De exaltatione sanctae crucis
The Transformation of the Cross
The cross, once a symbol of shame and death, is exalted through Christ's passion into a sign of life and sweetness.
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is named this way because, on this day, the faith and the holy cross were greatly exalted. It should be noted, however, that before Christ's passion, the wood of the cross was a symbol of worthlessness, because such crosses were made from common wood; of fruitlessness, because no matter how much it was planted on Mount Calvary, it bore no fruit; of ignobility, because it was a punishment for thieves; of darkness, because it was gloomy and devoid of all beauty; of death, because men were handed over to death there; and of foulness, because it was planted in the midst of corpses. After the passion, however, it was exalted in many ways, for its worthlessness turned into preciousness, which is why Andrew said: 'Hail, precious cross,' and so on. Fruitlessness turned into fertility (Song of Songs). 7. 'I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit'; ignobility turned into sublimity (Augustine). The cross, which was a punishment for thieves, passed to the foreheads of emperors; darkness turned into light—Chrysostom says that the cross and the scars of Christ will be brighter than the rays of the sun at the judgment; death turned into the eternity of life, which is why it is sung: 'Whence death arose'; foulness turned into the fragrance of sweetness (Song of Songs 1). 'While the king was at his table, my nard gave forth its fragrance'—that is, the holy cross gave forth its fragrance.
The Recovery of the Holy Wood
Emperor Heraclius defeats the tyrant Chosroes and restores the Holy Cross to Jerusalem, learning a lesson in humility along the way.
The Church celebrates the Exaltation of the Holy Cross with solemnity because, on that day, the faith and the holy cross were exalted to the highest degree. This happened in the year of our Lord 615. As the Lord allowed his people to be scourged by the cruelty of the pagans, Chosroes, King of the Persians, brought all the kingdoms of the earth under his rule. He came to Jerusalem but fled in terror from the Lord's sepulcher, though he did carry away a portion of the holy cross that Saint Helena had left there. Wishing to be worshipped by everyone as God, he built a tower of gold and silver, shining with gems, and placed images of the sun, moon, and stars inside; by using subtle and hidden conduits, he made it appear as if he were God. He poured water from above, and in a subterranean cave, horses pulling chariots moved in a circle to simulate the tower moving and to mimic thunder. Then, having handed the kingdom over to his son, this profane man sat in his shrine and, placing the Lord's cross beside him, ordered everyone to call him God. As is read in the book on the 'Mitral Office,' Chosroes himself, sitting on the throne like a father, placed the wood of the cross to his right in the place of the Son, and a rooster to his left in the place of the Holy Spirit, while he himself ordered to be called the Father. Then the Emperor Heraclius gathered a great army and arrived to fight against the son of Chosroes near the Danube River. Finally, both princes agreed that they should fight alone on a bridge, and whoever emerged the victor would take the empire without the loss of either army. A decree also went out that anyone who dared to help their prince would have their legs and arms cut off and would be immediately drowned in the river. But Heraclius offered himself entirely to God and commended himself to the holy cross with all the devotion he could. With both of them engaged in the conflict, the Lord granted victory to Heraclius and brought the opposing army under his rule, so much so that the entire people of Chosroes submitted themselves to the Christian faith and received holy baptism. Chosroes, however, was unaware of the battle's outcome because, since he was hated by everyone, no one told him. Heraclius reached him and, finding him sitting on a golden throne, said to him: "Because you honored the wood of the holy cross according to your own measure, if you accept baptism and the faith of Christ, you will keep your life and your kingdom by giving a few hostages; but if you refuse to do this, I will strike you with my sword and cut off your head." When he refused to agree, Heraclius drew his sword and beheaded him completely, and because he had been a king, he ordered him to be buried; he then had his ten-year-old son, whom he found with him, baptized, and taking him from the sacred font as his godfather, he left the paternal kingdom to him. He destroyed that tower, gave the silver as plunder to his army, and reserved the gold and jewels to repair the churches that the tyrant had destroyed. He then took up the holy cross and brought it back to Jerusalem; but as he was descending from the Mount of Olives and wanted to enter through the gate by which the Lord had entered on his way to his passion, riding on a royal horse and in imperial finery, the stones of the gate suddenly descended and closed themselves together like a wall or a single partition. While everyone was stunned by this, an angel of the Lord appeared above the gate holding the sign of the cross in his hands and said, 'When the King of heaven entered through this gate for his passion, he did not enter in royal state, but on a humble donkey, leaving an example of humility to his followers.' With these words, the angel vanished. Then the emperor, moved to tears, took off his shoes and stripped off his clothes down to his shirt, and humbly carried the Lord's cross to the gate. Immediately, he felt the divine power in the hardness of the stones, and the gate at once rose up and opened a free passage for those entering. The sweet fragrance that had drifted all the way from the province of Persia to Jerusalem on the very day and at the very moment the holy cross was taken from