St. Caesarius of Arles (c. 468/470 – 27 August 542) was the foremost bishop of Merovingian Gaul and one of the last great Fathers of the Western Church. Born at Chalon-sur-Saône of Gallo-Roman stock, he entered the monastery of Lérins as a young man before being appointed Bishop of Arles in 502, a see he held for forty years under Visigothic, Ostrogothic, and Frankish overlords. He presided over the Council of Orange (529), which condemned Semi-Pelagianism, and the Council of Agde (506), which issued canonical legislation regarding the Jews. He was the first Western bishop to receive the pallium from Rome. Second only to Augustine as a popular preacher, Caesarius left over 238 surviving sermons — more than any Latin Father before Gregory the Great — along with monastic Rules, episcopal letters, and synodal canons. His sermons on the Old Testament abound in typological exegesis in which Israel’s history is read as shadow and prophecy of the Church, the true heir of the promises. The Adversus Judaeos themes woven through his corpus — Jewish infidelity, the supersession of the Synagogue, the diaspora as divine punishment, and the spiritual blindness of those who read Scripture “carnally” — are treated below, drawn exclusively from the critical edition of Dom G. Morin (Corpus Christianorum Series Latina [CCL], vols. 103–104, Turnhout, 1953) and from the authoritative English translation by Sister Mary Magdeleine Mueller, O.S.F. (The Fathers of the Church, vols. 31, 47, 66; Catholic University of America Press, 1956–1973).
Editorial note on sources: Passages marked [Mueller trans.] are taken directly from Sister Mueller’s published English translation. Passages marked [Latin: CCL; trans. mine] present the verified Latin text from the critical Morin edition as cited by peer-reviewed scholarship, with an English rendering provided for this compilation. All Sermon numbers follow the Morin critical edition.
I. Jewish Spiritual Blindness and the Deadening Letter
The classical patristic topos of Jewish “carnality” — reading Scripture only in its literal, outward sense while missing the spiritual meaning fulfilled in Christ — appears throughout Caesarius’s Old Testament sermons.
Sermon 83, §1 — On the Three Men Who Appeared to Blessed Abraham
“The unfortunate Jews and still more unfortunate heretics, while they only look to the sound of the letter, thus remain dead without its vivifying spirit. Let us listen to the Apostle when he says that: ‘All these things happened to them as a type, and they were written for us.'”
[Mueller trans., FCotC vol. 47, p. 11] St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 83.1; CCL 103, p. 339.
Sermon 96, §1 — On the Bush and the Lace of the Shoe
“Great indeed, most dear brethren, are the sacraments and mysteries of God, wrapped as it were in certain coverings. The Lord and Savior of ours, providing remedies for our souls, laid open what lay hidden under the veil of the letters, like a spiritual physician, so that we might understand what is to be loved and what to be avoided.”
[Mueller trans., FCotC vol. 47, p. 69] St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 96.1; CCL 103, p. 392.
[Note] Immediately following the above, Caesarius explains that this unveiling is precisely what the Jews refused — their adherence to the bare letter left them without the life-giving spirit. The passage is cited in scholarly literature as foundational to his contrast between Jewish “literalism” and Christian spiritual interpretation. See: R.A. Markus, Scripture in the Sermons of Caesarius of Arles (ResearchGate, 2018).
II. The Jews as Children of the Devil and a Brood of Vipers
Following John 8:44, Caesarius explicitly applies the title “children of the devil” to those Jews who rejected Christ.
Sermon 82, §1 — On the Heifer, the Ram, and the She-goat
“Now just as after being children of Abraham the degenerate Jews by their infidelity became children of the devil and are called in the Gospel a ‘brood of vipers,’ so on the contrary all the nations who faithfully believe in Christ have merited to become the children of Abraham.”
[Mueller trans., FCotC vol. 47, p. 8] St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 82.1; CCL 103, pp. 334–335.
