The Tortures and Torments of the Christian Martyrs

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Tortures and Torments of the Christian Martyrs The Tortures and Torments of the Christian Martyrs (A Modern Edition) De SS. Martyrum Cruciatibus by Reverend Father Antonio Gallonio, translated from the Latin by A.R. Allison, 1591 Revised and Edited into Contemporary English by Geoffrey K. Mondello, Boston Catholic Journal. Copyright © 2013 All rights reserved. "Father Gallonio's work was intended for the edification of the Faithful, and was issued with the full authority and approbation of the Church." A. R. Allison Note: This translation by the Boston Catholic Journal has been edited for abstruse and confusing archaisms, needless redundancies, and rendered into Modern (American) English. It is our goal to render this important, historical document into an easily readable format. However, we encourage the reader to consult the following important link: Acta Martyrum for a necessary perspective on the important distinction between authentic Acta Matyrum, scholarly hagiography, and edifying historical literature. This does not pretend to be a scholarly edition, replete with footnotes and historical references. Indeed, the original vexes us with its inconsistent references, and the absence of any methodical attribution to the works or authors cited. However, it must be remembered that the present work is not offered to us as a compendium, or even a 1 work of scholarship. That is not its intended purpose. It is, however, intended to accompany the Roman Martyrology which the Boston Catholic Journal brings to you each day, in the way of supplementing the often abbreviated account of the Catholic Martyrs with an historical perspective and a deeper understanding of the suffering they endured for the sake of Christ, His Holy Catholic Church, and the Faith of our fathers which, in our own times, sadly, recedes from memory for the sake of temporizing our own Catholic Faith to accommodate the world at the cost of Christ. CONTENTS CHAPTER I Of the Cross, of Stakes, and Other Means by which the bodies of Christians remaining steadfast in their Confession of Christ were suspended CHAPTER II Of the Wheel, the Pulley, and the Press as instruments of torture CHAPTER III Of the Wooden Horse as an instrument of Martyrdom; also of many different types of Bonds CHAPTER IV Of different instruments employed for Scourging the Blessed Martyrs CHAPTER V Of instruments the Heathen used to Tear the Flesh of Christ's Faithful; to wit, Iron Claws and Currycombs CHAPTER VI Of Red-Hot Plates, Torches, and Blazing Brands CHAPTER VII 2 Of the Brazen Bull, Frying-Pan, Pot, Caldron, Gridiron, and Bedstead; likewise of the Chair, Helmet, and Tunic, and other instruments of Martyrdom using Red-Hot Iron CHAPTER VIII Of other methods by which Christ's Holy Martyrs were Tortured with Fire CHAPTER IX Of other instruments of torture and methods employed for the tormenting of Christian Martyrs, such as School-Boy's Iron Styles, Nails, Saws, Spears, Swords, and Arrows; Tearing out the Inwards, Cutting the Throat, Beheading, Branding and Marking, Pounding with Axes and Clubs CHAPTER X Of yet other instruments and methods of torture for afflicting Christian Martyrs, such as Amputating Women's Bosoms, Cutting out the Tongue, and Lopping-off the Hands and Feet, Pulling out the Teeth, Flaying Alive, Transfixing, and Exposing to Wild Beasts CHAPTER XI Of still other tortures and methods of Martyrdom: Burying Alive, Throwing into Rivers, Wells, or Lime-Kilns; Cutting open the Stomach, and the Like CHAPTER XII Of Martyrs driven into Exile, and condemned to Hard Labor or the Mines Redaction with annotation by: Geoffrey K. Mondello for the Boston Catholic Journal www.boston-catholic-journal.com 2012 + Feast of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order Copyright © 2012 Boston Catholic Journal. All rights reserved for this revised edition by Geoffrey K. Mondello. Contact the Boston Catholic Journal for permission to reprint, in any format, or upon any media, digital or otherwise, any part of this book revised by the Boston Catholic Journal , the original of which is in public domain. 3 CHAPTER I Of the Cross, of Stakes, and other Means by which the Bodies of the Christians Remaining Steadfast in their Faith were Suspended Since we propose in this book to discuss the many instruments of Martyrdom and the countless methods by which the most glorious and unconquered soldiers of our Lord Jesus Christ underwent death with a brave heart for His honor, it is entirely proper that we begin our task with the blessed and holy Sign of the Cross. For it was this upon which the Savior of the World, bursting the bonds of death, vanquished that cunning serpent, the Devil, and by His sufferings earned for His servants such tremendous fortitude that they were happy to endure the most arduous hardships of every sort, even, if need be, to