De conceptione beatae Mariae virginis
The Origin of the Feast
Anselm of Canterbury recounts the miraculous origin of the feast of the Conception, revealed to an abbot during a life-threatening storm at sea.
Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury and shepherd of the English, sends greetings and a perpetual blessing in the Lord to his fellow bishops and all the faithful. Beloved brothers, I want you to hear from me how the venerable Conception of the Mother of God and perpetual Virgin Mary—as has been made clear through the experiences of many in England, France, and other regions—is to be celebrated. For at that time, when it pleased the divine mercy to correct the English people for their sins and to bind them more closely to the duties of His virtue, the most glorious Duke of the Normans, William, subdued them by conquest and returned the favor to their king, Harold—a man impious, a tyrant, a persecutor of the clergy, and a subverter of ecclesiastical honor. Once Harold was killed, William, made king of the English by the power of God and his own industry, reformed the honors of all ecclesiastical dignity for the better. The devil, that enemy of all good things, envying the works of this pious intention, tried many times to oppose his successes through the treachery of those close to him and the incursions of outsiders, but with the Lord protecting him, the evil one was brought to nothing. When the Danes heard that England was subject to the Normans, they were gravely indignant and, feeling deprived of what they considered their hereditary kingdom, they prepared arms and readied a fleet to go and expel them from the land given to them by God. Upon learning this, the most prudent King William sent a certain religious abbot of the monastery of Ramsey to Denmark to inquire into the truth of the matter, and that man of very sharp intellect carried out the king's business vigorously. Once this was faithfully accomplished, he set out to return to England, but while at sea and having already crossed the greater part of it with a prosperous journey, a horrible storm suddenly arose from winds blowing from all sides, shaking the sky and the sea. With the oars broken, the ropes snapped, and the sails falling, all hope of safety was lost, and nothing but death was expected. When, desperate for the safety of their bodies, they commended themselves only to their Creator and to the most blessed Mother of God, Mary, the refuge of the desperate, they suddenly saw a man of venerable appearance, adorned in pontifical robes, standing as if on the waves near the ship. He called the abbot Helsinus to him and began to address him with these words: 'Do you wish to escape this danger? Do you wish to reach your homeland in safety?' When he answered, weeping with his whole heart, that he desired and sought only this, the figure said, "Know that I have been sent to you by our Lady, the Mother of God, Mary, to whom you have so sweetly turned. If you are willing to obey my words, you and your companions will escape the danger of the sea and arrive safely." He promised that he would immediately obey the figure in all things if he escaped this danger. "Then promise me and God," the figure said, "that you will celebrate the day of the conception and creation of the Mother of Christ, and that you will preach that it must be celebrated." But he, being a very prudent man, asked, "And what feast day, then, am I to celebrate?" ? "On the sixth day before the Ides of December," he said, "you shall keep this feast." "And what office, Abbot, shall we use in the church service?" he asked. "Every part of the office that is said for her Nativity," he said, "shall be said for the Conception, except that the name 'Nativity' shall be changed to 'Conception'." With these words, the figure vanished, and the storm was calmed faster than it can be told. The abbot and his companions arrived safely on the English coast with a swift wind, and he made known what he had seen and heard to those he could. He established that this same feast should be celebrated solemnly in the monastery of Ramsey, and as long as he lived, he celebrated it solemnly with devout service. And so, dearest brothers, if we wish to reach the harbor of salvation, let us celebrate the creation and conception of the Mother of God with worthy offices, so that we may be rewarded with a worthy reward by her Son, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.
Apparitions and Divine Favor
Two accounts of clerics who, through Marian apparitions, are called to abandon worldly attachments and promote the celebration of the Conception.
