Daniel del Castillo González y Natalia Dedinsky
previously unknown homilies attributed to Saint Augustine have been confirmed as authentic following a philological study.
The texts, preserved in a 12th-century manuscript in the diocesan library of Pelplin, Poland, were analyzed by Professor Christian Tornau, a specialist in the works of St. Augustine, along with several other researchers.
DR. CHRISTIAN TORNAU
Institute of Classical Philology (Germany)
I soon discovered that two of the texts were already familiar to me: one was an Augustinian text and the other a pseudo-Augustinian one. I was unable to identify the remaining two.
So we did what scholars do in these cases: we began transcribing them. We went over every sentence to make sure that all of it could really be attributed to Augustine. In fact, at first we were very excited by the possibility of having found new Augustinian texts, but we were also quite skeptical at the outset.
The discovery was made in 2024, when Tornau began studying a medieval codex containing four sermons attributed to Augustine.
After a detailed analysis of the author's style, vocabulary, and line of reasoning, the confirmation came.
DR. CHRISTIAN TORNAU
Institute of Classical Philology (Germany)
I reread it almost every day. I discover new details. I compare it with other texts by Augustine. Sometimes he repeats himself, which is why there is so much in these texts that he had already said or written before. But there are also some new ideas. And it’s fascinating to see or get a sense of some new ideas, some additional reflections by Augustine that he hadn’t expressed anywhere else.
These sermons reflect on a Bible passage that posed a challenge for early Christian interpreters: how was it possible for a woman who practiced witchcraft to summon the prophet Samuel?
Beyond their academic significance, Tornau believes that these texts can help bring Augustine closer to today's readers, even those outside the Christian community.
DR. CHRISTIAN TORNAU
Institute of Classical Philology (Germany)
I hope this discovery will help enrich the reception of Augustine and, if so, that it may even further promote what we might call enlightenment and tolerance. If people who do not consider themselves Christians read Augustine and discover that he has a lot to say to them, even if they do not believe every work, I believe this can have a positive impact on our intellectual culture as a whole.
More than sixteen centuries after his death, Saint Augustine is still revealing new treasures. With over five million words preserved, previously unknown fragments are continuing to emerge, and enrich our understanding.