the shedding of their blood and the cruel dismemberment of all their limbs. If, that is to say, the Martyrs won from the Cross the strength which they displayed in tortures and torments, it seems to us all the more appropriate to discuss the Cross first, as an instrument of torture and martyrdom in this book. Since, however, stakes set up in the ground were included in antiquity under the common term of crosses, we must also examine these in this chapter, as well as other means by which the bodies of the Blessed Martyrs were suspended as punishment for defending of the Faith of Christ; for, indeed, whether nailed to the cross or bound to wooden poles, they may equally be said in a sense to have hung suspended. In beginning our discussion of the Cross, it is important for us to understand that not only were the Jews accustomed to nail condemned criminals to the cross [Deut 21:22-23], but the Gentiles as well. This is expressly stated by many of their own authors — by Cicero in several places (especially in the Philippics and De Finibus), no less than by Valerius Maximus, Livy, Curtius, Suetonius (Galba), and Seneca (De Consolatione). This last passage shows that crosses were of more than one kind, as we see from the words quoted below: "From this I gather that crosses were not all of one kind, but differently made by different people. Some hang the criminal head downwards, while others drive a stake through his entrails, and others again stretched out his arms on a forked gallows ..." What Seneca says here, to wit, that "others drive a stake through his entrails," he explains elsewhere, for he calls this kind of cross, in his indictment of the Mecaenas, a sharp-pointed cross. From this we may readily understand that, while one form of cross was of the type most commonly associated with the word, another resembled the sharp stakes which the Turks now employ for executing criminals, driving them through the victims' middle up to the head. We may also find this in Procopius's, Vandal War. Upon the first kind of Cross (as Seneca states above, and as we find in numerous Acts of the Saints) [Acta Martyrum] some were fixed with their heads toward the ground, while others with them raised to heaven. Christian martyrs were, in fact, crucified in both ways by the worshippers of idols. Among others who won the crown of martyrdom by crucifixion head downwards was the chief of the Apostles himself, St. Peter, concerning whom Origen writes: 4 "When Peter was come to the outskirts of Rome, with head placed downwards (for so he desired himself to suffer), he was nailed to the Cross." St. Augustine writes that: "So both (Peter and Paul) hasten to attain to the palm of martyrdom, and win the crown thereof." And elsewhere: "Peter for Christ's sake is suspended on the tree head downward; Paul slain with the sword. The Apostle went with his own feet to meet Christ, and looking upward with his eyes to Heaven, sent forth his blessed spirit to the Heavens above." This is also described by St. John Chrysostom in his Homily on the Chief of the Apostles: "Rejoice, Peter, to whom has been granted to enjoy Christ on the tree, and who was happy to be crucified as thy Master was, yet not with form upright like Christ the Lord, but with head turned to the ground, as one journeying from earth to heaven. Blessed the nails which did pierce those holy limbs." To this most holy Apostle of Christ may be further added St. Calliopus, who died the same death for guarding the Christian Faith, bravely and signally triumphing over the World and the Devil. We clearly see, then, that some Martyrs were crucified with feet upward towards the sky. As to those who suffered with feet pointing to the ground, we find many outspoken champions of the Christian Law: St. Philip and St. Andrew, Apostles; Nestor, a Bishop; Timon, a Deacon, and many others. The Roman Martyrology itself speaks of ten thousand Martyrs so crucified, including Simeon, a Bishop, who at the date of his Martyrdom was in the one hundred and twentieth year of his age. Concerning the ten thousand who were lifted up on the Cross (22 June), we read: "On Mount Ararat the passion of ten thousand blessed Martyrs who were crucified." Concerning St. Simeon (20 April) we read: "At Jerusalem anniversary of the Blessed Simeon, Bishop and Martyr, who is said to have been the son of Cleophas and a kinsman of the Savior according to the flesh. Ordained Bishop of Jerusalem next after James, brother of Our Lord, after suffering in the persecution of Trajan many tortures, he died a Martyr, and all present, including the very Judge himself, marveled how an old man of one hundred and twenty years should have endured the punishment of the Cross bravely and unflinchingly." The Method Employed by the Heathen for Crucifying Christians In the first place, the ministers of cruelty would make ready (as many passages from the Acts of the Saints above refer to, particularly concerning St.
