Archive for the ‘St. Jerome’ Tag
Above: Roman Hispania
Image in the Public Domain
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SAINT PACIAN OF BARCELONA (DIED 390/391)
Roman Catholic Bishop of Barcelona
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St. Pacian of Barcelona comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via the Roman Catholic Church.
We know little about the life of St. Pacian. We do know that he was a native of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as a husband and a father. We also know the name of our saint’s son, Flavius Dexter (368-444), a friend of St. Jerome (c. 342-420). Furthermore, we know that St. Pacian, the second recorded Bishop of Barcelona (c. 365-390/391), wrote extensively on ecclesiastical matters. A few of his writings survive.
Historical background is vital.
Many Christians had committed apostasy during the Decian Persecution (249-250). In the wake of that empire-wide persecution, rigorist heresies flourished and prompted schisms. In northern Africa, for example, the Donatists, enraged by the willingness of Rome to forgive penitent apostates, formed a rival ecclesiastical structure that lasted for centuries, until the Islamic conquest. Elsewhere, the Novatianists broke away. They argued that the Church lacked the authority to forgive sins one had committed after baptism. Therefore, Novatianists preferred to delay baptism until near the time of death.
St. Pacian opposed schismatic and rigorist tendencies and groups. Novatianism thrived on the Iberian Peninsula during his lifetime. In this context, our saint wrote about papal supremacy, penance, baptism, and ecclesiastical discipline. One of his more famous quotes was, in Latin:
Christianus mihi nomen est, catholicus vero cognomen.
(My name is Christian, my surname is Catholic.)
St. Pacian died in either 390 or 391.
Flavius Dexter became the means by which his father’s good name persisted. Flavius Dexter, a high chamberlain to Roman Emperor Theodosius I”the Great” (r. 379-395) and a praetorian prefect under Emperor Honorius (r. 395-423), extolled his father’s virtues to St. Jerome. The great Bible translator then wrote of the bishop’s virtues.
The Novatianist Church ran its course, with some exceptions, in the 400s.
Rigorist heresies and schisms in Christianity have not ceased, unfortunately.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 17, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL JOHNSON, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, ANGLICAN PRIEST, PRESIDENT OF KING’S COLLEGE, “FATHER OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN CONNECTICUT,” AND “FATHER OF AMERICAN LIBRARY CLASSIFICATION;” TIMOTHY CUTLER, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, ANGLICAN PRIEST, AND RECTOR OF YALE COLLEGE; DANIEL BROWNE, EDUCATOR, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, AND ANGLICAN PRIEST; AND JAMES WETMORE, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND ANGLICAN PRIEST
THE FEAST OF THE BAPTISMS OF MANTEO AND VIRGINIA DARE, 1587
THE FEAST OF SAINT EUSEBIUS OF ROME, BISHOP OF ROME, AND MARTYR, 310
THE FEAST OF GEORGE CROLY, ANGLICAN PRIEST, POET, HISTORIAN, NOVELIST, DRAMATIST, THEOLOGIAN, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JAMES EARLY BENNETT, ANGLICAN PRIEST
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Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church.
Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace.
Where it is corrupt, purify it;
where it is in error, direct it;
where in anything it is amiss, reform it.
Where it is right, strengthen it;
where it is in want, provide for it;
where it is divided, reunite it;
for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior,
who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Ezekiel 34:1-6, 20-22
Psalm 12:1-7
Acts 22:30-23:10
Matthew 21:12-16
—Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), 735
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Above: Pope St. Siricius
Image in the Public Domain
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SAINT SIRICIUS (DIED NOVEMBER 26, 399)
Bishop of Rome
St. Siricius of Rome comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via the Roman Catholic Church.
St. Siricius, Bishop of Rome, was a man of whom a range of opinions existed during his lifetime. St. Paulinus of Nola (c. 354-431) considered St. Siricius haughty. Yet the querulous St. Jerome (347-419) initially detected no guile in St. Siricius. Later, when Sts. Jerome and Siricius were on opposite sides of the Origenist dispute, St. Jerome lambasted (with his characteristic invective) Sts. Rufinus of Aquileia (344/345-411) and John II of Jerusalem (c. 356-417). Yet St. Siricius defended those two saints. In that context, St. Jerome laid into the Pope, too, in the middle 390s.
St. Siricius, born in Rome, had been a reader under Pope Liberius (reigned May 17, 352-September 24, 366), as well as a deacon under Popes Liberius and St. Damasus I (reigned October 1, 366-December 384). Antipope Ursinus, who had lost the papal election to St. Damasus I, tried again in December 384. He lost again. St. Siricius won the election unanimously. Emperor Valentinian II (reigned 375-392) approved, too. He even provided funds for the restoration and enlargement of (old) St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome.
Above: The Interior of St. Peter’s Basilica, 300s
Image in the Public Domain
St. Siricius was a consequential Pope. He was the first one to issue decrees in the style and with the force of imperial decrees. He also insisted that the Holy See approve of all episcopal consecrations, and that more than consecrator be present. Our saint flexed his papal muscle by intervening in the schism (381-417) at Antioch. He respected the counsel of the Council of Caesarea (the one in Palestine) and recognized St. Flavian I (not Evagrius) as the rightful Patriarch of Antioch in 399.
Above: The Roman Imperial Prefecture of Illyricum, 318-379 C.E.
