medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (28. December) is the feast day of:
The Holy Innocents (c. 2 BCE?) These are the male infants of Bethlehem who
were killed at order of Herod, hoping to rid himself of the new "king of
the Jews" in the process (Matt. 2: 1-18). They have been venerated as
martyrs from a very early time. A bonanza for relic collectors, the gospel
doesn't tell how many kids there were, so many churches have claimed to
have a lot of their relics without risking ridicule.
Caesarius of Arabissus (d. 309) A rather immoral Christian whose martyrdom
brought him to "saint" status: he was nailed to a stake and then burned
alive at Arabissus in Armenia. He was the father of the Arian leader
Eudoxius.
Maughold (Maccald) (d. c. 488) Legend tells that Maughold was an Irish
robber, converted by St. Patrick. As penance he was ordered to fetter
himself, throw away the key, and take to sea in a coracle without oars or
sail. He came to land on the Isle of Man, where he became the first
bishop. An alternative version is that M. was simply sent at some point to
the Isle of Man as missionary bishop. Romulus and Conindrus are also
credited as missionary bishops there, and are commemorated today.
Anthony of Lerins (d. c. 520) Anthony was born in Pannonia (now Hungary).
He was a hermit in several places in the Alps, and ended up as a monk at
Lerins (now France).
Otto of Heidelberg (blessed) (d. 1344) Otto was a monk at Niederaltaich in
Bavaria, along with his brother, Bl. Hermann. When his brother died, Otto
became a recluse in his cell.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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