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The Confessions of St. Augustin In Thirteen Books
Chapter VII.--Of the Church Hymns Instituted at Milan; Of the Ambrosian Persecution Raised by Justina; And of the Discovery of the Bodies of Two Martyrs.
15. Not long had the Church of Milan begun to employ this kind of consolation and exhortation, the brethren singing together with great earnestness of voice and heart. For it was about a year, or not much more, since Justina, the mother of the boy-Emperor Valentinian, persecuted 1 Thy servant Ambrose in the interest of her heresy, to which she had been seduced by the Arians. The pious people kept guard in the church, prepared to die with their bishop, Thy servant. There my mother, Thy handmaid, bearing a chief part of those cares and watchings, lived in prayer. We, still unmelted by the heat of Thy Spirit, were yet moved by the astonished and disturbed city. At this time it was instituted that, after the manner of the Eastern Church, hymns and psalms should be sung, lest the people should pine away in the tediousness of sorrow; which custom, retained from then till now, is imitated by many, yea, by almost all of Thy congregations throughout the rest of the world.
16. Then didst Thou by a vision make known to Thy renowned bishop 2 the spot where lay the bodies of Gervasius and Protasius, the martyrs (whom Thou hadst in Thy secret storehouse preserved uncorrupted for so many years), whence Thou mightest at the fitting time produce them to repress the feminine but royal fury. For when they were revealed and dug up and with due honour transferred to the Ambrosian Basilica, not only they who were troubled with unclean spirits (the devils confessing themselves) were healed, but a certain man also, who had been blind 3 many years, a well-known citizen of that city, having asked and been told the reason of the people's tumultuous joy, rushed forth, asking his guide to lead him thither. Arrived there, he begged to be permitted to touch with his handkerchief the bier of Thy saints, whose death is precious in Thy sight. 4 When he had done this, and put it to his eyes, they were forthwith opened. Thence did the fame spread; thence did Thy praises burn,--shine; thence was the mind of that enemy, though not yet enlarged to the wholeness of believing, restrained from the fury of persecuting. Thanks be to Thee, O my God. Whence and whither hast Thou thus led my remembrance, that I should confess these things also unto Thee,--great, though I, forgetful, had passed them over? And yet then, when the "savour" of Thy "ointments" was so fragrant, did we not "run after Thee." 5 And so I did the more abundantly weep at the singing of Thy hymns, formerly panting for Thee, and at last breathing in Thee, as far as the air can play in this house of grass.
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The Bishop of Milan who preceded Ambrose was an Arian, and though Valentinian the First approved the choice of Ambrose as bishop, Justina, on his death, greatly troubled the Church. Ambrose subsequently had great influence over both Valentinian the Second and his brother Gratian. The persecution referred to above, says Pusey, was "to induce him to give up to the Arians a church,--the Portian Basilica without the walls; afterwards she asked for the new Basilica within the walls, which was larger." See Ambrose, Epp. 20-22; Serm. c. Auxentium de Basilicis Tradendis, pp. 852-880, ed. Bened.; cf. Tillemont, Hist. Eccl. St. Ambroise, art. 44-48, pp. 76-82. Valentinian was then at Milan. See next sec., the beginning of note. ↩
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Antistiti. ↩
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Augustin alludes to this, amongst other supposed miracles, in his De Civ. Dei, xxii. 8; and again in Serm. cclxxxvi. sec. 4, where he tells us that the man, after being cured, made a vow that he would for the remainder of his life serve in that Basilica where the bodies of the martyrs lay. St. Ambrose also examines the miracle at great length in one of his sermons. We have already referred in note 5, p. 69 to the origin of these false miracles in the early Church. Lecture vi. series 2, of Blunt's Lectures on the Right Use of the Early Fathers, is devoted to an examination of the various passages in the Ante-Nicene Fathers where the continuance of miracles in the Church is either expressed or implied. The reader should also refer to the note on p. 485 of vol. ii. of the City of God, in this series. ↩
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Ps. cxvi. 15. ↩
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Cant. i. 3, 4. ↩
Traduction
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Les confessions de Saint Augustin
CHAPITRE VII. DÉCOUVERTE DES CORPS DE SAINT GERVAIS ET DE SAINT PROTAIS.
15. L’Eglise de Milan venait d’adopter cette pratique consolante et sainte, ce concert mélodieux où les frères confondaient avec amour leurs voix et leurs coeurs. Il y avait à peu près un an; Justine, mère du jeune empereur Valentinien, séduite par l’hérésie des Ariens, persécutait votre Ambroise. Le peuple fidèle passait les nuits dans l’église, prêt à mourir (444) avec son évêque, votre serviteur. Et ma mère, votre servante, voulant des premières sa part d’angoisses et de veilles, n’y vivait que d’oraisons. Nous-mêmes, encore froids à la chaleur de votre Esprit, nous étions frappés de ce trouble, de cette consternation de toute une ville. Alors, pour préserver le peuple des ennuis de sa tristesse, il fut décidé que l’on chanterait des hymnes et des psaumes, selon l’usage de l’Eglise d’Orient, depuis ce jour continué parmi nous, et imité dans presque toutes les parties de votre grand bercail.
16. C’est alors que dans une vision vous révélâtes à votre évêque le lieu qui recélait les corps des martyrs Gervais et Protais. Vous les aviez conservés tant d’années à l’abri de la corruption, dans le trésor de votre secret, sachant le moment de les produire, pour mettre un frein à la fureur d’une simple femme, mais d’une femme impératrice. Retrouvés et exhumés, on les transfère solennellement à la basilique ambroisienne, et les possédés sont délivrés des esprits immondes, de l’aveu même de ces démons, et un citoyen très-connu, aveugle depuis plusieurs années, demande et apprend la cause de l’enthousiasme du peuple il se lève, il prie son guide de le conduire à ces pieux restes. Arrivé là, il est admis à toucher avec un mouchoir le cercueil où reposaient ces morts saintes et précieuses à votre regard ( Ps. CXV, 15). Il touche, porte le linge à ses yeux, ses yeux s’ouvrent. Le bruit en court sur l’heure; tout s’anime du vif éclat de vos louanges. Et le coeur de la femme ennemie, sans être rendu à la santé de la foi, n’en fut pas moins réprimé dans ses fureurs de persécution.
Grâces à vous, mon Dieu! où et d’où avez-vous rappelé mes souvenirs, pour que je révélasse, à votre gloire, ce grand événement que mon oubli avait passé sous silence. Et cependant, lorsque tout exhalait ainsi la fragrante odeur de vos parfums, nous ne courions pas après vous (Cantiq. I, 3)! Et c’est ce qui faisait couler de mes yeux, à cette heure, une telle abondance de larmes en écoutant vos cantiques. J’avais soupiré si longtemps après vous, et enfin je respirais tout l’air qui peut entrer dans cette chaumine d’argile.