CAESARIUS OF ARLES, St. — Archbishop of Arles, born c. 470-71 in the region of Chalon-sur-Saône, died 27 Aug. 542. Of his life it is known that at the age of twenty he became a monk at Lérins, where he studied the writings of St. Augustine and Faustus of Riez, also profiting from the rhetorical teaching of Julian Pomerius. Ordained priest by a relative, Bishop Aeonius, he directed a monastery on one of the islands of the Rhône near Arles. Having become bishop in succession to Aeonius, in 505 he came into conflict with the Visigothic king Alaric II, and in 513 also with Theodoric of Ravenna. In the struggle against Avitus of Vienne he obtained from Pope Symmachus for Arles the right of primacy over the Churches of Gaul and Spain. The synods which he convoked in 506 at Agde, in 524 at Arles, in 527 at Carpentras, in 529 at Orange, and in 533 at Marseilles, were of great importance, especially that of Orange, where semi-Pelagianism was condemned and a moderate Augustinianism approved, which was accepted by Pope Boniface II. In his old age he withdrew increasingly from public activity, devoting himself to the convent of nuns directed by his sister Caesaria. Feast, 27 August.
He wrote a Regula ad virgines and another Ad monachos (the sources are the letter of St. Augustine Ad sanctimoniales and the so-called Rule of Macarius). Of the greatest importance were his homilies, which are inspired by Origen, Fulgentius of Ruspe, and Faustus of Riez. The zealous pastor, who also concerned himself with the care of peasants hitherto neglected, was greater in him than the theologian, whose importance was overestimated in the 14th century. His works (PL, 67) were, after many years of preparation, published by the Benedictine G. Morin; vol. I, parts 1 and 2, of the Opera omnia s. Caesarii continet in Sermones seu Admonitiones by C. (Maredsous 1937). In vol. II (ibid. 1942) have been published the Epistles of C. or directed to C., the Councils held by Caesarius, the Monastic Rules, the Opuscula theologica, the Testament of C., and in the appendix the Vita s. C. ab eius familiaribus scripta. The collection of the Opuscula contains an Opusculum de gratia, a Libellus de mysterio s. Trinitatis, a Breviarium adversus haereticos (v. G. Morin, in Rev. d'hist. ecclés., 35 [1939], pp. 35-53) and an Expositio in Apocalipsim (v. G. Morin, in Rev. bénéd., 45 [1933], pp. 43-61). The attribution to C. of some of these opuscula or of some homilies remains doubtful. The Testament, however, is authentic. The life of St. Caesarius is a work of the first order for the ecclesiastical history of Gaul. Morin succeeded, following the studies of the Swede S. Cavallin (Studien zur Vita Caesarii, Lund 1934, and Eine neue Handschrift der Vita Caesarii, ibid. 1936), in correcting the earlier edition of Krusch in MGH, Scriptores rer. meroving., III, pp. 433-501. The influence of C. on the life of the medieval Church was great: cf. H. V. SCHUBERT, FRANZ, Geschichte der christlichen Kirche im Frühmittelalter (Tübingen 1921, p. 36 ff.), F. Hautkappe, Über die altdeutschen Beichten und ihre Beziehungen zu Caesarius V. A. (Münster 1917), A. C. Lawson, in Rev. bénéd., 50 (1938), p. 28 ff.
Caesarius of Heisterbach. — German Cistercian, born at Cologne c. 1180, died c. 1240. At first master of novices, he was later prior of the monastery called “Valley of St Peter,” commonly Heisterbach, where he had entered in 1199. He was also for a short time prior of the abbey of Villers (diocese of Namur, Belgium), under a certain Abbot Charles. He was distinguished for piety and learning.
Famous are his edifying chronicles: Dialogus miraculorum, finished in 1222 (ed. J. Strange, Cologne 1851; 2nd ed. 1922); Libri VIII miraculorum (three surviving, ed. A. Meister, Freiburg i. Br. 1901). In these C. narrates for his brethren the life, miracles, and exempla of the saints, especially of the Cistercian Order; valuable works despite their credulous naïveté. He also wrote: Vita s. Engelberti (ed. Acta SS. Novembris, III, Brussels 1910, p. 632 ff.), Vita s. Elizabeth (ed. A. Huyskens, Cologne 1908), the Chronicle of the Bishops of Cologne from 1167 to 1238 (in MGH, Scriptores, XXIV, p. 345 ff.), many sermons on various themes with expositions of biblical texts (ed. A. Coppenstein, Cologne 1615). A commentary in nine books on Ecclesiasticus and many edifying works remain unpublished.
In 1897 the local historical association (non-Catholic) erected a monument to him at Heisterbach to honor one who with his writings had elevated culture, especially in the Rhenish lands.