the tower of Chosroes, then returned and refreshed everyone with its wonderful sweetness. The most devout emperor broke out into these praises of the cross: 'O cross, more brilliant than all the stars, famous throughout the world, deeply lovable to humanity, holier than all things, you alone were worthy to carry the ransom of the world! Sweet wood, sweet nails, sweet sword, sweet spear, bearing sweet burdens, save this present crowd gathered today in your praises and marked with your banner.' And so the precious cross was restored to its place, and the ancient miracles were renewed. Certain dead were restored to life, four paralytics were cured, ten lepers were cleansed, fifteen blind were given sight, demons were cast out, and many were freed from various illnesses; and so the emperor, having repaired the churches and showered them with royal gifts, returned to his own lands. In the chronicles, however, this event is narrated differently. They say that while Cosdroe was occupying the kingdoms of Jerusalem and had captured the patriarch Zacharias along with the wood of the Cross, Heraclius wanted to make peace with him; but Cosdroe swore he wouldn't make peace with the Romans until they renounced the Crucified and worshipped the sun. Then Heraclius, armed with zeal, marched his army against him, devastated the Persians in many battles, and forced Cosdroe to flee as far as Ctesiphon. At last, Cosdroe, having contracted dysentery, wanted to crown his son Medasan as king. When his firstborn son, Syrois, heard of this, he made a pact with Heraclius and, pursuing his father along with the nobles, threw him into chains; he kept him alive on the bread of affliction and the water of distress, and finally had him shot with arrows and killed. Afterward, however, he sent all the prisoners, along with the patriarch and the wood of the Cross, to Heraclius, who then brought the precious wood of the Cross to Jerusalem and later carried it to Constantinople. These events are recorded in many chronicles.
Signs and Wonders of the Cross
Various miracles involving images of Christ and the power of the cross demonstrate its divine authority over both believers and unbelievers.
Regarding the wood of the cross, the Sibyl spoke this among the pagans, as told in the Tripartite History: 'O thrice-blessed wood, on which God was stretched out!' This was perhaps said because of the life of nature, of grace, and of glory, which comes from the cross. In Constantinople, a certain Jew entered the Church of Holy Wisdom and caught sight of an image of Christ there. Thinking he was alone, he grabbed a sword, approached the image of Christ, and struck it in the throat; blood immediately poured out and splattered the Jew's face and head. Terrified, he took the image, threw it into a well, and fled at once. A Christian happened to meet him and asked, "Where are you coming from, Jew?" "You've killed someone." He replied, "That's false." The man said to him again, "You've definitely committed murder, and that's why you're covered in blood." The Jew replied, "The God of the Christians is truly great, and His faith is proven firm in every way; for I didn't strike a man, but the image of Christ, and blood immediately flowed from its throat." The Jew led the man to the well, and they pulled the holy image out; the wound in Christ’s throat, as the story goes, is still visible today, and the Jew immediately became a believer. In the city of Berich in Syria, a certain Christian who rented a room had piously fastened an image of the crucified Lord to the wall facing his bed, and he prayed there constantly. A year later, he moved to another house and, by mistake, left the image behind. A certain Jew then rented that same house and, one day, invited one of his fellow Jews to a feast. During the meal, the guest happened to glance at the image on the wall; he flew into a rage at his host, threatening him for daring to keep an image of Jesus Christ the Nazarene. The host, however, having not yet seen the image, swore by the oaths he could that he knew nothing at all about the image the other was talking about. Then, pretending to be appeased, the guest said goodbye and went to the leader of his people to accuse the host of what he had seen. The Jews gathered at the house, and upon seeing the image, they subjected the host to harsh insults and threw him out of the synagogue half-dead; they trampled the image underfoot, reenacting all the outrages of the Lord's Passion upon it. When they pierced the side with a lance, blood and water poured out in abundance and filled the vessel placed beneath it. But he said: Nicodemus made it and left it to Gamaliel when he was dying; Gamaliel left it to Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus to James, and James to Simon. In this way, it remained in Jerusalem until the city was destroyed, at which point it was carried away by the faithful into the kingdom of Agrippa, and from there it was brought to my homeland, where it passed down to me by hereditary right from my parents. This happened in the year of the Lord 750. Then all the Jews consecrated their synagogues into churches, and from that time on, this custom took root—that churches should be consecrated, because before that, only altars were consecrated. Because of this miracle, the Church ordained the fifth day before the Kalends. This is to commemorate the Lord's Passion, or, as is read elsewhere, on the fifth day before the Ides of November. For this reason, a church was consecrated in Rome in honor of the Savior, where the vial with that blood is kept and a solemn feast is celebrated. The power of the Cross is proven to be supreme in every way, even among unbelievers. For, as Gregory says in his second book... ...he records that when Andrew, the bishop of the city of Fondi, allowed a certain consecrated woman to live with him, the ancient enemy began to imprint her image upon his mind's eye, so that he would think of shameful things while in bed.
