medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (1. August) is the feast day of:
The Maccabean martyrs (d. 160 B.C.E.) A group of Jews executed for
resisting Antiochus IV Epiphanes' attempts to impose Greek religion
on the Jews. The most famous is Eleazar, a 90-year-old scribe who
refused to eat pork and was executed; also famous are seven brothers
and their mother who were killed together. These are the only Old
Testament figures who have official liturgical veneration in the
western church; their remains are believed to be in the church of S.
Pietro in Vincola in Rome.
Nicodemus (1st cent.) Nicodemus was a prominent Jew, probably a
member of the Sanhedrin. He visited Jesus secretly at night (thus,
much later, Jean Calvin railed against the "nicodemites" who
practiced the reformed religion in secret); later N. "came out of the
closet" to help with Jesus' funeral. Later tradition says he became
a disciple.
Faith, Hope, Charity, and Wisdom (2d cent.??) An eastern legend
probably best understood as an allegory tells that Faith, Hope, and
Charity were the daughters of Wisdom (Sophia), martyred in Hadrian's
reign.
Aled (or Almedha) (6th cent.) A Welsh legend tells that Aled was the
daughter of a king who fled to escape marriage. Her jilted suitor
caught up with her and cut her head off with a sword; a spring of
water gushed up where the head fell.
Aethelwold (d. 984) Aethelwold was born at Winchester. He became a
monk at Glastonbury under Dunstan and in c. 954 became abbot of
Abingdon. A. played a major role in the restoration of monasticism
to England, especially after he became bishop of Winchester in 963.
A modern saint: Alphonsus Liguori (d. 1787) Liguori was born near
Naples. He was trained in both canon and civil law and became a very
successful lawyer. But when he made a mistake and lost an important
case he quit, became a priest, and joined the Oratorian order. He
went on to found the Redemptorist order, devoted to mission work.
This order had a particularly rocky history; it's not a surprise that
A.L. spent the last years of his life in a spiritual
depression---which, however, culminated in a time of intense mystical
experience. AL's devotional writings were very successful. He was
canonized in 1839 and declared a doctor of the church in 1871.
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