| Saint Gregory the Great: Dialogues
Translated by Odo John Zimmerman, O.S.B.
Volume 39 of The Fathers of the Church: A New Translation
It is clear from the general preface in Book 1 that St. Gregorys chief reason for writing the Dialogues was to honor the memory of the saints of Italy and to edify and instruct his fellow countrymen. He wanted them to realize that they were living in a land of saints and that great miracles were as numerous among the Fathers of Italy as they had been among the Fathers of the Desert and elsewhere. The book was also written to comfort and encourage the people of Italy during one of the most disheartening periods of their history. [...I]n Book 4 St. Gregory endeavored to strengthen their faith in the unseen hereafter by proving that the soul does not perish with the body and can look forward to eternal happiness.
Introduction
CONTENTS
BOOK ONE
1 Honoratus, abbot of the monastery an Fondi
2 Libertinus, prior of that monastery
3 The gardener of the same monastery
4 Equitius, abbot in the province of Valeria
5 Constantius, sacristan of the Church of St. Stephen near Ancona
6 Marcellinus, Bishop of Ancona
7 Nonnosus, prior of the monastery on Mt. Soracte
8 Anastasius, abbot of the monastery of Suppentonia
9 Boniface, Bishop of Ferentino
10 Fortunatus, Bishop of Todi
11 The monk Martyrius of Valeria
12 Severus, priest of Valeria
BOOK TWO
1 The mending of a broken tray
2 The saint overcomes a temptation of the flesh
3 A glass pitcher is shattered by the sign of the cross
4 A monk is cured of wandering about during prayer
5 At the saints word water streams down the mountainside
6 An iron blade is recovered from the water
7 One of Benedicts desciples walks on the water
8 A raven carries off a poisoned loaf of bread
9 A heavy rock is lightened by the saints prayer
10 Benedictss disciples imagine the kitchen is on fire
11 A young monk is crushed under a wall and then restored to life
12 Some monks disobey the Rule by eating outside the monastery
13 Valentinians brother is guilty of a similar offense
14 King Totilas trickery fails
15 The saints prophecy about King Totila
16 A cleric is freed from an evil spirit
17 Benedict foretells the destruction of his monastery
18 The saint is aware in spirit that a flask of wine has been stolen
19 A monk accepts some handkerchiefs as a present
20 The man of God reads a young monks proud thoughts
21 A generous supply of flour is discovered in front of the abbey during a famine
22 Two monks learn in a vision how they are to build their monastery
23 After death two nuns are freed from excommunication through the saints offertory gift
24 A young monk whose body could not rest in its grave
25 A dragon blocks a dissatisfied monks departure from the abbey
26 The cure of a leper
27 The miraculous discovery of some money saves an unfortunate debtor
28 A glass vessel strikes against the rocks without breaking
29 An empty cask overflows with oil
30 A monk is freed from an evil spirit
31 A glance from the saint sets a captive free
32 A dead boy is raised to life
33 Scholasticas miracle
34 Benedict sees the soul of his siter on its way to heaven
35 The whole world is gathered up before the saints eyes, and he beholds the soul of the Bishop Germanus
36 The monastic rule he wrote
37 Benedicts disciples are forewarned of his death
38 A woman is cured of insanity by stopping at the saints cave
BOOK THREE
1 Bishop Paulinus of Nola
2 Pope John
3 Pope Agapitus
4 Bishop Datius of Milan
5 Bishop Sabinus of Canosa
6 Bishop Cassius of Narni
7 Bishop Andrew of Fondi
8 Bishop Constantius of Aquino
9 Bishop Frigdianus of Lucca
10 Bishop Sabinus of Piacenza
11 Bishop Cerbonius of Populonia
12 Bishop Fulgentius of Otricoli
13 Bishop Herculanus of Perugia
14 The servant of God Isaac
15 The servants of God Eutychius and Florentius
16 Martin, a monk of Mt. Massico
17 A monk of Mt. Argentarius
18 The monk Benedict
19 The Church of St. Zeno in Verona
20 Stephen, a priest of Valeria
21 A young woman consecrated to God frees a man from the power of Satan by a simple command
22 A thief is held captive in a cemetery by the power of a saintly priest of Valeria who lies buried there
23 The abbot of Palestrina and his priest
24 Theodore, a sacristan of the Church of St. Peter the Apostle at Rome
25 Acontius, a sacristan of the same church
26 Menas the hermit
27 Forty Italian peasants are slain by the Lombards for refusing to eat pagan sacrificial meats
28 Many captives are killed because they refuse to worship a goats head
29 An Arian bishop is stricken with blindness
30 An Arian church in Rome is consecrated for Catholic worship
31 King Hermangild is put to death for the faith by his father Leuvigild, King of the Visigoths
32 Some bishops of Africa, who spoke in defense of the faith, have their tongues cut out by the Arian Vandals; yet their power speech remains intact
33 The servant of God Eleutherius
34 The different types of compunction
35 Amantius, a priest of Tuscany
36 Bishop Maximinian of Syracuse
37 Sanctulus, a priest of Norcia
38 The vision of Redemptus, Bishop of Ferentino
BOOK FOUR
1 The spiritual truths of eternity are not accepted by the worldly minded, because they have no experimental knowledge of the truths that were explained to them orally