The Power of the Sign
The sign of the cross serves as a potent defense against demonic influence and a catalyst for the conversion of the Gentiles.
One day, a Jewish man arriving in Rome realized it was getting late and, finding nowhere else to stay, took shelter for the night in a temple of Apollo. Fearing the sacrilege of the place, and even though he had no faith in the Cross, he still took care to protect himself with the sign of the Cross. Waking in the middle of the night, he saw a crowd of evil spirits emerge, as if serving some power, and the one in charge sat in their midst; he began to examine the motives and actions of each spirit under his command to see how much wickedness each had committed. Gregory skips the details of this discussion for the sake of brevity, but it can be understood from a similar example found in the Lives of the Fathers. For when a man entered a temple of idols, he saw Satan sitting there with all his militia standing by him. One of the evil spirits came and worshipped him. He asked him, "Where have you come from?" And he replied, "I have been in that province, where I stirred up many wars, caused many disturbances, shed much blood, and have come to report to you." And Satan asked, "How long did it take you to do this?" He replied, "In thirty days." And Satan said, "Why did it take you so long to do this?" He told those standing by, "Go, whip him, and beat him even harder." Then a second one came forward and worshipped him, saying, "Master, I was at sea, where I stirred up great storms, sank many ships, and killed a great number of people." And he asked, "How long did it take you to do this?" He replied, "In twenty days." And he ordered him to be whipped in the same way, saying, "You have done so little in such a long time." The third one came forward and said, "I was in a certain city, stirred up fights at a wedding, caused a great deal of bloodshed, and killed the bridegroom himself, and I've come to report this to you." He asked him, "How long did it take you to do this?" He replied, "Ten days." Then he said, "Haven't you done more than that in all those days?" And he ordered those standing by to beat him. The fourth one came forward and said, "I stayed in the desert and worked for forty years on a certain monk, and only with great difficulty did I finally cause him to fall into the sins of the flesh." When Satan heard this, he rose from his throne, kissed him, took the crown from his own head and placed it on the other's, and made him sit with him, saying, "You've done a great thing with strength, and you've worked harder than all the others." This, or something like it, may be the manner of that discussion which Gregory omits. As each of the spirits explained what they had done, one stepped forward and revealed how much he had stirred up Andrew’s heart with the temptation of the flesh regarding that nun, adding that from the hour of vespers yesterday until now he had been pulling at his mind to get him to sneak up behind her and slap her. Then the evil spirit urged him to finish what he had started, so that he might win the singular prize for that ruin among the others, and he commanded him to find out who it was that had dared to lie in that same temple. But when the man began to tremble violently and the spirits who had been sent saw that he was marked with the mystery of the cross, they were terrified and cried out: "Truly a vessel empty, yet marked." At this voice, that crowd of evil spirits vanished at once; the Jew, however, hurried to the bishop, and told him everything in order. Hearing this, the bishop groaned deeply, immediately sent every woman away from his house, and baptized the Jew. G. Gregory also relates in his book of Dialogues that a certain nun went into a garden, saw some lettuce, and wanted it. She forgot to bless it with the sign of the cross and ate it greedily, but was immediately seized by a devil and fell down. When the blessed Equitius arrived, the devil began to cry out and say, "What have I done? What have I done? I was sitting there on the lettuce, and she came and bit me." But at the command of that holy man, he left her immediately. The fortieth book of the Ecclesiastical History records that the Gentiles had painted the arms of Serapis on walls throughout Alexandria, but Theodosius had them erased and ordered the sign of the cross to be painted in their place. When they saw this, the Gentiles and the priests of the idols were baptized, saying that it had been handed down by the ancients that the things they worshipped would stand only until the arrival of that sign in which there is life. At that time, there was a certain letter among them— which they called sacred; it was shaped like a cross, and they said it signified the life to come.
