Lost St. Augustine Sermons Found After 1,600 Years

A German professor just authenticated two lost sermons by St. Augustine that offer a message of hope scholars have never seen before in the saint's work.

Christian Tornau, a Latin professor at the University of Würzburg, discovered the sermons while examining a 12th-century manuscript from Bad Doberan Abbey in Germany. After nearly two years of careful study, he confirmed the texts were genuinely written by the influential bishop who lived from 354 to 430 A.D.

The sermons explore an Old Testament story that raises a profound question: Why would God allow what appears to be an evil act? King Saul, before his final battle, asked a witch to summon the spirit of the prophet Samuel. The encounter led to a prophecy of Saul's death.

But here's where Augustine surprises everyone. Rather than condemning Saul as lost, the sermons suggest the troubled king might have repented and been saved after hearing Samuel's message.

"This is unparalleled in Augustine and in ancient Christianity in general, where we find a very negative image of Saul," Tornau explained. The interpretation shows Augustine believed even those who seem most fallen can be redeemed through grace.

The discovery began when a monastery preservation group asked Tornau to decipher the manuscript. Of six sermons in the document, two had never been seen before. Augustine apparently preached them over two days, first raising the theological puzzle during Sunday service, then working through possible answers the following Wednesday.

Why This Inspires

At first, the researchers doubted themselves. Some passages didn't quite sound like Augustine's known style, making the team skeptical. But the content, humor, and theological depth eventually convinced them the sermons were authentic.

The texts reflect a style of worship that only existed in Late Antiquity North Africa, making medieval forgery impossible. The author clearly knew Augustine's other works but wasn't copying them, another sign of authenticity.

"After this intense period of reading and interpreting, we came to the conclusion that there are no serious objections to Augustine's authorship," Tornau said. His research combines intellectual honesty with careful scholarship in what he calls "a very Augustinian way."

Tornau is now preparing the first scholarly edition of these sermons, sharing Augustine's message of radical grace with the world after sixteen centuries of silence.