De sanctis Cosma et Damiano
The Holy Physicians
The lives, martyrdom, and miraculous healing ministry of the brothers Cosmas and Damian are recounted.
The name Cosmas comes from 'cosmos,' meaning form or ornament; or, as Isidore notes, 'cosmos' is the Greek word for the Latin 'mundus' (world). For he was a model for others, adorned with good virtues, and clean from all vices—Damian is said to come from 'dama,' a certain beast that is humble and gentle; or Damian from 'dogma,' which is doctrine, and 'ana,' which is upward, or from... 'damum,' meaning sacrifice, or Damian as if it were 'domini manus' (the hand of the Lord). . For he had gentleness in his conduct, he had heavenly doctrine in his preaching, he was a sacrifice in the mortification of his flesh, and he was the hand of the Lord in medicinal healing. — 4. Cosmas and Damian were brothers by birth, born in the city of Egea to a religious mother named Theodoche; instructed in the art of medicine, they received such grace from the Holy Spirit that they cured all ailments not only in humans, but even in beasts, giving everything freely. However, a certain matron named Palladia, having spent all she had on doctors, came to the saints and received complete health from them. Then she offered a small gift to Saint Damian, and when he refused to accept it, she adjured him by the most terrible sacraments; he agreed to accept it, not because he was led by a desire for the gift, but to satisfy the devotion of the one offering it, and so that he would not seem to despise the name of the Lord, by which he saw he had been adjured. When Saint Cosmas learned of this, he gave orders that his body should not be buried together with his own. But the following night, the Lord appeared to Cosmas and excused his brother regarding the gift he had accepted. Hearing of their reputation, the proconsul Lysias had them summoned and began to ask their names, their homeland, and their status. The holy martyrs said: "Our names are Cosmas and Damian; we have three other brothers whose names are Anthimus, Leontius, and Euprepius, and our homeland is Arabia; as for our status, Christians do not know of such things." The proconsul therefore ordered that his brothers be brought and that they sacrifice to the idols, but because they refused to sacrifice at all, he ordered them to be cruelly tortured in their hands and feet. But when they mocked his tortures, he ordered them to be bound in chains and thrown into the sea; they were immediately freed from the water by an angel and stood before the governor. Observing this, the governor said, "By the great gods, you win by sorcery, because you despise torture and calm the sea; teach me, therefore, these sorceries of yours, and in the name of the god Adrian, I will follow you." With that, two demons appeared immediately and threw him face-down with great force; he cried out, "I beg you, good men, pray for me to your Lord." As they prayed, the demons left at once. The governor said, "You see how the gods are angry with me because I was thinking of leaving them; I won't let you blaspheme my gods anymore." He then ordered them to be thrown into a large fire, but it didn't harm them at all; instead, the flames leaped out and killed many of the bystanders. They were then ordered to be hung on the rack, but because the angel guarding them had exhausted the executioners, they were taken down before the governor unharmed. He had the three brothers locked in prison and ordered Cosmas and Damian to be crucified and stoned by the people, but the stones turned back on those who threw them and wounded many. Then the governor, filled with rage, had the three brothers brought out and ordered Cosmas and Damian to be placed on crosses and shot by four soldiers. The arrows, however, turned back and wounded many but did not harm the holy martyrs. Seeing that he was defeated in everything and anxious to the point of death, the governor had all five brothers beheaded in the morning. The Christians, remembering the words Saint Cosmas had spoken about not being buried together, were wondering how the martyrs wanted to be buried; then suddenly a camel arrived, proclaiming in a human voice that they should be buried in one place. They suffered under Diocletian, who began his reign around the year 287.
Signs and Wonders of the Saints
A collection of post-mortem miracles attributed to the intercession of Cosmas and Damian.
