Chromatius, Saint

CHROMATIUS, Saint. - He belonged to the clergy of Aquileia as a priest under Bishop Valerian (369-388) and, together with Heliodorus, later bishop of Altino, was on intimate terms with St. Jerome during the latter's stay in that city in 370-73; in those years he also enjoyed excellent relations with Rufinus. Toward the end of 388 or at the beginning of 389 he was elected successor of Valerian in the presence of St. Ambrose, with whom he maintained contact. He also spoke out in a letter as a defender of the cause of St. John Chrysostom. St. Jerome dedicated to him some of his commentaries and translations of the books of the Old Testament, also recalling the financial assistance he received from him. At his urging Rufinus undertook the translation of Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History and its continuation. He died around 407-408. Feast day December 2. To him and to Heliodorus the compiler of the Hieronymian Martyrology dedicated his work. Two letters of his on this subject are spurious.

There survive from him 18 treatises, or rather homilies, on the Gospel of St. Matthew, of which the one on the eight beatitudes (a homily delivered on a day of a great market) was singularly appreciated; the others cover: Mt. 3:13-17; 5; 6:1-24 and appear to be homiletic fragments on that entire Gospel. They were published at Udine by Canon Pietro Braida in 1816 and then in 1823 (PL 20, 323-68, reproduces the 1816 edition); a third edition with translation at Udine in 1828. Pietro de Puniet, with good arguments, attributed to C. one of the three homilies preserved in the Gelasian Sacramentary, namely the one assigned for the traditio of the Pater Noster in the scrutinies preceding solemn Baptism.

Pio Paschini