Recommended publications
  • Bulletin Luke the Evangelist Tone 2.Indd
    THE D The WeeklyVE Bulletin of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of New England 18 October 2020 Τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀποστόλου καὶ Εὐαγγελιστοῦ Λουκᾶ The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke Luke the Evangelist | Tone 2 • ΤΟΥ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΣΤΟΥ ΛΟΥΚΑ | Ἦχος β´ Apostle and Evangelist Luke October 18 he Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, was a na- nary verses (1:1-3), Saint Luke precisely sets forth Ttive of Syrian Antioch, a companion of the holy the purpose of his work. He proposes to record, in Apostle Paul (Phil.1:24, 2 Tim. 4:10-11), and a physi- chronological order, everything known by Chris- cian enlightened in the Greek medical arts. Hearing tians about Jesus Christ and His teachings. By doing about Christ, Luke arrived in Palestine and fervently this, he provided a firmer historical basis for Chris- accepted the preaching of salvation from the Lord tian teaching (1:4). He carefully investigated the Himself. As one of the Seventy Apostles, Saint Luke facts, and made generous use of the oral tradition was sent by the Lord with the others to preach the of the Church and of what the All-Pure Virgin Mary Kingdom of Heaven during the Savior’s earthly life Herself had told him (2:19, 51). (Luke 10:1-3). After the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus In Saint Luke’s Gospel, the message of the salva- Christ appeared to Saints Luke and Cleopas on the tion made possible by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the road to Emmaus. preaching of the Gospel, are of primary importance. Luke accompanied Saint Paul on his second Saint Luke also wrote the Acts of the Holy Apos- missionary journey, and from that time they were tles at Rome around 62-63 A.D.
    [Show full text]
  • PAT101 Booklet.Pdf
    Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States PAT 102 NICENE AND POST NICENE FATHERS Servants’ Preparation Program 2007 ( TABLE OF CONTENTS ( • Introduction • The Beginnings of Liturgical Formulas and Canonical Legislation • The Apostolic Fathers • St. Clement of Rome • St. Ignatius of Antioch • St. Polycarp of Smyrna • The Epistle of Barnabas • Papias of Hierapolis • The "Shepherd" of Hermas • The Epistle to Diognetus • QUADRATUS 2 PAT 102 Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers © 2007 Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States INTRODUCTION Patrology The word “Patrology” is derived from the Latin word “Pater” which means, “Father.” Patrology is the science, which deals with the life, acts, writings, sayings, doctrines and thoughts of the orthodox writers of the early church: 1) The life of the Fathers: In order to understand their writings and sayings, their lives and the environment in which they lived, must also be considered. 2) Their acts: The writings, sermons, dialogues, letters, etc. of the Fathers are inseparable from their own lives. Patrology’s message is to be sure of the authenticity of these acts scientifically, publishing them and translating them in modern languages. 3) More importantly is the discovery of the thoughts of the Fathers, their dogma, doctrines and concepts concerning God, man, church, salvation, worship, creation, the body, the heavenly life, etc. Patrology is the door through which we can enter into the church and attain her spirit, which affects our inner life, conduct and behavior. Through Patrology, the acts of the Fathers are transferred into living thoughts and concepts which are based on a sound foundation, without ignoring the world around us.