Read the original Latin
Exaltatio sanctae crucis dicitur eo, quod tali die fides et sancta crux plurimum exaltata fuit. Notandum autem, quod ante Christi passionem lignum crucis fuit lignum vilitatis, quia hujusmodi cruces de lignis vilibus parabantur; infructuositatis, quia, quantumcunque in monte Calvariae plantabatur, fructum minime faciebat; ignobilitatis quoque, quia erat supplicium latronum; tenebrositatis, quia tenebrosum et sine omni decore erat; mortis, quia ibi homines morti tradebantur; foetoris, quia in medio cadaverum plantabatur. Post passionem vero fuit multipliciter exaltata, quia vilitas transiit in pretiositatem, unde dixit Andreas: salve crux pretiosa etc. ; infructuositas in fertilitatem, Cant. VII. : adscendam in palmam et apprehendam fructum ejus; ignobilitas in sublimitatem, August. : crux, quae erat supplicium latronum, transiit ad frontes imperatorum; tenebrositas in claritatem, Chrysostomus: crux et cicatrices Christi radiis solis in judicio erunt lucidiores ; mors in vitae perpetuitatem, unde cantatur: ut nnde mors oriebatur; foetor in odorem suavitatis, Cant, I. : eum esset rex in accubitu suo; nardus, id est crux sancta, dedit odorem suum.
Exaltatio sanctae crucis sollemniter ab ecclesia celebratur, quia in ea fides quamplurimum exaltata fuit. Anno enim domini DCXV. permittente domino flagellari populam suum per saevitiam paganorum , Cosdroe rex Persarum omnia regna terrarum suo imperio subjugavit, Jerusalem autem veniens a sepulchro domini territus rediit, sed tamen partem sanctae crucis, quam sancta Helena ibidem reliquerat, asportavit, Volens autem ab ommibus coli ut Deus, turrim ex auro et argento interlucentibus gemmis fecit et ibidem solis et lunae et stellarum imagines collocavit, per subtiles etiam atque occultos ductus quasi Deus !) aquam desuper infandebat et in subterraneo specu equi quadrigas trahentes in circuitu ibant, ut quasi turrim moverent et tonitruum simularent, Filio igitur suo regno tradito in tali fano profanus residet et juxta se crucem domini collocans appellari ab omnibus se Deum jubet et, sicut legitur in libro de mitrali officio, ipse Cosdroe in throno residens tanquam pater lignum crucis sibi a dextris imposuit loco filii et gallum a sinistris loco spiritus sancti, se vero jussit patrem nominari. Tunc Eraclius imperator exercitum copiosum collegit et contra filium Cosdroe juxta Danubium fluvium dimicaturus advenit, Tandem utrisque principibus placuit, ut ipsi super pontem soli confligerent, et qui victor exsisteret, sine damno utriusque exercitus imperium usurparet. Decretum etiam exiit, ut, quicumque principem snum juvare praesumeret, cruribus excisis et brachiis ob hoc continuo in flumine mergeretur. At Eraclius totum se Deo obtulit et sanctae cruci devotione, qua potuit, commendavit, Ambobus igitur in conflictu durantibus, Eraclio victoriam dominus contulit et contrarium exercitum suo imperio subjugavit, adeo quod universus populus Cosdroe fidei christianae se subdidit et sacrum baptisma suscepit. Cosdroe autem ignorabat exitum belli, quia, cum ab omnibusodiretur, sibi a nemine intimatur.
