Possidius (5th century) was a friend of

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

who wrote a reliable biography and an ''indiculus'' or list of his works. He was bishop of Calama in the

Roman province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

Numidia Numidia was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunisia and Libya. The polity was originally divided between ...

Biography

The dates of his birth and death are unknown. In the ''Vita S. Augustini'' (xxxi), after describing the death of Augustine, Possidius speaks of his unbroken friendship with him for forty years. He also, speaking of himself in the third person, lets it be known that he was one of the clergy of Augustine's monastery.Bacchus, Francis Joseph. "St. Possidius." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 10 January 2020 The date of his promotion to the episcopate was, according to Tillemont, about 397. He followed Augustine's example and established a monastery at Calama, an area much disturbed by factions. At a council held at

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

, Possidius challenged Crispinus, the Donatist Bishop of Calama, to a public discussion which the latter refused. In 404 a party of Donatists dragged Possidius out of his house, beat him, and threatened his life. Donatist extremists set fire to a house where Possidius was visiting."St. Possidius", Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel of the Augustinian Order/ Midwest Augustines
/ref> Legal proceedings were instituted against Crispinus, the bishop, who refused to punish the presbyter responsible. Crispinus was condemned for

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...

and was heavily fined, but at the intercession of Possidius the fine was not exacted). In 407, Possidius served, with Augustine and five other bishops, on a committee appointed to adjudicate upon some ecclesiastical matter, the particulars of which are not known. In 408 he nearly lost his life in a

riot A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...

stirred up by the pagans at Calama (Augustine, "Epp.", xc, xci, xciii). In 409 he was one of four bishops deputed to go to Italy to obtain the protection of the emperor against the Donatists. He was one of the seven bishops chosen to represent the Catholic party at the ''collatio'' of 411. In 416 he assisted at the Council of Milevum, where fifty-nine Numidian bishops addressed a synodal letter to Innocent I, asking him to take action against Pelagianism. He joined with Augustine and three other bishops in a further letter to Innocent on the same subject, and was at the conference between Augustine and the Donatist Emeritus. When the Germanic

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...

invaded Africa, he fled to Hippo and was present at the death of Augustine (430). In 437, according to Prosper, who, in his ''Chronicle'', records that Possidius and two other bishops were persecuted and expelled from their sees by the

Vandal The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vandal ...

king, Gaiseric, who was an Arian. Possidius died in

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

shortly thereafter.

Works

*His ''Vita S. Augustini'', composed before the capture of

(439), is included in all editions of the works of Augustine, and also printed in Hurter's "Opusc. SS. Patr.". *His ''indiculus'' ('small index') will be found in the last volume of Migne's edition of the works of Augustine and in the tenth volume of the Benedictine edition.

Canonization

Pope Clement X confirmed devotion to Possidius on August 19, 1672, along with his contemporary Alypius of Thagaste, another North African bishop who was a friend of Saint Augustine. Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova. “May 16 - Saints Alypius and Possidius”. augustinian.org. Accessed 12 Aug 2020
/ref>

References

Sources

* *

External links

at th
Tertullian ProjectCritical Latin text and English translation of the "Life of St. Augustine"
at Archive.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Possidius Christian writers Numidian saints 5th-century bishops in Roman North Africa 4th-century births 5th-century deaths 5th-century Christian saints