Saint Exuperius (also Exsuperius) (french: Saint Exupéry, Saint Soupire) (died c. 410) was
Bishop of Toulouse
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toulouse (–Saint Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux) ( la, Archidioecesis Tolosana (–Convenarum–Rivensis); French: ''Archidiocèse de Toulouse (–Saint-Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux-Volvestre)''; Occitan: ''A ...
at the beginning of the 5th century.
Life
His place and date of birth are unknown. Upon succeeding
Saint Sylvius as bishop of Toulouse, he ordered the completion of the basilica of
St. Saturnin, a part of which was incorporated into the
Basilica of St. Sernin.
Saint Jerome
Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...
praised Exuperius "for his munificence to the monks of
Palestine,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
, and
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
, and for his charity to the people of his own diocese, who were then suffering from the attacks of the
Vandals
The Vandals were a Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century.
The Vandals migrated to the area betw ...
,
Alans
The Alans (Latin: ''Alani'') were an ancient and medieval Iranian nomadic pastoral people of the North Caucasus – generally regarded as part of the Sarmatians, and possibly related to the Massagetae. Modern historians have connected the A ...
, and
Suevi." On behalf of the poor in his diocese he sold the basilica's altar vessels and was therefore compelled to carry the
Sacred Offering in an
osier basket and the
Precious Blood
Blood of Christ, also known as the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in Christian theology refers to (a) the physical blood actually shed by Jesus Christ primarily on the Cross, and the salvation which Christianity teaches was accomp ...
in a vessel of glass. In respect of his virtues and in gratitude for his gifts, Saint Jerome dedicated his ''Commentary on
Zacharias'' to him.
Exuperius is best known in connection with the
Canon of the Sacred Scriptures. He had written to
Pope Innocent I
Pope Innocent I ( la, Innocentius I) was the bishop of Rome from 401 to his death on 12 March 417. From the beginning of his papacy, he was seen as the general arbitrator of ecclesiastical disputes in both the East and the West. He confirmed the ...
for instructions concerning the canon and several points of ecclesiastical behaviour. In reply, the pope honoured him with the letter ''Consulenti Tibi'', dated February 405, which contained a list of the canonical scriptures.
[including the ]deuterocanonical books
The deuterocanonical books (from the Greek meaning "belonging to the second canon") are books and passages considered by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Assyrian Church of the East to be ...
of the Catholic Canon. The assertion of non-Catholic writers that the Canon of Innocent I excluded the Apocrypha
Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...
is not true, if they mean to extend the term "Apocrypha" to the deuterocanonical books.
The opinion of
Baronius
Cesare Baronio (as an author also known as Caesar Baronius; 30 August 1538 – 30 June 1607) was an Italian cardinal and historian of the Catholic Church. His best-known works are his ''Annales Ecclesiastici'' ("Ecclesiastical Annals"), whi ...
, that bishop Exuperius was the same person as the rector with the same name, is usually rejected, as the rector was a teacher of
Hannibalianus __NOTOC__
Flavius Hannibalianus (also Hanniballianus; died September 337) was a member of the Constantinian dynasty, which ruled over the Roman Empire in the 4th century AD.
Hannibalianus was the son of Flavius Dalmatius, and thus nephew of Cons ...
and
Dalmatius :''This article deals with the Caesar (335-337). For the censor Flavius Dalmatius, father of the caesar, see Flavius Dalmatius. For saints with this name, see Saint Dalmatius (disambiguation).''
Flavius Dalmatius Caesar (his name is often spell ...
, nephews of
Constantine the Great
Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...
, and therefore from an earlier period than the bishop. From Jerome's letter to Furia in 394, and from the epistle of
Saint Paulinus to
Amandus of Bordeaux
Amandus (died c. 431) was the bishop of Bordeaux for two non-consecutive periods between about 404 and 431.
Amandus was raised in a Christian home and educated in the Christian Bible. Recognizing his qualities, Bishop Delphinus had him ordained a ...
in 397, it seems probable that Exuperius was a priest at
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, and later at
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...
before he was raised to the episcopate—though it is possible that in both of these letters reference is made to a different person.
The precise date of his promotion to the bishop is unknown. Evidence suggests that he occupied the See of Toulouse in February 405 (as is evident from the letter of Innocent I mentioned above). It is sometimes said that Jerome reproached him in a letter to Riparius, a priest of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, for tolerating the heretic
Vigilantius Vigilantius (fl. 400) the Christian presbyter, wrote a work, no longer extant, which opposed a number of common 5th-century practices, and which inspired one of the most violent of the polemical treatises of Jerome (died 420).''The Oxford Dictionar ...
; but as Vigilantius did not belong to the diocese of Toulouse, Jerome was probably speaking of another bishop.
Exuperius was venerated as a saint from early times. In the time of
Gregory of Tours he was held in equal veneration with
Saint Saturninus. His feast occurs on 28 September. The first martyrologist to assign it to this date was
Usuard Usuard (died 23 January, 875) was a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and a Carolingian scholar.
His name appears in a list of monks of Saint-Germain-des-Prés written around 841/847 (a declaration of spiritual association wi ...
, who wrote towards the end of the 9th century.
References
External links
Catholic Encyclopedia: ExuperiusCatholic.org: Exuperius
{{Authority control
4th-century births
410 deaths
Bishops of Toulouse
5th-century bishops in Gaul
5th-century Christian saints
Gallo-Roman saints
5th-century Latin writers