Repost: 2nd Letter of Severus- To the Deacon Aurelius

Here is the 2nd Letter of Severus

Translation:
After you left me in the morning, I had settled down in my cell and that thought stole up to me which often has occupies me- the hope for the future and the aversion to the present; the fear of  judgement and the dread of punishment- and, what follows and from where the whole thought descends, the record of my sins returned to me, sad and worn out. (2) Then, after laid out my limbs, tired because of my anguished mine, on my little bed,, as I am mostly accustomed to do out of out of sorrow, sleep crept up- which as it is lighter and uncertain in the early morning, so it, wavering and doubtful, was scattered through my limbs, as what does not happen in any other sleep, almost awake, you perceive yourself sleeping--(3) When, suddenly, I seemed to see bishop Martin, adorned in a white toga, with a fiery face, eyes like stars and bright red hair. In this way, he seemed to have the appearance and form of a body in which I knew him so that, what is different is difficult for us to day, he could not be examined, while he could be recognized. Smiling at me, he held in his right hand that little book which I wrote about his life. (4) I, embracing his holy legs, as usually, I asked his blessing. I felt his hand placed on my head with a very soft touch, when, among the solemn words of blessing, he repeated that name of the cross in an intimate way. Soon, with my intent on him, I could not be satisfied with his face or his visage, suddenly being taken up, he was snatched from me until, in the immense vastness of the sky I followed him travelling in a sweet cloud. He was received into open heaven and could not be seen beyond.

(5) I saw, not much later, the blessed priest, Clarus, his disciple, who recently died, climb by that same road as his master. I, rashly desiring to follow, tried to struggle towards them on high and woke up. I, roused from sleep, began to congratulate myself on my vision which I had seen, when a young relative came to me, his face sadder for speaking and giving pain.

 (6) I said "What do you bear so sadly to say?"

 He said, "Two monks are here now from Turo. They announce that lord Martin is dead" I admit, I fell and I wept very much with tears springing up. Truly, even while I write this to you, brother, tears flow. Nor do I allow any solace for this, my unendurable pain. Truly, when it is announced to you, I wanted you to share  my grief, you who are an associate of my love.

(7)  I cam immediately to myself so that we mourn equally whom we love equally, although I know that, of all men, Martin must not be mourned. (He is one), after the world is conquered and the age triumphed over, to whom the crown of justice will be granted. (8) However, I am not able to rule over myself. I am in pain. Indeed, I sent ahead my patron, but I lost the solace of my present life.

(8) Indeed, I sent ahead my patron, but I lost the solace of this present life. Although, if pain should make any sense, I ought to rejoice. For he (Martin) is the apostle's and prophets' comrade  and, because I should speak in the peace of all the saints, is second to none in the flock of the illustrious saints. As I hope, as I believe and am confident, he is the most powerful of them who bath their robes in blood, being joined to the Lamb, he accompanies his leader, free from all blame. (9) For, to be sure, the reckoning of time could not furnish martyrdom. Nevertheless, the glory of the martyr will not be denied him because in his vows and his virtues, he could be and wanted to be a martyr. If he had been allowed to contend in the times of Nero and Decius in that meeting in which he should stand out, he would have willingly ascended the rack. Unasked, he would bring himself to the fire and, to be sure, just like those Hebrew boys, amid the sphere of flames, he would have sung the hymns of the Lord in the middle of the furnace. (10) What if, by chance, it had been pleasing to execute that punishment of Isaiah. He, never truly unequal to the prophet, nor would have feared his limbs being cut off by saws and blades. And if impious madness preferred to bring him to precipitous cliffs and lofty mountains, I contend, confident in the testimony of truth, he would have fallen of his own accord. If, by the example of that learned man of the Gentiles, as often happened, being reckoned among the other victims, he was led (to die) by the sword, he would have been the first to seize the palm of blood, although the execution was compelled. (11) He (Martin), opposing all the punishments and penalties by which most of the time human weakness yielded, not withdrawing from the confession of the Lord, he would have resisted unmoving so that he, happy in sores and rejoicing in his tortures, he would have smiled whatever the torments.    

(12) But, although he did not endure such things, nevertheless he wept without the blood of the martyrs. What suffering of human pain did he not endure for the hope of eternity- hunger, vigils, nudity, fasting, the scorn of the envious, the persecution of the shameless, the care of the sick and anxiety for the persecuted? (13) With what pain did he not suffer? By what snare was he not caught? Over what death did he not groan? Besides those struggles of his, there were different struggles against the force of human and spiritual wickedness, while in him being attacked by different temptations, the strength of victory, the patience of one waiting and the serenity of endurance always overcame. 

(14) O truly inexpressible by men in piety, pity and charity which daily grows cold even in holy men in this cold age. In him, nevertheless, it perseveres increasing daily right up to the end. What of his good which I especially enjoyed, when he uniquely delighted in me, although I was unworthy and not deserving. (15) Behold, tears flow again and a groan breaks out from the depths of my breast. In what man will there be similar rest for me after this? In whose love will there be solace? Miserable me! Unlucky me! Shall I ever be able, if I live for a long time, not suffer because I survived Martin? Will life be pleasant after this? Will there be days or hours without tears? or, with you, most delightful brother, will I be able make mention of him without tears? Or will I ever, when I speak at your place, be able to talk about anything else but him? 