Image in the Public Domain
St. Siricius laid the foundation for the papal vicariate in 385. He granted the Bishop of Thessalonica the privilege to authorize all episcopal appointments in the Balkans (parts of present-day Greece, North Macedonia, and Albania, as well as what used to be Yugoslavia, to be precise). As of 378, the Prefecture of Illyricum consisted of the Roman imperial dioceses of Pannonia, Dacia, and Macedonia. The Diocese of Pannonia became part of the Prefecture of Italy (as the Diocese of Illyricum) in 379. Dacia (north of Macedonia) and Macedonia were also part of the Prefecture of Italy (384-388, 391-395). In 395, Thessalonica became the capital of the reconstituted Prefecture of Illyricum, consisting of the Dioceses of Macedonia and Dacia. In the 390s, Bonosus, Bishop of Naissus (now Niš, Serbia) from c. 380 to c. 391, argued against the perpetual virginity of St. Mary of Nazareth. St. Siricius condemned that opinion but not the bishop. He left judgment of the Bishop of Naissus to other bishops in the region. They deposed him.
St. Siricius was, by the standards of the late fourth century C.E., an orthodox Roman Catholic. In 392/393, for example, he excommunicated Jovinian, a monk who denounced fasting and celibacy. The Pope maintained order yet refrained from being harsh. His treatment of the heresy of Priscillianism and of Priscillian himself was consistent with this summary.
Priscillianism was a form of Gnosticism with a modalistic Trinitarian theology, mixed with vegetarianism. Priscillian was a Spanish layman. The heresy may have developed beyond his statements. Anyhow, Priscillianism was austere (to a point). According to this heresy:
- Satan was an evil principle, not a rebellious angel.
- Bodies were creations of Satan, therefore, evil. (This nixed the Incarnation, therefore the Atonement.)
- Human souls were emanations from the Godhead.
- The union a soul with a human body was punishment for that soul’s sins. (One may wonder what sins those were.)
- Procreation was a sin. (After all, the human body was evil.)
- Marriage was a sin.
- Eating meat was a sin. (Animal bodies were apparently evil, too.)
- Free love was permissible. (This was not an example of austerity. It was, however, consistent with Gnostic attitudes about how to treat supposedly evil bodies.)
- Fasting on Sundays and during the three weeks prior to the Feast of the Epiphany was standard practice.
- Abstaining from attending church during Lent was standard practice.
- Christ did not exist prior to the conception and birth of Jesus.
The Synod of Saragossa (380) denounced Priscillianism. Yet this official condemnation did not prevent Priscillian from briefly serving as the Bishop of Avila after that synod. Priscillian and his supporters, exiled in 381, wandered in the Roman Empire. In Italy, they sought audiences with St. Ambrose of Milan (337-397) and St. Damasus I. Neither bishop gave them so much as the time of day. After imperial officials revoked the Priscillians’ exile, the heretics returned to Spain.
Yet rival Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus (reigned 383-388), an Arian, had a different perspective. In 386, he had Priscillian and some followers thereof tried, convicted, and executed. St. Martin of Tours (c. 330-397) had pleaded in vain with Magnus Maximus not to execute them. St. Siricius condemned these executions, too.
St. Siricius died in Rome on November 26, 399.
Priscillianism thrived as a schismatic sect, complete with its own bishops, in Galicia (north of modern-day Portugal, in Spain) until the Council of Braga (563).
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 26, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM COWPER, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT ADELARD OF CORBIE, FRANKISH ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND ABBOT; AND HIS PROTÉGÉ, SAINT PASCHASIUS RADBERTUS, FRANKISH ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, AND THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF ROBERT HUNT, FIRST ANGLICAN CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA
THE FEAST OF RUTH BYLLESBY, EPISCOPAL DEACONESS IN GEORGIA
THE FEAST OF SAINT STANISLAW KUBISTA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1940; AND SAINT WLADYSLAW GORAL, POLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP AND MARTYR, 1945
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O God our heavenly Father, who raised up your faithful servant Saint Siricius of Rome
to be a bishop in your Church and to feed your flock:
Give abundantly to all bishops the gifts of your Holy Spirit,
that they may minister in your household as true servants
of Christ and stewards of your divine mysteries;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Acts 20:17-35
Psalm 84 or 84:7-11
Ephesians 3:14-21
Matthew 24:42-47
–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), 719
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Above: The Site of Ancient Altinum, Near Venice, Italy
Image Source = Google Earth
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SAINT HELIODORUS OF ALTINUM (332-390/400/407)
Associate of Saint Jerome, and Bishop of Altinum
St. Heliodorus of Altinum comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via St. Jerome (c. 347-420).
St. Heliodorus, born in Dalmatia (now Croatia) in 332, became a Roman soldier then a friend and associate of St. Jerome, translator of the Bible into Latin as the Vulgate. St. Heliodorus followed the great translator to the Holy Land and helped to finance that translation project. He must have been able to deal well with difficult personalities, for St. Jerome was irascible and intellectually arrogant. St. Jerome was, to quote Holy Women, Holy Men (2010), “seldom pleasant” and “never dull.” St. Jerome also admitted his failings, though.
St. Heliodorus moved to Italy. He lived as a hermit in Aquileia for years. Later, he served as the Bishop of Altinum, a small town near the eventual site of Venice. Our saint vigorously opposed Arianism, one of the more persistent heresies. Jesus was fully human and fully divine, as well as the Logos of God and NOT a created being, our saint insisted.