This solemnity is declared in another way elsewhere. For in the times of King Charles, a certain cleric, a Levite by order and a kinsman of the King of Hungary, was accustomed to love the blessed Mother of God, Mary, with his whole heart and to sing her Hours. He wanted to marry a young woman and had already received the nuptial blessing from a priest, but one day, after Mass had ended, he remembered he hadn't chanted the Hours of the Blessed Virgin Mary as he usually did. He asked everyone to leave the church, sent his bride home, and stayed alone by the altar. While he was there by himself, chanting the Hours of the Lord's Mother and singing the antiphon 'You are beautiful and lovely,' our Lady and the perpetual Mother of God suddenly appeared to him. The Virgin Mary appeared with two angels holding her right hand and her left, saying to him, 'If I am beautiful and lovely, why do you dismiss me and take another bride?' 'Am I not more beautiful than she? Am I not perfectly lovely?' 'Am I not truly lovely!' 'Where have you ever seen anyone so beautiful?' He replied, 'My Lady, your radiance.' 'It excels all the beauty of the world; you are raised above the thrones and choirs of angels, you are exalted above the heavens of heavens. What, then, do you wish for me to do?' But she said, "If you turn away from the worldly bride you want to cling to for love of me, you'll have me as your bride in the heavenly kingdom, and if you celebrate the feast of my conception annually on the sixth day before the Ides of December..." "...and preach that it should be observed, you'll be crowned with me in the kingdom of my only-begotten Son." Having said this, our Lady disappeared from the eyes of the one who saw her. The cleric, not wanting to return home without his parents' advice, immediately entered an abbey and took the monk's habit. There, after a short time, by the merits of the blessed Mary, ever-virgin—who always rewards, adorns, and benefits those who love her—he was made Bishop and Patriarch of Aquileia. As long as he lived, he diligently celebrated the feast of her conception on the aforementioned day, along with its octave, and preached that it should be celebrated. This feast is described differently elsewhere. In a French region, a certain canon, a priest by order, was careful to chant the nocturnal hours of the blessed Virgin Mary. Returning from a certain village where he had committed adultery with another man's wife, he was trying to reach the town where he lived and was crossing the Sequana river. ...which retains those things; it omits everything else that is read in this chapter, and they dragged him to torments. On the third day, the blessed Virgin Mary came to the place where the demons were afflicting her with torments, accompanied by a crowd of saints, and said, "Why do you unjustly afflict the soul of my familiar?" "We," they replied, "must have her, because she was captured in our work." "If she ought to belong to the one whose work she was doing," the Virgin said, "then she ought to belong to us, because she was chanting our matins while you were killing him. Therefore, you are more guilty, because you acted unjustly toward me." Having said this, as the demons fled here and there, the most holy Virgin brought the soul back to the body and, taking the man who had been resurrected from both deaths by the arm, she commanded the water to stand like a wall on the right and on the left, and led him safely from the depths of the river to the shore. He, rejoicing, prostrated himself at her feet and said to her, "My dearest Lady and Virgin of grace, what shall I repay you for such great benefits that you have done for me!" "I beg you," the Mother of God said, "do not fall into the sins of adultery again, and do not celebrate the feast of my conception on the sixth of December, nor preach that it should be celebrated." Soon, as she spoke, she ascended into heaven before his eyes; he then lived a hermit's life, told everyone who wanted to hear what had happened to him, and as long as he lived, he celebrated that feast and preached that it should be celebrated.
The Power of Intercession
An exhortation to celebrate the feast, followed by the story of Theophilus, illustrating the Virgin's power to rescue even the most desperate sinners.
And so, dearest brothers, we confirm this same thing by our episcopal authority and command that none of you be so occupied by worldly affairs or your own sins that you fail to celebrate the venerable conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary annually, or to chant her hours every day, except on Sundays or on days of nine lessons. Hence it should also be noted that if anyone refuses to perform the service of God because of despair over their sins, they are guilty before God in two ways: first, because they committed the sin, and second, because they refused to serve God on account of that sin. For this reason, the Lord said to Peter: "If you consider yourself a sinner, you must not push God away from you." For the person who refuses to do good work because of their sins pushes God away from themselves. If we acknowledge that we are sinners, we must have the Mother of God as our intercessor and helper before her Son. For if the Judge is angry with us because of our crimes, she who gave birth to Him can make the Son favorable to us. No sinner in this world will be so great that, if she prays to her Son for them, they will not receive mercy in the world to come. Whatever she asks of her Son, she will truly obtain. What are we to say about Theophilus? Theophilus was the vice-dominus of a certain bishop of Cilicia. After he was accused before his lord and expelled from his own office, he was crushed by poverty and, on the advice of a certain Jew, who... He used magic to speak with the devil, and by renouncing his Christian faith, he committed himself to that same devil as a servant. So, after a very short time, he repented and kept watch for forty days in a certain basilica of the blessed Virgin Mary, weeping before her image. While he was sleeping, exhausted by his great labor and the weariness of his prayers, the blessed and immaculate Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, appeared to him. She rebuked him and returned the contract that he had given to the devil through the aforementioned Jew—a contract that she, the Mother of God, had taken from him by force. Then, waking up, Theophilus found the contract lying on his chest, and the next day he told everything to the bishop and all the citizens. Immediately, the bishop gave him a salutary penance and, having granted him absolution, led him before the altar to receive Communion. When he received the Body of Christ from the bishop's hand, the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of the sun, and his face shone like the sun. Finally, in that same basilica, he spent three days and as many nights giving thanks to God and the blessed Virgin Mary, persisting in prayers and counsel so that the day of the conception of the blessed Virgin Mary might be celebrated solemnly, as has been said, and then he gave his spirit back to God. See how the blessed Mother of God brought the desperate Theophilus back to forgiveness and rescued the aforementioned priest, who had been dead for three days, even from the demons, and called him back to life. How much more, then, dearest brothers, will she make those blessed who call upon her constantly, if she mercifully helped those who only called upon her for a single moment?
