{"id":22657,"date":"2026-07-29T16:00:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T16:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=22657"},"modified":"2026-07-29T16:00:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T16:00:44","slug":"two-unknown-st-augustine-sermons-authenticated-on-medieval-manuscript","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=22657","title":{"rendered":"Two unknown St. Augustine sermons authenticated on medieval manuscript"},"content":{"rendered":"


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NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Two previously unknown sermons by St. Augustine \u2014 one of Christianity’s most influential theologians \u2014 have been authenticated, revealing ideas scholars say have never before appeared in his surviving works.<\/p>\n

The newly discovered sermons were found on a medieval manuscript by Christian Tornau, a Latin professor at the University of W\u00fcrzburg in Germany.<\/p>\n

The manuscript was copied at Bad Doberan Abbey in present-day Germany during the 12th century, likely from an earlier manuscript that has since been lost.<\/p>\n

LOST PAGES WITH ‘GHOST’ TEXT RECOVERED FROM ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST IMPORTANT NEW TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

St. Augustine lived from 354 to 430 A.D. He served as the bishop of Hippo Regius in present-day Algeria and was a prolific theologian.<\/p>\n

In a press release issued by the University of W\u00fcrzburg, officials said the saint “is regarded as one of Christianity’s most important Church Fathers.”<\/p>\n

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Scholars have authenticated two previously unknown sermons attributed to St. Augustine after studying a medieval manuscript.<\/span> (Pelplin, Diocesan Library, Codex 114 (195), fol. 14r.; Bishop Jan Bernard Szlaga Diocesan Library in Pelplin; Fine Art Images\/Heritage Images\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“His extensive body of writings continues to occupy scholars today,” the university also said. <\/p>\n

Tornau is now working to publish the sermons for the first time in a scholarly edition after nearly two years of research.<\/p>\n

1,740-YEAR-OLD ROMAN COIN BEARING EMPEROR’S NAME FOUND AS ENGLAND RAIL DIG REVEALS CLUES<\/strong><\/p>\n

The discovery began in 2024, when a representative of the monastery’s preservation association asked Tornau to decipher the manuscript.<\/p>\n

Of the manuscript’s six sermons, two were previously unknown.<\/p>\n

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St. Augustine served as bishop of Hippo Regius and remains one of Christianity’s most influential Church Fathers.<\/span> (Paolo and Federico Manusardi \/ Electa \/ Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The two sermons explore the Old Testament story of the Witch of Endor, in which King Saul consults a witch before a battle against the Philistines.<\/p>\n

At Saul’s request, the witch summons what appears to be the spirit of the deceased prophet Samuel, who foretells Saul’s death in battle \u2014 raising the question of theodicy, or why an all-powerful God would allow an apparently diabolical act to occur.<\/p>\n

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER 1,700-YEAR-OLD CHRISTIAN CITY HIDDEN BENEATH EGYPT’S DESERT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Augustine’s sermons show him weighing the possibility that King Saul repented and was ultimately redeemed after hearing Samuel’s prophecy.<\/p>\n

“The first sermon was preached during a Sunday service and ends by presenting the theodicy question and the possible interpretations,” Tornau told university officials.<\/p>\n

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“Our final verdict is that they are indeed authentic.”<\/p>\n

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“Only in the second sermon, delivered the following Wednesday, are the alternatives weighed … the style, humor, and content also strongly indicate that the sermons preserved in the manuscript really are by Augustine.”<\/p>\n

The interpretation of Saul being saved is the “most remarkable element” of the new sermons, Tornau told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

ARCHAEOLOGISTS MAKE UNUSUAL FIND NEAR SITE WHERE ARK OF THE COVENANT WAS ONCE KEPT<\/strong><\/p>\n

“This is unparalleled in Augustine and in ancient Christianity in general, where we find a very negative image of Saul,” said Tornau. “Augustine suggests it … and clearly takes it seriously.”<\/p>\n

The professor noted that Augustine may have independently developed the idea that King Saul repented and was ultimately saved after hearing Samuel’s prophecy, or he may have been influenced by Jewish rabbinic interpretations that viewed Saul more favorably.<\/p>\n

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The sermons examine the biblical account of King Saul and the Witch of Endor before his final battle, depicted at right.<\/span> (Fine Art Images\/Heritage Images\/Getty Images; Heritage Art\/Heritage Images via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“In any event, it is indicative of Augustine\u2019s (independence) of mind and his willingness to think everyone, even those who appear most evil, (are) capable of salvation through the grace of God,” he said.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/p>\n

“This combines intellectual honesty and episcopal humility in a remarkable and very Augustinian way.”<\/p>\n

The texts can “confidently” be dated to Late Antiquity, Tornau added, because they reflect a style of Christian liturgy that would have been impossible in the Middle Ages.<\/p>\n

“The background is North African, as is clear from the concluding prayer of the first sermon, which is only attested in late-antique Africa,” he said.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS<\/strong><\/p>\n

He also noted that the sermon’s author “is familiar with Augustine\u2019s thought and works but does not simply copy them, which would be a sign of inauthenticity.”<\/p>\n

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Newly authenticated sermons offer fresh insight into the teachings of St. Augustine, one of Christianity’s most influential theologians.<\/span> (FotografoAgenziaMondadori Portfolio via Getty Images; Pelplin, Diocesan Library, Codex 114 (195), fol. 14r.; Bishop Jan Bernard Szlaga Diocesan Library in Pelplini)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“After this intense period of reading and interpreting, we came to the conclusion that there are no serious objections to Augustine\u2019s authorship,” he said.<\/p>\n

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/strong><\/p>\n

It does not seem possible to trace the manuscript further back than the 12th century, the professor said, adding that the texts themselves also initially gave researchers pause.<\/p>\n

“We were fascinated, of course, by the idea of having found new sermons of Augustine, but soon turned skeptical because (in) some places the sermons did not seem to read like Augustine,” Tornau said.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Our final verdict is that they are indeed authentic.”<\/p>\n

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