A medieval manuscript preserved in Poland has revealed two previously lost sermons by St. Augustine, offering new insight into how one of Christianity’s most influential thinkers approached questions of magic, death, and divine authority.
The discovery comes from a 12th-century manuscript housed in the Diocesan Library of Pelplin in northern Poland. Scholars have identified the texts as authentic works of Augustine of Hippo, the theologian and philosopher whose writings helped shape Christian thought for centuries.
The sermons focus on one of the Bible’s most puzzling episodes: King Saul’s visit to the Witch of Endor and the appearance of the dead prophet Samuel. The story has long challenged Jewish and Christian interpreters because it raises difficult questions about magic, prophecy, and God’s power.
The discovery was made by Prof. Dr. Christian Tornau of the University of Würzburg and Dr. Clemens Weidmann of the Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, or CSEL, a major scholarly project dedicated to editing and preserving early Christian Latin texts.
Ancient manuscript reveals lost sermons
The find did not emerge from an archaeological excavation or a forgotten archive. Instead, it began with a request to examine an old manuscript.
In 2024, the Bad Doberan Monastery Association in northern Germany asked Tornau to study a 12th-century Latin manuscript that had once belonged to Bad Doberan Abbey. The volume is now preserved in Pelplin.
At first glance, the manuscript appeared to contain six sermons attributed to Augustine. Four were already known to scholars. Two were not.
The discovery immediately attracted attention because Augustine’s authority in medieval Christianity often led scribes to attach his name to texts he never wrote. Any newly identified work requires careful examination before it can be accepted as genuine.
Scholars confirm Augustine’s authorship
Tornau and Weidmann examined the language, syntax, rhetorical style, theological reasoning, and literary structure of the texts. According to the scholars, the evidence consistently points to Augustine rather than a later imitator.
The findings were also reviewed during an interdisciplinary CSEL workshop in Vienna in the autumn of 2025. About 20 specialists in Latin literature and early Christian writings examined the sermons independently. The scholars reached the same conclusion. They agreed that the texts were authentic works of Augustine.
Researchers say the strongest evidence lies not only in the language of the sermons but also in their method. The texts move carefully through competing interpretations, acknowledge uncertainty, and gradually guide listeners toward a conclusion. That approach closely matches patterns found throughout Augustine’s confirmed writings.
A biblical mystery takes center stage
The newly identified sermons focus on 1 Samuel 28, a passage that has puzzled readers for centuries.
In the biblical account, King Saul faces war with the Philistines. After receiving no answer from God through prophets, dreams, or sacred rituals, he seeks help from the Witch of Endor, a woman described as possessing powers of divination. At Saul’s request, she summons the dead prophet Samuel, who predicts Saul’s defeat and death.
The story created a difficult theological problem. If Samuel truly appeared, could a human medium summon the dead? If the event was an illusion, how should believers understand the biblical text? And if God permitted Samuel to appear, why would divine action occur through a practice Saul himself had condemned?
A 12th-century manuscript in Poland has revealed two previously unknown sermons by St. Augustine.
The texts explore one of the Bible's most mysterious stories: King Saul, the Witch of Endor, and the appearance of the prophet Samuel. pic.twitter.com/rXqdifglh6
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) June 24, 2026
The sermons show Augustine working through those questions before a congregation. In the first sermon, likely delivered on a Sunday, Augustine presents the problem without settling it. He explores several possibilities and leaves the issue open for reflection.
He returned to the subject in a second sermon, apparently preached a few days later on Wednesday. There, he examined the competing interpretations in greater detail and worked toward a conclusion.
The structure makes the discovery especially valuable. Rather than presenting a polished theological argument, the sermons capture Augustine engaging with a difficult biblical passage in real time and guiding his audience through the debate.
Augustine ultimately rejected the idea that magic could command the souls of the dead. Instead, he argued that any appearance of Samuel could only have occurred through God’s permission.
Clues point to the manuscript’s origins
According to Tornau, the manuscript’s history is unusual. Texts of this kind were more commonly copied in the 8th or 9th centuries. The Pelplin manuscript, produced in the 12th century, was likely copied from an earlier source. Researchers believe that the source may have been connected to Amelungsborn Abbey in Lower Saxony, Germany.
An old catalogue from the monastery describes a manuscript with similar titles and a comparable sequence of texts. The similarities suggest a possible connection. However, the link cannot be proven.
Much of the Amelungsborn library was destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War in the 17th century. The loss removed evidence that might have confirmed the manuscript’s origins.
As a result, the sermons survived while part of the story behind their preservation disappeared. Researchers describe the discovery as a historical detective story in which some of the most important clues have been lost.
Why the discovery matters
Tornau has described the find with caution. It does not match the scale of the major Augustine discoveries of the 20th century, when larger collections of previously unknown texts entered scholarly study. Yet researchers say the importance of the two sermons should not be underestimated.
The texts expand what scholars know about Augustine’s views on biblical interpretation, magic, communication with the dead, and divine authority. They also provide a rare example of how a late antique bishop addressed difficult questions before an ordinary congregation.
For modern readers, the sermons offer a more personal view of Augustine. Instead of presenting a finished theological treatise, they show him wrestling with uncertainty, examining competing explanations, and leading listeners through a challenging scriptural problem.
Researchers are now preparing the first critical edition of the newly discovered sermons. The publication will include the original Latin text, a German translation, historical and theological commentary, and a detailed analysis of the works’ authenticity. It is expected to be released by the end of 2026.
Until then, the Pelplin manuscript offers a rare glimpse of Augustine not as a distant figure of Christian history, but as a preacher confronting one of Scripture’s strangest stories: a desperate king, a forbidden ritual, and a voice believed to speak from beyond the grave.
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