Severus the Presbyter

Severus the presbyter, surnamed Sulpicius, of the province of Aquitaine, was a man distinguished by his birth, by his excellent literary work, by his devotion to poverty and by his humility. He was beloved also by the holy men Martin, bishop of Tours, and Paulinus of Nola, and he wrote small books that are far from contemptible. He wrote to his sister many Letters urging the love of God and contempt of the world; these are well known. He wrote two to the Paulinus of Nola mentioned above, and others to others, but because some of them include family matters, they have not been collected for publication. [a]

He also composed a Chronicle, and, to the profit of many, he wrote a Life of the holy Martin, monk and bishop, a man famous for signs and wonders and mighty works. He also wrote a Conference between Postumianus and Gallus, in which he himself acted as mediator and judge of the debate. Its subject was the way of life of the monks of the East and of Saint Martin, a kind of dialogue in two parts. In the first of these he mentions a decree of the bishops at the Synod of Alexandria in his own time, to the effect that Origen is to be read, though with caution, by those who are wise, for the good that is in him, and is to be rejected by the less able because of the evil. In his old age he was led astray by the Pelagians, and, recognizing the guilt of much speaking, he kept silent until his death, so that by a penitent silence he might atone for the sin he had contracted by speaking.