St. Heliodorus died in Altinum between 390 and 407.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 29, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS
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Almighty God, you have surrounded us with a great cloud of witnesses:
Grant that we, encouraged by the good example of your servant Saint Heliodorus of Altinum,
may persevere in running the race that is set before us,
until at last we may with him attain to your eternal joy;
through Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Micah 6:6-8
Psalm 15
Hebrews 12:1-2
Matthew 25:31-40
–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), 724
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Above: The Eastern Roman Empire
Scanned by Kenneth Randolph Taylor from Hammond’s World Atlas–Classics Edition (1957)
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SAINT PAMBO OF NITRIA (DIED CIRCA 375)
Desert Father
Also known as Saint Pambo of the Nitrian Desert
His feast transferred from July 18
mentor of
SAINT AMMONIUS OF SKETE (DIED CIRCA 403)
Desert Father
His feast = November 8
teacher of
EVAGRIUS OF PONTUS (345-399)
Monk, Theologian, and Deacon
Also known as Evagrius Ponticus and Evagrius the Solitary
teacher of
PALLADIUS OF GALATIA (363/364-420/430)
Monk, and Bishop of Helenopolis
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SAINT DIDYMUS THE BLIND (CIRCA 313-398)
Biblical Scholar
His feast transferred from October 18
teacher of
SAINT RUFINUS OF AQUILEIA (344/345-411)
Monk and Priest
His feast transferred from October 1
ordained by
SAINT JOHN II (CIRCA 356-JANUARY 10, 417)
Bishop of Jerusalem
His feast transferred from January 10
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SAINT MACARIUS OF EGYPT (CIRCA 300-391)
Desert Father
Also known as Saint Macarius the Great and Saint Macarius the Elder
His feast transferred from January 15, January 19, and April 4
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SAINT MACARIUS OF ALEXANDRIA (CIRCA 300-395)
Desert Father
Also known as Saint Macarius the Younger
His feast transferred from January 19 and May 1
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SAINT PISHOY (320-JULY 15, 417)
Desert Father
Also known as Saint Bishoy
His feast transferred from June 19
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SAINT MELANIA THE ELDER (325-410/417)
Desert Mother
Her feast transferred from June 8
grandmother of
SAINT MELANIA THE YOUNGER (CIRCA 383-DECEMBER 31, 439)
Desert Mother
Her feast transferred from December 31
wife of
SAINT PINIAN (DIED IN 420)
Monk
His feast transferred from December 31
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The genesis of this post was the listing of St. Ammonius (of Skete) [feast day = November 8] in Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018. One connection led to another until I had thirteen saints, not including some I had added to my Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days already.
Above: St. Pambo of Nitria
Image in the Public Domain
St. Pambo of Nitria (died circa 375) was an influential spiritual figure. He, a disciple of St. Antony of Egypt (d. 356), founded a monastery in the Nitrian Desert of Egypt. St. Pambo advised, among others, St. Rufinus of Aquileia, St. Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 295-373), St. Melania the Elder, St. Pishoy, St. John the Dwarf (c. 339-c. 405), and St. Ammonius of Skete and his brothers. St. Pambo died in the company of St. Melania the Elder.
St. Ammonius of Skete (died circa 403), one of a host of saints named “Ammonius,” was one of four brothers who became hermits under St. Pambo in the Nitrian Desert. Prior to becoming a hermit, St. Ammonius had memorized much of the Old and New Testaments and mastered much of the work of early Christian theologians. Our saint, a popular spiritual director, taught Evagrius of Pontus, befriended St. John Chrysostom, and knew St. Melania the Elder. Two of the brothers of St. Ammonius became priests. A third brother, Dioscorus, became the Bishop of Hermopolis. St. Ammonius, nearly drafted into the episcopate, protested so vehemently that he remained a monk. He died circa 403, while visiting Chrysostom.
Evagrius of Pontus, born in Ibora, Asia Minor, in 345, struggled with vanity and lust. He grew up in a Christian family and studied in Neocaesarea. His teachers over time included Origen, St. Macarius of Alexandria, St. Macarius of Egypt, St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory of Nazianzus the Younger, St. Melania the Elder, and St. Ammonius of Skete. St. Basil the Great ordained Evagrius a lector. In Constantinople, in 380, St. Gregory of Nazainzus the Younger ordained our saint to the diaconate. The following year, Evagrious participated in the First Council of Constantinople, which revised the Nicene Creed. Evagrius, struggling with vanity and lust, visited St. Rufinus of Aquileia and St. Melania the Elder in Jerusalem; she advised him to become a monk. He did, in Jerusalem in 383. Two years later, Evagrius moved to the Nitrian Desert. Eventually he relocated to Kellia. Our saint, who taught St. John Cassian and Palladius of Galatia, created a list of eight evils–the antecedent of the Seven Deadly Sins. He died in Kellia, Egypt, in 399.
Palladius of Galatia (363/364-420/430) wrote of the Desert Fathers. His Lausaic History (419-420), the archive of the Desert Fathers, has preserved their wisdom for posterity. Palladius, a disciple of St. John Chrysostom, sided with his teacher in imperial disputes. Our saint, a monk from 386, was a monk with Evagrius of Pontus and St. Macarius of Alexandria for nine years. Later, for health-related reasons, Palladius moved to Palestine. In 400 he became the Bishop of Helenopolis. Political exile filled 406-412, but our saint returned to his see in 412/413.
St. Didymus the Blind (circa 313-398) was of the school of Origen in Alexandria, Egypt. St. Didymus, orthodox (at least according tot he standards of his time; human theological orthodoxy shifts sometimes) wrote commentaries on the Bible and on the theology of his teacher, Origen. The blind ascetic taught St. Rufinus of Aquileia and St. Jerome, who later had harsh words for Origen and Origenists. St. Didymus also developed a system to help blind people read.
St. Rufinus of Aquileia, born near Aquileia in 344/345, became a monk. He, raised in Christian family, was a monk in Aquileia in 370, wheen he met St. Jerome. St. Rufinus studied under St. Didymus the Blind in Alexandria from 373 to 380. St. Rufinus followed St. Melania the Elder to Jerusalem in 380. She financed the founding of his new monastery, located on the Mount of Olives. St. Rufinus studied Greek theology in that monastery. He resumed his friendship with St. Jerome in 386. Four years later, St. John II (circa 356-January 10, 417), the Bishop of Jerusalem, ordained St. Rufinus to the priesthood.
The renewed friendship with St. Jerome ended due to the Origenist dispute. Origen was orthodox, according to the theological standards of his time, but theologians subsequently redefined orthodoxy. This process made him a heretic ex post facto. St. Jerome, an argumentative individual, lambasted Origen, Origenists, and Origenism. Two of his targets were St. Rufinus of Alexandria and St. John II of Jerusalem, starting in 394.