    [Show full text]
  • Stories of the Ancient Greeks the Gods of Greece Stories of the Ancient Greeks
    STORIES OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS THE GODS OF GREECE STORIES OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS BY CHARLES D. SHAW illustrated by GEORGE A. HARKER YESTERDAY’S CLASSICS CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA Cover and arrangement © 2008 Yesterday’s Classics, LLC. Th is edition, fi rst published in 2008 by Yesterday’s Classics, an imprint of Yesterday’s Classics, LLC, is an unabridged republi cation of the work originally published by Ginn and Company in 1903. For the complete listing of the books that are published by Yesterday’s Classics, please visit www.yesterdaysclassics.com. Yesterday’s Classics is the publishing arm of the Baldwin Online Children’s Literature Project which presents the complete text of hun dreds of classic books for children at www.mainlesson.com. ISBN-10: 1-59915-269-X ISBN-13: 978-1-59915-269-1 Yesterday’s Classics, LLC PO Box 3418 Chapel Hill, NC 27515 PREFACE The tales in this book are old; some of them, it may be, are even older than we suppose. But there is always a new generation to whom the ancient stories must be told; and the author has spent pleasant hours in trying to retell some of them for the boys and girls of to-day. He remembers what joy it was to him to read about the Greek gods and heroes; and he knows that life has been brighter to him ever since because of the knowledge thus gained and the fancies thus kindled. It is his hope to brighten, if possible, other young lives by repeating for them the immortal fi ctions and the deathless histories which have been delivered to new audiences for thousands of years.
    [Show full text]
  • Female Identity and Agency in the Cult of the Martyrs in Late Antique North Africa
    Female Identity and Agency in the Cult of the Martyrs in Late Antique North Africa Heather Barkman Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements For admission to the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in Religious Studies Department of Classics and Religious Studies Faculty of Arts University of Ottawa © Heather Barkman, Ottawa, Canada, 2016 ii Table of Contents Table of Contents ii Abstract iv Acknowledgements v Introduction 1 Outline of the Chapters 9 Identity, Agency, and Power: Women’s Roles in the Cult of the Martyrs 14 Methodology 14 i. Intermittent Identities 14 ii. Agency 23 iii. Power 28 Women’s Roles 34 Wife 35 Mother 40 Daughter 43 Virgin 49 Mourner 52 Hostess 56 Widow 59 Prophet 63 Patron 66 Martyr 71 Conclusion 75 Female Martyrs and the Rejection/Reconfiguration of Identities 78 Martyrdom in North Africa 80 Named North African Female Martyrs 87 i. Januaria, Generosa, Donata, Secunda, Vestia (Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs) 87 ii. Perpetua and Felicitas (Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas) 87 iii. Quartillosa (Martyrdom of Montanus and Lucius) 89 iv. Crispina (Passion of Crispina) 90 v. Maxima, Donatilla, and Secunda (Passion of Saints Maxima, Donatilla, and Secunda) 91 vi. Salsa (Passion of Saint Salsa) 92 vii. Victoria, Maria, and Januaria (Acts of the Abitinian Martyrs) 93 Private Identities of North African Female Martyrs 95 Wife 95 Mother 106 Daughter 119 Private/Public Identities of North African Female Martyrs 135 Virgin 135 Public Identities of North African Female Martyrs 140 Bride of Christ 141 Prophet 148 Imitator of Christ 158 Conclusion 162 Patrons, Clients, and Imitators: Female Venerators in the Cult of the Martyrs 166 iii Patron 168 Client 175 i.
    [Show full text]
  • Journal of Theological Studies
    304 THE JOURNAL OF THEOLOGICAL STUDIES CHRONICLE HAGIOGRAPHICA. THE two years that have eJapsed since the Jut Chronicle of C H.agio­ graphica' have not witnessed any event of first magnitude in the field of hagiology; the BoIlandists have not issued a volume of the AdlI $aNlo,."" nor has there appeared in the MIJIIIIIM1Ua GentIIUIiaI HisItJri«l any volume of Yilae. For all that, there is a considerable body of good work to record. J. We may begin with a mention of three general Histories ~ Christian Literature, all of first rank, which naturally contain a great quantity of bagiologica1 material: the second volume of Hamack's CImmo/Qgie (Irenaeus to Eusebius); the second volume of Bardeo­ hewer's (leSt_All Mr allllinldiew Lilenllu,. (cent. iii); and Schanz, Gut_Ne Mr riiltlistllm Li/er'aJu,., of which a second edition of Part Ill, and the first half of Part IV, have recently appeared, both mainly devoted to the Latin Christian writers up to the end of the fourth century. The merits of these three standard works being so well established, it is needless to do more than remind bagiologists that they are mines of information on things bagiologica1. 