medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (16. February) is the feast day of:
Onesimus (1st cent.) Onesimus was a slave who figures in Paul's
letter to Philemon. Onesimus had run away from Philemon, and Paul
has sent him back asking for good treatment. Jerome tells that
Onesimus became a preacher and eventually a bishop.
Juliana of Cumae (d. c. 305) Juliana was a martyr, flogged by her
father in an attempt to get her mind off that Christian stuff, and
then tortured by the prefect---whom, in good virgin martyr legendary
style, she had refused to marry. She was thrown into prison, where
the time was enlivened by fights with evil spirits. When she was
condemned, throwing her in a furnace failed to kill J, as did
sticking her in a cauldron of boiling oil, so she was finally
beheaded. I expect a certain amount of legendary accretion. She may
have been martyred at Cumae, but it's also possible she was killed at
Nicomedia and her relics were later brought to Cumae.
Elias, Jeremy, and companions (d. 309) This was a domino-effect
execution. Elias and four companions were Egyptians who visited
Christian mine slaves to comfort them. They were arrested as
Christians, condemned, and beheaded. Then another man, Porphyry,
demanded that their bodies be buried---he was found to be a
Christian, tortured, and then burned to death. Yet another man,
Seleucus, was so impressed when he witnessed Porphyry's death that he
applauded. HE was arrested and beheaded.
Gilbert of Sempringham (d. 1189) Gilbert was an Englishman (Norman)
of knightly family. He became a priest, but still took over as lord
of Sempringham when his father died. He ended up founding an order
of religious women. Finding out that he had bitten off a bit too
much to chew, G. tried to get the Cistercians to take over his
foundations, but the Cistercians refused to take over a pack of
women. So G. organized the women himself, adding canons regular for
spiritual direction. The Gilbertines were the only English-founded
religious order of the Middle Ages, eventually growing to 26
communities. G. was canonized in 1202.
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