Albina (religious patron)

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Albina (died c. AD 431) was a late Roman religious patron, correspondent of St Augustine and was the mother of Melania the Younger. [1]

Contents

Biography

Albina was born in Nola, possibly during the AD 360s based on the known date of birth of her daughter Melania in 383. [2] She was from a wealthy Roman family, Ceionia gens : her father was Ceionius Rufius Albinus and her brother was Rufius Antonius Agrypnius. [2] Her aunt was Avita, mother of Eunomia. [3] She married Publicola and had a daughter who became the Christian Saint and Desert Mother, Melania the Younger. [4] Melania married her cousin Valerius Pinianus c.396. [2]

Albina went with Melania and Pinnanius to Campania and Sicily after Publicola's death prior to 408. [2] In c.410 the family moved to near Thagaste, where they stayed for seven years. [5] In c.417 Albina accompanied Melania to Palestine and remained there until her death fourteen years later, c.431. [2]

Religious Politics

It's clear from surviving correspondence that Albina was seen as an influential woman in her own right, beyond association with her daughter. [6]

Correspondence with Augustine of Hippo

Her most notable correspondence was with Augustine of Hippo, to whom she wrote over sixty-nine letters. [7] In his first letter to Albina, her daughter and son-in-law, Augustine regrets that he cannot travel to see them and misses their "vehement light". [5] It's clear that Albina is an important part of the religious network in the early fifth century, as she is mentioned in letters, such as Letter 125 from Augustine to Alypius. [8] Albina alone was addressed by Augustine in Letter 126, which reports on the aftermath of the incident at Thagaste, which is now known as the Pinian Affair. [9]

Pinian Affair

Albina was involved in an incident, whilst they were in Thagaste. Albina wrote to Augustine asking him to visit them, but he would not leave his church. [10] As a result, Albina, Melania and Pinnianus travelled to him. Once there, the congregation demanded that Pinnianus be ordained and the congregation became frenzied. Augustine threatened that he would leave as bishop. The episode shows how volatile communities could be. [7]

Pelagian Heresy

Augustine wrote addressed the letter refuting Pelagianism to Albina and her family. [11] Historian Peter Brown suggested that one of the reasons Augustine delayed attacking Pelagius until c.415 was because of the closeness of Albina and her family with him. [12]

Friendship with Paulinus of Nola

Albina was discussed by Paulinus of Nola, in Poem 21, dating to c.407. [13] He describes her as a leader of "the column of the singing chorus" with her aunt, Avita, and his wife Therasia. [3]

Correspondence with Jerome

Jerome dedicated his book De Gratia Christi et de Peccato Originali to her, Melania and Pinianus. [2] He also wrote to Augustine and Aypius in 419 in Letter 202, [14] [2] discussing various church matters and sending greetings to the leader from Albina. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augustine of Hippo</span> Christian theologian and philosopher (354–430)

Augustine of Hippo, also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings influenced the development of Western philosophy and Western Christianity, and he is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period. His many important works include The City of God, On Christian Doctrine, and Confessions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paulinus of Nola</span> Christian bishop and saint

Paulinus of Nola born Pontius Meropius Anicius Paulinus, was a Roman poet, writer, and senator who attained the ranks of suffect consul and governor of Campania but – following the assassination of the emperor Gratian and under the influence of his Hispanic wife Therasia of Nola — abandoned his career, was baptized as a Christian, and probably after Therasia's death became bishop of Nola in Campania. While there, he wrote poems in honor of his predecessor Saint Felix and corresponded with other Christian leaders throughout the empire. He is credited with the introduction of bells to Christian worship and helped resolve the disputed election of Pope Boniface I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelagius</span> 4th-century theologian, namesake of Pelagianism