2. In the domain of Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles, the chief event has without doubt been the publication of Dr Carl Schmidt's long looked-for edition of the Coptic Ada PaIIl; j this, however, has been sufficiently dealt with in previous numbers of the JOURNAL. There is, therefore, here need only to note that Corssen has challenged practically every item of the structure erected by Schmidt on the Coptic fragments t, and that the Bollandist reviewer adopts a position of extreme reserve in regard to the whole question '.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Socialism
    Baldwin 5/19/06 8:36 PM Page 59 59 Ancient I dedicate this essay to the memory of Ken Coates, scholarly Socialist and quite the Socialism best man I ever knew. More another time on Marxism and the Classics; just one sample here to kick off. Robert Service’s biography of Lenin suggests he ‘first learned from Barry Baldwin Demosthenes how to discern a crack in the wall of an opponent’s argument and prise it open’. A nice link here with Ken Coates’ last Spokesman editorial (no.109), which twice ironically applies the Greek democrat orator’s name to David Laws. Homer’s Iliad has literature’s earliest articulate squaddie. Thersites lambastes Agamemnon for filching the best loot from rank-and-filers who do the fighting and dying, urging his comrades to pack up and go home ‘that he may see how completely he depends on the men’. Since the Iliad was geared to aristocratic audiences, Thersites – ‘ugliest man in the army’ – can’t win. While Agamemnon stands gob-smacked, Odysseus simply knocks the humpbacked agitator down. But, it is notable that the poet felt bound to include this bolshie private to challenge the Greek army brass. In the Odyssey, though, our hero looms paternalistic. The shepherd Eumaeus confidently expects a retirement pension of The author is Emeritus land, cottage, and woman from his grateful Professor of Classics at lord – mutatis mutandis, the Upstairs the University of Calgary Downstairs ethic. Primitive feminism is in Canada. He studied in also adumbrated: Queens Penelope and Nottingham during the Arete both wield philanthropic influence 1950s.
    [Show full text]
  • Decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship on the Celebration of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus, in the General Roman Calendar
    N. 210202c Tuesday 02.02.2021 Decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship on the celebration of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus, in the General Roman Calendar CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP AND THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS DECREE on the Celebration of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus in the General Roman Calendar In the household of Bethany the Lord Jesus experienced the family spirit and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and for this reason the Gospel of John states that he loved them. Martha generously offered him hospitality, Mary listened attentively to his words and Lazarus promptly emerged from the tomb at the command of the One who humiliated death. The traditional uncertainty of the Latin Church about the identity of Mary - the Magdalene to whom Christ appeared after his resurrection, the sister of Martha, the sinner whose sins the Lord had forgiven - which resulted in the inclusion of Martha alone on 29 July in the Roman Calendar, has been resolved in recent studies and times, as attested by the current Roman Martyrology, which also commemorates Mary and Lazarus on that day. Moreover, in some particular calendars the three siblings are already celebrated together. Therefore, the Supreme Pontiff Pope FRANCIS, considering the important evangelical witness they offered in welcoming the Lord Jesus into their home, in listening to him attentively, in believing that he is the resurrection and the life, and accepting the proposal of this Dicastery, has decreed that 29 July be designated in the General Roman Calendar as the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus. The Memorial must therefore appear under this title in all Calendars and Liturgical Books for the celebration of Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours; the variations and additions to be adopted in the liturgical texts, attached to the present decree, must be translated, approved and, after confirmation by this Dicastery, published by the Episcopal Conferences.
