The Presbyters Project

Letter 14 to Bishop Delphinus of Bordeaux

3. Aliud in isdem litteris diuinae gratiae munus accepimus, illud uidelicet curae nostrae negotium de sancti presbyteri Basili domo per operam tuam, ita ut desiderauimus, explicatum.

4. Veniat tota illa benedictio super caput tuum et in coronae tuae cumulum supertexta florescat, qua benedixerunt dominum in te non solum ipsi, ad quos beneficium pertinebat, sed tota propemodum Capua et celeberrima urbis ipsius ecclesia gaudio presbyteri coexultans dedit laudem deo, qui adiuuisset pauperem de mendicitate et humiliasset alta diuitum corda

Through this act the rich can achieve salvation.

(ed. de Hartel 1894: 109-110, summarised by J. Szafranowski)

Letter 14 to Bishop Delphinus of Bordeaux

3. And I received a further gift of divine grace in the same letter, the news that the business concerning the house of the holy presbyter Basilius, which was on my mind, has been settled by your action in accordance with my wish.

4. I pray that the whole of the blessing for this act may descend on your head, and may blossom there to be interwoven with and to enhance your crown. Through it the Lords has been blessed not only by those who benefited from his kindness, but also by almost the whole of Capua. The thronged church of that city shared the joy of its presbyter and offered praise to God for helping the poor man in his need and humbling the proud hearts of the rich.

Through this act the rich can achieve salvation.

(trans. Walsh 1966: 1.146, summarised and slightly altered by J. Szafranowski)

Discussion:

Paulinus was baptized by Bishop Delphinus ca 389 [2063].

Paulinus pleads the case of Basilius in several letters to both Bishop Delphinus and Presbyter Amandus of Bordeaux (letters 12, 14, and 15). They indicate that Daducius, a nobleman from Aquitania, also held some property in Capua in Campania. For unknown reasons, Presbyter Basilius was expelled from the house in which he lived and which supposedly belonged to Daducius. See [2071] and [2075].

The dating of this letter is based on analysis of other letters sent by Paulinus to Amandus and Delphinus of Bordeaux (Walsh 1966: 1.234-235).

Place of event:

Region

Italy south of Rome and Sicily
Gaul

City

Nola
Bordeaux

About the source:

Author: Paulinus of Nola
Title: Letters, Epistulae
Origin: Nola (Italy south of Rome and Sicily)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

Paulinus of Nola (Pontius Metropius Paulinus) was born into a very affluent family ca 335. Although most of his estates were located near Bordeaux in Gaul, he was appointed the governor of Campania in his early twenties. He then returned to Gaul. In 389, after being baptized, Paulinus and his wife moved to Spain. They both started to follow a semi-monastic way of life. Following the death of his newborn son, Paulinus was ordered a presbyter at Christmas 394. In 395, Paulinus established a monastery in Nola in Campania. He served as a bishop of that city from 409 till his death in 431. Paulinus corresponded with many principal Christian intellectuals of the era, including Sulpicius Severus, Jerome, Ambrose of Milan, and Augustine of Hippo. Of this rich epistolographic corpus, however, only fifty-one letters survived. For the list of all letters Paulinus sent as a presbyter, and their addressees, see [2059].

Edition:

G. de Hartel ed., S. Pontii Meropii Paulini Nolani opera, vol. 1 Epistulae, Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum 29, Prague-Wien-Leipzig 1894.

Translation:

Letters of St. Paulinus of Nola, trans. P.G. Walsh, Ancient Christian Writers 35, New York 1966.

Categories:

Writing activity - Correspondence

PR269.

Food/Clothes/Housing - Type of housing

PR941.

Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος

PR941.

Economic status and activity - Indication of poverty

PR941.

Conflict

PR941.

Relation with - Another presbyter

Relation with - Bishop/Monastic superior

PR269.

Relation with - Noble

PR941.

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: J. Szafranowski, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER2074, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=2074