Pelagius was a British theologian known for promoting a system of doctrines which emphasized human choice in salvation and denied original sin. Pelagius was accused of heresy at the synod of Jerusalem in 415 and his doctrines were harshly criticized by Augustine of Hippo, especially the Pelagian views about mankind's good nature and individual responsibility for choosing asceticism. Pelagius especially stressed the freedom of human will. Very little is known about the personal life and career of Pelagius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Monica</span> Christian saint; Saint Augustines mother

Monica was an early North African Christian saint and the mother of Augustine of Hippo. She is remembered and honored in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, albeit on different feast days, for her outstanding Christian virtues, particularly the suffering caused by her husband's adultery, and her prayerful life dedicated to the reformation of her son, who wrote extensively of her pious acts and life with her in his Confessions. Popular Christian legends recall Monica weeping every night for her son Augustine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melania the Elder</span>

Melania the Elder, Latin Melania Maior was a Desert Mother who was an influential figure in the Christian ascetic movement that sprang up in the generation after the Emperor Constantine made Christianity a legal religion of the Roman Empire. She was a contemporary of, and well known to, Abba Macarius and other Desert Fathers in Egypt, Jerome, Augustine of Hippo, Paulinus of Nola, and Evagrius of Pontus, and she founded two religious communities on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. She stands out for the convent she founded for herself and the monastery she established in honour of Rufinus of Aquileia, which belongs to the earliest Christian communities, and because she promoted the asceticism which she, as a follower of Origen, considered indispensable for salvation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melania the Younger</span> Christian saint and ascetic

Melania the Younger is a Christian saint, Desert Mother, and ascetic who lived during the reign of Emperor Honorius, son of Theodosius I. She is the paternal granddaughter of Melania the Elder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alypius of Thagaste</span> Lifelong friend of Agustine of Hippo

Alypius of Thagaste was bishop of the see of Thagaste Algeria in 394. He was a lifelong friend of Augustine of Hippo and joined him in his conversion and life in Christianity. He is credited with helping establish Augustine's monastery in Africa. Most of what is known about him comes from Augustine's autobiographical Confessions.

Julian of Eclanum was bishop of Eclanum, near today's Benevento (Italy). He was a distinguished leader of the Pelagians of 5th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pammachius</span> Roman senator and saint (340–409)

Pammachius was a Roman senator who is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. He married Paulina. After her death, he gave himself up to works of charity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paula of Rome</span> Ancient Roman saint

Paula of Rome was an ancient Roman Christian saint and early Desert Mother. A member of one of the richest senatorial families which claimed descent from Agamemnon, Paula was the daughter of Blesilla and Rogatus, from the great clan of the Furii Camilli. At the age of 16, Paula was married to the nobleman Toxotius, with whom she had four daughters, Blaesilla, Paulina, Eustochium, and Rufina. She also had a boy, also named Toxotius. As a disciple of Jerome, she is considered the first nun in the history of Christianity.

<i>On the Trinity</i> Book written by Augustine of Hippo

On the Trinity is a Latin book written by Augustine of Hippo to discuss the Trinity in context of the Logos. Although not as well known as some of his other works, some scholars have seen it as his masterpiece, of more doctrinal importance even than Confessions or The City of God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufius Antonius Agrypnius Volusianus</span> Roman aristocrat and statesman

Rufius Antonius Agrypnius Volusianus was a fifth-century Roman aristocrat who held at least two important posts during the reign of the emperor Honorius. He is best known for his exchange of letters with St. Augustine.

Valerius Pinianus in Jerusalem, was a member of a branch of the gens Valeria and among the richest men of his time. He was the son of a Roman praefectus urbi and also had a brother named Severus. His life is closely coupled with that of his paternal cousin and wife, Melania the Younger, whom he married sometime between 396 and 400. After their arrival in Tagaste, North Africa in 410 and Melanias mother, Augustine, bishop of Hippo, convinced the couple to dedicate a large part of their wealth to his church. In 417, the couple moved to Palestine.