Sermon 81, §3 — On the Call of Blessed Abraham
“‘Leave your father’s house.’ This we ought to accept in a spiritual manner, dearly beloved. The devil was our father before the grace of Christ; of him the Lord spoke in the Gospel when He rebuked the Jews: ‘The father from whom you are is the devil, and the desires of your father it is your will to do.'”
[Mueller trans., FCotC vol. 47, p. 5] St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 81.3; CCL 103, p. 332.
III. Supersessionism: The Church Supplanting the Synagogue
Caesarius consistently interprets Old Testament figures typologically as prefiguring the replacement of the Synagogue by the Church. This theme is especially prominent in his sermons on the Patriarchs.
Sermon 86, §5 — On the Servant of Abraham Who Was Sent to Rebecca
“As by infidelity the synagogue became separated from God and died, so by faith the Church was joined to Christ and received life. As the Apostle says, by pride ‘the branches’ of the olive tree ‘have been broken off,’ in order that the lowly wild olive may be ingrafted. For this reason Isaac took Rebecca, ‘and because he loved her he was consoled for the loss of his mother.’ Christ took the Church and loved her so much that by this very love He tempered the grief which was occasioned by the death of His mother, the synagogue.”
[Mueller trans., FCotC vol. 47, pp. 24–25] St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 86.5; CCL 103, p. 355.
Sermon 86, §4 — On the Servant of Abraham Who Was Sent to Rebecca
“Therefore, Isaac took Rebecca ‘and led her into the tent of his mother.’ Christ also took the Church and established it in place of the synagogue.”
[Mueller trans., FCotC vol. 47, p. 24] St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 86.4; CCL 103, p. 354.
Sermon 104 — A Comparison of the Church and the Synagogue (Conclusion)
This is the only sermon in the Caesarian corpus whose very title announces its theme as the formal theological comparison of Ecclesia and Synagoga. The passage below is from its concluding section.
“Omnia ista, fratres carissimi, ideo caritati vestrae suggerimus, ut evidenter possitis agnoscere figuram vel sacramentum catholicae ecclesiae ab initio mundi per omnium scripturarum volumina frequentissime demonstratum. Haec enim si, ut credimus, volueritis memoriter retinere, non solum Iudaeis, sed etiam paganis mysterium christianae religionis, quotienscumque locus vel oportunitas fuerit, evidenter poteritis exponere.”
Translation [Latin: CCL 103, p. 432; trans. mine]: “All these things, most dear brethren, we set before your charity in order that you may clearly recognise the figure and mystery of the Catholic Church, demonstrated most frequently from the beginning of the world throughout all the volumes of the Scriptures. For if you are willing, as we believe, to retain these things in memory, you will be able to explain clearly the mystery of the Christian religion — not only to Jews, but also to pagans — whenever the place or occasion shall arise.”
St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 104; CCL 103, pp. 429–433.
Sermon 190 — On the Birth of Our Lord (on the Magi and the Nativity)
“In the recognition of truth the Church of the Gentiles preceded the synagogue of the Jews, removing the blackness of sin and putting on the brightness of faith. For this reason the Church seeks our salvation in the crib; that is, the multitude of unbelievers which was fierce at first grows tame when it has been received within the stable of the Church. The Jews, indeed, boast that worship among them is divine, but ambassadors of the Gentiles are the first to see Christ.”
[Mueller trans., FCotC vol. 66, p. 36] St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 190; CCL 104, p. 775.
IV. Jewish Enmity Against the Salvation of the Gentiles
Caesarius reads the elder son of the Prodigal Son parable as a type of Israel, whose jealousy of the Gentiles converting persists, he states, “even to this day.”
Sermon 163 — On the Prodigal Son and the One Who Always Remained with His Father
On the Two Sons as Two Peoples:
“In his duobus filiis duo populi designantur: senior Iudaeorum populus, iunior gentium. Filius ergo senior, id est, populus Iudaeorum ideo semper cum patre fuisse dicitur, pro eo quod et legem accepit, et ad unius dei culturum se tenuit.”