Theology of the Immaculate Conception
A theological defense of the feast, arguing that the Conception of the Mother of God is a necessary and holy precursor to the Incarnation.
For the people of Sens and the Romans, following a good custom, sing her Matins with nine lessons on Saturdays and thereby gain her grace. Let it be a burden to no one, and let it be tiresome to no one, to celebrate her feasts. It should be known that just as her Nativity is honored in the holy Church, so her Conception ought to be honored. For just as her Nativity was once necessary for the salvation of the human race, so too was her Conception. If she hadn't been conceived, she wouldn't have been born at all; by God's command, she was conceived and born. If she hadn't been born, the Redeemer of the world wouldn't have been born of her. If you look at the divine generation from the dust, the specific form of her conception is concluded to be greater than her birth. It is a greater thing for the most holy body of the Virgin to be conceived and joined with her most blessed soul—which God created from nothing—than for it to be continued in existence through birth. Just as it is a greater thing for Adam to be created by God than for the children of Adam to be born naturally of a mother. To be born naturally of a mother. Therefore, if her birth is holy, her conception is not undeservedly holy. Whoever you are—prelate, abbot, or leader—diligently celebrate her solemnities and command everyone to honor them, because if you have loved her with your whole heart, you will never be removed from your position. I have proven in myself what I say. Let those fools be utterly ashamed who, blinded by the darkness of ignorance, refuse to celebrate such a day and such great sacraments and mysteries, just because the union of man and woman existed in the Virgin's conception. If it doesn't please the foolish to celebrate her conception today because it was carnal, let it nevertheless delight them to celebrate that day and night—even if it is unknown to many—and the time and hour of her spiritual conception, which is today, when the Creator of souls Himself joined the soul of His mother, worthy of her most holy virginal body, with angels ministering. The Disposer of our salvation chose, set apart, and sanctified this day as the first day of our reparation and salvation among all other days. For it is known to all learned people that there are two kinds of conception: one spiritual, the other carnal. The one is the carnal union of a man and a woman; the other is the way a new and pure soul is given and joined to a body by God’s own action. If, then, it pleases people to celebrate the feast of the carnal conception of the Lord’s mother, they should also be pleased to honor the spiritual creation of her soul and the union of her body and soul. Oh, how great is that day when the soul of our restorer is created, consecrated, and united to her most holy body! No one is a true lover of the Virgin if they refuse to honor the day of her conception. Let those fools be ashamed again who refuse to honor this day simply because it isn't done for other saints. The Church has not been accustomed to celebrate these conceptions; indeed, it is the height of ignorance to compare her to other saints, for it was in her that God took on flesh, whom He also exalted above all the saints and archangels in heaven. Although it has not been granted to celebrate the day of conception for other saints, it has been granted by the Holy Spirit for her, because she is greater and more excellent than all of them. It is fitting and right that she should hold this preeminence over all other saints, for through her all saints are sanctified and blessed. For Christ is called the Holy of Holies, and she is called the Holy of Holies. Just as the supreme Disposer of all things granted her the dignity—without any precedent—that a virgin would conceive the Word made flesh, that a virgin would give birth, and that she would remain a virgin after the birth, so He justly granted her this dignity for all, without precedent, that the holy solemnities of her conception and birth should be celebrated in the holy Church. What more is there to say! To honor the conception of the Lord’s mother is to commemorate the generation of Christ, for the conception of the Virgin Mary is the lineage of Christ’s generation. Therefore, we rightly chant the Gospel, 'The book of the generation,' on this day, just as we do at the Lord’s Nativity before the morning lauds, and we read it at Mass. It’s right, therefore, to honor both the generation of the Son and the conception of the mother, since the mother’s conception and birth are the generation of the Son. Let us therefore celebrate both conceptions—the spiritual and the human—with worthy and eager devotion, so that by her merits and prayers we may deserve to be delivered from worldly cares and all vices, and be led to the joys of paradise, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, her Son, who with the Father, the Holy Spirit, and His mother, the Virgin Mary, lives and reigns as God for ever and ever.
