II.23

 

At the time when Sidonius was living a saintly life here on earth and was completely devoted to the service of the Lord, two presbyters rebelled against him. They removed from him all control over the property of his church, reduced him to a very straitened way of life and submitted him to every kind of contumely. God in His clemency did not permit this insult to go long unpunished. One of these two insidious men, who was unworthy to be called by the name of presbyter, had threatened the night before to drag Sidonius out of his own church. When he got up the next morning on hearing the bell which called to matins, this man was full of spite against the holy man of God, and was busy turning over in his mind how he could best carry out a plan which he had formed the previous evening. He went off to the lavatory and while he was occupied in emptying his bowels he lost his soul instead. A boy was waiting outside with a candle, expecting his master to emerge at any moment. Day dawned. His accomplice, the other priest, sent someone to see what had happened. "Come quickly", said the messenger, "do not hang about in there any longer, we must do together what we planned yesterday". The dead man gave no answer. The boy lifted up the curtain of the lavatory and found his master dead on the seat. From this we may deduce that this man was guilty of a crime no less serious than that of Arius, who in the same way emptied out his entrails though his back passage in the lavatory. This, too, smacks of heresy, that one of God's priests (sacerdos) should not be obeyed in his own church, the man to whom had been entrusted the task of feeding God's flock, and that someone else to whom nothing at all had been entrusted, either by God or by man, should have dared to usurp his authority. After that the saintly priest [sacerdos, i.e. Sidonius], to whom, mark you, there still remained one of his two enemies, was restored to his authority. Some time later Sidonius fell ill with a very high temperature. He ordered his attendants to carry him into the church. He was borne inside and a great crowd of men and women, and of little children, too, gathered round him, weeping and saying: "Good shepherd, why are you deserting us? To whom will you abandon us, your orphan children? If you die, what sort of life can we expect? Will there be anyone left to season our lives with the salt of wisdom and to inspire in us the fear of the Lord’s name with the same insight which you have shown?" The citizens of Clermont wept as they said these things and others like them. Finally priest (sacerdos) Sidonius answered them, for the Holy Spirit moved him to do so. "Do not be afraid, my people", said he. "My brother Aprunculus is still alive and he will be your Bishop". Those who were present did not understand him, and they thought that he was wandering in his mind.

After the death of Sidonius, the evil presbyter, the second of the two, the one who was still alive, blinded with greed, immediately laid hands on the property of the church, as if he were already bishop. "God has at last taken notice of me", said he, "for He knows that I am more just than Sidonius and He has granted me this power". He rode proudly through the whole city. On the Sunday following the death of the holy man, this presbyter prepared a feast in the church-house and ordered all the townspeople to be invited. He showed no respect for the senior among them, but took his place at the table first. The cup-bearer passed him a goblet of wine and said: "My lord, I have just seen a vision and this I will describe to you, if you permit. I saw it this very Sunday evening. I perceived a great hall, and in this hall there was placed a throne, and on this throne there sat a man, a sort of judge who seemed to have authority over everyone else present. A great throng of priests (sacerdotum) in white garments stood round him, and there were immense crowds of people of all sorts, so many that I could not count them. While I watched, and trembled as I watched, I saw the blessed Sidonius standing far off as if on a dais, and he was rebuking that dear friend of yours, the presbyter who died some years ago. The presbyter was worsted in this argument, and the King had him shut up in the deepest and smallest dungeon. When he had been put away, Sidonius turned on you, saying that you had been implicated in the crime for which the other had just been condemned. Then the judge began to make urgent inquiries to find someone whom he could send to you. I hid myself in the crowd and stood well back, holding my own counsel, for fear that I myself should be sent, for after all I know you very well. While I stood silent and lost in thought everyone else disappeared and I was left all alone in this public place. The judge called me forward and I went up to him. At the sight of him in all his dignity and splendour I lost control of myself and began to sway on my feet from sheer panic. 'Do not be afraid, my boy', said he. 'Go and tell that presbyter: Be present to answer the charge, for Sidonius has stipulated that you be summoned. You must go quickly, for the King commanded me to say what I have said, and he made this dire threat to me: If you do not speak you will die a frightful death'". As his servant said this the presbyter fell down dead on the spot and the goblet slid out of his hand. He was picked up dead from the couch on which he was reclining, and they buried him and so despatched him to join his accomplice in hell. The Lord passed this earthly judgement on those unruly clerics: one suffered the fate of Arius, and the other was dashed headlong from the very summit of his pride, like Simon Magus at the behest of the holy Apostle. No one can doubt that these two who plotted together against their holy bishop now have their place side by side in nethermost hell.

 

(trans. Thorpe 1974: 135–137, slightly altered by J. Szafranowski)