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Bible Encyclopedias
Paulinus of Milan
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or an Eastern ecclesiastic of much celebrity near the opening of the 3d century, was the secretary of St. Ambrose, after whose death he became a deacon, and repaired to Africa, where, at the request of St. Augustine, he composed a biography of his former patron. While residing at Carthage he encountered Coelestius, detected the dangerous tendency of the doctrines disseminated by that active disciple of Pelagius, and, having preferred an impeachment of heresy, procured his condemnation by the council which assembled in A.D. 212 under Aurelius. The accusation was divided into seven heads, of which six will be found in that portion of the Acts of the Synod preserved by Marius Mercator. At a subsequent period (217, 218) we find Paulinus appearing before Zosimus for the purpose of resisting the appeal against this decision, and refusing obedience to the adverse decree of the pope. Nothing further is known with reward to his history, except that we learn from Isidore that he was eventually ordained a presbyter. We possess the following works of this author: Vita Ambrosii, which, although commenced soon after A.D. 200. could not, from the historical allusions which it contains, have been finished until 212. This piece will be found in almost all the editions of St. Ambrose. In many it is ascribed to Paulinus Nolanus, and in others to Paulinus Episcopus: — Libellus adversus Coelestium Zosimo Papae oblatus, drawn up and presented towards the close of A.D. 217. It was printed from a Vatican MS. by Baronius in his Annales, under A.D. 218; afterwards by Labbe, in his Collection of Councils (Par. 1671, fol.), 2:1578; in the Benedictine edition of St. Augustine, vol. 10, App. pt. 2; and by Constant, in his Epistole Pontificum Romanorum (ibid. 1721, fol. ), 1:963: — De Benedictionibus Patriarcharum is mentioned by Isidore (De Viris Illustr. c. 4), but was not known to exist in an entire form until it was discovered by Mingarelli in a very ancient MS. belonging to the library of St. Salvador at Bologna, and inserted by him in the Anecdota, published at Bologna (1751, 4to), vol. ii, pt. i, p. 199. A corrupt fragment of this tract will be found in the fifth volume of the Benedictine edition of St. Jerome. where it is ascribed to Rufinus. The three productions enumerated above are placed together in the Bibliotheca Patrum of Galland (Venet. 1773, fol.), 9:23. See Cassianus, De Incarn. c. 7; Isidornis, De Viris Illustr. c. 4; Galland, Bibl. Patr. vol. ix, Proleg. c. ii; Schinemann, Bibl. Patrum Lat. vol. ii, § 21.
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McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Paulinus of Milan'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/p/paulinus-of-milan.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.