Miracles and Synodal Confirmation
A collection of later miracles and synodal testimonies, including the Council of Basel, confirming the truth of the Virgin's immunity from sin.
Amen. The following are miracles concerning the conception of the most blessed Virgin Mary. Finally, for information regarding the truth about the conception of the most blessed Virgin, the Mother of God, you can find many recorded miracles in the book called the 'Defensorium Virginis.' This book, composed around the year 1390, is kept chained in many libraries. It is written there: A certain trained bachelor of the Carmelite order, during a debate held at the schools in Paris, reported to a member of the Dominican order how, during the chancellorship of Master John of Toledo... In the province of Bohemia, in the city of Krakow, a certain Dominican friar had ambitiously preached to the people that the glorious Virgin was conceived in original sin; he suddenly collapsed and, being carried to his place of residence, died shortly after. These things were asserted by the testimony of honorable men, masters in theology—namely, Henry of Hesse, Master Henry of Huta, and Master John of Bologna, a doctor of medicine and bachelor of theology—who said they had seen and been present for these events. From these, the aforementioned bachelor concluded that he believed this opinion regarding original sin in the Virgin was, after so many miracles, sufficiently settled in the faith. Furthermore, the venerable doctor Giroldus de Liscariis of the Order of Friars Minor, an adversary of this pious conclusion, having once preached at length in a sermon against the holy Virgin regarding her conception, was, upon finishing his sermon and celebrating his Mass most devoutly, corrected at the elevation of the Body of Christ. As the same Virgin appeared to him in person, the elements of bread were removed from the altar, and the Virgin said: 'With what face do you wish to receive the Body taken from me, you wicked friar, whom you have today voluntarily stained both in word and deed?' As he begged for forgiveness with great groans, the Eucharist was returned to him; he finished the Mass and immediately ascended the pulpit, where he retracted what he had said in his first sermon against the Virgin, and, relating the miracle at length, he delivered a sermon, saying: 'I myself have heard this from many worthy of faith.' Likewise, in the city of Ydoni, when a certain friar of the Dominican order of the Viennese nation was to respond on the matter of the conception before Odonius of Champagne, of the Order of the Blessed Mary, with a large crowd gathered in the cathedral church of the monks of that city, and as the said friar wished to state his position, he was miraculously struck by God. He became as if mute and insane. Carried by his brothers to their religious house, he died on the eighth day, his madness continuing, just as I have heard from those who were present. Moreover, in the village of Brine in the diocese of Langres, a Dominican friar held this article of the conception in such hatred that he would never give a sermon without claiming the Virgin was conceived in original sin, and he established this view in his convent. On a certain solemn day, when he gave a sermon on the matter, he was among his brothers... As a large crowd was present and leaving for the divine office, a certain wolf coming from the woods approached that convent secretly, and, ignoring the small and the great, it climbed up to the pulpit and, seizing the said friar by the throat, killed him, just as clear and public fame attests in Paris and in that very land. These things are contained more fully in the 'Defensorium Virginis.' However, among other miracles, the one reported by Alexander of Hales, a famous doctor of theology, is especially worthy of wonder. He recounts it in his own book, the 'Mariale,' which contains six partial books with diverse chapters. Its first chapter is titled 'On the Genealogy of the Blessed Virgin' and begins: 'Holy and most praiseworthy, the ever-Virgin Mother of God, Mary, provided from eternity.' Among other things, in the final chapter of the third book of this volume, which is titled 'On the Conception of the Blessed Virgin' and begins with the words 'Let there be light,' after a response to a certain attack by those who claim the Virgin was conceived through marital union, it is said: 'Is it not possible for such an action to be performed through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and completed by a special command, without any sin?' A little later, it follows: 'I myself, who write these things, while I was teaching theology publicly, erred greatly by asserting that the day of the conception of the Blessed Virgin should not be celebrated. Consequently, I had decided to lecture on that day every year, just as I was accustomed to do on non-feast days. But I protest most solemnly that I was afflicted with a sudden illness in Auxerre on that day each year, so that I was in no way able to perform the duties of my office—whether it was by chance or by divine will, anyone can consider. But even prudent men, who heard me in the schools at that time, secretly rebuked me because I appeared to want to attack the feast day of those celebrating the conception of the Blessed Virgin.' I, however, teach, assert, and believe that those men saw clearly and are rather to be commended in this, who strive to celebrate the