After working the harvest, a farmer fell asleep in an open field with his mouth open, and a snake crawled inside. When he woke up, he felt nothing, so he returned home; but as evening fell, he felt himself being tormented most severely. He began to cry out in misery and call upon the holy martyrs of God, Cosmas and Damian, for their help. But as the pain kept growing, he fled to the church of the holy martyrs, and there, as he suddenly fell asleep, the snake came out through his mouth just as it had entered. A man about to leave on a long journey entrusted his wife to the holy martyrs Cosmas and Damian, giving her a sign of the cross that she was to respond to immediately if he ever called for her. But the devil, knowing the sign the husband had given her, transformed himself into a man and, bringing the sign of the husband, said, "Your husband has sent me from that city to take you to him." She was still afraid to go, however, and said, "I recognize the sign, but because I have been entrusted to the holy martyrs Cosmas and Damian, swear to me on their altar that you will lead me safely, and then I will go at once." He immediately swore to her as she had said; she followed him, but when they had reached a secluded place, the devil wanted to throw her from her mount to kill her. Sensing this, she cried out, "God of the holy martyrs Cosmas and Damian, help me; for I trusted in you and followed him." Immediately the saints appeared there with a multitude of those in white, and they freed her; the devil vanished at once, and they said to her, "We are Cosmas and Damian, in whose oath you trusted, and so we hastened to come to your aid." A blessed Pope! Saint Gregory’s great-great-grandfather built a noble church in Rome to honor the saints Cosmas and Damian. A man who served the holy martyrs in this church had one of his legs entirely consumed by cancer. And look, while he was sleeping, the saints Cosmas and Damian appeared to their devotee, carrying ointments and surgical tools with them; one of them said to the other, "Where will we get flesh to fill the empty space once we cut away the rotten flesh?" Then the other said, "In the cemetery of Saint Peter ad Vincula, an Ethiopian was buried today; bring some from him, so we can patch this man up." And look, he hurried to the cemetery and brought back the leg of the Moor, and after cutting away the sick man's leg, they inserted the Moor's leg in its place, and after carefully anointing the wound, they carried the sick man's leg to the body of the dead Moor. When he woke up and felt that he was without pain, he put his hand to his leg and found no injury; and when he lit a candle and saw nothing wrong with his leg, he wondered if he was still himself, or if he had become someone else. Coming to his senses, he jumped out of bed for joy and told everyone what he had seen in his sleep and how he had been healed. They hurried to the Moor's tomb and found the severed leg of the Moor there, and in its place, they found the leg of the man mentioned earlier, which had been left in the tomb.
The Vision of Bishop Forseus
The visionary account of Bishop Forseus illustrates the spiritual battle for the soul and the refining fires of divine judgment.
Bishop Forseus, whose history Beda is believed to have written, breathed his last as he reached the end of his life, having excelled in every virtue and goodness. He also saw two angels coming toward him to carry away his soul, and he noticed a third, armed with a white shield and a lightning-bright sword, going before him; then he heard demons shouting, "Let's go ahead and stir up battles before his face." When they had moved forward, they turned on him and hurled fiery darts, but the angel going before him caught them on his shield and immediately extinguished them. Then the demons confronted the angels. They opposed them, saying, "He often spoke idle words, so he shouldn't enjoy the blessed life unharmed." The angel replied, "Unless you can bring forward major sins against him, he won't perish for minor ones." Then the demon said to them, "If God is just, this man won't be saved; for it is written: unless you are converted and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." The angel answered in his defense, "He had forgiveness in his heart, but human custom kept him silent." To this the demon said, "Just as he received evil from habit, so let him receive punishment from the Judge on high." The holy angel said, "Let us be judged before God." As the angel fought, his adversaries were crushed. Then the demon said, "The servant who knows his master's will and doesn't do it will be beaten with many stripes." The angel replied, "What, then, did this man fail to do regarding his master's will?" And the demon said, "He accepted the gifts of the wicked." The angel replied, "He believed that each of them had done penance." The demon said, "He should have tested the perseverance of their penance first, and only then accepted the fruits of it." The angel answered, "Let us be judged before God," but the demon backed down. He rose again to fight, saying, "Until now I have feared the truthful God, who promised