Eraclius antem ad eum pervenit et in throno aureo eum sedere reperiens eidem dixit: quia lignum sanctae crucis secundum tuum modulum honorasti, si baptismum et fidem Christi susceperis, adhuc vitam et regnum paucis a te acceptis obsidibus obtinebis, si autem hoc implere contemseris, gladio meo te feriam et caput tuum praecidam. Cum igitur ille acquiescere nollet, extracto gladio enm penitus decollavit, et quia rex fuerat, sepelire praecepit, filium vero suum X annorum, quem cum co reperit, baptizari fecit ct -de sacro fonte ipsum suscipiens regnum patermum ei dimisit.
Turrim vero illam destruens et argentum ín praedam sni exercitus tribuens, aurum vero et gemmas ad reparandum ecclesias, quas iyrannus destruxerat, reservavit. Sacram igitur crucem suscipiens Hierosolimam reportavit, cumque autem de monte oliveti descendens per portam, quà dominus passurus intraverat, in equo regio et ornamento imperiali ingredi vellet, repente lapides portae descenderunt et invicem quasi muru% vel unus paries se clauserunt, Super quo cunctis stupentibus angelus domini signum crucis in manibus tenens super portam apparuit dicens: cum rex coelorum ad passionem per hanc portam intraret, nec cultu regio, sed humili asello ingrediens humilitatis exemplum suis cultoribus dereliquit; et his dictis angelus abscessit. Tunc imperator lacrymis infusus se ipsum discalceavit et vestimenta usque ad camisiam exuit crucemque domini accipiens usque ad portam humiliter bajulavit moxque duritia lapidum coeleste persensit imperium statimque porta se suberigens liberum intrantibus patefecit ingressum. Odor autem suavissimus, qui eodem die eodemque momento, quo de turri Cosdroe sacra crux fuit ablata, Hierosolimis de Persarum provincia per tam longa terrarum spatia fuerat illapsus, tunc rediit omnesque mirabili suavitate refecit. Rex autem devotissimus in has crucis laudes prorupit: o crux splendidior cunctis astris, mundo celebris, hominibus multum amabilis, sanctior universis, quae sola fuisti digna portare talentum mundi, dulce lignum, dulces clavi, dulcis mucro, dulcis hasta, dulcia ferens pondera, salva praesentem catervam in tuis hodie laudibus congregatam, tuo vexillo signatam. Sicque pretiosa in suo loco restituitur et antiqua miracula renovantnr. Mortui quidam vitae restituuntur, paralitici quatuor curantur, leprosi decem mundantur, caeci quindecim illuminantur, daemones effugantur et a variis languoribus plurimi liberantur et sic imperator ecclesias reparans et regiis muneribus cumulans ad propria remeavit. In chronicis autem hoc gestum aliter fuisse narratur.
Dicitur enim, quod, dum Cosdroe occupans universa regna Hierusalem cum Zacharia patriarcha et ligno crucis cepisset et Eraclius cum eo pacem facere vellet, juravit, se eum Romanis pacem non facturum, donec crucifixum abnegarent et solem adorarent, Tunc Eraclius zelo armatus contra eum exercitum movit et Persas multis proeliis devastavit et Cosdroe usque ad Ctesiphontem fugere compulit. Tandem Cosdroe dissenteriam incurrensMedasan filium suum in regem coronare voluit. Quod Syrois primogenitus ejus audiens cum Eraclio foedus iniit patremque cum nobilibus persequens in vinculis jecit, quem pane tribulationis et aqua angustiae sustentans tandem sagittari et occidi fecit. Postmodum autem omnes incarceratos cum patriarcha et ligno crucis Eraclio destinavit, ille autem pretiosum lignum crucis Jerusalem detulit et postmodum Gonstantinopolim deportavit. Haec in multis chronicis leguntur.
De hoc autem ligno crucis sic dixit Sibilla apud paganos, sicut dicitur in hystoria tripartita; o ter beatum lignum, in quo Deus extensus est! Hoc forte dictum est propter vitam naturae, gratiae et gloriae, quae ex cruce provenit,
Apud Constantinopolim Judaeus quidam ecclesiam sanctae Sophiae ingressus quandam imaginemChristi ibidem conspexit. Qui se ibi solum considerans gladium arripuit et appropians imaginem Christi in gutture percussit statimque inde sanguis exivit et Judaei faciem et caput adspersit. Qui territus imaginem accepit et ipsam in puteum projiciens statim aufugit. Quidam autem christianus eidem obviavit sibique dixit: unde venis, Judaee? aliquem hominem occidisti. Et ille: falsum est. Cui rursus homo ille dixit: vere homicidium perpetrasti et ideo sanguine aspersus es. Et Judaeus: vere Deus christianorum magnus est et fides ejus firma per omnia comprobatur; nequaquam enim hominem percussi, sed Christi imaginem, et continuo sanguis emanavit de ejus gutture.
