The Life of Saint Severin

by Eugippius

Publisher:

Catholic University of America

, 1965

Overview

The idea of writing about St. Severin, so Eugippius tells us, came to him as he witnessed the success of a Life, in letter-form, of the monk, Bassus, who had died—recently, it seems—in the south of Italy. The Letter, the work of a layman, was circulated privately, and a number of people took copies. Eugippius and his community thought the miracles of their founder should be made known in a similar way. On hearing this, the biographer of Bassus offered his services and approached Eugippius for information. Eugippius, however, had his misgivings, which were probably aroused by an unkown layman’s Letter about Bassus. Eugippius feared that the work would be written in such an elaborate style as to be almost unintelligible to ordinary readers; and, to judge from the literary fashion of the times, such fears were not unfounded.

Eugippius, therefore, drafted a sketch of Severin’s life and miracles, and sent it to Paschasius, one of the seven deacons of the Curch of Rome, and author of a work on the Holy Ghost, which later won the approval of Pope Gregory the Great. Eugippius asked Paschasius to turn his sketch into a book of such form and style as its subjects would demand. This request, it seems, was not meant too seriously. Paschasius in his reply politely declined the offer on the grounds that the ‘draft’ of Eugippius served its purpose excellently, and that nothing could be gained by greater elaboration. Eugippius’ Memorandum is certainly anything but ‘casual;’ he uses rhetoric deliberately, though in moderation; he observes the rules of prose rhythm; he is aware of certain demands of composition inherent in a literary genre. Eugippius probably meant to ask Paschasius, a high-standing and influential churchman, to write—as we would say nowadays—a ‘Foreword’ that would give his work a wider circulation. Paschasius’ reply, with its highly complimentary remarks, may then be regarded as a response to Eugippius’ polite intimation.

Key Features

• An ancient biography that highlights the character of Saint Severin
• Provides a readable account designed to bypass some historical literary conventions
• One of 127 published volumes in a well-respected series on the Church Fathers

Product Details

• Title: The Life of Saint Severin
• Author: Eugippius
• Series: The Fathers of the Church
• Volume: 55
• Publisher: Catholic University of America
• Print Publication Date: 1965
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Pages: 142
• Era: era:byzantine
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Severin, Saint, Apostle of Noricum, -482
• Resource ID: LLS:LIFEOFSTSEVERIN
• Resource Type: text.monograph.biography
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:14:02Z

About Eugippius

Eugippius was an early medieval disciple of St. Severinus of Noricum. Most of what is known of Eugippius comes from his biography of his teacher. After Severinus’ death in AD 482, Eugippius took his body to Italy, and established the Castellum Lucullanum monastery in Naples. He wrote several scholarly works, including a thousand-page anthology on the writings of St. Augustine that remained popular through the Middle Ages.

St. Severinus of Noricum (c. AD 410–AD 482) is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He was born in either Africa or southern Italy, but not much is known about St. Severinus until he appeared in the region of the Danube in Noricum and began a ministry of preaching Christianity. He is said to have performed many miracles and prophesied an attack on Austria by Attila the Hun that devastated the region. He cared for the poor and displaced, and worked to reestablish spirituality and learning in the area destroyed by the Huns. After his death, he was taken to Italy and laid to rest there.