On Care for the Dead · §11 · Augustine of Hippo

Why burying Saul and Jonathan was mercy, though the dead feel nothing

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Augustine is answering an objection: if burial does not help the dead, why were the men who buried Saul and Jonathan praised and blessed for showing mercy?

It is by this wretched compassion I have described that those men are praised and blessed by King David who showed the mercy of burial to the dry bones of Saul and Jonathan (2 Samuel 21:12-14). But what mercy is being shown to those who feel nothing? Are we to drag back the belief that the unburied could not cross the river of the underworld? Far be this from the Christian faith. Otherwise things went very badly for that great crowd of martyrs whose bodies could not be buried, and the Truth spoke falsely to them when he said: Do not fear those who kill the body and after that have nothing more they can do (Matthew 10:28)—if those killers could do such great evils to them as to block their way to the places they longed to reach. But since this is beyond any doubt utterly false, and it does no harm to the faithful if burial is denied to their bodies, nor does it benefit the unfaithful if it is given to them, why then are those who buried Saul and his son said to have shown mercy, and blessed for it by a pious king? Is it not because the hearts of those who show pity are well disposed when they grieve over the bodies of the dead—bodies not their own—for things which, by that affection by which no one ever hates his own flesh, they do not wish to happen to their own bodies after death? And what they wish to be done for themselves when they will feel nothing, they take care to do for others who feel nothing, while they themselves do feel.

Latin

Secundum istam quam dixi miseram conpassionem laudantur illi et a rege Dauid benedicuntur, qui Saulis et Ionathae ossibus aridis sepulturae misericordiam praestiterunt. quae tandem misericordia praestatur nihil sentientibus: an forte reuocandum est in opinionem, quod infernum fluuium insepulti non poterant transmeare? absit hoc a fide christiana: alioquin pessime actum est cum tanta martyrum multitudine, quorum non potuerunt corpora sepeliri, et fallaciter eis ueritas dixit: nolite timere eos, qui corpus occidunt et postea non habent quid faciant, si eis tanta mala facere potuerunt, quibus inpedirentur ad loca exoptata transire. sed quia hoc sine ulla dubitatione falsissimum est nec aliquid obest fidelibus negata eorum corporibus sepultura nec aliquid, si exhibeatur infidelibus, prodest, cur ergo illi, qui Saulem et eius filium sepelierunt, misericordiam fecisse dicuntur et ob hoc a rege pio benedicuntur, nisi quia bene afficiuntur corda miserantium, quando ea dolent in mortuorum corporibus alienis, quae illo affectu, quo nemo umquam carnem suam odio habet, nolunt fieri post mortem suam corporibus suis, et quod sibi exhiberi uolunt, quando sensuri non sunt, aliis non sentientibus curant exhibere, dum ipsi sentiunt?

About this text

Paulinus wrote to ask whether it benefits a person after death to be buried near the memorial shrine of a saint.

Augustine of Hippo (354–430) wrote this letter to Paulinus, bishop of Nola. Paulinus had asked whether it benefits a person after death to be buried near the memorial shrine of a saint. The question was prompted by the request of Flora, a religious widow, for her deceased son to be buried in the basilica of the confessor Felix, while the body of Cynegius, a faithful young man and a different person, had already been placed there.

Augustine argues that burial location does not directly help or harm the dead, because the dead cannot sense what happens to their bodies. What helps the dead is the prayerful remembrance of the living, which can be increased when burial is at a holy memorial, so Christians should care for the dead from affection and faith in the resurrection and place hope in prayer and the church commemoration rather than in place. The reader will meet Paulinus, Flora, Cynegius, Felix, Curma who had a vision near death, Eulogius who dreamed of Augustine, John the monk consulted about a civil war, Ambrose at the shrines of Protasius and Gervasius, and Candidianus who carried the letter. Augustine quotes Paulinus to answer him, quotes Scripture from Paul, the Psalms, the prophets and the Gospel, gives the speech of the rich man to Abraham and the reported words of John, and gives Virgil in prose paraphrase rather than verse quotation.

Here memorial shrine means a shrine at the burial place of a martyr or saint meant to keep the dead in remembrance, and burial means the act of burying. Prayer, prayerful commending, sacrifice offered at the altar, alms and the intercession of martyrs are the means by which the living help the dead, while spirit means the soul apart from the body, vision means a dream seeing of the dead, and likeness means only the image seen and not the person himself. Old names keep Augustine Old Latin and Septuagint use, with the books of the Kingdoms meaning 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings, Ecclesiasticus meaning Sirach, Jesus son of Sirach meaning Ben Sira, the Acts of the Apostles meaning Acts, the books of the Machabees meaning Maccabees, and the Psalms numbered as in the Septuagint.

New English from the Latin base text; no published English used as wording.

Printed text used

Translated from CSEL 41 (1900) (Latin)

This work has passed this project's source check. This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.