Saint Delphinus of Bordeaux

Delphinus was bishop of Bordeaux under the reign of Theodosius, and little is known about him, but that little is well documented. He took part in the Council of Zaragoza in 380, which condemned the teachings of Priscillian, and in 384 he called a council in Bordeaux against that same movement. It was a hard fight: a few years later Priscillian was executed at Trier on the emperor’s orders, and it was the first time in history that a Christian was put to death by a Christian power for reasons of faith. Ambrose and Martin of Tours protested strongly against that execution. Delphinus ordained Saint Amandus, who would succeed him, and in 388 he baptized a man who had been a senator and governor of Campania: Paulinus, who would become bishop of Nola. And here is the loveliest thing we have left of him. Five letters survive that Paulinus of Nola wrote to him between 393 and 401, in which he calls him “father and teacher.” They are proof of an affection that lasted a lifetime, between the man who had baptized and the man who had been baptized. He died on December 24, sometime between 401 and 403. If your name is Delfino or Delfina, today is your name day.