Duxit autem Judaeus hominem illum ad puteum et inde sanctam imaginem extraxerunt, Plaga autem iu gutture Christi, ut fertur, adhuc hodie cernitur et Judaeus continuo fidelis efficitur.
Apud Syriam in civitate Berich quidam christianus sub annua pensione hospitium habens imaginem domini crucifixi contra lectuli faciem in pietate affixerat et ibi orationes suas continue faciebat, Post annum vero aliam domum locavit et imaginem ibidem ex oblivione reliquit, quidam antem Judaeus praedictam domum conduxit et die quadam unum de suis contribulibus ad convivium invitavit, Inter epulas antem ille, qui invitatus fuerat, casu circumspiciens imaginem infixam parieti contnetur et in illum, qui se invitaverat, ira fremens, cur imaginem Jesu Christi Nazareni tenere audeat, comminatur. llle autem, cum adhuc praedictam imaginem non vidisset, sacramentis, quibus- poterat, affirmabat, quod illam, de qua dicebat, imaginem penitus ignorabat. Tunc ille placatum se simulans valefecit et principem suae gentis adiens Judaeum illum de eo, quod viderat, accusavit. Judaei igitur congregati ad domum ejus conveniunt et visa imagine illum contameliis duris afficiunt et extra synagogam semivivum projiciunt, imaginem vero conculeantes pedibus cuncta in ea dominicae passionis opprobria renovarunt. Cum vero latus lancea perforassent, ubertim sanguis et aqua exivit et suppositum vas implevit. Stupefacti Judaei sanguinem illum ad synagogas detulerunt et omnes infirmi ex ipso inuncti protinus curabantur. Tunc Judaei episcopo terrae illius omnia per ordinem uarraverunt et baptismum et fidem Christi unanimiter susceperunt. Episcopus autem sanguinem illum in ampullis crystallinis et vitreis conservavit, christianum etiam illum accersivit et, quis tam pulchram imaginem composuisset, inquisivit.
At ille dixit: Nicodemus illam composuit, quam 7moriens Gamalieli, Gamaliel Zachaeo, Zachaeus Jacobo, Jacobus Symoni dereliquit, sicque in Jerusalem usque ad excidium urbís fuit, donec inde a fidelibus in regnum Agrippae delata et inde-ad patriam meam deducta a parentibus meis ad me hereditario jure devenit. Factum est hoc anno domini DCCL. Tunc omnes Judaei synagogas in ecclesias consecrarunt et extunc hic mos inolevit, ut ecélesiae consecrarentur, quia ante tantum altaria consecrabantur. Propter istud miraculum ordinavit ecclesia V cal. Decembres memoriam fieri dominicae passionis, vel, ut alibi legitur, V Idus Novembres, Unde et Romae consecrata ecclesia est in honore salvatoris, ubi ampulla cum illo sanguine reservatur et sollemne festum agitur, i . Virtus crucis etiam apud infideles maxima per omnia comprobatur. Nam, ut Gregorius in Il. dyalogorum libro commemorat, Andreas Fundanae civitatis episcopus, dum quandam sanctimonialem episcopus feminam secum habitare permilleret, antiquus hostis coepit speciem illius mentis ejus oculis imprimere, ut in lecto nefanda cogitaret.
Quadam vero die Judaeus quidam Romam veniens, cum jam diem declinare cerneret, et ubi manere posset, minime reperisset, in quodam templo Apollinis ad manendum se contulit. Qui ipsum loci ipsius sacrilegium pertimescens, quamvis fidem crucis minime haberet, signo crucis tamen se munire curavit. Nocte antem media evigilans vidit malignorum spirituum turbam quasi in obsequium cujusdam potestatis prodire eumque, qui eaeteris praeerat, in eorum medio considere, qui coepit singulornm spirituum sibi obsequentium causas actusque discutere, quatenus, unusquisque quantum egisset nequitiae, inveniret. Modum autem discussionis Gregorius causa brevitatis pertransit, sed ex simili in quodam exemplo, quod legitur in vitis patrum, innotescere potest. Nam dum quidam in templum ydolorum intrasset, vidit Sathanam sedentem et omnem ejus militiam ei adstantem. Et veniens unus de malignis spiritibus adoravit eum. Cni ille: unde venis? Et ille: in illa provincia fui et ibi bella plurima suseitavi et perturbationes multas feci et sanguinem copiosum effadi et veni nuntiare tibi.
