Salvianus
Salvianus, an influential figure from the fifth century, is best known for his ascetic lifestyle and powerful writings. Born into a likely noble family near Cologne or Trier, he experienced the tumultuous invasion of the Franks around 418 CE. After the birth of his daughter, Salvianus and his wife chose to renounce their wealth, dedicating their lives to helping the poor. He later took on a role as a tutor at Lérins before settling at Cassian's monastery in Marseilles, where he spent the remainder of his life.
His writings, particularly the treatise *De gubernatione Dei* (On the Government of God), address the theological implications of the barbarian invasions, questioning why God allowed such turmoil in a Christian empire. In this work, he emphasizes the moral failings of Christians and contrasts them with what he describes as the moral superiority of the barbarians. Salvianus also penned *Ad Ecclesiam* (Against Avarice), critiquing the greed within the Church. His thought-provoking and rhetorical style continues to engage scholars and readers interested in early Christian perspectives on morality and divine justice.
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Salvianus
Related civilizations: Germany, Europe
Major role/position: Priest, historian
Life
Little is known for certain about the life of Salvianus (sal-VEE-ay-nuhs). Born into what was probably a noble family in the area of Cologne or Trier, he lived through the destructive invasion of the Franks in 418 c.e. After their daughter’s birth, he and his wife took up the ascetic life and gave away their wealth to the poor. Salvianus himself left his family to go to Lérins as a tutor and eventually ended up at Cassian’s monastery in Marseilles, where he evidently spent the rest of his life.
Influence
Salvianus was a vigorous and highly rhetorical writer whose surviving works include his Ad Ecclesiam (fifth century c.e.; Against Avarice, 1618), written under the pseudonym of Timothy, attacking the vice of avarice in the Church in the most uncompromising of terms, as well as nine letters. His most famous work, De gubernatione Dei (fifth century c.e.; On the Government of God, 1700), is a spirited response to the barbarian invasions, in which he addresses the question of why God has not defended what is now a Christian empire. Salvianus defends the moral superiority of the barbarians and argues that faithless and pharisaical Christians have no right to complain about their well-deserved punishment at the hands of a God who excuses nobody on the basis of token affiliation with the Christian Church.
Bibliography
Maas, M. “Ethnicity, Orthodoxy, and Community in Salvian of Marseilles.” In Fifth Century Gaul, edited by J. F. Drinkwater. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Olsen, G. “Reform After the Pattern of the Primitive Church in the Thought of Salvian of Marseilles.” Catholic Historical Review 68 (1982): 1-12.