that He would punish eternally every sin that isn't purged on earth. This man, therefore, accepted a garment from a certain usurer and wasn't punished for it; where, then, is the justice of God?" The angel said to him, "Be silent, for you do not know the hidden judgments of God; for as long as penance is hoped for, divine mercy accompanies a man." The demon replied, "But there is no place for penance here." The angel said to him, "You don't know the depth of the judgments of God." Then the devil struck him so severely that, when he was restored to life, he always retained the mark of the blow. For the demons, grabbing one of those they were tormenting in the fires, threw him at the man, and he burned his shoulder and cheek; he recognized the man, because it was the one from whom he had accepted the garment. The angel said, "What you set on fire has burned you; for if you hadn't accepted the gift of this man who died in his sins, the pain wouldn't be burning in you." And God permitted this striking as a consequence of his having accepted that garment. Another demon said, "The narrow gate still remains for him, where we'll be able to overcome him: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" The angel replied, "This man has done good to his neighbors." The adversary replied, "That isn't enough, unless he has also loved them as he loves himself." To which the angel said, "The fruit of love is to do good, because God rewards everyone according to their works." The demon said, "But because he hasn't fulfilled the word about loving, he will be condemned." As the wicked crowd fought, the holy angels were the victors. The demon said again, "If God is not unjust and the transgression of that word displeases Him, this man will not be free of punishment; for he promised to renounce the world, and yet he loved the world, contrary to what is said: 'Do not love the world or the things that are in the world.'" The holy angel replied, "He didn't love the things of this world for his own sake, but to distribute them to those in need." The devil answered, "However he may love them, it is against the divine command." Once his adversaries were defeated, the devil turned again to clever accusations, saying, "It is written: 'If you do not warn the wicked of their wickedness, I will require their blood at your hand.' He did not properly warn the sinners to repent." The holy angel replied, "When listeners despise the word, the teacher's tongue is hindered from speaking, as he sees that the preaching he offers is rejected. Therefore, it is the mark of a prudent person to know when to be silent, when it is not the time to speak." In all the devil's contradictions, the battle was fierce until the Lord, as judge, brought triumph to the angels and defeated the adversaries, and the holy man was surrounded by immense light. One of the angels, as Bede testifies, said to him, "Look at the world." Looking, he saw a dark valley and four fires in the air, separated by some distance from one another. The angel said to him, "These are the four fires that set the world ablaze. The first is the fire of lying, because people don't fulfill what they promised in baptism—to renounce the devil and all his pomps. The second is the fire of greed, because they prefer the riches of the world to the love of heavenly things. The third is the fire of discord, because they don't fear offending the hearts of their neighbors over trivial matters. The fourth is the fire of impiety, because they consider it nothing to rob the weak and defraud them." Then those fires drew near and merged into one, and they were approaching him. Fearing, he said to the angel, "Lord, the fire is approaching me." The angel replied, "What you did not kindle will not burn in you, for this fire examines each person according to the merit of their works. For just as the body burns through illicit desire, so it will also burn through the due penalty." Finally, he was returned to his own body, while his relatives, who thought he was dead, were weeping. He lived for some time after this and finished his life in a praiseworthy way through good works.
Read the original Latin
Cosmas dicitur a cosmos, quod est forma vel ornatus, Vel secundum Ysidorum cosmos graece dicitur mundus latine. Fuit enim forma aliis in exemplum, ornatus virtutibus bonis, mundus ab omnibus vitiis --Damianus dictus est a dama, quadam bestia, quae humilis est et mansueta, Vel Damianus a dogma, quod est doctrina, et ana, quod est sursum, vel a ? damum, quod est sacrificium, Vel Damianus quasi domini manus,. . lpse enim mansuetndinem liabuit in conversatione, doctrinam supernam -habuit in praedicatione, sacrificium fuit in carnis maceratione, domini manus fuit in medicinali curatione. — 4. Cosmas et Damianus germani fratres in civitate Egea ex religiosa matre nomine Theodoche nati sunt, Hi arte medicinae edocti tantam a spirita sancto gratiam acceperunt, ut omnes languores non solum ab hominibus, sed etiam a jumentis curarent, gratis omnia tribuentes. Matrona autem quaedam nomine Palladia, cum omnia sua in medicis consumsisset, ad sanctos accessit et ab iis sanitatem integram reportavit.