Translation [Latin: CCL 104, p. 668; trans. mine]: “In these two sons two peoples are designated: the elder, the people of the Jews; the younger, the people of the Gentiles. The elder son, that is, the people of the Jews, is said always to have remained with the Father, because they received the Law and held to the worship of the one God.”
On the Indignation of the Elder Son:
“Quod indignatus est, significat populum Iudaeorum contrarium futurum esse saluti gentium; denique adhuc usque hodie in eis contra ecclesiam zelus iste perdurat.”
Translation [Latin: CCL 104, p. 671; trans. mine]: “His becoming indignant signifies that the people of the Jews would be hostile to the salvation of the Gentiles; and indeed, even to this day, this jealousy against the Church persists in them.”
St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 163; CCL 104, pp. 668–672.
V. The Diaspora as Divine Punishment for Jewish Pride
Caesarius interprets the destruction of Jerusalem and the worldwide scattering of the Jews as the direct and just punishment of God for their rejection of Christ.
Sermon 127, §§2–3 — On What Is Written Concerning Holy Eliseus: “Go Up, Thou Bald Head”
“Iusto dei iudicio ex omnibus provinciis congregati Iudaei in ipsis diebus poenam sibi debitam sustinerent… infelices Iudaei propter superbiam repudiari et despici ac per totum mundum dispergi meruerunt.”
Translation [Latin: CCL 103, pp. 525–526; trans. mine]: “By the just judgment of God, the Jews, gathered from all the provinces, suffered in those very days the punishment owed to them… the wretched Jews, on account of their pride, deserved to be rejected and despised and scattered throughout the whole world.”
St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 127.2–3; CCL 103, pp. 525–526. Cf. Mueller trans., FCotC vol. 47, pp. 220–221.
VI. The Hearts of the Jews Are Dens of Beasts
In his allegorical exposition of Psalm 103 (104) — “The sun knows the hour of its setting” — Caesarius produces one of his most striking characterisations of the Jewish people.
Sermon 136 — Concerning What Is Written: “The Sun Knows the Hour of Its Setting”
“Judaeorum corda, cubilia bestiarum.”
Translation [Latin: CCL 103; trans. mine]: “The hearts of the Jews are dens of beasts.”
St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 136; CCL 103. Cited in H. Schreckenberg, Die christlichen Adversus-Judaeos-Texte und ihr literarisches und historisches Umfeld (1.–11. Jh.) (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1982), p. 403; and in P. Mikat, “Caesarius von Arles und die Juden,” in Caesarius von Arles und die Juden (Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag, 1998), p. 16.
VII. No Worthy Place for Sacrifice in Jewish Hearts
In his typological reading of Solomon’s Temple, Caesarius interprets the transfer of sacred space from Jerusalem to the Gentiles as a theological judgment upon the Jewish people.
Sermon 122, §1 — St. Augustine, Bishop, on the Plague of God
“In Iudaeorum cordibus ad offerendas spiritales hostias locus dignus non possit inveniri; sed gentium terra, id est, Christianorum conscientia eligitur, ubi templum domini conlocetur.”
Translation [Latin: CCL 103, p. 510; trans. mine]: “In the hearts of the Jews no worthy place can be found for the offering of spiritual sacrifices; but the land of the Gentiles, that is, the conscience of Christians, is chosen as the place where the temple of the Lord is to be established.”
St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 122.1; CCL 103, p. 510. Cited in R.A. Markus, Scripture in the Sermons of Caesarius of Arles, ResearchGate (2018), note 90.
VIII. Jewish Infidelity and the Christian Sunday
In contrasting Christian Sunday observance with Jewish Sabbath practice, Caesarius consistently designates the Jews as “wretched” (infelices) — a standard patristic epithet connoting their rejection of Christ.
