medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (16. September) is the feast day of:
Cyprian of Carthage (d. 258) Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus was born in c.
200 to an aristocratic Roman family of North Africa. He received a good
education and became a successful lawyer. On his baptism in 246, however,
C. gave away his possessions. He soon became a priest, and in two years
was forcibly consecrated as bishop of Carthage. Bishop during a time of
persecution, C. had to go into hiding and direct his flock by letter.
Thanks to that circumstance and the strong position he took that the church
should show mildness to Christians who backslid from fear of persecution,
we have a substantial body of Cyprian's writings. When persecution broke
out again, C. was banished to Curubis (either Tunisia or Libya), but was
soon brought back to Carthage, tried, and beheaded.
Euphemia (d. c. 280) Euphemia is the subject of a highly embroidered
legend. She was supposedly the daughter of a senator, who took it upon
herself to strengthen the faith of her fellow Christians in Chalcedon. So
Euphemia was arrested, and they tried and tried and tried to kill her. She
was bound to a red hot iron wheel---but it burst and killed her tortureer.
Then an angel put E. on a high place away from the heat. A ladder was set
up to fetch her down, but one torturer was lamed and another went mad. By
then the judge was angry. He hung her by her hair for some days, but that
had no effect. So she was starved for seven days while being crushed
between two stones---but the stones crumbled to dust and an angel did the
catering. She was thrown into a pit with wild beasts---but the beasts
settled themselves down as a comfortable seat for E. to rest on. So then
one of her keepers jumped down and killed the saint with a prosaic sword
thrust in the side. One of the lions then killed the executioner. Not
surprising, Euphemia's example led to the conversion of all the pagans and
Jews of Chalcedon. She was clearly a popular saint; the first council of
Chalcedon (451) met in the basilica dedicated to Euphemia.
Edith of Wilton (d. 984) Edith was born in 961, the daughter of King Edgar
of England and his concubine Wulfthryth (who was a novice at Wilton).
Edith was brought up from infancy at Wilton, where her mother had returned
after giving birth. She received an excellent education from two chaplains
and was intended for an important civic role. But Edith resisted when her
dad tried to remove her at her profession; and when she was named abbess of
Winchester, Barking, and Amesbury she appointed superiors and stayed at
Wilton. St. Dunstant prophesied Edith's early death---and the incorruption
of her thumb (which I confess sounds very odd). Sure enough, she died at
the age of 23. Despite King Cnut's scepticism about any child of Edgars,
much less a bastard one, being a saint her cult spread rapidly.
Victor III (blessed) (d. 1087) Originally called Daufer or Daufari, the
future Pope Victor III was born in c. 1027. He became a hermit, then a
monk at Benevento (where he took the name Desiderius), and then entered the
monastery of Monte Cassino in 1055, becoming abbot in 1058. His rule was a
golden age for Monte Cassino, although it seems that he didn't spend much
time there---in 1059 he became a cardinal and papal vicar of the
monasteries of southern Italy. Victor was elected pope to succeed Gregory
VII, but he did not take office until March 1087. Victor continued his
predecessor's policies (and his war with the emperor), but only survived
half a year.
Kaspar Tauber (d. 1524) Another interesting (at least to me) Protestant
martyr. Kaspar was a citizen of Vienna who got into trouble in c. 1524
when he published a work attacking ecclesiastical abuses and promoting the
idea of the priesthood of all believers. He was imprisoned and sentenced
to a light penance---and a public recantation of his views. When Kaspar
refused, he was beheaded.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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