Tune illa quoddam munuseulum sancto Damiano obtulit, et cum nollet recipere, illa eum sacramentis terribilibus adjuravit, Quod ille acquievit recipere non quidem ductus cupiditate muneris, sed et devotioni satisfaciens offerentis, et ne nomen domini videretur spernere, per quod videbat sic se adjuratum esse. Hoe ubi sanctus Cosmas comperit, praecepit, ne corpus ejus una cum ipsius corpore poneretur. Sed sequenti nocte dominus Gosmae apparuit et fratrem de suscepto munere exeusavit. Audiens eorum famam proconsul Lisias eos ad se accersiri fecit et quae eorum sunt nomina, quae patria, quae fortuna, inquirere coepit. Sancti martires dixerunt: nomina nostra sunt Cosmas et Damianus, alios tres fratres habemus, quorum nomina suntAntimus, Leontius et Euprepius, patria autem nostra Arabia est; porro fortunam christiani nesciunt. Jussit ergo proconsul, ut fratres suos adducerent et simnl ydolis immolarent, sed eum omnino immolare contemnerent, praecepit eos in manibus et pedibus dire torqueri. Cum autem ejus tormenta deriderent, jussit eos catena ligari el in mare praecipitari, sed statim ab angelo de mari liberantur et ante praesidem statuuntur. Quod praeses considerans ait: per Deos magnos maleficiis viucitis, quia tormenta contemnitis et mare sopitis, docete ergo me haec vestra maleficia el in nomine Dei Adriani sequar vos.
Et hoc dicto statim duo daemones adfuerunt et eum gravissime in faciem ceciderunt, et ille clamans dixit: deprecor vos, o boni viri, ut pro me ad dominum vestrum orelis. Quibus orantibus continuo daemones discesserunt. Praeses aulem dixit: videtis, qualiter adversum me Dii indignati sunt, quia eos relinquere cogitabam, jam ergo Deos meos vos non patiar blasphemare. Tunc eos in ignem copiosum jactari praecepit, sed tamen eos nil laesit, quin potius flamma prosilit longe et multos de adstantibus interemit. Jubentur ergo in equuleo suspendi, sed ab angelo ipsos custodiente fatigatis admodum in caedendo ministris ante praesidem deponuntur illaesi. Tres igitur fratres in carcerem fecit recludi et Cosmam et Damianum crucifigi et a populo lapidari, sed in suos lapides redibant auctores et quamplurimos vulnerabant. Tune praeses furore repletus eductis tribus fratribus et stantibus juxta erucem jussit Cosmam et Damianumsupra crucem poni et a quatuor militibus sagittari, sagittae vero conversae plurimos vulnerabant, sed sanctos martires non laedebant, Videns autem praeses in omnibus se confusum, usque ad mortem anxiatus omnes quinque fratres fecit mane decollari. Memores autem christiani verbi, quod dixerat sanctus Cosmas, ne in unum sepelirentur, cogitabant, quomodo vellent martires sepeliri; et ecce subito camelus advenit humana voce proclamans et sanctos in uno loco sepeltri praecepit.
Passi sunt sub Dyocletiano, qui coepit eirca annos domini CGLXXXVII.