aforementioned feast piously and devoutly in honor of the perpetual Virgin Mary. So much for him. Furthermore, it is worth noting that when public disputes were held on this matter of the holy conception of the most blessed Virgin before the holy Council of Basel, many of the fathers who were present reported that they had received singular benefits miraculously from God because of the devotion they had toward the celebration of this holy conception. Among them, the reverend father in Christ and lord Bernard, Bishop of Montauban, on Saturday, April 21, in the year of our Lord 1426, when the first argument was made publicly on this matter, reported how, while he was riding over the bridge of the river that lies between the city of Embrun and the town of Saint-Crépin, the bridge itself was broken in the middle at that spot over the stream, where there was a danger to ships, having one large hole. Unaware of this, the horse he was riding, crossing on the side where the bridge was broken, placed its two front feet over the empty hole. As it was falling headlong toward the water and the horse's head was almost beneath the bridge, he was struck with great fear and invoked the most blessed Virgin for his aid, vowing to celebrate the feast of her holy conception annually. He did not know how he got out, but he immediately saw himself placed in safety on the other side of the hole, without any injury to himself or the horse. From that time on, he continued the celebration of that feast with greater spirit and devotion. Likewise, Master Johannes Roreti, a canon of Le Puy, in a sermon he gave on this celebration before the holy Council of Basel in the year of our Lord 1435, among other miracles, told of Lord Heylia de Lestrangiis, Bishop of the said church of Le Puy, who had recently died. He said that when the said reverend father had decided to preach against this holy conception at the University of Toulouse on the day of the celebration of the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and before he ascended the pulpit, he was praying in his usual manner before the altar to the Virgin Mary. As he was finishing his prayers there, all the arguments and points he had conceived against the Virgin's conception suddenly vanished from his memory, while the opposing and contrary points remained firmly fixed in his mind. He was forced, to avoid confusion, to preach the opposite of his original intention. He frequently recounted this incident, as it had happened to him, both privately and publicly, for as long as he lived, to the exaltation of the Virgin. Likewise, another. It is asserted that in Barcelona, at the monastery of the Blessed Mary of Mercy, it is the custom to give the brothers fresh bread baked that same morning every day, except on Easter and a few major feast days. On one occasion, however, when the baker had prepared the dough on the day of this feast of the holy conception of the Virgin and wanted to form loaves, he uncovered it and found it to be like coagulated blood, splattered with blackness, or like mud. After the news of this miracle was made public, the city officially ordered in its municipal statute that the ovens are not to be lit on that day of the Conception. And so, it is observed in that same city to this very day. Beyond this, during the reign of King John of Aragon—a man of good memory who ruled around the year 1400—a solemn public debate was held over several days before the king himself between those defending the Virgin’s innocence and those claiming she was stained by original sin. By the king’s order, a solemn confraternity was established for those who celebrate this feast of the conception of the most blessed Virgin. The king of Aragon himself was the first of these confreres, and it was ordered that a solemn procession be held on that day every year to the praise and glory of this feast. In the year of our Lord 1409, when Brother John de Rota, a Friar Minor and professor of sacred theology, had preached in the church of Gerona on the day of the blessed Virgin Mary about her preservation from original sin, a certain inquisitor of heretical depravity from the Order of Preachers brought him to trial for the faith because of this sermon. At that time, Martin, King of Aragon, was the immediate successor to the aforementioned John in the city of Barcelona, and by the king’s command and in his presence, a solemn and public debate was held between the parties. Once it was finished, the king, as a sign of victory, placed a wreath of green, budding leaves upon the head of the aforementioned John. Thus honored, he was escorted with trumpeters through the city and the surrounding towns and cities, while the king’s herald proclaimed that from then on, no one in all his kingdoms and domains was permitted to assert or teach against this doctrine of the holy and pure conception of the blessed Virgin; and it has been observed ever since, as it is commonly observed day by day. Furthermore, in Basel, on Monday the sixth of October in the year of our Lord 1435, it was testified under oath before the judge of the faith appointed by the holy synod that on the ninth day of September in the year of our Lord 1427, in the city of Manresa, a certain Francis Mileti, a canon of the collegiate church of that city in the diocese of Vic, while he was at the point of death and appeared almost dead—having been in agony and ecstasy—cried out with a great sigh in these words: 'O Virgin Mary, it