| Fulgentius of Ruspe | |
|---|---|
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| Abbot and Bishop | |
| Born | circa 465, Thelepte |
| Died | 1 January 527 or 533, Ruspe |
| Feast | 1 January and 3 January (Augustinian Order)[1] |
 Saints Portal |
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Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe (Thelepte, 462 or 467 — 1 January 527 or 533) was bishop of the city of Ruspe, North Africa, in the 5th and 6th century who was canonized as a Christian saint. Events By Place Eastern Roman Empire Basiliscus becomes a Consul in the Eastern Roman Empire. Thelepte (ثليفت is a Roman ruin in western Tunisia, 5 km from the modern town of Fériana, near the border with Algeria. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC For the political lobbying groups see 527 groups Events By Place Byzantine Empire April 1 — Byzantine Events By Place Byzantine Empire June 21 - Belisarius sails from Constantinople. Thelepte (ثليفت is a Roman ruin in western Tunisia, 5 km from the modern town of Fériana, near the border with Algeria. The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. The Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo (died AD 430) are several Catholic Monastic orders and congregations Thelepte (ثليفت is a Roman ruin in western Tunisia, 5 km from the modern town of Fériana, near the border with Algeria. Events By Place Eastern Roman Empire September 1 — Possible start of the first Byzantine Indiction cycle. Events By Place Western Roman Empire April 12 — Anthemius becomes Emperor New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC For the political lobbying groups see 527 groups Events By Place Byzantine Empire April 1 — Byzantine Events By Place Byzantine Empire June 21 - Belisarius sails from Constantinople. Thelepte (ثليفت is a Roman ruin in western Tunisia, 5 km from the modern town of Fériana, near the border with Algeria. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in Anno Domini / Common Era. The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Canonization is the act by which a particular Christian church declares a deceased person to be a Saint and is included in the canon or list of recognized saints Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity Fabius Claudius Gordianus Fulgentius[2] was born into a noble family of Carthage, which had been cut off from the Roman Empire some thirty years earlier by the Vandals. Carthage (Καρχηδών Karkhēdōn, Carthago from the Phoenician קרת חדשת phn-Latn Qart-ḥadašt meaning new town) refers The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial
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Biography
His father died while Fulgentius was still quite young. His mother, Mariana, taught him to speak Greek and Latin. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Fulgentius would become particularly good at the former, even speaking it like a native. He quickly gained wide respect for his conduct of the family affairs, as well as for the respect he showed his mother. This reputation helped him to acquire a post as a civil servant in the government of Rome, as a procurator of Byzacena. See also Bureaucrat The term civil service has two distinct meanings Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Byzacena was a Roman province in what is now Tunisia. At the end of the third century A He quickly grew tired of the material life. This, together with his studies of religion, particularly a sermon of Augustine of Hippo on Psalm 36, which dealt with the transitory nature of the physical life, determined to become a monk.
He applied to Faustus, a bishop who had been forced from his diocese by the Vandal king Huneric and later set up a monastery at Byzacena. Huneric or Honeric (died December 23, 484) was King of the Vandals (477 – 484 and the oldest son of Geiseric. Faustus had serious concerns about Fulgentius's physical weakness, which might make him a poor fit for the rigorous life of the monastery, and tried to dissuade the twenty-two year old Fulgentius from his request. As Fulgentius persisted, though, Faustus relented and admitted him on a trial basis. [3]
When learning of this, Mariana, who evidently had never been told of Fulgentius's wish, was very upset. She rushed to the gates of the monastery, demanding to know how a church which was supposed to protect widows could rob this widow of her only son. Her protestations were ineffective, however, and Fulgentius was ultimately confirmed to his vocation. [3]
Renewed attacks on the area forced Fulgentius to leave for another nearby monastery. The abbot there, Felix, gave Fulgentius the duty of managing the termporal affairs of the monastery, while he himself managed the spiritual affairs. The two of them worked quite well together, and, in 499, during another Arian persecution in the area, fled for Sicca Veneria. Arianism is the theological teaching of Arius (c AD 250-336 who was ruled a heretic by the Christian church at the Council of Nicea. El Kef (الكاف also transliterated as Al-Kāf or Le Kef) is a city in northwestern Tunisia. There they preached the Chalcedonian teaching regarding the dual nature of Jesus. Chalcedonian refers to churches and theologians which accept the definition given at the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD of how the divine and human relate in the person of Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Upon learning of this, a local Arian priest had them arrested and tortured.