The gens Rufia, occasionally spelled Ruffia, was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are not mentioned in history until imperial times, and they achieved little prominence until the late third century, from which time the family rose in importance, gaining the consulship on a number of occasions from the time of Constantine the Great to that of Justinian, and frequently holding the post of praefectus urbi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Conybeare</span> British academic and philologist

Catherine Mary Conybeare is an academic and philologist and an authority on Augustine of Hippo. She is currently Leslie Clark Professor in the Humanities at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania.

Therasia was a Christian aristocrat from Spain. Through her marriage to Paulinus of Nola, she encouraged his conversion to Christianity and was influential in the early church, co-writing epistles and co-patron of the cult of St Felix with her husband. She was St Augustine's first female correspondent and was praised by him for her holiness. Augustine gave Therasia and Paulinus the gift of a loaf of bread, potentially for use in the Eucharist.

Amanda was an aristocratic, religious woman in the late Antique period, known for her letter-exchanges; her dates of birth and death are unknown, but are possibly between the late fourth to the early fifth century.

Perpetua was a late Roman abbess, the daughter of Saint Monica and Patricius, and the younger sister of Augustine of Hippo.

Anapsychia was a late Roman letter-writer, wife and widow of Marcellinus of Carthage, and correspondent of Jerome of Stridon.

Galla was a late Roman woman who was a correspondent of Paulinus of Nola, and the wife of Eucherius of Lyon.

References

  1. ↑ van Oort, J.; Mandouze, Andre (1909). "Prosopographie chretienne du Bas-Empire. I: Prosopographie de l'Afrique chretienne (303-533)". Vigiliae Christianae. 45 (3): 51. doi:10.2307/1584460. ISSN   0042-6032. JSTOR   1584460.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jones, A. H. M. (Arnold Hugh Martin), 1904-1970. (1971–1992). The prosopography of the later Roman Empire. Martindale, J. R. (John Robert),, Morris, John, 1913-1977. Cambridge [England]: University Press. p. 33. ISBN   0-521-20160-8. OCLC   125134.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 Walsh, P G (1975). The Poems of St Paulinus of Nola. New Yorks: Newman Press. p. 181.
  4. ↑ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Melania (The Younger)". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  5. 1 2 Melania : early Christianity through the life of one family. Chin, Catherine M., 1972-, Schroeder, Caroline T., 1971-. Oakland, California. 2016-10-25. p. 181. ISBN   978-0-520-96563-8. OCLC   948670853.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. ↑ Stark, Judith Chelius (2010-11-01). Feminist Interpretations of Augustine. Penn State Press. ISBN   978-0-271-04690-7.
  7. 1 2 Wills, Garry (1999). "Augustine's Hippo: Power Relations (410-417)". Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics. 7 (1): 98–119. ISSN   0095-5809. JSTOR   20163743.
  8. ↑ "CHURCH FATHERS: Letter 125 (St. Augustine)". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  9. ↑ Chelius Stark, Judith (2010). Feminist Interpretations of Augustine. Penn State Pres. p. 192.
  10. ↑ Wills, Garry (1999). "Augustine's Hippo: Power Relations (410-417)". Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics. 7 (1): 99. ISSN   0095-5809. JSTOR   20163743.
  11. ↑ Sparrow-Simpson, W. J. (William John) (1919). The letters of St. Augustine. PIMS - University of Toronto. London : Society for promoting Christian knowledge ; New York : Macmillan. p. 275.
  12. ↑ Chelius Stark, Judith (2010). Feminist Interpretations of Augustine. Penn State press. p. 207.
  13. ↑ Roberts, Michael (2010). "Rhetoric and the "natalicia" of Paulinus of Nola". Quaderni Urbinati di Cultura Classica. 95 (2): 65. ISSN   0033-4987. JSTOR   25747184.
  14. ↑ "CHURCH FATHERS: Letter 202 (Augustine) or 143 (Jerome)". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  15. ↑ Sparrow-Simpson, W. J. (William John) (1919). The letters of St. Augustine. PIMS - University of Toronto. London : Society for promoting Christian knowledge ; New York : Macmillan. p. 250.
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