E00165: According to the Book of Miracles of St Stephen, written in Latin in Uzalis (North Africa) in the 420s, the arrival of relics of *Stephen (the First Martyr, S00030) at Uzalis in c.418 is preceded by a vision in which a pious women is assured of their veracity.
Creators: name: Robert
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2014
Subjects: History

description: Book of Miracles of St Stephen 1.1<br><br>Cum igitur adhuc nullus saltem rumor esse potuisset, quo ad nos indignos Domini sancti Stephani, in martyrio primi confessoris Christi, reliquiae uenturae essent (non enim hoc fieri posse aut in cogitatione habebamus, aut suspicari poteramus): ecce ex anteriori tempore coepit idem gloriosus quibusdam apud nos sanctis animis se ipsum reuelare. Nam cum quodam loco uel die sermo supradictarum reliquiarum ab his seruis Dei fieret, qui easdem sibimet de Orientis partibus missas nobis nescientibus habebant, adfuit in sermone quaedam etiam mulier, sacra famula Dei; quae ubi hoc audiuit, ut euenire assolet non facile credidit, et apud semetipsam tacite dicere coepit: "Et quis scit si uere martyrum sunt reliquiae?" Statim autem sequenti nocte per somnium ampulla quaedam eidem demonstratur intra se habens sanguinis quamdam aspersionem et aristarum quasi ossium significationem: quam presbyter quidam manu tenens germano eius monacho illa praesente locutus est dicens: "Vis scire quomodo martyrum probentur reliquiae?" Quo dicto ampullam eius ori iniecit, et mox flamma ignis per aures eius atque oculos euomi coepit. Hoc quomodo res ipsa manifestata sit dignanter accipite. Ampullam sicut oculis suis uidit ancillla Dei in somnii reuelatione, sic inter manus suas accepit postea sacerdos Dei in ipsius rei manifestatione.<br><br>'Even before any rumour could start that the relics of St Stephen, the first witness of Christ in martyrdom, were about to arrive with us the unworthy (for we could neither think this could happen, nor suspect it), Lo, the glorious [Stephen] had started to reveal himself to certain saintly souls among us. Now, one day in a certain place the servants of God who had with them these relics sent from the East (which we were as yet unaware of) were talking about them. And a woman, a holy servant of God, entered in the middle of their conversation. When she heard it, as usually happens she was not ready to believe, but started to talk silently to herself: "And who knows whether these are really the relics of martyrs?". And without any delay, the following night, a glass flask (ampulla) was shown to her in a dream, containing a certain sprinkling of blood and something that looked like slivers, as if of bone (aristarum quasi ossium significationem). A presbyter who was holding it in his hand was talking to a monk, his brother, and said in her presence: "Do you want to know how the relics of martyrs are verified?". This said he put the ampulla into his mouth, and immediately flames of fire began to spring from his ears and eyes. Now, listen trustfully how the truth became manifest. For later it was revealed by the fact that the bishop of God [in Uzalis] took in his hands an ampulla just like the one which the servant of God had seen in her dream-vision.'<br><br>Text: Meyers 2006, 268, 270. Translation: Robert Wiśniewski.