is true, then, that I was condemned for this; you know that I did not have it from myself.' Immediately calling to him the prior of the Preachers and the confessor of the nuns of Saint Clare, he said publicly before them and others standing by that they should burn certain conclusions and a treatise on the conception of the Virgin in original sin, which he himself had heard when he was a student. Had he not otherwise been devout to the Virgin Mary and had she not helped him, he would have been condemned for this in the divine judgment; therefore, he firmly believed that she was conceived without original sin. Moreover, many other miracles concerning this holy conception were recounted before the aforementioned synod of Basel by many fathers of the highest standing, even in public sermons given for this feast, but there was not as much care taken to attend to them or to put them into writing. This, however, one may confidently assert: that it was in force in the year of our Lord 1439. A severe plague was raging in the city of Basel where the holy synod was being held; yet at the very moment the holy synodal definition was declared by the sacred council in its solemn and public session—a doctrine arguing that the glorious Mother of God, Mary, was never actually subject to original sin, but was always immune from both original and actual guilt, and that this doctrine was holy, immaculate, pious, and consistent with public faith, right reason, and sacred Scripture, and was to be approved, held, and embraced by all Catholics, and that it was no longer lawful for anyone to preach or teach to the contrary—the fathers who were in the council and the entire city felt, by a tangible experience and a kind of heavenly miracle, the aid of divine mercy. Indeed, the severe plague that had been causing so much suffering before then immediately eased and ceased. Furthermore, when many bulls regarding this synodal definition had been issued and sent to various parts of the world, it was signified through trustworthy letters in a general congregation that in the principal convent of the Cluniac order—at the time one of these bulls was presented to me—about thirty people among the religious and other members of that convent were suffering from this plague. Yet immediately upon receiving the bull, they processed with great devotion, giving thanks to God for that declaration to the perpetual praise of the glorious Virgin, and those who were sick at that time recovered, and from then on the plague ceased in that convent for that year. Many other things also worthy of admiration for the glory of the Virgin, which confirm this truth, occurred in this same way, but it was my intention not to tell everything, but only a few from many. And so it is clear to everyone that God, the Son of the Virgin, has deigned to magnify his most blessed Mother in a singular way through frequent miracles, which are a faithful testimony of the Lord regarding the truth of her holy conception, providing wisdom to the simple.
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Anshehnus Cantuariensis archiepiscopus et pastor Anglorum coepiscopis suis cunctisque orthodoxis salutem et perpetuam in domino benedictionem, Conceptio veneranda Dei genitricis et perpetaae virginis Mariae, dilectissimi fratres, quemadmodum per multorum siznormn experimenta in Anglia et Francia caeterisque conclinatibus celebranda sit, olim declarata, me narrante audiat dilectio vestra, Tempore namque illo, quo divinae placuit pietati Anglorum gentem de malis suis corrigere suaeque virtntis officiis arctius astringere, gloriosissimus Normannorum dux Guilhelmus eandem patrinin. debellando subegit et regi eoruin Eraldo nomine impio et tyranno clerique persecutori et honoris ecclesiastici subversori reddidit in bello pro meritis talionem, Qno caesoGuilhehnus factus Dei virtute et industria sua Anglorum rex totius ecclesiasticae dignitatis honores in melius reformavit, Cujns piae intentionis operibus invidens ille bonorum Omnium inimicus dyabolus tum familiarium frandibus tam extraneorum incursibus multotiens conatus est ejus obsistere successibus, sed domino protegente ad nihilum deductus est malignus, Audientes antem Daci Afgliam subjectam esse Normannis, graviter indignati, se sno quasi hereditario regno privari, arma praeparant, classem aptant, nt eos adeuntes a data sibi divinitus patria expellant, Hoc comperto Guilhelhmus rex prudentissimus. Helsinum. quendain religiosum abbatem Bamesiensis coenobii ad Daciam dirigit, nt inquirat veriiatem hujus rei, At ille vir admodum sagacis ingenii strenue negotium regis exsequitur. Qno fideliter peracto ad Angliam reverti cupiens mare ingreditur et jam maximam partem maris prospero cursu transierat, cwm subito densis surgentibus undique ventis horrida tempestas coelum commovit et undas, Fatilentibus obniti, fractis remis, funibus ruptis, subimersionis indicium misearum curam gatis igilur nautis nec nltra v cadentibus velis spes salutis amittitur et nihil ni rabiliter exspectatur, Cumque de salute corporum desperati solummodo creatori suo magnis clamoribus cómmendarent et beatissimam Doi genitricem Mariam miserorum scilicet refaginin. et. desperatorum. spem devote invocarent, subito quendam venerandae habitndinis virum pontificali infula deoratum quasi inter undas navi proximum viderunt, Qni advocans ad se Helsinum abbatem his verbis coepit compellare eum: vis, inquit, periculum evadere, vis ad patriam sanus ire?
