medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
One Saint, Two Lives
The story of this saint's life is astoundingly different, depending upon
whether one consults Orthodox or Roman Catholic sources.
http://www.fact-index.com/s/sa/saint_christopher.html
....The Western version of St. Christopher was ultimately repudiated by the
Roman Catholic Church, as it was impossible to distinguish associated
accounts from any number of probably fictional folk tales. Non-fantastic
details of the Western Christopher's "life" were so scant as to be
essentially non-extant. [I think it is ironic that a lot of the blame for
Christopher's degration by Rome in 1969 can be laid fairly and squarely at
the feet of the Aurea Legenda - seeking to extend his fame and glory with
fabulous tales the Aurea Legenda laid the groundwork for his dismissal in
the late 20th century, in times which are not so enamoured of pious fables.]
This is not necessarily the case for St. Christopher as he is known in the
east. While surviving Eastern accounts of his life are replete with miracles
and events that do not mesh well with modern historiography, enough
information has been preserved to present a possible account of a St.
Christopher that would be amenable to modern historical sensibilities.
[the dog's head].....The first hurdle to consider is the idea that he was a
dog-headed cannibal. This can be understood in the light that the surviving
accounts of St. Christopher are contemporaneous. The practice of the time
was to describe all people outside the "civilized" (Graeco-Roman-Persian)
world as cannibals, dog-headed, or even more bizarre things, albeit often
metaphorically. A later generation could then mistake a metaphor or
hyperbole for a literal statement.
However, the man in question is also said to have been assigned to a
military unit made up of Marmaritae. The Marmaritae were the independent
tribes of Marmarica (now in modern Libya), who would have been pushed to the
frontier region after Roman settlement. Since he was from a frontier tribe,
describing him as being from the land of dog-headed people would have been a
literary convention of the day.
Fr Ambrose
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