Author
Fulgentius of Ruspe
468–533
Fulgentius (468–533) was born at Telepte in the Roman province of Byzacena, in present-day Tunisia, to a senatorial family, and served as a procurator before becoming a monk. Around 507 he was consecrated bishop of Ruspe. The Arian Vandal king Thrasamund exiled him to Sardinia with other Catholic bishops; he returned to his see in 523 and died there. Some scholars place his death in 527.
He was the leading Augustinian theologian of the early sixth-century Latin Church. He wrote against the Arians on the Trinity and against the teachings of Faustus of Riez on grace and predestination, restating Augustine's doctrine with precision. His short handbook De fide ad Petrum circulated in the Middle Ages under Augustine's name and was a standard source of doctrinal formulas.
The library holds Ad Monimum, three books answering questions on predestination, grace and difficult passages of Scripture; De fide ad Petrum, a rule of faith in forty articles; and De remissione peccatorum. De fide ad Petrum is the clearest introduction to his thought. The texts follow the Patrologia Latina, volume 65.
Works
Texts currently available in the library.
Ad Monimum
1861Ad Monimum is a theological work by Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe (c. 462–527), written in response to questions posed by a certain Monimus concerning difficult points of Christian doctrine. Composed in three books, the treatise addresses the relation between divine predestination and human sin, the meaning of the scriptural expression concerning the “double-edged sword,” and the proper interpretation of several passages involving the Trinity and the divine nature. The work is particularly important for understanding the Augustinian theological tradition in the early sixth-century Latin West. Fulgentius carefully distinguishes God’s predestination of the good from human responsibility for evil, while defending divine justice, grace, and Trinitarian orthodoxy. Ad Monimum thus provides a concise but substantial example of his method: close engagement with Scripture, precise theological distinctions, and a strong dependence on the thought of Saint Augustine.
De Fide ad Petrum
1861De Fide ad Petrum (also known as De Regula Verae Fidei) by St. Fulgentius of Ruspe (Fulgentius Ruspensis), a concise and precise manual of the Catholic faith originally written for a lay pilgrim journeying to Jerusalem
De Remissione Peccatorum
1861De Remissione Peccatorum ad Euthymium is a two-book treatise by Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe on the forgiveness of sins. Addressed to Euthymius, it examines whether sins may be remitted after death and discusses related questions concerning repentance, baptism, divine judgment, and salvation, arguing throughout from Scripture and the Catholic faith.