Evo'diuswas born towards the middle of the fourth century at Tagaste, the native place of St.
Augustin, with whom he maintained throughout life the closest friendship. After following in
youth the secular profession of an ayens in rebus, about the year A. D. 396 or 397, he became bishop of Uzalis, a town not far from Utica,
where he performed, we are told by St. Augustin, many miracles by aid of some relics of St.
Stephen the Protomartyr, left with him by Orosius, who brought them from Palestine in 416.
Evodius took an active part in the controversies against the Donatists and the Pelagians, and
in 427, wrote a letter to the monks of Adrumetum, with regard to some differences which had
arisen in their body on these questions. After this period we find no trace of him in history,
but the precise date of his death is not known.
Works
The works of this prelate now extant are :--
1. Four epistles to St. Augustin
Editions
These will be found among the correspondence of the bishop of Hippo, numbered 160,
161, 163, 177, in the Benedictine edition.
2. An epistle, written in common with four other bishops, to Pope Innocentius I.
Editions
This is contained in the appendix to the 6th volume of the Benedictine edition of
St. Augustin.
3. Fragments of an epistle to the monks of Adrumetum
This is subjoined to Ep. 216 of the Benedictine edition of St. Augustin.
Other works
Evedius is said by Sigibert to have written a treatise, now lost, on the miracles
performed by the relics of St. Stephen; but the
Libri duo de miracuclis
S. Stephani, placed at the end of the
De Civitate Dei,
in the 7th volume of the Benedictine edition of St. Augustin, was not composed by Evodius,
but seems rather to have been addressed to him, and drawn up at his request.
A tract, found in some MSS. among the writings of Augustin, entitled
De fide seu
De unitate Trinitatis contra Manichaeos,
has been ascribed to Evodius, is considered a genuine production of St. Augustin by Erasmus,
but rejected by the Benedictine editors.
Further Information
Augustin, Sermon. cccxxxiii. in Opera, vol. v.
ed. Bened. de Civit. Dei, 22.8; Sigibertus Gembl. De
Script eccles. ep. 15.
[W.R](author.W.R)]