St. Rufinus, marginalized in ecclesiastical circles because of his defense of Origen, resided in Italy from 397 to 408. He, St. Melania the Younger, and St. Pinian fled to Sicily, due to the invasion of Alaric, as the Western Roman Empire crumbled. St. Rufinus died in Sicily in 411.
Above: St. Macarius of Egypt
Image in the Public Domain
The two St. Macariuses were a team. St. Macarius of Egypt/the Great/the Elder, born in Shabshear, Lower Egypt, circa 300, eventually found his vocation. The erstwhile saltpeter smuggler had married because his parents wanted him to do so. The union was brief; his wife died. Then our saint’s parents died. St. Macarius the Elder gave his money to the poor and became a priest. Later he visited St. Antony the Great in the desert, and became a monk. At the age of 40 years, St. Macarius became the abbot at Skete.
St. Macarius the Younger/of Alexandria, born in Alexandria, Egypt, circa 300, found his vocation in mid-life. He, a merchant until he was 40 years old, accepted baptism and became an ascetic in the desert. He, ordained to the priesthood became the prior of a monastery between Nitria and Skete. One influence on St. Macarius the Younger was St. Pachomius the Great (292-346/348), the Founder of Christian Communal Monasticism.
In the fourth century C.E., Roman imperial politics was, for a time, inseparable from the conflict between Arians and orthodox Christians. The Emperor Valens (reigned 364-378), an Arian, exiled the two St. Macariuses to an island in the Nile River. They evangelized the inhabitants. Our saints returned to the Nitrian Desert when the political situation changed. Two of the people who greeted them were St. John the Dwarf and St. Pishoy.
St. Macarius the Elder died in 391.
St. Macarius the Younger in 395.
St. Pishoy, born in Shansa, Egypt, in 320, was another disciple of St. Pambo of Nitria. St. Pishoy, raised in a Christian home, became a monk under St. Pambo at the age of 20 years. St. John the Dwarf ordained St. Pishoy, who became a hermit in 375, after St. Pambo died. St. Pishoy, known for his wisdom, kindness, and orthodoxy, founded a monastery at Skete. The Berber invasion forced him to move in 408. St. Pishoy founded a new monastery on the Mountains of Ansena, in Egypt. He died there on July 15, 417.
Above: St. Melania the Elder
Image in the Public Domain
St. Melania the Elder (born in 325), whose life intersected with many other lives, came from an extremely wealthy family. They owned estates throughout the Roman Empire. Her father, Marcellinus, married her off when she was 14 years old. St. Melania the Elder’s husband was Valerius Maximus Basilius (circa 330-after 364), the Proconsul of Achaea (361-363). He and two of their three children died when St. Melania the Elder was 22 years old. She and her remaining son, Valerius Publicola, moved to Rome. St. Melania the Elder converted to Christianity and raised her son as a Christian.
St. Melania the Elder, aged 32 years, left her son in the care of a guardian and took servants with her to Nitria, where she visited for a few months. She became a traveling student of theology and patron of monasticism. In 373, for example, St. Melania the Elder provided financial support for the orthodox monks exiled to Diocaesarea. She and St. Rufinus of Aquileia settled in Jerusalem in 380. There St. Melania the Elder financed a convent, where she lived, as well as a monastery, for St. Rufinus.
St. Melania the Elder, a cousin of St. Paulinus of Nola, was also an Origenist. St. Jerome did not spare her from his poison pen.
Above: St. Melania the Younger
Image in the Public Domain
Valerius Publicus (died in 406) grew up and had a family in Rome. He married Caeionia Albinus, daughter of a consul. They had a daughter, St. Melania the Younger, born in 383. At the age of 14 years she married a cousin, Valerius Pinanus, a.k.a. St. Pinian (died in 420). They were an extremely wealthy couple. After their two children died young, Sts. Melania the Younger and Pinian embarked on lives of celibacy.
St. Melania the Elder, visiting her family in Rome circa 400, influenced her granddaughter to follow her back to Jerusalem. Sts. Melania the Younger and Pinian moved, donated generously to the Church and the poor, and eventually became monastics in Messina, Sicily, starting in 408. As Sts. Melania the Younger, Pinian, and Rufinus of Aquileia had fled Itlay because of the invasion of Alaric, as the Western Roman Empire crumbled. Sts. Melania the Younger and Pinian were on Sicily until 410. That year they met and befriended St. Augustine of Hippo, and mutually founded a convent in northern Africa, with St. Melania the Younger serving as the Mother Superior.
After St. Melania the Elder died in 410/417, Sts. Melania the Younger and Pinian relocated to Palestine, where they founded another convent. St. Pinian died in 420. Afterward, St. Melania the Younger founded another monastery and church in Jerusalem.
She died in that city on December 31, 439.
Thank you, O reader, for taking his multi-saint journey through holiness with me.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 2, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE
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O God, by whose grace your servants
Saint Pambo of Nitria,
Saint Ammonius of Skete,
Evagrius of Pontus,
Palladius of Galatia,
Saint Didymus the Blind,
Saint Rufinus of Aquileia,
Saint John II of Jerusalem,
Saint Macarius the Elder,
Saint Macarius the Younger,
Saint Pishoy,
Saint Melania the Elder,
Saint Melania the Younger,
and Saint Pinian,
became burning and shining lights in your Church:
Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline,
and walk before you as children of light, through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Acts 2:42-47a
Psalm 133 or 34:1-8 or 119:161-168
2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Matthew 6:24-33
–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), 723
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Above: The Flag of England
Image in the Public Domain
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DESIDERIUS ERASMUS ROTERDAMUS (OCTOBER 1466-JULY 12, 1536)
Dutch Roman Catholic Priest, Biblical and Classical Scholar, and Controversialist
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SAINT JOHN FISHER (1469-JUNE 22, 1535)
English Roman Catholic Classical Scholar, Bishop of Rochester, Cardinal, and Martyr
Alternative feast day = July 6 (The Church of England)
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SAINT THOMAS MORE (FEBRUARY 7, 1487-JULY 6, 1535)
English Roman Catholic Classical Scholar, Jurist, Theologian, Controversialist, and Martyr
Alternative feast day = December 1 (as one of the Martyrs of Oxford University)
Alternative feast day = July 6 (The Church of England)
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A TRIPLE BIOGRAPHY OF THREE GREAT MEN
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On the Roman Catholic calendar the feasts of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More fall on June 22. They also share a feast day (July 6) in The Church of England. To their commemoration at this, my Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, I add their friend and colleague, Desiderius Erasmus.
