The saint we know of today as Martin of Tours was born in the area of present-day Hungary in the early 4th Century, the son of a Roman Tribune (senior officer).
At age 10, against the wishes of his parents, Martin began attending a Christian church and began going through the required process to be baptized.
Before he could be baptized, at age 16, Martin was drafted into the Roman army, the result of an edict compelling the sons of veterans to enlist. He was assigned to a calvary unit as part of the emperor’s official escort. Martin avoided the temptations of soldiers and held fast to his faith – giving most of his salary to charity. One example of his charity occurred during a particularly cold winter in Amiens, France, during a bitterly cold winter. Martin had already given away his spare clothing to those without when he came across a poor man outside the city, shivering from the cold. Martin felt pity, so he drew his sword and cut his own cloak in half so he had something to give to the man.
That night Martin had a dream where Jesus spoke to him. In his dream Jesus said, “Martin, who is still preparing for baptism, has clothed me with his own cloak.” Martin pondered this dream, and to him it incurred both praise and rebuke. Praise for his unselfish gift to a man who could never repay. Rebuke in that Martin never completed the ritual of baptism.
Martin appealed to his superiors for release from his service. This was problematic in that Martin’s unit was, at that time, preparing to go into battle. Martin was jailed, accused of cowardice. In response, he volunteered to go with the army, unarmed, into the front lines of the battle. His superiors were ready to accept his offer, when the opposing force sued for peace and the battle avoided. Martin’s request for release from service was granted.
Martin became a hermit and settled near Tours, France, under the discipleship of Hilary of Poitiers. Hilary was an outspoken critic of the Arian heresy plaguing the church and Martin joined him in its rebuke. He emerged periodically to preach and witness, traveling once to visit his parents to secure their conversion. His mother found faith during that visit, his father at a later time. During that particular trip, his biographer records that he was held prisoner by a group of brigands, hoping to get a ransom for him. Martin won one of his captors to faith, who arranged for his release.
He established a number of monasteries in Western France, traveling back and forth between them to ensure their physical and spiritual health. His intent was for these monasteries to be hubs of evangelism in their areas. In the year 371, Martin was asked to come to the city of Tours, ostensibly to pray for a sick woman, where he was abducted and compelled to become bishop of the city. Though he was reluctant to accept the position (legend says he hid in a barn full of geese, whose squawking gave him away), he immedi Drately embraced the role – influencing the removal of many pagan temples and images. Martin made a point to make periodic visits to the churches within his jurisdiction, traveling extensively to do so. He continued his advocacy for the poor, and wrote extensively to try to reduce the oppressive taxation the waning Roman empire began to demand from its middle class. Martin arranged a system where his churches could act as asylum for those in danger of entering debtor’s slavery.
Today, Martin is widely remembered in France – where numerous churches and monuments have been erected in his honor.
E-mail from Christian History Institute, 11 Nov 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_of_Tours
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