medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
With regard to Victor III (Desiderius II of Monte Cassino): I don't think I
would agree that he spent little time at the abbey during his 25+ year
tenure as abbot. The Chronicle of MC, which also flourished under
Desiderius, detailed his many activities at the abbey and the neighborhood.
His cardinal's rank was more an honor given to him as abbot of MC (it is
repeated often in the 11th and early 12th centuries) than a sign of his
involvement in Roman affairs. His oversight of the S. Italian monasteries
appears to be a general sort of oversight, somewhat parallel to the abbot of
Cluny's authority over its priories. Most of his activity outside the abbey
seems to be a largely successful attempt to protect the abbey and its vast
possession from the growing Norman power in South Italy.
His rebuilding of the abbey church, sponsoring of splendid liturgical books
and other art all show his concern for the well being and glorification of
his prime concern: the great abbey of Monte Cassino.
Although he was the chosen successor of the radical Gregory VII, he did not
during most of his career share his predecessor's antagonism to the
involvement of the lay world in the church. Desiderius primary goal was to
maintain the independence of his abbey both from the encroachments of the
Normans and from the growing ambitions of the papacy.
jw
> From: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Phyllis Jestice
> Sent: Sunday, September 15, 2002 8:52 PM
> To: John Wickstrom
> Subject: saints of the day 16. September
>
>
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> Today (16. September) is the feast day of:
>
> Cyprian of Carthage (d. 258) Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus was born in c.
> 200 to an aristocratic Roman family of North Africa. He received a good
> education and became a successful lawyer. On his baptism in 246, however,
> C. gave away his possessions. He soon became a priest, and in two years
> was forcibly consecrated as bishop of Carthage. Bishop during a time of
> persecution, C. had to go into hiding and direct his flock by letter.
> Thanks to that circumstance and the strong position he took that
> the church
> should show mildness to Christians who backslid from fear of persecution,
> we have a substantial body of Cyprian's writings. When persecution broke
> out again, C. was banished to Curubis (either Tunisia or Libya), but was
> soon brought back to Carthage, tried, and beheaded.
>
> Euphemia (d. c. 280) Euphemia is the subject of a highly embroidered
> legend. She was supposedly the daughter of a senator, who took it upon
> herself to strengthen the faith of her fellow Christians in Chalcedon. So
> Euphemia was arrested, and they tried and tried and tried to kill
> her. She
> was bound to a red hot iron wheel---but it burst and killed her tortureer.
> Then an angel put E. on a high place away from the heat. A ladder was set
> up to fetch her down, but one torturer was lamed and another went mad. By
> then the judge was angry. He hung her by her hair for some days, but that
> had no effect. So she was starved for seven days while being crushed
> between two stones---but the stones crumbled to dust and an angel did the
> catering. She was thrown into a pit with wild beasts---but the beasts
> settled themselves down as a comfortable seat for E. to rest on. So then
> one of her keepers jumped down and killed the saint with a prosaic sword
> thrust in the side. One of the lions then killed the executioner. Not
> surprising, Euphemia's example led to the conversion of all the pagans and
> Jews of Chalcedon. She was clearly a popular saint; the first council of
> Chalcedon (451) met in the basilica dedicated to Euphemia.
>
> Edith of Wilton (d. 984) Edith was born in 961, the daughter of
> King Edgar
> of England and his concubine Wulfthryth (who was a novice at Wilton).
> Edith was brought up from infancy at Wilton, where her mother had returned
> after giving birth. She received an excellent education from two
> chaplains
> and was intended for an important civic role. But Edith resisted when her
> dad tried to remove her at her profession; and when she was named
> abbess of
> Winchester, Barking, and Amesbury she appointed superiors and stayed at
> Wilton. St. Dunstant prophesied Edith's early death---and the
> incorruption
> of her thumb (which I confess sounds very odd). Sure enough, she died at
> the age of 23. Despite King Cnut's scepticism about any child of Edgars,
> much less a bastard one, being a saint her cult spread rapidly.
>
> Victor III (blessed) (d. 1087) Originally called Daufer or Daufari, the
> future Pope Victor III was born in c. 1027. He became a hermit, then a
> monk at Benevento (where he took the name Desiderius), and then
> entered the
> monastery of Monte Cassino in 1055, becoming abbot in 1058. His
> rule was a
> golden age for Monte Cassino, although it seems that he didn't spend much
> time there---in 1059 he became a cardinal and papal vicar of the
> monasteries of southern Italy. Victor was elected pope to succeed Gregory
> VII, but he did not take office until March 1087. Victor continued his
> predecessor's policies (and his war with the emperor), but only survived
> half a year.
>
> Kaspar Tauber (d. 1524) Another interesting (at least to me) Protestant
> martyr. Kaspar was a citizen of Vienna who got into trouble in c. 1524
> when he published a work attacking ecclesiastical abuses and promoting the
> idea of the priesthood of all believers. He was imprisoned and sentenced
> to a light penance---and a public recantation of his views. When Kaspar
> refused, he was beheaded.
>
> Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
> [log in to unmask]
>
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