Et Sathan ait: quanto tempore hoc fecisti? Etille: in XXX diebus. Et Sathan: quare hoc tanto tempore fecisti? Et ait assistentibus : ite et flagellis eum caedite et durius verberate. Et secundus veniens adoravit eum dicens: in mari, domine, eram et commotiones maximas excitavi et naves multas demersi, homines quamplurimos occidi. Et ait: quanto tempore hoe fecisti? Etille: in XX diebus. Et jussit hunc similiter flagellari dieene:- ita modicum tanto tempore laborasti.
Et tertius veniens ait: in quadam civitate fui et rixas in quibusdam nuptiis excitavi et multam sanguinis effusionem feci et sponsum ipsum occidi et veni nuntiare tibi. Cui dixit: quanto tempore hoc fecisti? Et ille: in X diebus. Et ille ait: nonne plura in tot diebus operatus es? Et jussit eum a circumstantibus verberari. Et quartus veniens ait: in eremo mansi et per XL annos circa quendam monachum laboravi ef vix tandem ipsum in lapsum carnis praecipitavi. Quod Sathan audiens de solio suo surrexit et eum osculans de capite suo coronam abstulit et capiti illius imposuit, ac ipsum secum considere fecit dicens: magnam rem forliter egisti et plus omnibus laborasti. Hic igitur vel similis potest esse modus illius diseussionis, quam Gregorius praetermittit.
Cum ergo singuli spiritus exponerent, quid egissent, unus in medium prosilivit, et quanta carnis tentatione de illa sanctimoniali femina Andreae animum commovisset, aperuit addens, quod heri hora vesperarum usque adhuc ejus mentem traxerit, ut in tergum ejus blandiens alapam daret, Tunc malignus spiritus eum hortatus est, ut perficeret, quod coepisset, ut illius ruinae singularem inter caeteros palmam teneret, praecepitque, ut quaereret, quisnam esset, qui jacere in templo eodem praesumsisset, um autem ille vehementius palpitaret et missi spiritus eum crucis mysterio signatum viderent, territi clamaverunt: vere vas vacuum, sed signatum.
Ad hane vocem protinus illa malignorum turba disparnit spirituum, Judaeus autem concitus ad episcopum venit et ei omnia per ordinem enarravit, Quod ille audiens vehementer ingemuit et omnem mulierem a domo sua protinus removit et Judaeum baptizavit,
G. Refert quoque Gregorius in libro dyalogorum, quod quaedam sanctimonialis hortum ingrediens et lactucam conspiciens concupivit eamque signo crueis benedicere oblita avide momordit, sed arrepta a dyabolo protinus cecidit. Cum autem beatusEquitius ad eam venisset, dyabolus clamare coepit ac dicere: ego quid feci? ego quid eci? Sedebam hic super lactucam, illa venit et momordit me. Ad imperium autem praedicti viri mox de ea exivit.
Legitur in hystoria ecclesiastica libro XL, quod gentiles per Alexandriam arma Serapis in parietibus depinxerant, Theodosius vero illis deletis signum crucis depingi mandavit. Quo viso gentiles et sacerdotes ydolorum baptizati sunt dicentes, traditum esse ab antiquis, quod ea, quae colebant, starent, donec veniret signum illud, in quo est vita. Quaedam tunc litera apud illos;-. quam sacram vocabant, habebat formam crucis, quam dicebant interpretari vitam futuram.
The Golden Legend (Legenda Aurea) companion
Continue through all 240 chapters, one saint a day
Chosen Portion serves the Golden Legend as a daily portion on iOS, free, alongside the full Sub Rosa archive
The Legenda Aurea was organized for day-by-day use across the liturgical year, and Chosen Portion restores that original one-feast-per-day reading rhythm
- A complete saint's life or feast reading most days in 5-10 minutes
- 240 chapters - enough daily readings to cover a full liturgical year and beyond
- Daily reminders so the plan survives busy weeks