    [Show full text]
  • October 2021 Octombrie Sunday/Duminică Monday/Luni Tuesday/Marţi Wednesday/Miercuri Thursday/Joi Friday/Vineri Saturday/Sâmbătă 2018
    October 2021 Octombrie Sunday/Duminică Monday/Luni Tuesday/Marţi Wednesday/Miercuri Thursday/Joi Friday/Vineri Saturday/Sâmbătă 2018 Common Abstinence1 2 Apostle Ananias. Ven. Cyprian and Justina, Romanus the Hymnographer. martyrs 3 4 5 Common Abstinence6 7 Common Abstinence8 9 2ND SUNDAY AFTER HOLY CROSS (19th H. Father Hierotheus, Bishop Charitina, woman Apostle Thomas Sergius and Bacchus, Ven. Mother Pelagia Apostle James, son of of Athens. martyr Martyrs; [Our Lady of the Alphaeus. Ven. Sunday after Pentecost). Tone 2, Res. Rosary] Andronicus and his wife, Gospel 8, Epistle 2 Cor. 11:31-33; Gospel Lk. Athanasia 6: 31– 36. Following week readings – 20th, week after Pentecost. 10 11 12 Common Abstinence13 14 Common Abstinence15 16 3RD SUNDAY AFTER HOLY CROSS (20th Apostle Philip, one of the Probus, Tarachus and Carpus, Papylas and Nazarius, Gervasius, Lucian, Priest of the Great Eulampius and First Seven Deacons. Ven. Andronicus, martyrs Agathonicus, martyrs Protasius & Celsus, Mrt; Church of Antioch, martyr. Eulampia, martyrs Sunday after Pentecost). Tone 3, Res. Father Theophanes the Ven. Cosmas of Maiuma Gospel 9, Epistle Gal 1: 11-19; Gospel Lk. 7: Confessor, Bishop of Nicea. 11– 16. Following week readings – 21st, week after Pentecost. 17 18 19 Common Abstinence20 21 Common Abstinence22 23 SUNDAY OF THE FATHERS OF THE VII Apostle Luke the Evangelist Prophet Joel. Varus, Great-martyr Artemius Ven. Hilarion the Great H. Father Abercius the Apostle James, Brother ECUMENICAL COUNCIL OF martyr. [Ven. Ursula] Wonderworker, equal to the of the Lord Apostles, bishop of Hierapolis. NICAEA. Tone 4, Res. Gospel 10, Epistle Seven Holy Youths of Ephesus.
    [Show full text]
  • Iver Nestos. According to Greek Mythology, the Foundation of the City
    (Avdira). A city in Thrace (northern Greece); situated on Cape ra (a corruption of the medieval Polystylon), eleven miles northeast of iver Nestos.According to Greek mythology, the foundation of the city went to Heracles,whose eighth labor was the capture of the man-eatinghorses iomedes,king of the neighboringBistonians. However, the first attempt to Abdera, accordingto Herodotus,was made in the seventhcentury nc by ists from Clazomenae(Klazumen) in Ionia led by Tynisias,but they were n backby the Thracians.In 545nc the peopleof anotherIonian city, Teos rk), frnding Persiandomination intolerable,placed settlers on the site (in- ing the poet Anacreon)and reconstructedthe town. It controlled an exten- 2pgs-6s6veredwith vineyards and fertile,' accordingto Pindar. An ear of in is shownon its fine coins.However, the Abderanswere constantly at pains protect their territory from Thracian incursions.Nevertheless, their city was a centerfor trading with the Thracian (Odrysian)rulers of the hinterland, d provided a harbor for the commerce of upper Thrace in general. \\'hen the Persians came to Thrace in 5131512they took control of Abdera, did so once againtn 492.In 480 it was one of the halting placesselected Xerxesas he marchedthe Persianarmy along the northern shoresof the Ae- n toward Greece. As a member of the first Athenian Alliance (Delian ue) establishedafter the end of the PersianWars, it contributed (from 454 a sum of betweenten and fifteen talents,indicating its position as the third- hestcity in the League.ln 431,at the beginningof the PeloponnesianWar inst Sparta, tltook the lead in an endeavor to enroll Thrace (under the Odry- ruler Sitalces)and Macedoniain the Athenian cause.Although'Abderite' becamea synonym for stupidity, Abdera producedtwo fifth-century think- of outstandingdistinction, Democritusand Protagoras.
    [Show full text]
  • Prudentius, Poetry and Hispania
    ORBIT-OnlineRepository ofBirkbeckInstitutionalTheses Enabling Open Access to Birkbeck’s Research Degree output Prudentius, Poetry and Hispania https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/40038/ Version: Full Version Citation: Hershkowitz, Paula (2013) Prudentius, Poetry and Hispania. [Thesis] (Unpublished) c 2020 The Author(s) All material available through ORBIT is protected by intellectual property law, including copy- right law. Any use made of the contents should comply with the relevant law. Deposit Guide Contact: email PRUDENTIUS, POETRY AND HISPANIA Paula Hershkowitz Department of History, Classics and Archaeology Birkbeck, University of London Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The work presented in this thesis is my own ................................................................ Paula Hershkowitz 1 ABSTRACT The thesis focuses on the martyr poetry of Prudentius. It argues that we cannot fully understand his verses without contextualising the poet within his physical environment, in particular that of Hispania, his homeland. Although literary sources can provide information about Prudentius and his work, it is only by accessing evidence from the archaeological and visual record when studying his poetry that its purpose can be fully understood. Chapter I serves as an introduction to Prudentius. It examines the information he gives us about himself in his poetry and discusses the historical context and background of his work. Chapter II identifies the audience of Prudentius and proposes a role for him as villa-poet to the elite of Hispania. It questions the extent to which this audience were, during his lifetime, committed to the Christian religion. Chapter III analyses the martyr poems in detail, especially those located in Hispania. By examining the material evidence for martyr worship in the locations mentioned by Prudentius it assesses whether the cult of the martyrs played a significant role in the lives of the Spanish.
