MARTIN OF BRAGA: Spanish bishop of the sixth century; b. in Pannonia about 510; . d. about 580. Knowledge of his life is based on a few scattered notices in his own works and in those of his contemporaries Gregory of Tours and Venantius Fortunatus, with a little help from Isidore of Seville. He became a monk, acquired, for his time, great learning, especially in Greek, and visited the East, including the Holy Land. Falling in with some Spanish pilgrims, he was determined by them to go to Galicia and devote himself to the conversion of the partly Arian, partly half-pagan population. He arrived in Spain about 550 and was soon made a bishop, according to Gregory, although he may have spent some time in founding monasteries, especially that of Dumio, over which he presided as abbot and later as bishop. In the latter capacity he was present at the Synod of Braga in May, 561. Later he became archbishop of Braga or Bracara, and presided as such over the second (incorrectly called third) synod there in 572. As a missionary, an ecclesiastical organizer, and an intermediary of Christian culture between East and West, he was one of the most remarkable and influential men of the latter half of the sixth century. The position which he held is evidenced not only by the work done by him in the two synods of Bracara, but by the frequent requests of King Miro for his counsel and by the visits of Spanish and foreign bishops for the same end.

Martin's most important work is his Collectio orientalium canonum sine Capitula Martini (Mansi, Concilua, ix. 845 sqq.), a systematic arrangement of Eastern (and a few Western) canons, with a view to giving a more correct and intelligible version of the Greek canons, as a guide to the legislation of his own day and country. The Epwtola ad Bonifatium de trim mersione (Colledio maxima eonciliorum Hispania, ii. 506, Rome, 1693) answers the question of a Spanish bishop whether baptism was administered in his province with not only a threefold immersion but a threefold repetition of the formula, which would seem to carry a suspicion of Arianism, by saying that the formula was used only once, but asserting the orthodoxy of the threefold immersion. The small treatise De pascha (Gallandi, Babliotheca roeterum patrum, xii. 287 sqq., 14 vols., Venice, 1765-51) defends the practise of making Easter a movable feast, and mentions it as an old custom of the Gallican Church to celebrate it on Mar. 25, the traditional date of the actual resurrection. Ethical treatises extant include Formula vita honeatce, De diferendis quatuor virtutum and De ira (all in Gallandi, xii. ut sup.), of which the first two enter the province of philosophic morality, with Seneca for their model; in fact, they have been more than once printed as works of Seneca. The Formula gives a picture of the Christian life, adapted especially for the laity, on the moderate lines of the four cardinal virtues. His ascetic works include a collection of Sentential patrum Egyptiorum (MPL, lxxiv. 381 sqq.), translated by Martin from the Greek, and a similar compilation from the old nionastio traditions of the Egyptian desert, Verba seniorum (MPL, lxxiii. 1025 sqq.). Mention must also be made of a sermon, De corrections rueticorum (MPL, lxxii. 21-52; first complete ed. by Caspari, ut inf.), which has considerable historical interest. It was written to correct the tendency of the rural population to pagan superstitions. The gods of the heathen, he says, are but demons,. of whom there are a number in rivers, and fountains, and forests, venerated by ignorant rustics, who also employ superstitious practises like augury and magic. God sent his Son "to lead them back from the error of the devil to the worship of the true God; and after he had taught, he was pleased to die for the human race." The Christian is to win the kingdom of God by good works;, otherwise .he will fall into damnation by evil works. In baptism he has renounced the devil and promised faith in God. Superstition is the abandonment of this faith and the breach of this compact. No sign is permitted to the Christian except the sign of the cross, no incantation except the creed and the Lord's Prayer. No one should doubt the mercy of God, but do penance; and true penance is 11 that a man

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shall do no more the evils that he has done, but seek remission of his past sins." There are also interesting remarks on baptism and its ceremonies, and on the observance of Sunday. Gregory men tions veules written by this Martin on his namesake of Tours, which are extant in the three short poet ical inscriptions published by Sirmond, Migne, and others.

(R. Seeberg).

Bibliography: C. P. CSeparl, Martin von Bracaras Srhrift De corrections raaticornm, Christi-*-, 1883; ASR, March, iii. 88-90; P. B. Game, KirchenysechicAts von Spanisn, ii. 471 sqq., Regensburg, 1874; O. Bardenbewer, Patrolo pie, pp. 579 sqq., Freiburg, 1901; Ceillier, Auteurs sacrés, si. 350-352, 406, 885-886, 891-892; DCB, iii. 845-848.