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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Today, February 2, is the Feast Day of: The Purification of Mary - also known as Candlemas, the earliest description of this feast (of which I am aware) is by Etheria, who described it as a part of her record of her pilgrimage to Jerusalem from north-western Spain. The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (or the Purification of the BVM, or Candlemas, or Groundhog's Day, depending on religious preference). Cornelius the Centurion (1st century) Cornelius appears in Acts 10 and 11. He was a Roman soldier stationed in Caesarea, where he seems to have been a classic "God-fearer." An angel told him to hunt out Peter; Peter at the same time has a vision that suggests a bit more openness to gentiles. So Peter is willing to accept Cornelius and converts him. After a vision, Cornelius summoned Peter to baptize him and his whole family, making him the first Gentile to be baptised into the Christian faith. Legend makes Cornelius the first bishop of Caesarea. St. Jerome's friend St. Paula visited a church in Caesarea that was said to have once been Cornelius' house. He entered the historical martyrologies with Ado and Usuard, who placed him under February 2 and who gave him an elogium derived from the fourth-century Constituiones Apostolicae and dubiously making him a bishop of Caesarea. February 2 is also where Cornelius was entered in the RM prior to its revision of 2001. Cornelius' martyrdom as depicted in a fourteenth-century manuscript of Guiard des Moulins' Bible historiale (Paris, BnF, ms. Français 152, fol. 456r): http://tinyurl.com/ygfkcpv Apronian the Executioner (d. c. 304) Apronian was a Roman executioner. He became convinced of the truth of Christianity while dealing with St. Sisinnius in his official capacity. Apronian was arrested and ended as executee, rather than executor. Laurentius of Canterbury (d. 619) Laurentius was one of the original group of monks sent by Gregory the Great to convert the English. He later returned to Rome and came back with reinforcements, then succeeded Augustine as archbishop in 604. After the death of King Aethelberht of Kent in 616, there was an anti-Christian reaction, and Laurentius decided to flee to Francia---but St. Peter appeared to him in a dream, beat him for cowardice, and ordered him to remain. He eventually converted King Eadbald and ended the persecution. Adalbald/Adelbald of Ostrevant, martyr (652) He was a native of Flanders and served the Frankish king Dagobert I, during which he married the Gascon Rictrudis (also a saint). The two lived a life of good works and piety. Sixteen years after the marriage, Adelbald was murdered by members of Rictrudis' family who disapproved of the marriage. Although it was apparently a political killing, Adalbald was soon venerated as a saint. Adalbald and Rictrudis were the parents of four other saints; Mauront, Eusebia, Clotsindis and Adalsindis. Adeloga (d. c. 745) Adeloga was a Frankish princess, according to legend a daughter of Charles Martel. She founded and served as first abbess of Kitzingen in Bavaria. Ebstorf martyrs (d. 880) In winter of 880 Vikings were raiding Saxony, so Duke Bruno led an army against them. But the Christian army was caught by snow, ambushed, and massacred; those slain included the duke, 11 nobles, and four bishops, including Marquard of Hildesheim and Theodoric of Minden. They were venerated as martyrs until the Reformation, known as the "Bestorfer martyrs" because their relics ended up in Ebstorf near Luneburg. Markward of Hildesheim (d. 880) The Benedictine Markward became bishop of Hildesheim in 874. In a battle with Vikings near Hamburg he was killed, along with a large number of other churchmen. Columbanus of Ghen (d. 959) Columbanus was an Irish abbot, who apparently took his community to Belgium to avoid Viking raids. Columbanus himself became a hermit in the cemetery near the church of Saint-Bavo at Ghent, where he won a great reputation for holiness. He is one of the patron saints of Belgium. Peter of Ruffia (blessed) (d. 1365) Peter was a Dominican from Ruffia (Piedmont), a brilliant scholar who was put to work fighting the Waldensians in his native region. He did so well that he was made inquisitor general of the region in 1351. Two Waldensians finally had enough and assassinated him. Peter's cult was approved in 1865. Catherine del Ricci (d. 1590) Catherine was a Florentine noblewoman who entered a Dominican tertiary convent. She experienced visions, could bilocate, suffered a series of spiritual illnesses, and seems to have been completely spectacular in her ecstasies: for 12 years she suffered through the passion every Thursday and Friday, exhibiting on her body the wounds of Christ at each stage of the process, including nail holes, marks of crown of thorns, whipping marks, and even a dent in her shoulder from carrying the cross (!) 1000's came to see her and ask for her payers. happy reading, Terri Morgan -- "The fundamental particle of confusion is the jargon. If a jargon and an anti-jargon collide, they annihilate each other, with the emission of a pair of high-energy grammar rays." - Jordin (indefinite particle) Kare ********************************************************************** 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