Cumque ille cum fletu in toto cordé desiderare id solum expetere responderet, tunc ille: scias, inquit, me ad te a domina nostra Dei genitrice Maria, ad quam dulciter reclunasti, directum et si dictis ineis obtemperare volueris, sanus cum comitibus ünminens evades periculum maris, Spondet ille, illico se ei in omnibus obtemperaturum, si hoc evaderet pericuhun, l'roinitte, inquit, mihi et Deo, quod diem conceptionis et creationis matris Christi celebrabis et celebrandum praedicabis. At ille ut vir prudentissimus; et quis, inquit, mihi dies festus erit celebrandus! ? Sexto, ait, idus Décembris hoc festum tenebis, Et quo, inquit, abbas, officio utemur in ecclesiastico obsequio! Omne, inquit, officium, quod dicitur in nativitate ejus, dicetur in conceptione, excepto, quod nomen nativitatis mutabitur in nomen conceptionis. His dictis ille disparuit, et citius dictu sedata tempestate abbas cum suis incolumis concito flatu applicuit Anglicis littoribus et quae viderat et udierat, quibus potuit, notificavit, Statuit autem idem festum in Ramesiensi coenobio sollemniter celebrari et ipse, quoad vixit, devotis obsequiis sollemniter celebravit,Et nos ergo, fratres carissimi, si portum salutis volumus apprehendere, Dei genitricis creationem et conceptionem dignis officiis celebremus, ut ab ejus filio digna mercede renuneremur, qui cum patre et spiritu sanclo vivit et regnat in secula seculorum, Amen. Bursumn haec sollemnitas alio modo alibi declaratur. Temporibus namque Caroli regis clericus quidam ordine Levita Ungariae regis germanus beatam Dei genitricem Mariam toto corde diligere ejusque horas cantare solitus parentum suorum.
consilio nubere volens cum quadàin adolescentula valde, septa a presbitero nuptiali benedictione, die qnadam missa etiam jam celebrata recordatur, quia ejusdem beatae Mariae virginis horas die illa juxta morem sunm non cantaverat. Omnes ab ecclesia exire coegit, sponsam domum mittens et ipse juxta altare solns remansit, cunque solus dominicae inatris horas decantando hanc antiphonam, scilicet: pulchra es et decora, cantaret, subito apparuit ei domina nostra et perpetua Dei genitrix. virgo Maria cum duobus angelis dextram ei et Inevam tenentibus dicens ei: si ego sun pulchra et decora, quid est, quod me dimittis et aliam sponsam accipis? Numquid ego non sum pulchrior illat Numquid non ego sum optime formosa? Numquid non ego sum valde decora! Ubi vidisti tam pulchram? Cuni ille: domina mea, inquit, claritndo tua. omnem palchritudiuem mundi excellit, tu es super thronos et choros angelorum elevata, tu es super coelos coelorum exaltata, Quid ergo vis, ut faciam?
At illa: si sponsam, inquit, carnalem, cui adhaerere vis, anore mei düniseris, me sponsam in coelesti regno habebis, et si conceptionis meae festa annuatim sexto idus Decembr. sollemniter celebraveris et colenda praedicaveris, mecum in regno unigeniti mei lauréatus eris, His itaque dictis domina nostra ab oculis se videntis disparuit, clericus vero domum redire nolens absque parentum suorum consilio illico abbatiam quandam ingressus monachi habitu decoratur, ubi post exiguum temporis meritis beatae Mariae semper virginis, quae diligentes se semper remunerát, decorat et beneficat, Aquilejae episcopus patriarcha factus festum ejusdem éonceptiouis die praefato, quamdiu vixit, annuatim cum propriis etiam octavis diligenter celebravit et celebrandum praedicavit. Iterum haec festivitas aliter alibi declaralur. In pago Gallico canonicus quidam ordine sacerdos, sollicitus cantare beatae Mariae virginis horas noclurnales a villa quadam, ubi cum uxore cnjusdam adulteratus fuerat, rediens ad oppidum, ubi morabatur, tendere curans, fluvium Seqtanae transineare. , quae ea retinet, oinnia, quae porro in boc capite leguntur, omittit, rapuerunt ad tormenta. Die antem tertio ad locum, quo daemones cum tormentis eam afficiebant, venit beata virgo Maria cum sanctorun turba dicens s:ad quid mei familiaris animan injuste afficitis? Nos, inquiunt, eam debemus habere, quoniam capta est in nostro opere. Si illius, inquit virgo, esse debet, cujus opera faciebat, ergo nostra esse debet, quoniam matutinas nostras, dum vos eum peremistis, decantabat; unde magis rei facti estis, quia erga me inique egistis, His itaque dictis daeinonibns huc et illuc fugientibus sanctissima virgo animam reduxit ad corpus et per brachium hominem ab utroque funere resuscitalum arripiens aquam a dextris et a sinistris quasi murum stare jubens de profundo fluvii ad portum incolumem adduxit, At ipse gavisus pedibus ejus est prostratus et ait ei: carissima domina mea et virgo grati a, qnid tibi retribunam pro tantis beneficiis, quae mihi fecisti!
