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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Was B the Black a black African then? Was it common to have such Africans enslaved in Sicily? jbw -----Original Message----- From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious culture [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Phyllis Jestice Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2005 8:30 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [M-R] saints of the day 4. April medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Today (4. April) is the feast day of: Agathopus and Theodulus (d. 303) A deacon and a lector, thrown into the sea at Thessalonica with rocks tied to their necks, after they were found guilty of possessing copies of Christian scriptures. Tigernach (d. 549) Legend tells that the Irish Tigernach had St. Brigid as his godmother. Despite such good spiritual protection, he was captured by pirates while young and sold to an English king who later freed him. T. spent some time as a monk in Scotland, went on the obligatory pilgrimage to Rome that appears in so many later Irish legends about early saints, and returned to Ireland to found a monastery an serve as bishop of Clogher. Isidore of Seville (d. 636) The Hispanic-Roman Isidore was clearly destined to be a saint---his three siblings were saints, too. Isidore succeeded his brother Leander as bishop of Seville in c. 600. I. was regarded as one of the most learned men of his age. He founded schools, compiled the encyclopedic *Etymologies* on the knowledge of his age, wrote treatises on theology, astronomy, and geography, as well as history and biographies. Oh, and as if that weren't enough, he finished the Mozrabic liturgy started by Leander. I. was canonized in 1598 and declared a doctor of the church in 1722. Plato (d. 814) Plato was a Constantinopolitan who became a monk at age 24. He became a leading abbot of his age and was particularly vigorous in denouncing Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus' divorce and remarriage. P. was imprisoned and exiled, but eventually allowed to return. But he soon got in trouble with Emperor Nicephorus and was exiled again. A sort-of modern saint: Benedict the Black (d. 1589) Benedict was the son of slaves who worked near Messina. Ben. was eventually freed by his master and became a hermit, in time settling with a community of hermits at Montepellegrino. He became their superior, but Pius IV disbanded such communities, so Ben. then became a Franciscan lay brother. When his convent near Palermo decided to reform, they elected Ben. their superior, even though he was illiterate. Finally he went back to being the convent cook. Ben. was famous for his holy life, his skill as a confessor, and a loarge number of miracles. He was canonized in 1807 and is the patron saint of African Americans in the U.S. ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html