Paulinus
Latin fathers.
1. Of MILAN (Mediolanensis), was the secretary of St. Ambrose, after whose death he became a deacon, and repaired to Africa, where, at the request of Saint 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 regard to his history, except that we learn from Isidorus that he was eventually ordained a presbyter.
Works
We possess the following works of this author:
1. Vita Ambrosii
This, although commenced soon after A. D. 400, could not, from the historical allusions which it contains, have been finished until 412.
Editions
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.
2. Libellus adversus Coelestium Zosimo Papae oblatus
Drawn up and presented towards the close of A. D. 417.
Editions
It was printed from a Vatican MS. by Baronius, in his Annales, under A. D. 218, afterwards by Labbe, in his Collection of Councils, fol. Par. 1671, vol. ii. p. 1578, in the Benedictine edition of St. Augustine, vol. x. app. pt. 2, and by Constant, in his Epistolae Pontificum Romanorum, fol. Par. 1721, vol. i. p. 963.
3. De Benedictionibus Patriarcharum
This is mentioned by Isidorus (De Viris Illustr. 100.41), 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 out St. Salvator at Bologna.
Editions
Mingarelli inserted this work in the Anecdota published at Boolgna, 4to. 1751., vol. ii. pt. 1, 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 Rutinus.
Editions
The three productions enumerated above are placed together in the Bibliototheca Patrum of Galland fol. Venet. 1773, vol. ix. p. 23.
Further Information
Cassianus, de Incarn. 100.7; Isidorus, de Viris Illustr. 4; Galland. Bibl. Patr. vol. ix. Proleg. c. ii.; Schönemann, Bibl. Plariot Lut. vol. 2.21.
From William Smith (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Text provided under a CC BY-SA license by Perseus Digital Library, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Tufts University. Data accessed from https://github.com/PerseusDL/canonical-pdlrefwk/ on 17 October 2026.