Possidius is considered an Augustinian saint not by official declaration of the church, but by Augustinian tradition. His feast day is listed on the official calendar of the church as being 16th May each year, in conjunction with that of Alypius, another of the friends of Augustine. The main Augnet page about Possidius is in the "Augustine's contemporaries" section earlier in this website: click here.
Possidius is mainly known for his description of the life of Augustine. Details of his own life are not plentiful. It would seem that the association of Possidius with Augustine began about the year 390 in the monastery for men that Augustine established in Hippo. In his Life of Augustine, Possidius wrote, "I lived in close friendship with him for forty years." He assisted Augustine against the heretical movements of Donatism and Pelagianism. He attended the African church councils of his day, and twice travelled to Italy to defend the church.
with Augustine and Alypius, Possidius was among the seven Catholic bishops chosen to represent the 266 Catholic bishops of the region at the famous debate in Carthage between the Catholics and the Donatist heretical church in the year 411 A.D. Possidius became Bishop of Calama (a town later renamed Guelma) in Numidia, North Africa, in or about the year 397; he seems to have established a monastery there, after the example of Augustine.
There he suffered a grievous persecution from heathens and Donatists. From the letters between Possidius and Augustine, it is known that in 403 while he was bishop of Calama, Possidius suffered a serious physical assault at the hands of the local Donatist bishop, Crispin, and some of his clerical followers. Alypius was obliged to leave his city for some time, and on one occasion narrowly escaped an attempt to assassinate murder him. Among the heathens at Calama there was a certain Nectarius, who was a correspondent with Augustine. Possidius successfully disarmed some of his enemies by his charity.
He was thus at the side of Augustine when he died at Hippo. In the terrible months that preceded and followed that death, Possidius worked briskly to ensure that the books and papers of Augustine would survive the attack on Hippo, and remain available for future ages.
Further reading There is much more about Possidius elsewhere in the Augnet website. Click here.
ONLINE: Life of Augustine by Possidius
“Life of Augustine” written by Possidius. (SANCTI AUGUSTINI VITA SCRIPTA A POSSIDIO EPISCOPO) Translated from Latin to English by Herbert T. Weiskotten and published in the year 1919. http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/possidius_life_of_augustine_01_intro.htm and http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/possidius_life_of_augustine_02_text.htm
LinksPossidius. A brief biography by the Midwest Augustinians, Chicago. http://midwestaugustinians.org/st-possidius
Guelma. Not in the time of Possidius, but in the year 1924. Picture postcards. (See picture above.) http://www.benifoughal.com/images/cartes-postales-anciennes/cpa-guelma-page-1
Possidius. Augustinian Province of California.http://osa-west.org/?s=possidiusAN3363