Rusticus quidam cum post laborem messis in campo aperto ore dormiret, serpens in ejusore ingressus est. Evigilans autem cum nihil sentiret, domum rediit et sero facto gravissime torqueri se sensit; voces igitur miserabiles emittebat et sanctos Dei Cosmam et Damianum in sui auxilium invocabat, sed cum dolor semper incresceret, ad ecclesiam sanctorum martirum confugit et ibidem, eo subito dormiente, serpens, sicut intraverat, per os ejus exivit,
Vir quidam longe profecturus sanctis martiribus Cosmae et Damiano uxorem suam commendavit, dans ei signum crucis, cui protinus deberet annuere, si aliquando eam vocaret. Post hoc autem sciens signum dyabolus, quod ei maritus dederat, se in hominem transfiguravit et signum viri afferens dixit: vir tuus ab illa civitate misit ad te, ut ducam te ad eum. At illa adhuc ire formidans ait: signum quidem agnosco, sed quia sanctis marliribus Cosmae et Damiano commendata sum, super eorum altare mihi jura, quod securam me duces, et tunc protinus profieiscar. llle antem continuo, ut dixerat, sibi juravit, Secuta ergo eum, cum ad quendam locum secretum venissent, voluit eam de jumento dyabolus praecipitare, ut eam occideret. Quod illa sentiens exelamavit: Deus sanctorum Cosmae et Damiani adjuva me; vobis enim credidi et secuta sum eum, Confestim autem sancti cum multitudine dealbatorum ibidem affuerunt et eam liberaverunt, dyabolus antem statim evanuit, et dixerunt ei: nos sumus Cosmas et Damianus, quorum juramento credidisti, ideoque festinavimus venire in auxilium tibi.
Felix papa !) attavus sancti Gregorii in honore sanctorum Gosmae et Damiani nobilem ecclesiam Romae construxit. In hac ecclesia quidam vir sanctis martiribus serviebat, cui cancer unum crus totum consumserat. Et ecce dormiente illo sancti Cosmas et Damianus devoto suo apparuerunt unguenta et ferramenta secum portantes; quorum unus alteri dixit: ubi carnes aecipiemus, mt abscisa carne putrida locum vacuum repleamus? Tunc ait alter: in cimiterio sancti Petri ad vincula hodie Aethiops recens sepultus est, de illo autem affer, ut huic suppleamus. Et ecce ad cimiterium properavit et coxam Mauri attulit, praecidentesque coxam infirmi loco ejus coxam Mauri inseruerunt et plagam diligenter ungentes coxam infirmi ad corpus Mauri mortui detulerunt. Evigilans autem cum se sine dolore sensisset, manum ad coxam apposuit et nil laesionis invenit, apponensque candelam cum in crure nil mali videret, cogitabat, an non ipse,qui erat, sed aliusalter esset. Rediens autem ad se prae gaudio de lectulo prosiliit et quid in somnis viderat et qualiter sanatus fuerat, omnibus enarravit.
Qui conciti ad tumulum Mauri miserunt et coxam Mauri praecisam et coxam praedicti viri loco illius in tumulo positam repererunt.
Forseus episcopus, cujus hystoriam Beda scripsisse creditur, dum omni virtute et bonitate polleret, ad extremum veniens spiritum emisit. Vidit quoque duos angelos ad se venientes, ut ejus animam deferrent, tertium vero armatum scuto candido et gladio fulgureo se praecedentem conspexit; deinde daemones clamantes audivit: praecedamus et ante faciem ejus bella commoveamns.
Cum ergo praecessissent, conversi in eum jactabant iguita Jacula, sed angelus praecedens scuto ea suscipiebat et protinus exstinguebat. Tunc daemones angelis !) opponentes dixerunt: otiosos sermones saepe dixit et ideo illaesus non debet perfrui vita beata, Quibus angelus: nisi principalia vitia contra eum protuleritis, propter minima non peribit. Tunc dixit eis daemon: si justus est Deus, homo hic non salvabitur; scriptum est enim: nisi conversi fueritis et efficiamini sicnt parvuli, non intrabitis in regnum coelorum. Cui angelus excusans ait: indulgentiam in corde habuit, sed consuetudo hominumconticuit. Cui daemon: sicut accepit malum ex consuetudine, ita accipiat vindictam a superno judice, Sanctus angelus dixit: judicemur ante Deum. Proeliante angelo adversariicontriti sunt. Tunc daemon dixit: servus, )qui scit voluntatem domini sui et non facit, plagis vapulabit multis, Cui angelus: quid enim iste de domini sui voluntate non implevit?