Sermon 13 — Come to Church Every Lord’s Day
“Omni die dominico ad ecclesiam convenite: si enim infelices Iudaei tanta devotione celebrant sabbatum, ut in eo nulla opera terrena exerceant, quanto magis christiani in die dominico soli deo vacare, et pro animae suae salute debent ad ecclesiam convenire.”
Translation [Latin: CCL 103, p. 66; trans. mine]: “Come to church every Lord’s Day: for if the wretched Jews celebrate the Sabbath with such great devotion that they perform no earthly work on it, how much more ought Christians, on the Lord’s Day, to be free for God alone and come to church for the salvation of their souls.”
From the same sermon, the fuller exhortation:
“Vero dico, fratres, satis durum et prope nimis impium est, ut christiani non habeant reverentiam diei dominico, quam Iudaei observare videntur in sabbato. Cum enim ipsi infelices ita sabbatum observent, ut in eo nihil terreni operis exercere praesumant: quanto magis illi, qui non argento nec auro sed pretioso sanguine Christi redempti sunt, debent adtendere pretium suum, et resurrectionis die deo vacare.”
Translation [Latin: CCL 103, p. 66; trans. mine]: “I say truly, brethren, it is sufficiently hard and almost too impious that Christians do not hold in reverence the Lord’s Day in the way the Jews are seen to observe the Sabbath. For since those wretched ones observe the Sabbath so strictly as to presume to perform no earthly work on it — how much more ought those who were redeemed not with silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ to attend to their own price, and on the day of the Resurrection to be free for God.”
St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 13; CCL 103, p. 66. Cited in P. Mikat, “Caesarius von Arles und die Juden,” p. 8.
IX. The Circumcision of Christ and Jewish Excuses
In a sermon on the feast of the Lord’s Circumcision, Caesarius directly addresses Jewish objections to Christian faith and dismisses them.
Sermon 191 — On the Circumcision of Our Lord
“Thus the Jews may not excuse themselves and say: You are unlike our fathers, and therefore we are unwilling to believe in you.”
[Mueller trans., FCotC vol. 66, p. 26] St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 191; CCL 104, p. 778.
X. Canonical Legislation: The Council of Agde (506)
Caesarius presided over the Council of Agde in 506 — the first major council of Merovingian Gaul — which issued legislation governing the admission of Jewish converts to baptism. The canon explicitly characterises Jewish religious commitment as perfidy that “returns to its vomit.”
Council of Agde (506), Canon 34
“Iudaei, quorum perfidia frequenter ad uomitum redit, si ad legem catholicam uenire uoluerint, octo mensibus inter catechumenos ecclesiae limen introeant, et si pura fide uenire noscuntur, tunc demum baptismatis gratiam mereantur. Quod si casu aliquo periculum infirmitatis intra praescriptum tempus incurrerint, et desperati fuerint, baptizentur.”
Translation [Latin: Concilia Galliae A. 314–A. 506, CCL CXLVIII, pp. 207–208; trans. mine]: “Jews, whose perfidy frequently returns to its vomit, if they wish to come to the Catholic law, shall remain for eight months among the catechumens at the threshold of the church; and if they are known to come in pure faith, then at last let them merit the grace of baptism. But if by chance they incur the peril of illness within the prescribed time and are given up for lost, let them be baptized.”
Council of Agde (506), Canon 34; ed. C. Munier, Concilia Galliae A. 314–A. 506, CCL CXLVIII (Turnhout: Brepols, 1963), pp. 207–208. Cited in P. Mikat, “Caesarius von Arles und die Juden,” p. 10, note 16; H. Schreckenberg, Die christlichen Adversus-Judaeos-Texte, p. 392.
XI. The Jews as Embodied Hostility to Christian Salvation
Sermon 86 — On Isaac and Rebecca (on the Synagogue’s Death)
“As by infidelity the synagogue became separated from God and died, so by faith the Church was joined to Christ and received life.”
