On Care for the Dead · §8 · Augustine of Hippo

The burning of the Gallic martyrs teaches contempt for burial

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Augustine is answering Paulinus's worry about burial by showing from church history that God allowed the bodies of martyrs in Gaul to be destroyed, proving that burial does not affect the dead's blessedness.

We read in the church history that Eusebius wrote in Greek and Rufinus translated into Latin that in Gaul the bodies of martyrs were thrown out to dogs, and the dogs' leavings and the bones of the dead were burned up to the last bit of consumption, and those ashes were scattered into the Rhône River so that nothing at all would be left for any kind of memorial shrine. We must believe this was allowed by God for no other reason than so that Christians would learn, in confessing Christ, that while they despise this life they should despise burial far more. For if what was done to the bodies of the martyrs with such enormous savagery harmed them in any way, so that their most victorious spirits rested less blessedly, it certainly would not have been allowed to happen. So the thing itself made clear that the Lord did not say, "Do not fear those who kill the body and after that have nothing more they can do" (Matthew 10:28), because he would not allow them to do anything to the bodies of his dead ones, but because whatever they were allowed to do would do nothing to diminish the Christian happiness of the dead, nothing from it would reach the awareness of those living after death, and nothing would pertain even to the harm of their bodies themselves, so that they would rise again less whole.

Latin

Legimus in ecclesiastica historia, quam graece scripsit Eusebius et in latinam linguam uertit Rufinus, martyrum corpora in Gallia canibus exposita canumque reliquias atque ossa mortuorum usque ad extremam consumptionem ignibus concremata eosdemque cineres fluuio Rhodano, ne quid ad memoriam qualemcumque relinqueretur, inspersos. quod non ob aliud credendum est diuinitus fuisse permissum, nisi ut discerent christiani in confitendo Christum, dum contemnunt hanc uitam, multo magis contemnere sepulturam. hoc enim quod ingenti saeuitia de corporibus martyrum factum est, si eis quidquam noceret, quo minus beate requiescerent eorum uictoriosissimi spiritus, non utique fieri sineretur. re ipsa ergo declaratum est non ideo dixisse dominum: nolite timere eos qui corpus occidunt et postea non habent quid faciant, quod non esset permissurus aliquid eos facere de suorum corporibus mortuorum, sed quoniam quidquid facere permissi essent, nihil quo minueretur christiana defunctorum felicitas fieret, nihil inde ad sensum post mortem uiuentium perueniret, nihil ad detrimentum saltem ipsorum corporum. quo minus integra resurgerent, pertineret.

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.