, hence its modern title. For full discussion see Muhlberger 1990, 136-192; Burgess 2001, 52-65. The Gallic Chronicle of 452 is a continuation of the chronicle of Jerome, beginning when Jerome's concludes (in the 370s), and has the same chronological system, which makes simultaneous use of years from the birth of Abraham, Olympiads, and regnal years of Roman emperors (Burgess 2001, 52, 57-60).

Discussion

The reference to Germanus of Auxerre appears in the chronicle among the entries for the years 432/3. Germanus is one of two Gallic bishops for whom the chronicler implies sainthood by referring to his miraculous powers (virtutes), the other being Martin of Tours (E03523).

Bibliography

Editions: Mommsen, T., Chronica Gallica a.CCCCLII, in: Chronica Minora saec. IV. V. VI. VII., vol. 1 (Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Auctores Antiquissimi 9; Berlin: Apud Weidmannos, 1892), 646-662. Burgess, R., "The Gallic Chronicle of 452: A New Critical Edition with a Brief Introduction," in: R.W. Mathisen and D. Shanzer (eds.), Society and Culture in Late Antique Gaul: Revisiting the Sources (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2001), 52-84, pp. 67-82. English translation: Murray, A.C., From Roman to Merovingian Gaul: A Reader (Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press, 2000), 76-85. Further reading: Muhlberger, S., The Fifth-Century Chroniclers: Prosper, Hydatius, and the Gallic Chronicler of 452 (Leeds: Francis Cairns, 1990).

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    Evidence -  The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

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