[Mueller trans., FCotC vol. 47, p. 24] St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 86; CCL 103, p. 355.
Sermon 82 — On the Heifer, the Ram, and the She-goat (on Abraham and the Nations)
“Now let us see what the Lord means by these three years… Blessed Abraham was called by the Lord ‘the father of a multitude of nations,’ for all the nations which now believe in Christ and will believe are sons of Abraham by imitating his faith, not by birth in the flesh. Now just as after being children of Abraham the degenerate Jews by their infidelity became children of the devil and are called in the Gospel a ‘brood of vipers,’ so on the contrary all the nations who faithfully believe in Christ have merited to become the children of Abraham.”
[Mueller trans., FCotC vol. 47, p. 8] St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 82.1; CCL 103, pp. 334–335.
Sources
- Primary Text (Latin): Caesarius Arelatensis, Sermones, ed. Dom Germain Morin, O.S.B., Corpus Christianorum: Series Latina, vols. 103–104 (Turnhout: Brepols, 1953). [Critical edition; the standard scholarly text.]
- Primary Text (English Translation): Saint Caesarius of Arles, Sermons, trans. Sister Mary Magdeleine Mueller, O.S.F., The Fathers of the Church, vols. 31 (Sermons 1–80), 47 (Sermons 81–186), 66 (Sermons 187–238) (Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 1956, 1964, 1973). [Available via Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/sermons0066caes]
- Council of Agde (506): ed. C. Munier, Concilia Galliae A. 314–A. 506, Corpus Christianorum: Series Latina, vol. CXLVIII (Turnhout: Brepols, 1963), pp. 189–228. Canon 34, pp. 207–208.
- Patrologia Latina: Caesarius Arelatensis Episcopus, Sermones, in J.-P. Migne, Patrologiae Cursus Completus: Series Latina, vol. 67 (Paris: Migne, 1865), cols. 1041–1090. [Available via OpenGreekAndLatin Patrologia Latina project: https://opengreekandlatin.github.io/patrologia_latina-dev/]
- Secondary (Adversus Judaeos scholarship): Paul Mikat, Caesarius von Arles und die Juden, Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag, 1998), pp. 7–38. DOI: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-663-00185-0_1
- Secondary (Scripture and exegesis): R.A. Markus, “Scripture in the Sermons of Caesarius of Arles,” ResearchGate (2018). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322468113_Scripture_in_the_sermons_of_Caesarius_of_Arles
- Secondary (Adversus Judaeos genre): Heinz Schreckenberg, Die christlichen Adversus-Judaeos-Texte und ihr literarisches und historisches Umfeld (1.–11. Jh.), Europäische Hochschulschriften, Reihe XXIII, Theologie Bd. 172 (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1982), pp. 392–403.
- Secondary (Bernhard Blumenkranz): Bernhard Blumenkranz, Les auteurs chrétiens latins du Moyen Âge sur les Juifs et le Judaïsme (Paris: Mouton, 1963), pp. 49–52.
- Secondary (William Klingshirn): William E. Klingshirn, Caesarius of Arles: The Making of a Christian Community in Late Antique Gaul (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994). https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/caesarius-of-arles/0C32880545922A15D3589AE598E01D11
- Catholic Encyclopedia article: Francis Mershman, “St. Caesarius of Arles,” in The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 3 (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908). https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03135b.htm
- Grokipedia article on Adversus Judaeos: https://grokipedia.com/page/Adversus_Judaeos
All passages from the Mueller translation (FCotC vols. 31, 47, 66) are from the Catholic University of America Press editions. Passages marked “trans. mine” represent English renderings of the verified Latin text from the Morin critical edition (CCL 103–104) as cited in peer-reviewed scholarship; the Latin originals are supplied above the translation in each case. This document is compiled for traditional Catholic scholarly and historical reference.