2 Unbelievers do not live without faith
3 God created three kinds of living spirits
4 The problem raised by Solomons world: The lot of man and of beast is one lot
5 The soul is invisible when it leaves the body: Can it ever be seen?
6 The presence of the soul in the body is recognized by the movements of the body; similarly, the life of the soul after death is recognized by its power of working miracles
7 Souls at their departure from life
8 The soul of Bishop Germanus of Capua makes its way to heaven
9 The soul of the monk Speciosus on its way to eternity
10 The soul of a recluse
11 The soul of the abbot Spes
12 The soul of the priest Ursinus
13 The soul of Probus, Bishop of Rieti
14 The death of Gads handmaid Galla
15 The death of the paralytic Servulus
16 The death of Gods handmaid Romula
17 The death of the holy virgin Tarsilla
18 The death of the little girl Musa
19 Heaven is closed to some children because their parents neglect to train them properly; the example of the boy who blasphemed
20 The death of the servant of God Stephen
21 The souls merit is sometimes not shown at the time of death but manifested later
22 Abbot Valentios tow monks
23 The death of the abbot Suranus
24 The death of the deacon of the church in Marsia
25 The death of the man of God who was sent to Samaria
26 Our belief that the souls of the just are admitted to heaven before they are reunited with the body
27 The manner in which the dying foretell the future; the death of the lawyer Cumquodeus; the visions of Gerontius and Mellitus; the death of the boy Armentarius who had received the gift of speaking various languages
28 The death of Count Theophane
29 Our belief that after death the souls of the just go to heaven and those of the unjust go to hell
30 On what grounds we believe that a physical fire torments incorporeal spirits
31 The death of the Arian King Theodoric
32 The death of Reparatus
33 The death of a city official and the burning of his grave
34 In eternity the good recognize the good and the wicked recognize the wicked
35 The dying monk who saw the Prophets
36 Sometimes souls that were unacquainted before recognize each other at the time of death because of their equality before God either in blame or merit; the death of John, Ursus, Eumorphius, and Stephen
37 Some persons are summoned to death by mistake; the summoning and recall of the monk Peter; Stephens death and return to life; the soldiers vision
38 A dwelling is built for Deusdedit on Saturday
39 The punishment of Sodom
40 Some souls have a glimpse of eternal punishments even before they are separated from the body; the young man Theodore; the death of Chrysaorius and a monk of Isauria
41 After death, purgatory
42 The soul of the deacon Paschasius
43 Why it is that so many truths about souls become clear toward the end of the world whereas they previously were hidden from us
44 The location of hell
45 There is one type of fire in hell, not several
46 The souls confined to hell burn forever
47 The soul does not die even though punished with death
48 A saintly man is filled with dread at the hour of death
49 Strength to overcome the fear of death is given through revelations; the monks Anthony, Merulus, and John
50 The question of observing dreams; their types
51 A man promised a long life in a dream dies soon thereafter
52 The question of burial in church and its benefit to souls
53 A nun is buried in the Church of St. Lawrence the Martyr; half of her body is burned
54 The burial of the patrician Valerian
55 The body of Valentine is cast out of the church in which it was buried
56 The dyers body disappears after being buried in church
57 The one efficacious means of obtaining absolution for souls after death; a poor soul begs the priest of Centum Cellae for help through the holy Sacrifice; the soul of the monk Justus
58 The life and death of Bishop Cassius
59 A prisoner is freed from chains while Mass is being offered from him; the boatman Varaca is saved from shipwreck through the holy Sacrifice of the Mass
60 The power of the Mass and its mystery
61 True contrition of heart is required during the Sacrifice; the need of guarding against distracting thoughts after compunction
62 Forgive others their faults and yours will also be forgiven
Item Number: BKCU710
Publication data: Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1959
Format: softcover
Number of pages: xvi + 287
Dimensions (l × w × h): 21.0 cm × 13.7 cm × 1.6 cm
ISBN: 0813213223
$26.96 (USD)  $29.95
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