medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (7. December) is the feast day of:
Sabinus and companions (d. 303?) Legend tells that Sabinus was a
bishop and that he and several members of his clergy were arrested
during Diocletian's persecution. When S. was arrested, he was
ordered to venerate a small statue of Jupiter---which he knocked down
and broke, for which the governor had S's hands cut off. He was
eventually executed at Spoleto.
Ambrose of Milan (d. 397) One of the four "fathers" of the western
Church, Ambrose was a noble Roman who got a good education, because a
successful lawyer, and crowned his secular career by becoming
governor of Liguria and Aemilia at a young age. But then in 374 the
bishop of Milan died, the city was divided over who should succeed
him, and Ambrose came to keep the street-fighting from getting out of
hand. Whereupon, much to his surprise, he was elected bishop by
acclamation---although he wasn't even baptized yet. As bishop, A.
gave his goods away to the poor and the church, studied the Bible and
theology, and took to a simple lifestyle. Bishop A. played an
extremely active political role, supported the hardliners against
Arians and non-Christians, and even directly confronted Emperor
Theodosius over a little matter of a massacre.
Buithe (d. 521) Buithe (Boethius) was born in either Scotland or
Ireland (the Scottish and Irish traditions disagree on the point).
The Scottish tale is that B. preached to the Picts and even
resurrected a Pictish king. The Irish version is that B. was a
native of Co. Louth who studied in Wales, then went back to Ireland
to found the monastery of Monasterboice (home of a particularly fine
high cross, by the way).
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