(16) But why do I disturb you with tears and crying? Look, I desire you to be consoled, I would am not able to console myself. He shall not be absent for us. Believe me, he shall not be absent. He shall attend those who discuss him, he will stand by those who pray. What is worthy to stand out today, he will often offer that he must be seen in his glory and he will protect us with his constant good will just as he did a little time before this. (17) Then, according to the order of the vision, he showed he would open heaven to those who follow and he taught us how he must be followed: he instructs how our hope must be directed, how our spirit must be directed. 

So then, what must be done, brother? What I am well aware, I shall not be able to ascend that arduous journey and penetrate (those places): in this way, troublesome baggage weighs me down, pushed down by the mass of my sins, with ascent to the stars denied, it leads me miserable in savage tartarus. (18) However, hope remains, this only one, this last one, that, what we cannot obtain for ourselves, at, least, we shall merit by the prayers of Martin for us. But, why I occupy for you for a long time with so talkative a letter and delay your arrival? At the same time, an unfilled page does
not receive (you). This, however, was my plan in prolonging the conversation further so that, since this letter bears a painful message, the same paper supplies consolations from our conversation. 

Repost: 1st Letter of Sulpicius Severus

Here is the re-post of the 1st Letter of Sulpicius Severus

Text:
(for those of you who are interested, here is the link to the Latin (p.138ff)

1. Yesterday, when many monks came to me, in the midst of continuous stories and a long conversation, mention of my little book which I published about the life of the blessed Bishop Martin came up. I listened with great pleasure that it was eagerly read by many. 2. Nevertheless, it is reported to me that someone, caught up by an evil spirit, had asked why Martin, who had raised the dead and drove flames away from houses, had himself recently been burned by fire and suffered a dangerous injury.

3. O that wretch, whoever he is! We recognize the treachery and speech of the Jews in his words, who mocked the Lord, placed on a cross, with these words "He saved others; he cannot save himself" (Matthew, 27,42). Truly, had that man, whoever he is, been born in those times so that he, who falsely abused the holy man of the Lord in the similar way for example, could speak to the Lord with those words. 5. What, then, who ever you are, is Martin not powerful for that reason? Is he not holy that that reason, because he was tried by fire?

O blessed man, similar in all things to the Apostles even in the insults of men! Without a doubt, the gentiles were reported to think this about Paul, when a viper bit him: "This man must be a murderer whom the fates did not allow to live after being saved from the sea" (Acts 28,4). He, after he shook off the snake into the fire, suffered no evil. Rather, when they saw nothing evil touched him, turning to him, they said he was God. Yet, by examples of this type, most unlucky of all mortals, you must prove your treachery so that, if scandal moved you because Martin seemed to be touched by the flame of a fire, you report his merits and spiritual power tainted because, surrounded by fire, he did not die.

6. Understand, wretch, understand what you do not know, that almost all holy men are more proven by their dangers. Indeed, I see Peter, powerful by faith, with stubbornly passed over the sea with his feet and pressed the unstable water with a human step. Nor did the prophet of the nations, whom the waves swallowed and restored him after three days and as many nights, emerging from the deep, seem to be less to me for that reason, whom the waves swallowed and restored him, . I do not know whether, as I may say, he who lived in the deep or who crossed over the depths of the sea was greater.

7, But I think you, you idiot, did not read this or, if you had read them, did you understand (these stories). Nor did the blessed Evangelist bring an example of this type by divine plan in his sacred letters unless that the human mind should be educated by these calamities of shipwrecks and serpents and, just as the Apostle reported, who was glorified by the nakedness, hunger and dangers of brigands, all of these things are common things to endure for holy men, but there was always power for the just to endure and conquer these things. While they endure through all their trials and, so much more bravely do they, who are always unconquered, conquer, by so much they endure more difficulties.

8. Hence, what is called the weakness of Martin, is full of worth and glory, if only because, being tried by a very dangerous fate, he overcame. In this respect, no one should be astonished that I left this out in my little book which we wrote about his life, when, in that very place, I admitted that I did not embrace all of his deeds: because If I had wanted to pursue everything, I would have published an immense volume to my readers. Nor were these things so few which he did that everything could be included. Nevertheless, I will not allow this to be hidden and I will report the whole story as it was done so that, by chance, we should seem to pass by intentionally this incident which could be presented for criticism against that blessed man.    

9. but, however, I will not allow (myself) to hide that about which the question came to light and I will report the whole affair as it was done so that we will, by chance, seem to bypass intentionally that which could expose that blessed man to blame.

10. When, in almost the middle of the winter, Martin arrived at a certain diocese for a solemn custom, just as it is the custom for bishops to visit their churches, the clerics prepared a resting place in the sanctuary of the church and put much fire under a rough and weak floor. They  heaped up a bed with much straw. Then, when Martin placed himself to lie down, he shuddered at the unaccustomed softness of the soothing bed, seeing that he was accustomed to lie down on bare ground with one goat-hair cover spread over him.

