A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

SEVERUS SULPICIUS.

SEVERUS SULPICIUS, a 1.1 Priest of Agen b 1.2, famous for the Nobility of his Ex∣traction, the Fineness of his Parts, and the Holiness of his Life, was eminent in the times of * 1.3 S. Jerom, and Rufinus, he was S. Martin's Disciple, whose Life he writ; He was an intimate Friend of Paulinus Bishop of Nola, to whom he writ several Letters. This Man speaking of Se∣verus's Conversion in one of his Letters, saith, That it was altogether extraordinary and miracu∣lous;

Because he had at once shaken off the Yoke of sin, and broken the Bands of Flesh and Blood, in the flower of his Age; and at a time when he was famous at the Bar, when neither Riches, nor a Licence to enjoy Pleasures after Marriage, nor his Youth could turn him out of the Way of Vertue, to ingage in the broad and easie Path of worldly Men: That he despised Wealth and Glory to follow Jesus Christ, and preferred the preaching of Fisher-men, before

all the pieces of Ciceronian Eloquence, and all the Books of fine Learning: However, he shew∣ed his Eloquence in the Writings which he composed after his Conversion.

The chief of these Works is his Sacred History divided into two Books, which contains an Abridg∣ment of what remarkable things happened in the History of the Jews, and of the Church, from the Creation of the World, to the Consulship of Stilico, and Aurelianus, that is, to the Year of Jesus Christ 400, written with great Skill. He wrote also S. Martin's Life, three Letters concer∣ning the Death, and Vertues of that Saint, and three Dialogues betwixt Gallus and Posthumianus, whereof the first is concerning the Miracles of the Eastern Monks, and the two others about S. Mar∣tin's Vertues. Gennadius saith, That he writ some pious Letters besides to his Sister, two Letters to S. Paulinus, that were common in his time, not to speak of several others, which were not published because they were intermixt with Domestick Affairs. F. Dachery in the Fifth Volume of his Spi∣cilegium, hath published us five Letters of Severus Sulpicius to his Sister, and Baluzius hath like∣wise published two in the First Volume of his Miscellanea. The others are not yet published.

Gennadius affirms, That Sulpicius Severus towards the latter end of his Life, was surprized by the Pelagians, but that afterwards having acknowledged the Error, which he was fallen into, by too great a desire of speaking, he kept Silence all the rest of his days, that he might repair his Fault. Guibertus Abbot of Gemblours, seems to question the matter of Fact. But Gennadius his Testimony is not to be questioned in such a matter: Sulpicius Severus lived till towards the Year 420.

This Author is eloquent, his Writings are pure and polished, he writ with great Brevity, and great Clearness, wherein he excelled Sallust whom he imitated. His is the best written Historical Abridgment that we have, and yet he is not very exact, but commits Faults against the truth of History, especially of the Ecclesiastical. He is very credulous of Miracles, and approves the Dreams of the Ancients about the Reign of a Thousand years, about Anti-Christ, whom he thought to be Nero, about the time of the World's end, and about the Sons of Men that had to do with the Women. He passes over the Church History from Jesus Christ, to the Fourth Century, very lightly; he saith very little of the Arians, but he inlargeth much upon the Priscillianists, and from him we learn more of them than from all the Authors besides.

The Life of S. Martin is written with the same Purity as his History; but in a more diffuse and agreeable manner. The Dialogues are composed with so much Art and Exactness, that one can never be weary of reading them, and particularly the first, where Posthumianus relates several par∣ticulars of the Eastern Monks. He speaks there of the Troubles that were in Egypt, and Palae∣stine, about Origen's Books, and makes a most wise and moderate Judgment of them, and tho' he does not wholly excuse Origen; Yet he does not approve of that Severity, which the Bishop of Alexandria exercised against those that defended him. He bewails the misfortune of the Church to be disturbed with things of so small Importance. He commends S. Jerom without entirely applauding his Conduct. He quotes a Jest of a good Priest of the Coast of Africa, who refused to take Money offered him by Posthumianus, saying, That Gold did rather destroy the Church than edifie it.

The Works of Sulpicius Severus, which Lazius had published full of Faults, were revised and corrected by Giselinus, who Printed them with his own Notes, and with Galesinius's at Ant∣werp, in the Year 1574. Sigonius made a new Edition of them with new Notes, Printed at Bo∣nonia in 1581, and at Francfort in 1593. The History was printed with Drusius's at Franker in 1607. There is an Edition by Elzevir at Amsterdam in 1635. And we have him entire with the Notes of several learned Men, Printed at Amsterdam, by Hornius his care in 1647, and 1654. These are the principal Editions of Sulpicius Severus, to say nothing of the Collections, into which his Works have been inserted.

In speaking of Sulpicius Severus who writ S. Martin's Life, it is worth observing that a Creed is ascribed to this Saint, but it is very uncertain, whether he be the Author of it, tho' it is very ancient.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Severus Sulpicius.] Gennadius saith, That Sulpicius was his Sirname; and S. Gregory of Tours, lib. de vit. S. Mart. c. 1. & l. ••0. Hist. Franc. c. 31. calleth him as we do Severus Sulpicius: but in his Letters he calls himself Sulpicius Severus. But sometimes the Sirname is put before the Proper name. Most of the Ancients call him only Sulpicius. [Sulpicius was the Name of his Family; the Emperor Galba was of the Sulpician Family: Severus was his cognomen, as Cicero to Tully, and Crispus to Sallust; so that in Strictness his Name is Sulpicius Severus, not Severus Sulpicius; his Praenomen, which went always first, is not known: In Gennadius's time, the Roman way of naming Persons was almost wholly out of use, excepting some few of the Descendants of the Old Roman Families; and therefore one is not strictly to take those words Cognomento Sulpi∣cius, as if Severus were the Name of the Family and not Sulpicius.
• b 1.2

  Priest of Agen.] He saith in the first Dia∣logue c. 20. that he was of Aquitain, and in hi•• History l. 2. He calleth Phaebadius Bishop of Age•• his Bishop. They were mistaken who confoun•••• him with one Sulpicius Bishop of Bourges, who lived above 190 years afterwards under King Gontran: all the Ancients allow to this Sulpicius no other Qua∣lity, besides that of Priest.]
• * 1.3

  Severus Sulpicius.