medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (28. August) is the feast day of:
Hermes (3rd cent.) Hermes is a Roman martyr whose cult is well-attested
from an early age. Unfortunately we have no etails about his life and
death. His cult spread to Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, Germany, Flanders, and
England.
Julian of Brioude (3rd cent.) Another saint of early cult and obscure
life. Later Acta report that Julian was a soldier and devout Christian.
When the governor of Vienne decided on persecution, Julian withdrew to the
Auvergne (whose patron he is), but gave himself up to be beheaded when he
discovered that he was being sought. Gregory of Tours helped to popularize
his cult.
Moses the Black (d. c. 405) Moses was an Ethiopian of uncertain morals; he
was dismissed from his post serving an Egyptian household because of his
bad character, and became the leader of a band of robbers. However, in
time Moses was so thoroughly converted that he joined some monks in the
desert of Sketis. Eventually ordained priest, he became a leader of *that*
community. Moses was killed during a Berber raid, when he refused to
defend himself.
Augustine of Hippo (d. 430) The most influential and certainly the most
unexpected of the four fathers of the western church, Augustine was born in
Tagaste (Algeria) to a not-very-prosperous non-Christian father and
Christian mother. He attracted the patronage of a wealthy man who helped
Augustine to a good education (although he never mastered Greek), and Gus
then set off to be a rhetorician and prosperous civil servant. Along the
way, Gussie became a platonist and then a Manichaean for some years; it was
only when he was official rhetor of Milan and came under the influence of
Ambrose that he converted to Christianity. Augustine then returned to
North Africa and lived a monastic life with some friends until he was
caught and forced to serve as priest in the city of Hippo Regius; he became
bishop in 396. But of course Gus is best known for his profound, massive,
and weighty influence on theology.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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