Letters, Volume 6 (1*–29*)

Letter 20

LETTER 20* Introductio-n This is the longest of Augustine's letters in this collection, and also one of the most interesting. It brings new information about one of the most painful cases of Augustine's later years, the case of Antoninus , the young bishop of Fussala. In the previously known ep. ~.w9, Augustine wrote to Pope Celestine (422-432) to whom bishop Antollinus was appealing, to explain his own side of the story. Much of that story is told here in greater detail. It should be kept in mind that while this letter was probably written in late 422, the events leading up to the crisis go back some six to ten years. Once again the conference of Carthage of 411 and the sudden enlargement of the Church because of the influx of ex-Donatists lie in the background of the events narrated in this ietter. The town of Fussala, to the south of Hippo, had been a part ofAugustine's pastoral charge, but had been almost totally Donatist up until the conference. Now Augustine thought it should have a bishop of its own. He selected one of his own monks but the man withdrew at the last minute. In the meantime, the primate of the province of Numidia, probably Silvanus ofSumma, was slowly making his way to the ordination . The primacy in the province of Numidia was not attached to anyone see but was assigned to the bishop with the greatest seniority in the episcopate. This almost g'uaranteed that the holder of the honor at any given moment would be elderly and infirm. As one can see from this letter, the primacy was more than an empty title; it involved work and the work involved travel. Hence in his embarrassing position, Augustine was reluctant to have no candidate to present the primate upon his arrival. So, to his great regret later on, he quickly chose one of his youngest monks, Antoninus, whose life and career are discussed in this letter. We must also note his lack of experience althouph he did have the advantage of speaking the local native language. The date of the ordination is uncertain. The issue of a bishop for Fussala must have come up not long after the conclusion of the conference of Carthage of 411, but the only solid terminus a quo we have is the probable presence of Antoninus' name on the list of 1. S. Lance!, "Etudes sur Ia Numidie d'Hippone au temps de S. Augustin. Recherches de topogTaphie ecclesiastique," MEFRA 96 (1984), 1085-1113. 131 132 SAINT AUGUSTINE Numidian bishops attending the council of Milevis in 416. So scholars are divided between 412 (S. Lancel) and 415 (W. H. C. Frend) for the date of ordination. Both dates (but especially the earlier one) make us ask further why it took so long for something to be done about the complaints against Antoninus? It has been suggested that Augustine's sermon Guelferbytanus 32 (= serm. 340A) was preached at the ordination of Antoninus. Augustine opposed the transfer of bishop Honorius to the see of Caesarea because such a procedure was contrary t~ the canons. But in this instance Augustine himself acted uncanonica1ly and lived to rue the day. He never consulted the people of Fussala. Antoninus was only twenty years old and, except for the office of lector, had no experience and certainly had not gone through the various ministries before being chosen to be a bishop. His youth, his human as well as ministerial inexperience, perhaps even his earlier life of poverty all played a role.in the disaster of his episcopate. He was later cleared of sexual allegations made against him but not of the many complaints made against him by the people concerning his heavy-handed demands and extortions. He assembled a team of others like himself, some of whom might well be regarded as rejects from the monastery in Hippo. A tribunal in Hippo led by Augustine and Alypius decided that Antoninus must be removed from his see, though he would be allowed to keep his rank of bishop. He was to restore everything that he had stolen and was to remain excommunicated until he had done so. Apparently the latter state did not last very long since he was able to secure a loan to help pay back what he had extorted. As the narrative shows, his greatest passion seems to have been to construct an impressive house for himself. Even though he was hated...