St. Paschasius

A deacon of the Roman Church about 500; died after 511. Almost all that is known of Paschasius is related by Gregory the Great in his "Dialogues" (IV, xl). According to Gregory he was a man of extraordinary sanctity, and a father of the poor. Until his death he was a firm adherent of the antipope Laurentius (498-505; d. before 514). This, however, was not the result of malice but of error and ignorance. He died during the reign of Pope Symmachus (498-514), and after his death a demoniac was healed by touching his dalmatic. Long after this, Paschasius appeared to Bishop Germanus of Capua at the hot springs of Angulus (Angelum) he told Germanus that he had to do penance in these baths for his former mistake, and begged the bishop to pray for him. This Germanus did with great zeal, and after some days no longer found him at the springs. Gregory remarks that Paschasius had left books on the Holy Spirit that were correct in all particulars and perfectly intelligible. As a matter of fact two books "De spiritu sancto" are assigned to Paschasius in several manuscripts, and until lately were printed under his name. Engelbrecht, not long ago, denied his authorship of them, assigned them to Bishop Faustus of Riez, and has published them in the works of Faustus. If this is correct, then the work of Paschasius has disappeared. A letter written by him to Eugippius (511) has been preserved. The latter had begged his venerated and dearly loved friend Paschasius, who had great literary skill, to write a biography of St. Severinus from the accounts of the saint which he (Eugippius) had put together in crude and inartistic form. Paschasius, however, replied that the acts and miracles of the saint could not be described better than he had done by Eugippius. The feast of Paschasius is celebrated on 31 May.

MIGNE, P.L. LXII, 9-40, 1167-70; LXXVII, 397-98; ENGELBRECHT, Studien über die schriften des Bischofs von Reii Faustus (Vienna, 1889), 28-46; Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum latinorum, XXI (Vienna, 1891) Paschasii epistola ad Eugippium, ibid., IX (1886), ii, 68-70; BERGMANN, Der handschriftlich bezeugte Nachlass des Faustus von Reji (Leipzig, 1898) 35-55; Acta SS., May, VII, 438-40; DANIELL, in Dict. Christ. Biog., s.v.

Klemens Löffler.