 (11) Thus, disturbed as if having received an injury, he threw off the whole covering. By chance, it heaped part of the chaff which he had moved over the oven. He himself rested, as was his custom, on the bare earth due to the urging of his tiredness from the journey. As we said, at almost the middle of the night, the burning fire seized the burning straw through the broken flooring. 

(12) Martin, roused from his sleep unexpectedly, with a very great and two-fold danger, as was reported, hindered by the devil's ambush and urging, fled to the help of prayer more slowly than he ought. For, desire to break down the door, when, struggling for a very long time with the bolt with which he shut the door, he perceived a very serious fire around him to such an extent that the fire caught his clothes which he wore. 

(13) At last, coming to his sense, knowing that his help was not in flight, but in God, taking up the shield of faith and prayer, he turned himself and gave himself completely to God. he prayed with him unharmed in a circle of flames. The monks, who were at the door, after (hearing) the roaring,crackling sound of fire, broke down the bolted doors and, with the fire extinguished, brought Martin out the midst of the flames. although he was thought to have been consumed by such a long-lasting fire. 

(14) Yet, and God is the witness to my words, Martin himself reported to me and admitted not without a groan, that he was deceived in this situation by the skill of the devil so that, shaken out of sleep, he did not have a plan by which he might fight the danger through faith and prayer. Finally, for as long as the fire raged around him, he, disturbed in his mind, tried to break down the door. (15) When he sought the standards of the cross and arms of prayers, in the middle, the flames ceased and he, then noticed sprinkling water which fought the fire. From this, whoever reads this understands that Martin was tempted by that danger indeed, but he was truly proven by it.    

Another Repost- Introduction to the Letters of Sulpicius Severus

This is a re-post of an introduction to the letters of Sulpicius Severus I wrote a few months ago. I've completed translations of the 1st and 2nd Letter which I'm also re-posting today, but, as I'm still to publish the 3rd Letter and I want to do it here, I thought some background would be helpful. Ignore the comments about doing commentary. I'll just post the translations from here on and keep the historical commentary to the introductory material for each document from here on. 

I've decided now that I've finally finished the three letters of Sulpicius Severus on St. Martin, that I'd publish a draft translation of them for comment or, at least, to help me think through some of the linguistic and/or historical issues with them. So, I'm intending to publish them, section by section with commentary, as it occurs to me. I should note that this is not incredibly well researched commentary, but just things that popped into my head as I translated. So, consider both it and the commentary as a work-in-progress.

There is, of course, a bit of a history to this project. Way back in 2009, I finished posting my translation of Sulpicius Severus', Life of St. Martin. You can find that translation and commentary series right here. My intention was that I'd do a few more revisions, work-up a decent translation and self-publish a serviceable Letters of Sulpicius Severus, the Dialogus by the same author, bits of the same author's Chronicle and Gregory the Great's much later biography of Martin. My rationale for this is that these works aren't generally as well known as the Life, but give important supplementary information. My observations on my preliminary reading of this material can be found in my Return to St. Martin post from last July.

So, the Letters are first. These are, presumably, part of a larger collection of letters which have not survived. I suspect that these letters survive because they were preserved with manuscripts which also contained the Life (I will check on that, of course). By any measure, they are peculiar. They pick up where the Life leaves off. Indeed, the First Letter purports to answer sceptical critics of the Life and of St. Martin, while St. Martin was still alive. In this letter, Sulpicius Severus rebukes an critic who scoffed at Martin's presumed status as a holy man because he had been injured in a fire whereas, if he was truly blessed and/or powerful, he should have escaped injury. The criticism exploits the common view of the monk as holy man who had almost magical powers because of God's favour. Sulpicius Severus rebukes this conception and, of course, defends his hero.

The next two letters deal with Martin's death. The Second Letter passes on the bad news to a colleague. Severus is in the depths of grief, so the writing is highly rhetorical and emotional. Modern readers might be a little put off by the extremes of emotion and rhetorical flash. Indeed, to judge from the introduction of the Third Letter, so were some contemporaries including, possibly, Severus' own mother. The Third Letter gives a more sober account of Martin's death, albeit with flashes of the grief from the previous letter.

My procedure with the Letters will be to break them into digestible chunks, publish the translation and commentary together. So, this will take a few weeks to manage, but I hope you'll enjoy exposure to the story of St. Martin as told by Sulpicius Severus.

Sulpicius Severus, Life of St. Martin Translations- Repost

It has been a while since I wrote my introduction and I've been meaning to start reposting the translations I've been working on over the last few years. The original versions are on my other blog, hyperekperissou, but I post them here as background for the texts I'm currently working (slowly) on. The format is that I translate a chapter, then comment. The commentary can be a bit repetitive and these translations tend to err on the side of literal, so I'm not entirely sure I like these posts. However, for what it is worth, here they are.

Preface
1                                                                         15
2                                                                         16
3                                                                         17
4                                                                         18
5                                                                         19
6                                                                         20
7                                                                         21
8                                                                         22
9                                                                         23
10                                                                       24
11                                                                       25
12                                                                       26
13                                                                       27
14