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THE EARLY LIFE OF DESIDERIUS ERASMUS
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Above: Portrait of Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam with Renaissance Pilaster, by Hans Holbein the Younger
Image in the Public Domain
Desiderius Erasmus, a great scholar and historically influential man, was a native of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. He, born in 1466, was a son of a priest and the brother of Peter. After Gerard, the father, died, guardians directed the educations of Desiderius and Peter. After Peter became a monk at a monastery near Delft our saint joined the Augustinian order. Erasmus, ordained to the priesthood on April 25, 1492, left the monastery in 1494 and pursued his scholarly work in the world.
Erasmus was a Christian Humanist in the style of the Northern Renaissance. As such he objected to the dogmatic theology he encountered at the University of Paris. In Paris our saint became a teacher and began writing. Apparently Erasmus had a distinctive speaking style, for William Tyndale (1494-1536) described our saint as one
whose tongue maketh of little gnats great elephants, and laudeth up above the skies, whosoever giveth him a little exhibition.
Erasmus, whose English patrons included St. John Fisher and disciples included St. Thomas More (whom he met in 1497), visited England periodically, starting in 1499-1500. Erasmus thought, despite the cumulative time he spent in England, that the weather and beer there were bad, and that More was the only genius in the realm.
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THE EARLY LIFE OF SAINT THOMAS MORE
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Above: Sir Thomas More, by Hans Holbein the Younger
Image in the Public Domain
St. Thomas More was a jurist and a classical scholar. He, born in London on February 7, 1487, was a son of Sir John More, a judge. Our saint, educated at St. Anthony’s School, Threadneedle Street, London, then in the household of Archbishop of Canterbury John Morton, continued his studies at Oxford University before studying law at New Inn (1494-1496) then Lincoln’s Inn (1496f). More was a reader at Furnival’s Inn then butler at Lincoln’s Inn (as his father had been) in 1507. Our saint was also reader at Lincoln’s Inn in 1511 and 1515.
Meanwhile More was studying theology and Latin and Greek literature. He met Erasmus, his longtime friend, in 1497. More also translated classical works into English and composed English poetry.
More was a devout man. For about four years he had lived at the London Charterhouse. Although he never took monastic vows, he learned certain lifelong austere habits. More did make wedding vows, however. In 1505 he married Jane Colt (d. 1511). The couple had four children. His second wife was Alice Middleton, a widow. Her daughter became part of the blended family. More was a pioneer in the education of women in England, for his daughters were well-educated people.
More was a longtime Member of Parliament and a negotiator. He, the Undersheriff of London (1510-1518), was also an officer in various companies. In various capacities he settled disputes in England and France through 1529.
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THE EARLY LIFE OF SAINT JOHN FISHER
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Above: John Fisher, by Hans Holbein the Younger
Image in the Public Domain
St. John Fisher was a scholar and a priest. He, born in Beverley, Yorkshire, England, in 1469, graduated from Cambridge University in 1487 and 1491. He, ordained a priest in 1491, served as a parish priest in Northallerton from 1491 to 1494. Fisher, a tutor to the young Henry VIII (born in 1491; reigned from 1509 to 1547), was, from 1497, the confessor to Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443-1509), mother of King Henry VII (reigned 1485-1509). At Fisher’s urging she founded readerships in divinity at Oxford and Cambridge (1503) then at Christ’s College, Cambridge (1505). Fisher, the Vice-Chancellor (1501-1504) then Chancellor (1504-1534) of Cambridge University and Bishop of Rochester (1504-1534), for all intents and purposes founded St. John’s College, Cambridge, for which he hired Erasmus as Lecturer in Greek in 1511. As a bishop Fisher was also devoted to his diocese–unusually so, by the standards of the period.
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ERASMUS THE BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
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Erasmus was a classical scholar and a man of letters. His volumes (1516-1536) on various Church Fathers were masterpieces of scholarship. Or saint spent much time on St. Jerome (347-419) and his works in particular. In 1504 Erasmus commenced his work on the Greek New Testament. The influential volume, published in 1516, was epoch-making. Our saint, who prioritized Patristic sources and the best Greek texts available to him, was more reliable than St. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate. Erasmus dedicated the work to Pope Leo X. The Holy Father accepted the dedication, but some powerful factions in the Church opposed the scholarly work. Martin Luther, however, admired it.
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SAINT THOMAS MORE, 1514-1532
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St. Thomas More, a devout man and a gentle father, was also an influential writer, a statesman, and a controversialist. The author of Utopia (1515-1516) produced many other works, including The History of Richard III (1514), which influenced William Shakespeare’s treatment of the monarch. More held a series of positions in the 1520s. He was, for example, the Speaker of the House of Commons and a Justice of the Peace from 1523. The following year he became a High Steward of Oxford University. In 1525 he became a High Steward of Cambridge University and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Then, from 1529 to 1532, he served as the Lord Chancellor.
The position of Lord Chancellor, although of high rank, was still one of a royal servant. The position increased More’s wealth. He gave more to charity. The duties of the job also required More to present the royal position to the House of Lords, even when this left him with an uneasy conscience, as in the “King’s great matter” involving Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Our saint, citing health concerns, resigned in 1532.
