Previously unknown sermons of Saint Augustine discovered in an ancient manuscript

A page from a manuscript of the sermons of Saint Augustine. Photo: damascenegallery.com and roger-pearse.com

In Poland, a group of researchers has discovered previously unknown sermons by Saint Augustine of Hippo. The texts were found in a 12th-century manuscript that once belonged to the German abbey of Bad Doberan. This was reported by SPJ in the USA.

The discovery was made by Professor Christian Tornau of the University of Würzburg. While studying a volume containing six sermons by Augustine, he found that two of the texts had not previously been known to scholars.

In the newly discovered teachings, Saint Augustine examines the biblical story of the Witch of Endor from the First Book of Kings. He reflects on whether the spirit of the prophet Samuel was truly summoned by King Saul or whether it was a deception, and also explains how this event relates to Divine Providence.

To confirm the authorship, Tornau turned to specialists from the scholarly community Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum (CSEL) and experts from Vienna. The researchers acknowledged that the style and rhetoric of the texts fully correspond to the authentic works of Augustine. The scholarly publication of these sermons is planned for release by the end of 2026.

As SPJ previously reported, scientists restored 42 pages of the lost letters of the Apostle Paul.

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