Martin Is Made Bishop of Tours

At about the same time, Martin was called to take up the office of bishop of the church at Tours. But he could not easily be drawn out of his monastery, so a certain Ruricius, one of the citizens, pretended that his wife was ill, threw himself at Martin’s knees, and so persuaded him to come out. Crowds of citizens had already been posted along the road he traveled, and so he was escorted to the city under a kind of guard. An incredible number of people had gathered in a wonderful way, not only from that town but from the neighboring cities too, to give their votes. All had one wish, the same prayers, and the same settled opinion: that Martin was the most worthy of the office of bishop, and that the church would be happy with such a priest. A few, however, including some of the bishops who had been summoned to appoint a chief priest, were wickedly resisting. They claimed, if you please, that Martin was a contemptible person, that he was unworthy of the office of bishop, that he was a man of despicable appearance, that his clothes were shabby and his hair disgusting. [a]

People of sounder judgment laughed at this madness of theirs, since in trying to slander him such objectors only proclaimed how distinguished he was. And indeed they were not allowed to do anything other than what the people, following the will of God, intended to see done. Among the bishops present, however, one named Defensor is said to have led the opposition, and for this reason it was noticed that he was sharply rebuked at the time in the reading from the prophets. The reader whose duty it was to read in public that day had been blocked by the crowd and did not appear. Those in charge were thrown into confusion while they waited for the man who never came. Then one of the bystanders took up the Psalter and seized on the first verse that met his eye. The psalm ran like this: “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise because of your enemies, that you might destroy the enemy and the avenger.”

When these words were read, the people raised a shout, and the opposing party was put to confusion. It was believed that this psalm had been chosen by God’s appointment so that Defensor might hear a testimony to his own work. For the praise of the Lord was perfected out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants in Martin’s case, while the enemy was at the same time both pointed out and destroyed.