Sacred and legendary art, volume 1 (of 2): Containing legends of the angels and archangels, the evangelists, the Apostles, the doctors of the church, and St. Mary magdalene, as represented in the fine arts.Jameson, Mrs. (Anna)
Religion
Sacred and legendary art, volume 1 (of 2): Containing legends of the angels and archangels, the evangelists, the Apostles, the doctors of the church, and St. Mary magdalene, as represented in the fine arts.
Jameson, Mrs. (Anna)
Christian art and symbolism; Christian saints in art
And they did so; and having laid the sorcerer down at the feet of St.
James, they besought him, saying, ‘Now give us power to be avenged
of our enemy and thine!’ But St. James rebuked them, saying, ‘Christ
hath commanded us to do good for evil.’ So he delivered Hermogenes
from their hands; and the magician, being utterly confounded, cast his
books into the sea, and desired of St. James that he would protect him
against the demons, his former servants. Then St. James gave him his
staff, as the most effectual means of defence against the infernal
spirits; and Hermogenes became a faithful disciple and preacher of the
word from that day.
But the evil-minded Jews, being more and more incensed, took James and
bound him, and brought him before the tribunal of Herod Agrippa; and
one of those who dragged him along, touched by the gentleness of his
demeanour, and by his miracles of mercy, was converted, and supplicated
to die with him; and the apostle gave him the kiss of peace, saying,
‘Pax vobis!’ and the kiss and the words together have remained as a
form of benediction in the Church to this day. Then they were both
beheaded, and so died.
And the disciples of St. James came and took away his body; and, not
daring to bury it, for fear of the Jews, they carried it to Joppa, and
placed it on board of a ship: some say that the ship was of marble,
but this is not authenticated; however, it is most certain that angels
conducted the ship miraculously to the coast of Spain, where they
arrived in seven days; and, sailing through the straits called the
Pillars of Hercules, they landed at length in Galicia, at a port called
Iria Flavia, now Padron.
In those days there reigned over the country a certain queen whose
name was Lupa, and she and all her people were plunged in wickedness
and idolatry. Now, having come to shore, they laid the body of the
apostle upon a great stone, which became like wax, and, receiving the
body, closed around it: this was a sign that the saint willed to remain
there; but the wicked queen Lupa was displeased, and she commanded
that they should harness some wild bulls to a car, and place on it the
body, with the self-formed tomb, hoping that they would drag it to
destruction. But in this she was mistaken; for the wild bulls, when
signed by the cross, became as docile as sheep, and they drew the body
of the apostle straight into the court of her palace. When Queen Lupa
beheld this miracle, she was confounded, and she and all her people
became Christians: she built a magnificent church to receive the sacred
remains, and died in the odour of sanctity.
But then came the darkness and ruin which during the invasion of the
Barbarians overshadowed all Spain; and the body of the apostle was
lost, and no one knew where to find it, till, in the year 800, the
place of sepulture was revealed to a certain holy friar.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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