medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (12. July) is the feast day of:
Hermagoras and Fortunatus (d. 66??) According to one of those later
legends intended to build up the importance of a diocese, Hermagoras was a
disciple of St. Mark, who appointed H. as first bishop of Aquileia. He is
supposed to have been beheaded, along with his deacon, Fortunatus, in the
reign of Nero.
Paulinus of Antioch & Companions (1st cent.?/4th cent.?) Another case of
wishful thinking. Thirteenth-century legend tells that Paulinus was a
native of Antioch, sent to Lucca to be its first bishop by St. Peter, and
then martyred along with a priest, a deacon, and a soldier. There *was* a
Paulinus who was bishop of Lucca in the fourth century, who may be the
historical saint behind the legend.
Veronica (?) My favorite case of later legend improving on history for the
day. Madame "true image" (as her name means) is supposed to have taken
pity on Jesus on his way to be crucified and wiped his face with a cloth.
Lo and behold, his image remained imprinted on her veil. The story seems
to be a fourteenth-century creation.
Jason (1st cent.) Jason appears in Acts 17: 5-9, when Paul stayed at his
house in Thessalonika, and he is also mentioned in Romans. Byzantine
tradition tells that J. was bishop of Tarsus, and responsible for
evangelizing Corfu.
John the Iberian (d. c. 1002) This is "Iberia" the old name for Georgia,
not Iberia as in Spain. John was a royal advisor, but he and his son (St.
Euthymius) became monks on Mt. Olympus, then settled on Mt. Athos, where
they founded the monastery of Iviron.
John Gualbert (d. 1073) This Florentine noble was an adult convert to
monastic life who became an extremely active reformer. He founded
Vallombrosa near Fiesole. While he won a formal canonization in 1193, in
1969 his cult was cut down to local observance.
Benno II of Osnabruck (d. 1088). Benno was a Swabian who became a monk at
Reichenau. He became archbishop of Osnabruck in 1067 and proved to be a
firm supporter of the papacy against Emperor Henry IV. Besides that, he
was a noted architect.
Andrew of Rinn (d. 1462) One of the all-too-frequent purported victims of
Jewish "ritual murder" that make medieval Christians look bad. Andrew was
a three-year-old from near Innsbruck, Austria. His uncle was looking out
after little A, but the kid's mother one day found his hanged body in a
nearby wood. The uncle blamed the murder on Jews who had passed through
the area. Andrew wasn't formally canonized, but his cult was poular and
Benedict XIV confirmed the cultus in 1752.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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