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Jacobus De Voragine: the Golden Legend (Conversion of Saint

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Jacobus De Voragine: the Golden Legend (Conversion of Saint JAN. 25] CONVERSION OJ' SAINT PAUL 127 out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord.' The third was his earthly understanding of the law; therefore the Gloss says of the words, 'I am Jesus,' 'I, thy God, speak to thee from heaven, who thoughtest Me dead, with thy Jewish understanding.' The heavenly light was sudden that it might affright the bold one; immeasurable that it might cast d6wn the proud and insolent one into the depths of humility; divine that it might transform his earthly knowledge into divine knowledge. One can also say that the con- version was accomplished through three things: the voice which called him, the light which illuminated him, the power of God which converted him. The conversion was also miraculous in him to which it occurred, namely, Saint Paul himself. For there were three external signs: he fell to the ground, he became blind, and he was forced to fast for three days. He was thrown to the ground that he might be lifted up. Saint Augustine says: 'Paul was thrown to the ground that he might be blinded; he was blinded that he might be changed; he was changed that he might be sent forth; he was sent forth that he might suffer death for the truth.' Again, Augustine says: 'The enraged one was shattered and became a believer; the wolf was slain and be- came a lamb; the persecutor was thrown down and became a mes- senger; the son of ruin was broken and lifted up as the chosen vessel.' He became blind that he might receive the true light; for his knowl- edge was beclouded. That is why somt: believe that in the three days during which he was blind, God taught him the Gospel. For he himself says that he did not receive it from a man orthrough a man, but solely through the revelation of Jesus Christ. Saint Au- gustine writes: 'I call Paul a true warrior of Christ, for he was taught by Christ, anointed by Him, crucified with Him, and lifted up in Him. He scourged his body that the flesh might be obedient in all good deeds. And verily it was obedient in all good deeds; for he could suffer hunger and yet have enough, and knew how to make his way in all things. and in all places, and willingly bore all opposition.' Chrysostom says: 'He regarded ryrants and the angry mob as no more than flies; he looked upon death and pain with a thousand sufferings as playthings. He bore torture willingly, and he was more adorned with the chains of captivity than with a precious crown; he accepted wounds with more joy than others did gifts.' There were also in Paul three things as opposed to those in Adam: 128 THE GOLDEN LEGEND he raised himself in pride against God and therefore God cast Paul to earth; as Adam opened his eyes so Paul was blinded; Adam ate the forbidden apple, Paul abstained from that which was permitted. SAINT JULIAN JANUARY 27 Julian comes from jubilus, jubilation, and ana, above; and means the same as jubilianus, for he strove to gain Heaven with rejoicing. Or it comes from Julius, one who begins, and anus, an old man. For in God's service he was aged in patience, but in his estimation of himself he was a beginner. Saint Julian was Bishop of Le Mans. It is said that he Wasthe same man as Simon the Leper, who was cured by Christ, and then invited Him to dine at his table. After Our Lord's Ascension, Si- mon, or Julian, was ordained bishop of Le Mans by the twelve apos- tles. He shone with many virtues, raised three persons from the dead, and fell asleep in the peace of the Lord. It may be this Saint Julian whom travellers invoke, that theymay find hospitality on their journey; this would be due to the honour which was his in receiving Our Lord as his guest. But more probably the Saint Julian who is surnamed 'the Hospitaller' is another Julian, who stew his parents, not knowing who they were, and whose stoty we shall relate presently. There was another Saint Julian, a native of Auvergne, noble by birth and still nobler by faith, who so longed for martyrdom that he went out in search of his persecutors. Finally the consul Crispin us sent one of his officersto put him to death; and Julian ran to meet him, and offered himself to his blows. His severed head was borne to his friend Ferreolus, with a threat that he would suffer a like death unless he offered sacrifice to the idols. Saint Ferreolus refused and was put to death; and his body and the head of Saint Julian were laid in the same tomb. Long years after, Saint Mamertius, the Bishop of Vienne, found Saint Julian's head in the hands of Saint Ferreolus: and the head was as fresh and unmarked as if it had been buried that vety day. Among other miracles told of this saint, there is one of the deacon who wished to steal some sheep which belonged to the church of 33° THE GOLDEN LEGEND secret, and buried their bodies in their house; and h~ bruited it abroad that they had. been sent into exile. But soon his son became possessed of a devil, who tormented him sorely. Seeing this, T eren- tianus avowed his crime, became a Christian, and wrote an ac- count of the martyrdom of the two saints with ~is own hand; and in return his son was delivered from the Devil. The saints suffered martyrdom in the year 364. Saint Gregory relates, in his homily on the text, If any man will come after me, that a woman who was wont to visit the church of the two martyrs, was returning one day from the church when she saw before her door two monks in the attire of pilgrims. At once she ordered her steward to give them alms. But they drew near to her and said: 'Since it pleases thee to visit us, we shall claim thee in the day of judgement, and shall do for thee all that is in our power!' And having said this, they vanished. In his Preface, Ambrose says: 'The blessed martyrs John and Paul, have truly fulfilled that which David sings in the Psalms: "Be- hold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" They were equal in birth, equal in faith. and equal in their martyrdom. and were always united in one glorious Master.' SAINT PETER JUNE 29 Peter had three names. He was called Simon Bariona. Simon is translated as he who obeys, or he who mourns; Bariona, however, means son of the dove, for in Syrian bar means son, and in Hebrew ;ona means dove. He was obedient, for when Christ called him he answered the first call; he mourned, for when he denied Christ he went out and wept bitterly; He was the son of the dove, because he was diligent in serving God in simplicity. Again, he was called Cephas which means head, or rock, or one whose mouth resounds. He was a head in that hewas the chief of the disciples, a rock in the constancy of his suffering, and one whose mouth resounds in his untiring preaching. Thirdly, he was called Peter, which means the knowing one, or .one who takes off his shoes, or one who loosens. He knew the divinity of Christ when he said: 'Thou art Christ. the 332 THE GOLDEN LEGEND whenever he heard again in memory the sweet voice of his Master, he could not help but weep )\lith tender emotion. He wept also at the memory of his denial: ~o much indeed did he weep therefor that, as Clement tells us, his face seemed to be inflamed with tears. Clement also says that when he heard the crowing of the cock in the night, he arose and prayed, and anew the tears began to course down his cheeks. 'l\nd we also know from Clement that the day when Peter's wife was led to martyrdom, he called her by her name, and joyfully exclaimed: 'Dear wife, remember the Lord!' One day Saint Peter sent two of his disciples forth to preach, and one of them died in the way, and the other returned to his master to make known to him what had happened. This latter, according to some.,was Saint Martial j. according to others, Saint Maternus; and others hold that he was Saint Front. The disciple who had died was the priest George. Then Peter gave his staff to the surviving disciple, and told him to go and lay it upon his companion's corpse. And no sooner had he done this than the dead man, who had already lain for forty days, came back to life. In those days there dwelt in Jerusalem a sorcerer named Simon, who proclaimed himself the source of all truth, promised to make immortal all those who would believe in him, and said that nothing was impossible to him. And one time, as the book of Clement tells us, he said: 'I shall be adored publicly as a god, I shall re- ceive divine honours, and all that I will to do I shall do. One day my mother Rachel sent me into the fields to reap, and I commanded a scythe to reap of itself; and reap it did, and its work was ten times that of the other workers.' And Jerome relates that he said: 'I am the Word of God, I am the Holy Spirit, I am God whole and en- tire.' He caused brazen serpents to creep upon the earth, and stone statues to laugh, and dogs to sing.
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