Who wrote the parable about a man who was branded with an s for killing someone in his youth but led an exemplary life which resulted in the meaning of the s being altered from sinner to saint?

Answer 1

This is a very old parable with two versions: One has two brothers caught and branded with the ST for sheep thief. One of the brothers seeks to escape his punishment by traveling to distant lands, but always strangers ask after the branding. Finding no escape, he dies miserable and alone. The other brother repentant of his crime stays and vows to do only good deeds to atone for his sin. His neighbors slowly forget the circumstance of the theft and only know the man for his goodness. When a stranger inquires of the branding, a neighbor replies, "I don't remember, but it be because he's such a saint." Sometimes the two brothers are condensed to one in the telling. As to the source, some cite Bishop Fitzgerald's How to Be a Successful Failure, others Virginia Eli's Devotions for Personal and Group Worship, still others St. Augustine's writings. I believe it is even older and could probably be traced at least to the Early Christian writings, probably expounding on Genesis 4:15, but probably even earlier into oral Hebrew tradition or even predating that. If you're inquiring because you're writing a research paper and must cite ALL sources, just indicate to your readers that the story is an ancient parable as you introduce it, and you won't need a specific citation after it.