Western Fathers: Being the Lives of Saints Martin of Tours, Ambrose, Augustine of Hippo, Honoratus of Arles and Germanus of Auxerre

by Frederick Russell Hoare

Shipped from UK, please allow 10 to 21 business days for arrival. Translated by F. H. Hoare. A good, clean & sound copy.

320 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1980

Reviews

[Robert Monk · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a few reasons why one might want to read this book. One is an interest in the history of Christianity in the late Roman Empire. The material here all dates from that period, and includes a great deal about the rise of monasticism in the West. This isn't an area of particular interest to me, however. Another reason is a more general interest in late Antiquity. These lives (and letters, and dialogues) were all written in the fifth century by men living in the West under the crumbling empire. Everything they say is in context of that place and time, and there's a lot of information to be gleaned as a result. A third reason to read this specifically relates to the final life, that of St. Germanus: an interest in sub-Roman Britain. Germanus traveled to Britain after the Empire had left but before it had been mostly overrun by the barbarians. The writer of his life, Constantius of Lyon, knew someone who accompanied Germanus to Britain, putting this document pretty close to the actual event. Which is interesting, because there are only three surviving documents written about sub-Roman Britain that have that close a connection.

It's the latter two things which drew me to this book, and it does have a lot to offer enthusiasts of that somewhat obscure history. The translation isn't too turgid, even if the original writing is. The introductions are a bit scanty (the translator himself says he wants to let the authors speak for themselves, which isn't always helpful), but there are tantalizing hints to be found. The biggest one: Germanus was visited in Britain by "a man of high military rank." We aren't told any specifics, but it does mean that there was some sort of organized military in Britain at the time. And that's interesting.

I doubt this book has a lot of appeal to general readers. It's pretty obscure in its material. But for we oddballs with interest in its period, it's pretty cool.