More was a devout Roman Catholic who considered Protestantism heretical. In 1525 and 1526 he wrote German Lutheran theologian Johannes Bugenhagen (1485-1558) in defense of papal authority. More abhorred both Protestantism and violence. As much as More argued with and prayed for the conversion of his Lutheran son-in-law, William Roper, Roper recalled never seeing his father-in-law “in a fume.”
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SAINT JOHN FISHER, 1511-1533
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St. John Fisher, a devout Roman Catholic, honored God in various ways. A devout and simple life was a moral imperative, he preached, to the consternation of some powerful men. Fisher also honored God with his intellect. The great man, who undertook the study of Greek at the age of 50 years, encouraged the study of Hebrew at Cambridge University. Like More, Fisher considered Protestantism heretical, and argued vigorously against it and for Roman Catholicism.
Fisher also opposed the interference of the state in ecclesiastical affairs. He, a consistent defender of Queen Catherine of Aragon, starting in 1527, opposed the annulment of that marriage as well as the granting to Henry VIII the title of Supreme Head of the Church and Clergy of England.
Fisher’s conscience was about to lead him to his martyrdom.
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THE MARTYRDOM OF SAINTS JOHN FISHER AND THOMAS MORE
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More and Fisher opposed the Act of Supremacy (1534). Thus, on April 13, 1534, when summoned, both men refused to swear an oath accepting the marriage of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn, recognizing the succession of their issue, and repudiating papal authority. Their refusal was officially treasonous. From April 17, 1534, to the end of their lives they were prisoners in the Tower of London. The circumstances of their incarceration were inhumane.
Pope Paul III created Fisher a Cardinal on May 20, 1535. The infuriated Henry VIII, referring to a Cardinal’s red hat, said,
Mother of God! He shall wear it on his shoulders, for I will leave him never ahead to set it on.
Fisher, tried and sentenced to death on June 17, 1535, died via beheading at Tower Hill, London, five days later.
More wrote in prison. He began and completed A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulacyon (1534), in which he also argued against the idea that any head of state can dictate religious belief. More also began a treatise on the Passion of Jesus, but his jailers did not permit him to famish it. Our saint, tried on July 1, 1535, died via beheading at Tower Hill five days later.
The Roman Catholic Church has recognized these saints. Pope Leo XIII beatified them in 1886. Pope Pius XI canonized them in 1935.
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ERASMUS AND THE CHURCH
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Erasmus was a devout Roman Catholic from his cradle to his grave. Nevertheless, he had both admirers and detractors in Protestant and Roman Catholic circles. Furthermore, Erasmus was openly critical of some aspects of an powerful people in Holy Mother Church. For example, he wrote anonymously then denied having written Julius Exclusus (1514), a satire about the late Pope Julius II (in office 1503-1513) attempting to gain entry into Heaven. Julius II deserved strong criticism, for he was, in the words of scholar J. N. D. Kelly,
a forceful ruler, ruthless and violent.
—The Oxford Dictionary of Popes (1986), page 255
Erasmus criticized certain Popes, but not the Papacy. He condemned abuses in the Church, but not the Church itself. He avoided committing schism, although some especially defensive Catholics accused him of being worse than Martin Luther, who did commit schism, albeit only after the Church forced the matter. In fact, Luther and Erasmus, who never met, carried on a literary debate. Furthermore, Erasmus was critical of more than one Protestant Reformer.
Erasmus, more at home at Basel, Switzerland, than anywhere else, lived there in 1514-1517, 1521-1529, and 1536. At the end of his life Erasmus really became a Cardinal, but he died at Basel on July 12, 1536, instead. His heir, Boniface Amerbach, wrote of the great man’s passing:
As was his life, so was the death of this most upright of men. Most holy was his living, most holy was his dying.
The last words of Erasmus, in Dutch, were:
Dear God.
After his death the Church added his writings to the Index of Forbidden Books.
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CONCLUSION
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These three saints of God were scholars, friends, and colleagues. They left the world better than they found it and entrusted it with their intellects and piety. Two of these men died rather than betray their consciences and, they believed, God. Erasmus also remained faithful to God, as he understood God. All of these men did this nonviolently.
As I have prepared this post, I have arrived at another conclusion: I like Erasmus most of all. The punchiness of his personality has appealed to part of my personality.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 28, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT AND HIS PUPIL, SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIANS
THE FEAST OF CHARLES KINGSLEY, ANGLICAN PRIEST, NOVELIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH BARNBY, ANGLICAN CHURCH MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF RICHARD FREDERICK LITTLEDALE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
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O God, you have endowed us with memory, reason, and skill.
We thank you for the faithful legacy of Desiderius Erasmus, Saint John Fisher, and Saint Thomas More,
and all others who have dedicated their lives to you and to the intellectual pursuits.
May we, like them, respect your gift of intelligence fully and to your glory.
In the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Psalm 103
Philippians 4:8-9
Mark 12:28-34
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 6, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT CHRODEGANG OF METZ, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF EDMUND KING, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF LINCOLN
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Above: St. Paulinus of Nola
Image in the Public Domain
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SAINT MEROPIUS PONTIUS ANACIUS PAULINUS (CIRCA 354-JUNE 22, 431)
Roman Catholic Bishop of Nola
St. Paulinus of Nola and his wife Therasia did much to help the poor, especially of Nola, Italy.
St. Paulinus and his wife were initially pagans. Our saint, born in Buridigala, Gaul (now Bordeaux, France), circa 354, came from a prominent and wealthy family. He became a lawyer and a Roman imperial official. After he left public service the couple retired to Buridigala. Later they moved to Therasia’s estate at Alcala de Henares, Spain. There they welcomed their only son into the world. There they also grieved after he died about a week after his birth.