    [Show full text]
  • Martyrology 12 09 19
    Martyrology An Anglican Martyrology - for the British Isles 1 of 160 Martyrology Introduction The base text is the martyrology compiled by Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB. Copyright © 2008 by the Monastery of the Ascension, Jerome, ID 83338 and available online at the website of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. The calendars of each of the three Anglican churches of the British isles contain varied group commemorations, I suggest these entries are read only in the province where they are observed and have indicated that by the use of italics and brackets. However, people, particularly in the Church of England, are woefully ignorant of the history of the other Anglican churches of our islands and it would be good if all entries for the islands are used in each province. The Roman dates are also indicated where these vary from Anglican ones but not all those on the Roman Calendar have an entry. The introductions to the saints and celebrations in the Anglican calendars in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in Exciting Holiness, ed. Brother Tristam SSF, The Canterbury Press, 1997, have been added where a saint did not already appear in the martyrology. These have been adapted to indicate the place and date of death at the beginning, as is traditional at the reading of the martyrology. For the place of death I have generally relied on Wikipedia. For Irish, Welsh and Scottish celebrations not appearing in Exciting Holiness I have used the latest edition of Celebrating the Saints, Canterbury Press, 2004. These entries are generally longer than appear in martyrologies and probably need editing down even more than I have done if they are to be read liturgically.
    [Show full text]
  • Classical Humanism Vs. Romanticism: Two Ways of Imagining Pre- Modern Torture at the Castle of Pöggstall (Austria)
    1 REVISTA DA FACULDADE DE DIREITO DA UFRGS NÚMERO 37 Classical Humanism vs. Romanticism: two ways of imagining pre- modern torture at the castle of Pöggstall (Austria) Humanismo Clássico vs. Romantismo: dois caminhos para imaginar a tortura pré-moderna no castelo de Pöggstall (Austria) Andreas Zajic Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften 81 Classical Humanism vs. Romanticism: two ways of imagining pre-modern torture at the castle of Pöggstall (Austria)* Humanismo Clássico vs. Romantismo: dois caminhos para imaginar a tortura pré-moderna no castelo de Pöggstall (Austria) Andreas Zajic** REFERÊNCIA ZAJIC, Andreas. Classical Humanism vs. Romanticism: Two ways of imagining pre-modern torture at the castle of Pöggstall (Austria). Revista da Faculdade de Direito da UFRGS, Porto Alegre, n. 37, p. 80-98, dez. 2017. RESUMO ABSTRACT O Castelo de Pöggstall, na Baixa Áustria, é longamente Pöggstall castle in Lower Austria has long been renowned reconhecido pelo público nacional por sua supostamente to a national public for its ostensibly “authentic” medieval "autêntica" câmara de tortura medieval, localizada em uma torture chamber located in an upper floor room of the 13th sala do andar superior da fortaleza do século XIII. century keep. As recent investigations disclosed, the whole Conforme recentes investigações revelaram, todo o aparato arrangement was not installed before the early 19th não foi instalado antes do início do século XIX, quando o century when the Austrian Emperor Francis I owned the Imperador Austríaco Francis I possuía a propriedade. A estate. The re-assessment of the interior betrays a reorganização do interior trai uma ideia "romântica" da “romantic” idea of pre-modern torture and punishment tortura e da punição pré-moderna que imaginava a "negra" that imagined the “dark” Middle Ages as a “counter- Idade Média como um "contraponto" a práticas draft” to “enlightened” practices of justice and criminal "esclarecidas" de Justiça e Direito Penal.
    [Show full text]