With apologies for the tardiness (in days, but also years!) of this reply
(which I intended to send last year!):
An early tradition regarding Jacob/James, "the brother of the Lord," "the
Just," also reports that because of his much praying in the Jerusalem
Temple asking forgiveness for the people, his knees became hard like a
camel's (Hegesippus, according to Eusebius HE 2.23.6). Thus the topos goes
back at least to around the year 200 ce, and probably much earlier,
perhaps to Palestinian Jewish circles.
Bob Kraft
> Today, 24 December, is the feast of ...
>
[material omitted]
>
> * Tarsilla, virgin (sixth century)
> - aunt of St Gregory the Great; after her death, her knees were found to
> be as hard as camel hide, due to her continual kneeling in prayer (this,
> according to Gregory's testimony)
>
> Last year Julia Bolton Holloway added this interesting bit of
> information:
>
> The same is said in St Birgitta of Sweden's Vita, that her knees became
> as hard as those of a camel. Presumably her daughter Catherine saw them.
> I had thought this was noted because both mother and daughter would have
> seen camels on their Holy Land pilgrimage in 1372. but now I sadly
> realise it is just a hagiographical topos! |However, I can remember as a
> novice when my knees got calloused!
--
Robert A. Kraft, Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania
227 Logan Hall (Philadelphia PA 19104-6304); tel. 215 898-5827
[log in to unmask]
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/kraft.html
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