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ER 727

Augustine, bishop of Hippo Regius (North Africa) says that the nuns` infringements against the monastic rule should be dealt with by their superior and by the presbyter in charge of the monastery. Augustine, Letter 211, ca AD 424.

Letter 211

11. Et si hanc, de qua loquor, oculi petulantiam in aliqua uestrum aduerteritis, statim admonete, ne coepta progrediantur, sed e proximo corrigantur. [...] Si autem negauerit, tunc mentienti adhibendae sunt aliae, ut iam coram omnibus possit non ab una teste argui sed a duabus tribusque conuinci. Conuicta uero secundum praepositae uel presbyteri arbitrium debet emendatoriam sustinere disciplinam. Quam si ferre recusauerit et si ipsa non abscesserit, de uestra societate proiciatur. [...] Quaecumque autem in tantum progressa fuerit malum, ut occulte ab aliquo litteras uel quaelibet munuscula accipiat, si hoc ultro confitetur, parcatur illi et oretur pro ea; si autem deprehenditur atque conuincitur, secundum arbitrium praepositae uel presbyteri uel etiam episcopi grauius emendetur. [...]

15. Praepositae tamquam matri oboediatur honore seruato, ne in illa offendatur deus, multo magis presbytero, qui omnium uestrum curam gerit. Ut ergo cuncta ista seruentur et, si quid seruatum non fuerit, non neglegenter praetereatur, sed emendandum corrigendumque curetur, ad praepositam praecipue pertinet, ita ut ad presbyterum, qui uobis intendit, referat, quod modum uel uires eius excedit. [...]

(ed. Goldbacher 1911: 364-365. 369-370)

Letter 211

11. And if you notice this flirting with the eye, of which I am speaking, in one of yours, admonish her immediately so that she does not continue what she has begun but is corrected right away. [...] But if she denies it, then others are to be summoned for the sister who is lying so that, in the presence of all, she may not be accused by one witness but proven guilty by two or three. But once proven guilty, she must submit to the corrective penalty according to the judgment of the superior or the presbyter, and if she refuses to submit to it and if she does not go away on her own, she should be thrown out of your community. [...] But any sister who has gone so far in wrongdoing that she secretly receives a letter or any little gifts from a man should be forgiven if she confesses this on her own, and you should pray for her. But if she is caught and proven guilty, she should be more severely corrected according to the judgment of the superior or of the presbyter or even of the bishop.

15. Obey the superior as a mother, giving her due honor in order that you may not offend God in her person; obey much more the presbyter who has care for all of you. It pertains especially to the superior, therefore, that all these points be observed and that, if something is not observed, it not be passed over in negligence but care be taken to rectify and correct it. What exceeds her limits and powers she should refer to the presbyter who directs you. [...]

(trans. R. Teske 2005: 24-25. 27, slightly altered)

Discussion:

The letter was written by Augustine because of some disturbances in the female monastery in Hippo. Its second part is commonly known as the 'Rule for the Nuns'. The parts cited here show that there was a presbyter who was charged with supervising the monastery. In chapter 11 he is shown as having more or less the same authority as the superior of the monastery, and in chapter 15 he is shown as someone rather above her.

Nearly exactly the same expressions (only with the change of the gender of the superior) appear in the "Praeceptum", known also as the "Third Rule" of Augustine (CPL 1839b). It is mentioned neither in Augustine's “Retractations”, nor in the “Indiculus” of Possidius. Therefore, Augustine's authorship of the “Third Rule” has been discussed. However, it may be accepted because of the parallels with Augustine's undisputed works. The proposed dates of composition are: AD 397 (as designed for the Hippo monastery), AD 400/401 (it would be directed to the refractory monks near Carthage to whom Augustine wrote “The Work of Monks”), and AD 426/427 (with links to the monks at Hadrumetum).

Place of event:

Region

Latin North Africa

City

Hippo Regius

About the source:

Author: Augustine of Hippo
Title: Letters, Epistulae
Origin: Hippo Regius (Latin North Africa)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

The letters of Augustine of Hippo cover a wide range of topics: Holy Scripture, dogma and liturgy, philosophy, religious practice and everyday life. They range from full-scale theological treatises to small notes asking someone for a favour. The preserved corpus includes 308 letters, 252 written by Augustine, 49 that others sent to him and seven exchanged between third parties. 29 letters have been discovered only in the 20th century and edited in 1981 by Johannes Divjak; they are distinguished by the asterisk (*) after their number.

The preserved letters of Augustine extend over the period from his stay at Cassiciacum in 386 to his death in Hippo in 430.

Edition:

A. Goldbacher ed., S. Augustini Hipponiensis Episcopi Epistulae, Pars 4, Ep. 185-270, Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum 57, Vienna-Leipzig 1911.

Translation:

Saint Augustine, Letters 211–270, 1*–29*, trans. R. Teske, New York 2005.

Categories:

Functions within the Church - Monastic presbyter

Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος

Monastic or common life - Cenobitic monk

Relation with - Monk/Nun

Relation with - Woman

Ecclesiastical administration

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: S. Adamiak, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER727, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=727