In the wake of their son’s death St. Paulinus and Therasia converted to Christianity and dedicated their lives to God. St. Ambrose of Milan and St. Delphinus of Bordeaux (d. 403), the Bishop of Buridigala, facilitated the conversions and baptisms in 392. St. Paulinus and Therasia sold or gave away most of their wealth and embarked on their new lives.
St. Paulinus became a clergyman. He, ordained a priest in Barcelona in 394, moved to Nola, Italy, where he and Therasia helped poor people. In 409 our saint, by then a widower, became the Bishop of Nola by popular demand; he served for the rest of his life. He lived as a monk at home.
St. Paulinus, a prolific writer, composed one of the oldest surviving Christian wedding songs.
St. Paulinus had a group of prominent friends. They included Emperor Theodosius I “the Great” (reigned 379-395), Pope St. Anastasius I (in office 399-401), St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Nicetas of Remesiana, St. Martin of Tours, and St. Jerome. The glue of Christian faith held them together.
St. Paulinus died at Nola on June 22, 431.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 28, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT AND HIS PUPIL, SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIANS
THE FEAST OF CHARLES KINGSLEY, ANGLICAN PRIEST, NOVELIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH BARNBY, ANGLICAN CHURCH MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF RICHARD FREDERICK LITTLEDALE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
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Heavenly Gather, Shepherd of your people, we thank you for your servant Saint Paulinus of Nola,
who was faithful in the care and nurture of your flock;
and we pray that, following his example and the teaching of his holy life,
we may by your grace grow into the stature of the fullness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Ezekiel 34:11-16
Psalm 23
1 Peter 5:1-4
John 21:15-17
–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 718
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Above: The Roman Empire, 117 C.E.
Scanned by Kenneth Randolph Taylor from Hammond’s World Atlas–Classics Edition (1957)
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SAINT QUADRATUS THE APOLOGIST (SECOND CENTURY C.E.)
Early Christian Apologist
Eusebius of Caesarea (circa 260-339) mentioned one Quadratus in his Ecclesiastical History. The great historian, without explaining who Quadratus was, wrote that Quadratus had written a defense of Christian faith and sent it to the Roman Emperor Hadrian (reigned 117-138) because, as Eusebius explained,
certain wicked men were trying to get our people into trouble.
—Eusebius–The Church History: A New Translation with Commentary, translated by Paul L. Maier (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1999), page 136
Eusebius also wrote that copies of that document were commonplace among Christians then praised the intelligence and orthodoxy of Quadratus. Next the great historian quoted that apologia:
Our Savior’s deeds were always there to see, for they were true: those who were cured or those who rose from the dead were seen not only when they were cured or raised but were constantly there to see, not only while the Savior was living among us, but also for some time after his departure. Some of them, in fact, survived right up to our time.
–Maier, page 136
Copies of the apologia of Quadratus were commonplace in the lifetime of Eusebius, but the document has not survived the ravages of time. We would not have the opportunity to read any part of it except for the fact that Eusebius included an excerpt.
St. Jerome (347-419) understood the apologist to have been St. Quadratus of Athens, the Bishop of Athens, Greece, in the 120s. Many subsequent scholars have disagreed with that conclusion, though. On one hand, the apologia dated to 124 or 125, so the timeframe fit. On the other hand, how many Quadratuses were contemporaries of each other?
Regardless of who St. Quadratus the Apologist was, we can be certain of one fact: he was the earliest known Christian apologist.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 7, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF PHILIP AND DANIEL BERRIGAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND SOCIAL ACTIVISTS
THE FEAST OF ANNE ROSS COUSIN, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF GERALD THOMAS NOEL, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER; BROTHER OF BAPTIST WRIOTHESLEY NOEL, ANGLICAN PRIEST, ENGLISH BAPTIST EVANGELIST, AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS NIECE, CAROLINE MARIA NOEL, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF MARIA JOSEPHA ROSSELLO, COFOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF OUR LADY OF PITY
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Lord God, you have surrounded us with so great a cloud of witnesses.
Grant that we, encouraged by the example of your servant Saint Quadratus the Apologist,
may persevere in the course that is set before us and, at the last,
share in your eternal joy with all the saints in light,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Micah 6:6-8
Psalm 9:1-10
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Luke 6:20-23
–Adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 59
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Above: Sts. Junia and Andronicus with St. Athanasius of Christianoupolis
Image in the Public Domain
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SAINTS JUNIA AND ANDRONICUS (FIRST CENTURY C.E.)
Missionaries and Martyrs
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Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
–Romans 16:7, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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Chrysostom, preaching on this passage, saw no difficulty in a woman-apostle; nor need we.
–C. H. Dodd, The Epistle of Paul to the Romans (1932; paperback, 1959), page 241
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Romans 16:7 is the only Biblical reference to these saints.
“Junia” is a female Latin name present in more than 250 inscriptions found in Rome. Some ancient manuscripts give the name as “Julia” instead. The main alternative to “Junia,” however, is “Junias,” which is masculine.
I consulted my library of Biblical translations. The following versions had “Junias”:
- American Standard Version,
- An American Translation,
- Confraternity Version,
- Douay-Rheims Version,
- The Jerusalem Bible,
- The Living Bible,
- The New American Bible (1970),
- New American Standard Bible,
- New American Standard Bible–Updated Edition,
- The New English Bible,
- The New Jerusalem Bible,
- The New Testament in Modern English (J. B. Phillips),
- The New Testament in Modern English–Revised Edition (J. B. Phillips),
- Nouvelle Version Segond Révisée,
- Revised Standard Version,
- Revised Standard Version–Catholic Edition,
- Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition, and
- Revised Standard Version–Second Edition.
The following translations had “Junia”:
- Authorised Version/King James Version,
- The New American Bible (1986),
- The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011),
- New King James Version,
- The New Revised Standard Version,
- The New Revised Standard Version–Catholic Edition, and
- The Revised English Bible.