Et daemon: dona iniquorum recepit. Cai angelus: credidit, quod unusquisque eorum poenitentiam egisset. Daemon dixit: ante debuit probare poenitentiae perseverantiam et sic fructus suscipere. Angelus respondit: judicemur ante Deum, sed daemon succubuit. Iterum autem ad bellandum surrexit dicens: usque nunc Deum extimescebam veracem, qui omne delictum, quod in terris non purgatur, se in aeternum puniturum promisit, hic ergo homo quandam vestem a quodam usurario recepit nec de hoc punitus fuit; ubi est ergo justitia Dei? Cui angelus:,silete, quia occulta Dei judicia ignoratis; quamdiu enim speratur poenitentia, comitatur bominem divina misericordia, Daemon respondit: sed nullus hie locus est poenitentiae. Cui angelus: profunditatem judiciorum Dei ignoratis. Tunc dyabolus tam graviter eum percussit, ut postmodum vitae restitutus semper percussionis vestigium retineret; arripientes enim daemones unum de his, quos in ignibus torquebant, ipsum in eum jactaverunt, qui ejus humerum maxillamque incendit, cognovitque hominem, quia ille erat, cujus vestem acceperat.
Dixitque angelus: quod incendisti, arsit te; si enim hujus viri in peccatis mortui donum non accepisses, nec poena in te arderet. Et hanc percussionem permittente Deo pro receptione vestimenti illius praecepit. Alter autem daemon dixit: adhnc restat illi angusta porta, ubi illum superare poterimus; diliges proximum tuum sicut le ipsum. Respondit angelus : vir iste in proximos snos operatus est bona. Adversarius respondit: non sufficit hoc, nisi etiam sient se ipsum dilexerit. Cui angelus: fructus dilectionis est bene operari, quia Deus reddit unicuique secundum opera sua. Dixitque daemon: sed quia verbum de diligendo non impleverit, damnatus erit, Pugnante turba nefanda sancti angeli victores fuerant. Dixit iterum daemon: si Deus iniquus non est et verbi illius transgressio ei displicet, iste poenarum expers non erit; promisit enim seculo abrenuntiare et e contrario seculum dilexit contra id, quod dictum est: nolite diligere mundum neque ea, quae in mundo sunt.
Sanctus angelus respondit: non sibi ea, quae sunt seculi, sed hominibus indigentibus dispensanda dilexit, Dyabolus respondit: qualicumque modo diligatur, contra praeceptum divinum est. Victis adversariis rursus dyabolus ad callidas convertitur accusationes dicens: scriptum est, si non annuntiaveris iniquo iniquitatem suam, sanguinem ejus de manu tua requiram; hic non aununtiavit digne peccatoribus poenitentiam. Sanctus angelus respondit; quando auditores despiciunt verbum, lingüa doctoris loqui praepeditur, dum videt, quod praedicatio audita despicitur, unde prudentis est, dum non est loquendi tempus, nosse tacere. In omni vero contradictione daemonum praevalida nimis exstitit pugna, donec judice domino triumphantibus angelis devictisque adversariis immensa claritate vir sanctus circumfusus est. Unus antem, ut Beda testatur, ex angelis dixit ei: respice mundum, respiciensque vidit vallem tenebrosam et quatuor ignes in aére aliquibus spatiis a se distantes, dixitque ei angelus: hi sunt quatuor ignes, qui mundum succendunt; unus est ignis mendacii, cum hoc, quod abrenuntiare dyabolo et omnibus pompis ejus in baptismo homines promiserunt, minime implent; secundus cupiditatis, cam mundi divitias amori coelestium pracponunt; tertius est dissensionis, cum animos proximorum in supervacuis rebus offendere non formidant; quartus impietatis, cum infirmiores exspoliare et iis fraudem facere pro nihilo ducunt. Deinde illi ignes appropinquantes in unum redacti sunt et illi appropinquabant, timensque angelo dixit: domine, ignis mihi appropinquat. Cni angelus: quod non aecendisti, non ardebit in te, ignis enim iste secandum merita operum hominum singulos examinat; nam sicnt corpus ardet pervoluntatem illicitam, ita etiam ardebit per debitam poenam. Tandem ad proprium reductus est corpus plangentibus propinquis, qui eum mortuum aestimabant.
Ille autem aliquanto tempore supervixit et in bonis operibus laudabiliter vitam finivit.
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