Vincent of Lérins (; died ) was a
Gallic monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
and author of
early Christian writings
Various early Christian writers wrote gospels and other books, some of which were canonized as the New Testament canon developed. The Apostolic Fathers were prominent writers who are traditionally understood to have met and learned from Jesus' ...
. One example was the ''
Commonitorium'', c.434, which offers guidance in the
orthodox teaching of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
. Suspected of
semi-Pelagianism, he opposed the
Augustinian model of grace and was probably the recipient of
Prosper of Aquitaine's ''Responsiones ad Capitula Objectionum Vincentianarum''.
His feast day is celebrated on 24 May.
Personal life
Vincent of Lérins was born in
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
,
Gaul
Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...
,
["St. Vincent of Lérins", St. Vincent of Lérins Orthodox Church, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan]
/ref> to a noble family, and he is believed to be the brother of Lupus of Troyes. In his early life he engaged in secular pursuits; it is unclear whether these were civil or military, though the term he uses, , may imply the latter. He entered Lérins Abbey on Île Saint-Honorat, where under the pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
Peregrinus he wrote the '' Commonitorium'' , about three years after the Council of Ephesus. Vincent defended the Marian title of '' Theotokos'' (God-bearer) in opposition to the teachings of Patriarch Nestorius of Constantinople, which were condemned by the Council of Ephesus.[ Eucherius of Lyon called him a "conspicuously eloquent and knowledgeable" holy man.
Gennadius of Massilia wrote that Vincent died during the reigns of the Roman Emperor Theodosius II in the East and Valentinian III in the West. Therefore, his death must have occurred in or before the year 450. His relics are preserved at Lérins.][Butler, Alban. ''The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints'', Vol.V, by Alban Butler, D. & J. Sadlier, & Company, (1864)]
/ref> Caesar Baronius included his name in the ''Roman Martyrology
The ''Roman Martyrology'' () is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved appendices to it. It provid ...
'', but Louis-Sébastien Le Nain de Tillemont doubted whether there was sufficient reason. He is commemorated on 24 May.
''Commonitory''
Vincent wrote his '' Commonitory'' to provide himself with a general rule to distinguish Catholic truth from 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 ...
, committing it to writing as a reference. It is known for Vincent's famous maxim: "Moreover, in the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all."[ Has good notes.] The currently accepted idea that Vincent was a semi-Pelagian is attributed to a 17th-century Protestant theologian, Gerardus Vossius, and developed in the 17th century by Cardinal Henry Noris. Evidence of Vincent's semi-Pelagianism, according to Reginald Moxon, is Vincent's "great vehemence against" the doctrines 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 ...
in ''Commonitory''.
Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
has quoted Vincent's ''Commonitory'' on several occasions, notably his words on doctrine and the progress of doctrine: "The dogma of the Christian religion must follow these laws. It progresses, consolidating over the years, developing with time, deepening with age."
Semi-Pelagianism
Semi-Pelagianism was a doctrine of grace advocated by monks in and around Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
in Southern Gaul after 428. It aimed at a compromise between the two extremes of Pelagianism and Augustinianism
Augustinianism is the philosophical and theological system of Augustine of Hippo and its subsequent development by other thinkers, notably Boethius, Anselm of Canterbury and Bonaventure. Among Augustine's most important works are '' The City o ...
, and was condemned as 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 ...
at the Second Council of Orange in 529 AD after more than a century of disputes.
Augustine wrote of prevenient grace
Prevenient grace (or preceding grace or enabling grace) is a Christian theological concept that refers to the grace of God in a person's life which precedes and prepares to conversion. The concept was first developed by Augustine of Hippo (354 ...
and expanded to a discussion of predestination
Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby Go ...
. A number of monastic communities took exception to the latter because it seemed to nullify the value of asceticism practised under their rules. John Cassian
John Cassian, also known as John the Ascetic and John Cassian the Roman (, ''Ioannes Cassianus'', or ''Ioannes Massiliensis''; Greek: Ίωάννης Κασσιανός ό Ερημίτης; – ), was a Christian monk and theologian celebrated ...
felt that Augustine's stress on predestination ruled out any need for human cooperation or consent.
Vincent was suspected of semi-Pelagianism but whether he actually held that doctrine is not clear as it is not found in the ''Commonitorium''. But it is probable that his sympathies were with those who held it. Considering that the monks of the Lérins Islands – like the general body of clergy of Southern Gaul – were semi-Pelagians, it is not surprising that Vincent was suspected of semi-Pelagianism. It is also possible that Vincent held to a position closer to the Eastern Orthodox position of today, which they claim to have been virtually universal until the time of Augustine, and which may have been interpreted as semi-Pelagian by Augustine's followers.
Vincent upheld tradition and seemed to have objected to much of Augustine's work as "new" theology. He shared Cassian's reservations about Augustine's views on the role of grace. In the ''Commonitorium'' he listed theologians and teachers who, in his view, had made significant contributions to the defence and spreading of the Gospel; he omitted Augustine from that list. Some commentators have viewed Cassian and Vincent as "semi-Augustinian" rather than semi-Pelagian.
It is a matter of academic debate whether Vincent is the author of the ''Objectiones Vincentianae'', a collection of sixteen inferences allegedly deduced from Augustine's writings, which is lost and only known through Prosper of Aquitaine's rejoinder, ''Responsiones ad capitula objectionum Vincentianarum''. It is dated close to the time of the ''Commonitorium'' and its animus is very similar to the ''Commonitorium'' sections 70 and 86, making it possible that both were written by the same author.
References
Further reading
* Thomas G. Guarino, ''Vincent of Lerins and the Development of Christian Doctrine.'' Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013.
External links
Opera Omnia by Migne Patristica Latina
Vincent of Lerins, ''The "Vincentian Canon"''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vincent Of Lerins
Ancient Roman soldiers
Christian writers
440s deaths
5th-century Christian saints
Church Fathers
5th-century writers in Latin
People from Toul
Gallo-Roman saints
Year of birth unknown