Recognition of St. Junia as female has been part of Christian tradition for a long time. Origen, St. Jerome, and St. John Chrysostom described the apostle (traveling evangelist) as female. Since the 600s the Orthodox Church has recognized Sts. Junia and Andronicus (likely married) as missionaries and martyrs who traveled widely. Some sources have speculated that the two might have been siblings, not spouses. Nevertheless, St. Paul the Apostle worked with the married couple Sts. Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 28:18, 26 and Romans 16:3).
The probability that Sts. Junia and Andronicus were a married couple is high. One might conclude that the origin of “Junias” is sexism to a degree that even certain patriarchal ecclesiastical institutions do not stoop.
As of A Great Cloud of Witnesses: A Calendar of Commemorations (2016) this feast is new to The Episcopal Church. The feast is a fine addition to the official calendar and to this, my Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days.
Tony Hendra, in Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul (2004), wrote that Father Joe said that Holy Mother Church had not canonized enough married couples. That was a valid criticism.
May we then agree with St. Joseph the Hymnographer (d. 886), who wrote in praise of Sts. Junia and Andronicus:
With piety we will honor the Bright stars and holy
Apostles Junia and the God-inspired Andronicus.
The Blessed Paul proclaims you both as truly distinguished
Among the Apostles, and blessed in the Church.
–Quoted in A Great Cloud of Witnesses (2016)
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 17, 2017 COMMON ERA
PROPER 19: THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF HENRY LASCALLES JENNER, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND
THE FEAST OF HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBESS AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM DALRYMPLE MACLAGAN, ARCHBISHOP OF YORK AND HYMN WRITER
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Almighty God, whose Son, the risen Christ, sent forth your apostles
Andronicus and Junia to proclaim the gospel and extend your reign:
send us forth in your Holy Spirit, that women and men may
minister as one faithful witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
in perfect unity, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
1 Samuel 3:1-10
Psalm 63:1-8
Ephesians 4:11-16
Matthew 9:35-38
—A Great Cloud of Witnesses: A Calendar of Commemorations (2016)
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Above: Northern Italy, 1951
Scanned from Hammond’s Complete World Atlas (1951)
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SAINT EUSEBIUS OF CREMONA (DIED CIRCA 423)
Roman Catholic Abbot and Humanitarian
St. Eusebius, a native of Cremona, Italy, was an associate of St. Jerome (347-419). St. Eusebius heard St. Jerome speak in Rome. Then he joined the great translator of scripture on his journey to Bethlehem after the death of Pope St. Damasus I in 384. St. Eusebius eventually became an abbot at that town. He returned to Cremona in 400. There St. Eusebius operated a hostel for impoverished pilgrims. He raised funds for it, going so far as to sell his own property and to donate the proceeds to that cause. He died at Cremona circa 423.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 5, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN NEPOMUCENE NEUMANN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF PHILADELPHIA
THE FEAST OF ANTONIO LOTTI, ROMAN CATHOLIC MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF SAINT GENOVEVA TORRES MORALES, FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS AND THE HOLY ANGELS
THE FEAST OF MARGARET MACKAY, SCOTTISH HYMN WRITER
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Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit you have made us one
with your saints in heaven and on earth:
Grant that in our earthly pilgrimage we may always be supported
by this fellowship of love and prayer,
and know ourselves to be surrounded by their
witness to your power and mercy.
We ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, in whom
all our intercessions are acceptable through the Spirit,
and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 2:7-11
Psalm 1
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Matthew 25:1-13
—Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 726
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Above: Map of Spain and Portugal, 1584
Image in the Public Domain
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LUIS DE LEON (1527-AUGUST 23, 1591)
Spanish Roman Catholic Priest and Theologian
Luis de Leon expanded his horizons, much to the disapproval of the Inquisition. Our saint, born in 1527 at Belmonte, Cuenea, Spain, was an Augustinian priest who taught the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas at the University of Salamanca. He chose to move beyond scholastic theology and studied Platonism, Arabic philosophy, Jewish mysticism, et cetera. De Leon also mastered the Hebrew language so he could study the Hebrew Bible better. During our saint’s study of the Old Testament he identified certain mistranslations in the Vulgate of St. Jerome. News of this led to de Leon’s incarceration (without sacraments as well as knowledge of the charges against him) by the Valladolid Inquisition from March 1572 to December 1576. Eventually the Inquisition cleared de Leon of all charges and released him. His experience with the Inquisition influenced some of de Leon’s subsequent writings, as when he contrasted the arrogance of certain authority figures with the humility of Christ:
What can we say about kings and princes who not only lower and despise some of their subjects but think that this is the only way they themselves can feel important and try their best so that the groups they have lowered and despised will be held down and despised generation after generation?
–Quoted in Robert Ellsberg, All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time (New York, NY: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997), page 93
De Leon’s academic and ecclesiastical career advanced post-Inquisition. In his masterpiece, The Names of God (1583), he meditated on the titles of Christ. Our saint received academic promotions and, in 1591, shortly before his death, became the provincial for the Augustinian order in Castille. He died at Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Spain, on August 23, 1591.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 10, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF PAUL EBER, GERMAN LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF HOWELL ELVET LEWIS, WELSH CONGREGATIONALIST CLERGYMAN AND POET
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN ROBERTS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF ROBERT MURRAY, CANADIAN PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
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Almighty God, you have enlightened your Church by the teachings of your servant Luis de Leon;
enrich it evermore with your heavenly grace, and raise up faithful witnesses, who by their life and teaching
may proclaim to all people the truth of your salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Nehemiah 8:1-10
Psalm 34:11-17 or 119:97-104
1 Corinthians 2:6-16
Matthew 5:13-19
–Adapted from A New Zealand Prayer Book (1989), page 684
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SUNDRY THOUGHTS 
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