Upon being released, Fulgentius planned to go to Alexandria, but changed his mind upon hearing the Arians had taken control of Egypt. Alexandria ( Egyptian Arabic: اسكندريه Eskendereyya; Standard Arabic: ar الإسكندرية Al-Iskandariyya; Ἀλεξάνδρεια This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. He opted instead to go to Rome, where he prayed at the tombs of the apostles. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 He then returned to Byzacena, where he built a monastery, electing himself to live in an isolated cell. Fulgentius's reputation quickly spread, and he was frequently offered the post of bishop of one of the dioceses which had been vacated through the actions of the Arian king Thrasamund. Thrasamund (450-523 King of the Vandals and Alans (496-523 was the fourth king of the north African Kingdom of the Vandals and reigned longer than any other He chose not to accept these offers, knowing Thrasamund had specifically ordered that only Arians be permitted to fill those sees. [3]
Bishop of Ruspe
Fulgentius was ultimately persuaded to take the post of bishop of Ruspe in Tunisia. Thelepte (ثليفت is a Roman ruin in western Tunisia, 5 km from the modern town of Fériana, near the border with Algeria. Tunisia (تونس Tūnis officially the Tunisian Republic ( is a country located in North Africa. He made a strong impression on the people of his new diocese with his obvious virtues, but was soon banished to Sardinia with some sixty other bishops who did not hold the Arian position. Sardinia (sɑrˈdɪnɪə Sardegna Sardigna or Sardinnya is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily) Pope Symmachus knew of their plight and sent them annual provisions of food and money. Pope Saint Symmachus was Pope from 498 to 514 He was born on Sardinia, the son of Fortunatus
While in Sardinia, Fulgentius turned a house in Cagliari into a monastery, and determined to writer a number of works to help instruct the Christians of Africa. In 515, he returned to Africa, having been summoned there by Thrasamund for a public debate with his Arian replacements. Events Births Hulü Guang Yuwen Hu Deaths His book An Answer to Ten Objections is supposed to have been collected from the answers he had made to their objections to the Chalcedonian position. Thrasamund was impressed by Fulgentius' knowledge and learning. Not wanting these very effective statements to fall in the hands of his Arian subjects, possibly creating social discord, he ordered that all Fulgentius' future statements be delivered only orally. Fulgentius responded with a rebuttal of the Arian position, now known as the Three Books to King Thrasamund. Thrasamund's respect for Fulgentius grew, leading him to allow Fulgentius to stay in Carthage. Renewed complaints from the local Arian clergy caused him to banish Fulgentius back to Sardinia in 520. In 523, following the death of Thrasamund and the accession of his Chalcedonian son Hilderic, Fulgentius was allowed to return to Ruspe and try to convert the populace to the chalcedonian position. Hilderic, King of the Vandals and Alans (c 460s - 533 reigned 523-530 was the pentultimate ruler of the North African Kingdom of the He worked to reform many of the abuses which had infiltrated his old diocese in his absence. The power and effectiveness of his preaching was so profound that his archbishop, Boniface of Carthage, wept openly every time he heard Fulgentius preach, and publicly thanked God for giving such a great preacher to his church. [3]
Later, Fulgentius retired for a monastery on the island of Circinia. He was however recalled to Ruspe, and served there until his death on 1 January, 533.
Writings
As a theologian, Fulgentius's work shows knowledge of Greek and a strong agreement with Augustine of Hippo. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly He wrote frequently against Arianism and Pelagianism. Pelagianism is a theological theory named after Pelagius (ad 354 – ad Some letters and eight sermons survive by Fulgentius. A sermon is an oration by a Prophet or member of the Clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, or religious topic
Veneration
His saint's day is January 1, the day of his death. The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC His relics were transferred to Bourges in France around 714. A relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance carefully preserved with an air of Veneration as a tangible memorial Bourges is a commune in central France on the Yèvre river It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital They were later destroyed there during the French Revolution. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an [3]
Notes
- ^ Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe. West Coast Augustinians, Province of St. Augustine. Retrieved on 2007-02-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule
- ^ Jones, Terry. Fulgentius of Ruspe. Patron Saints Index. Retrieved on 2007-02-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule
- ^ a b c d e Burns, Paul. Butler's Lives of the Saints:New Full Edition. Collegeville, MN:The Liturgical Press, 1995. ISBN 0-8146-2377-8.
References
- "Fulgentius" in The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone, eds. London: Oxford University Press, 1974.
- Catholic Encyclopedia article
- Saints of January 1st
- Burns, Paul. Butler's Lives of the Saints:New Full Edition. Collegeville, MN:The Liturgical Press, 1995. ISBN 0-8146-2377-8.
External links
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