medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (17. November) is the feast day of:
Gregory the Thaumaturge (d. 268) Gregory was a native of Pontus who
studied law but was converted by Origen; G. and his brother both
became Origen's disciples. When G. returned to Neocaesarea in c.
238, the 17 Christians of the city elected him their bishop. He won
so many converts that the boast was made that by the time of his
death, only 17 NONChristians were still in the city. As his nickname
suggests, he was a famous miracle worker. He also experienced the
first recorded vision of the Virgin Mary.
Dionysius of Alexandria (d. 265) Dionysius became head of the
Alexandrian catechetical school in 232 and bishop of Alex. in 247.
He was arrested during the Decian persecution, but a group of
Egyptians rescued him and he fled to the Libyan desert. He was an
important theologian and also a practical caregiver, getting lots of
experience since Alexandria had its own little civil war in the years
after 260, as well as a major outbreak of plague.
Anianus of Orleans (d. c. 453) Anianus (Aignan) was a native of
Vienne. He became a hermit, then a priest at Orleans, and then
bishop. A. organized the city's defense against Attila and his Huns
and got the Roman general Aetius' aid to drive the Huns from his city.
Hilda (d. 680) Hilda was a member of the Northumbrian royal family
who decided to become a nun at age 33. She went to Chelles in
Francia, where her sister was already a nun, but soon returned to
Northumbria at Aidan's request and became abbess of a double
monastery at Hartlepool, from which she was transferred to Whitby.
H. was famous for spiritual wisdom and her encouragement of her
community's learning, piety, etc.
Hugh of Lincoln (d. 1200) Big Hugh of Lincoln (not to be mistaken
with Little Hugh, one of those Jewish ritual murder cases) was a
Burgundian who became a Carthusian and in 1175 abbot of the first
Carthusian monastery in England (built with Henry II's funds, by the
way, as part of his penance for Thomas Becket's murder). Hugh
reproached the king so effectively for keeping sees vacant too long
that he found himself named bishop of Lincoln in 1186---the office
had been vacant for 18 years. He was a very good bishop. H. was
canonized in 1220, the first Carthusian official saint.
Elizabeth of Hungary (d. 1231) Elizabeth was a Hungarian princess
married off to the landgrave of Thuringia. She bore four children,
gave a great deal to charity, built a hospital---and then her husband
Ludwig went off on crusade and died on the way. E. was then
persecuted by her husband's family (and, it seems, by her extremely
rigorous spiritual director). She became a Franciscan tertiary and
seems to have killed herself with excessive asceticism; she died at
age 23. Miracles were soon reported, and she was canonized in 1235.
**********************************************************************
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
|