medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> >Why was a saint as popular as was Catherine of
> >Alexandria, and whose cult is so very ancient, have
> >had her cult suppressed? I can see cutting out utterly
> >fantastic stuff, but as I recall, her legend was not
> >so bizarre. It would seem to me that the extent of
> >devotion to her and the longevity of her cult would
> >argue FOR at least a kernel of a real person at the
> >core of the legend (forgive the mixed metaphor).
Hmm, maybe your definition of "bizarre" differs from theirs, but I don't
think "bizarre" was actually a deciding factor. "Improbable" and "bizarre"
are not the same, after all.
Unless one wishes to define a saint as any figure of veneration acclaimed by
the people or a particular group, then there are going to be standards for
being officially endorsed as an object of veneration. The RC church has
standards and they revise those standards periodically. Currently, saints
are supposed to be human beings whose sanctity is unquestioned and whose
lives serve as inspiration for the faithful. If someone's existence is
questionable or the way of life cannot be proven to have been exemplary,
that's sufficient grounds for *official* endorsement of their cult to be
removed. Local status might be allowed in cases where there is a
long-established tradition (read: enough people made a fuss when the cult
was downgraded), and no one is told they can't have a personal devotion
towards such figures. Technically, one can venerate anyone as a saint; the
standards apply only to official recognition and public veneration.
When I look at Irish saints, I see the same story being told for so many,
with only minor variations. If there were ever human beings behind them, all
trace has been replaced by the stock-in-trade hagiography of the late
medieval period. In many cases, one can detect a pre-Christian deity figure
behind the supposed saint. These figures don't merit being considered saints
according to the latest standards.
In a few cases, the figure has left enough historical traces for existence
to be probable--e.g., Padraig--but the sanctity of his life cannot be proven
(two letters don't prove someone was a saint). Earliest traces of his cult
date to 300 years after his conjectured dates, and its promotion is tied to
the political fortunes of one monastery/episcopate and its alliance with a
rising political group. It's only logical to question whether Padraig should
be promoted as a saint; he's on the "locally approved" list because a fuss
was raised over the initial attempt to remove him altogether. Colum cille,
on the other hand, left a lot more historical traces and veneration seems to
have begun soon after his death (of course, there's political dimensions to
that cult, too, as there was to a good deal of his life).
The way I see it, since Roman Catholicism is not simply "quaint medieval
practices" to its adherents but rather a living faith, the understanding and
practice of which evolves if ever so slowly, it makes sense to inject some
updating occasionally. It especially made sense in the wake of Vatican II
amid the effort to update a good deal of customary practice and the
understanding of belief. But theory--let's get rid of all the "improbable"
saints--is easier than practice, especially when you have to decide what's
possible vs. improbable vs. bizaree, and you've got a cardinal's secretary
on the phone yelling, "But our cathedral is named after that guy--you can't
decommission him!"
Francine Nicholson
_________________________________________________________________
MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
**********************************************************************
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
|