the key to heaven

[ursula]

I'm trying to figure out whether a seventeenth-century motto, "Crux Christi clavis coeli," is a quotation from someone else. Web-surfing suggests that it may be an adaptation from St. Augustine; can anyone confirm this? Did Augustine ever write that the cross of Christ is the key to Heaven, and if so, where did he do so?

Comments

[ex-greythist387.livejournal.com]

A quick search of Chadwyck-Healy's PLD (http://pld.chadwyck.com/) for clavis coeli turns up fifteen hits across thirteen texts, none by Augustine and none in visible proximity to the cross of Christ. However, clavis AND coeli AND crux in the works of Augustinus Hipponensis turns up some hits that might be likely, if only I cared enough to read through them. :) Apologies for redundancy if you've already tried this.

[ursula]

I hadn't tried that, and it's a nifty resource-- thanks!