Presbyters Uniwersytet Warszawski
ID
ER 590
The presbyter Benenatus tells stories about the miracles of Saint Fructuosus, otherwise known to be a presbyter at Braga (died AD 660, Iberian Peninsula). Ps.-Valerius of Bierzo, "Life of Saint Fructuosus", ca AD 670/680.
[12] Nunc igitur non prisca sed moderna, non uetera sed nouella, non uanis quibuslibet fabulis facta sed miracula ueritatis indicio declarata, narrante uenerabili uiro Benenato presbitero, quemadmodum gesta sunt, ueraciter conperimus et ob hoc huius in paginolae beruiter seriem, sicut ad nos perlata sunt, adnotari omni cum ueritatis studio procurabimus. Denique iamdictus fidelissimus uir retulit dicens: 'Dum de prouincia Lusitaniae cum sanctissimo uiro Fructuoso ad prouinciam Beticam pergerem et imbriferi aeres immensas ac iuges plubias utpote yemis tempore pene multos dies indesinenter exiberent et ex multitudine imbrium nimium flumina excreuissent, accidit die quadam puerulum cum caballo qui codices ipsius uiri dei gestabat, dum transmeare cum ceteris collegis suis nititur, in amnis fluenta profundissima cecidisse et diutissime barathro gurgitum cum ipsis libris demersum fuisse.
 
[The servant boy is not able to rescue the books, he himself nearly dies, but then, thanks to Fructuosus, the books are later miraculuously found, dry and safe, in the luggage. Then the author relates two other miracle stories told by presbyter Benenatus, the one about Saint Fructuosus's travel to the basilica of saint Gerontius in Seville, the other about his travel to the island of Cadiz.]
 
(ed. Díaz y Díaz 1974: 100)
12. Now, therefore, we have learnt in truth from the account of the presbyter Benenatus, a venerable man, of new not ancient wonders, not of old, but new miracles, not ones worked in idle fables, but ones which can be proven by the Truth. For this reason we shall try to note them down briefly in this collection of pages just as they were told to us, paying every attention to accuracy. This most holy man spoke as follows: ‘While I was journeying from the province of Lusitania to the province of Baetica with the most holy Fructuosus, the wet weather brought forth, as is the custom in winter, great sheets of rain for many days and the rivers had grown terribly swollen because of the amount of rain. It happened one day that a small boy, while he was trying to wade across with the rest of his companions, fell along with the horse which was carrying the books of the man of God, into the deepest part of the river.  [...]
 
The servant boy is not able to rescue the books, he himself nearly dies, but then, thanks to Fructuosus, the books are later miraculously found, dry and safe, in a luggage.Then the author relates two other miracle stories told by the presbyter Benenatus, the one about Saint Fructuosus's journey to the basilica of Saint Gerontius in Seville, the other about his journey to the island of Cadiz.
 
(trans. A.T. Fear 1997: 134-135, summary by M. Szada)

Discussion:

On the discussion on the monastic foundations of the "Life of Saint Fructuosus" see López Quiroga 2002.
 
For the summary of the Life see Szada, CSLA E04066.

Place of event:

Region
  • Iberian Peninsula
City
  • Seville
  • Cádiz

About the source:

Title: Life of Saint Fructuosus of Braga, Life of Fructuosus, Vita Fructuosi
Origin: Iberian Peninsula
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian
The first editor of the text of the Vita Fructuosi, Prudencio de Sandoval, proposed to identify its author with Valerius of Bierzo, a Galician monk known mainly from his autobiographical writings Ordo quaerimoniae, Replicatio, and Residuum. This authorship was accepted by many scholars up to the 20th century, but eventually, employing internal evidence, its modern editor, M.C. Díaz y Díaz,  refuted it (1974: 15-20). The date of composition is not certain; M.C. Díaz y Díaz proposed the 670s.
 
We know from the correspondence of Fructuosus with Braulio that at some point (certainly from 651 onwards) he was a presbyter, but it is not mentioned in his Vita. We also do not know whether Fructuosus and Benenatus were presbyters at the same time. For further discussion on Fructuosus`s career see [155].
Edition:
Edition:
M.C. Díaz y Díaz ed., La Vida de San Fructuoso de Braga, Braga 1974
 
Translation:
A.T. Fear, Lives of the Visigothic fathers, Liverpool 1997
Bibliography:
J. López Quiroga, "Actividad monástica y acción política en Fructuoso de Braga", Hispania Sacra 54 (2002), 7-22.
M. Szada,

Categories:

Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος
Described by a title - Titles of respect
Reverenced by
Relation with - Another presbyter
Relation with - Monk/Nun
Devotion - Supernatural experience
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: M. Szada, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER590, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=590