Aurelius of Carthage was a
Christian saint who died around 430. A friend of
Augustine of Hippo, he was bishop of Carthage from about 391 until his death.
Life
Not much is known about his life outside of his ecclesiastical activities. At the time when
Augustine of Hippo returned to Africa in 388, Aurelius was a deacon. Aurelius served as a patron to Augustine when Augustine was a priest in Hippo. Augustine sought the establishment of a monastic community – for which space was granted by bishop Valerius – and was funded by Aurelius. Aurelius provided the monastery with new members for the purpose of episcopal training, effectively turning the monastery into a sort of early episcopal seminary. Augustine admired Aurelius, and a number of letters from Augustine to Aurelius have survived.
Aurelius became
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
of
Carthage
Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, 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 cla ...
around 392 and led a number of ecclesiastical councils on
Christian doctrine
Christian theology is the theology of Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theologians use biblical exeg ...
and clerical discipline, including the important
Council of 419 which codified "The Code of Canons of the African Church". Aurelius was one of the first Bishops to denounce
Pelagianism
Pelagianism is a Christian theological position that holds that the original sin did not taint human nature and that humans by divine grace have free will to achieve human perfection. Pelagius ( – AD), an ascetic and philosopher from t ...
. He encouraged veneration of the martyrs, and introduced the feast day of
Saint Cyprian.
Geerlings, Wilhelm, "Aurelius, of Carthage (Saint)", ''Religion Past and Present''
2006,
Aurelius's feast day in the Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
is July 20.
References
External links
OrthodoxWiki on Aurelius of Carthage
Santi Beati: Sant' Aurelio di Cartagine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aurelius
4th-century births
430 deaths
Saints from Roman Africa (province)
4th-century Romans
5th-century Romans
5th-century Christian saints
4th-century bishops of Carthage
5th-century bishops of Carthage
Aurelii