Precor, inquit Dei genitrix, ne amplius in adulterii peccata cadens conceptionis meae festa sexto idus Decembris sollemniter celebres et celebranda denunties, Mox, ut ipsa locuta est, coelos eo vidente ascendit, at ipse eremilicam vitam ducens, quod sibi acciderat, cunctis audire enpientibus enarravit et quamdiu vixit, eadem festa celebravit et celebranda praedicavit. Et nos ergo, fratres carissimi, hoc idem nostra auctoritate episcopali corroboramus et praecipimus, ut nullus vestrum Ma sit rebus temporalibus aut propriis delictis occupatus, quin beatae Mariae virginis venerandam conceptionem annuatim celebret et ejus horas per unnmquemque diem excepto die dominico vel die novem lectionum decantet. Unde etiam notandum est, quod, si aliquis propter peccatorum suorum desperationem Dei officium facere noluerit, dupliciler coram Deu reus crit; uno modo, quia peccatum fecit, altero, quia pro peccato suo Deo servire noluit. Hinc ad Peirum dominus ait: si te peccatorem consideras, oportet, ut a te Deum tunim non repellas, Deum a se repellit, qui propter peccata bonum opus facere renuit. Si nos peccatores esse recognoscimus, oportet mt Dei genitricem apnd fili suum exoratricem et auxiliatricein. habeamus, Si enin adversum nos sumimus judex pro nostris facinoribus iratus fuerit, ipsa nobis potest facere filinm placalum, quae eum genuit, Nullus erit tantus peccator in hoc seculo, si ipsa filinm suum exoraverit pro eo, quin recipiat veniam in futuro. Quidquid enim a filio suo petierit, totum veraciter obtinebit, Quid de Theophilo dicamus? Theophilus vicedominus cujusdam episcopi Ciliciorum exstitit, Hic postquam accusatns apud dominum fuit et a proprio officio expulsus -paupertate contritus cujusdam Judaei consilio, qui cnin.
dyabolo per artem magicam usu loquebatur, christianitatem snaim abnegans eidem dyabolo semet ipsum in servum commendavit. Unde valde post exiguum tempus poenitens in quadam beatae Mariae virginis basilica per quadraginta dies ante ejus imaginem plorans vigilavit. Cui prae nimio labore et lassitudine precum dormienti apparuit beata et immaculata mater Dei virgo Maria et corripiens eum reddidit ei chirographum, quod dyabolo praefati Judaei dederat, quod ipsa Dei genitrix ab ipso vi abstulerat, Tunc Theophilus evigilans super pectus summ chirographum positum invenit et mox crastino die haec episcopo cunctisque civibus enarravit, Et statim idem episcopus data sibi poenitentia salutari et absolutione facta duxit illun ante altare ad communicandum, Cum autem corpus Christi de manu episcopi acciperet, descendit super illum spiritus sanctus in specie solis et refulsit facies ejus nt sol. Denique in praefata basilica tribus diebus totidemque noctibus agens Deo et beatae Mariae virgini gratins, insistens precibus et consiliis, ut dies conceptionis beatae virginis Mariae, ut praedictum est, sollemniter celebretnr, spiritum Deo reddidit. Ecce quia beata Dei genitrix Theophilum desperatum ad veniam reduxit et praefatwn presbiterum triduanum mortuum etiam a daemonibus eripuit et ad vitam revocavit, quanto ergo magis, fratres carissüuni, beatos faciet illos, qui eam assidue invocabunt, si eos, qui solo momento eam interpellaverunt, miserens juvit? Sanctionenses namque et Romani ejus matutinas cum novem lectionibus die sabbatorum bono more decantantes gratiam ejus adquirnnt. Nulli ergo sit pigrum, nulli onerosuin celebrare ejus festa, Sciendum, quod, sicut in sancta ecclesia colitur nativitas ejus, sic debet excoli conceptio ejus. Sicut enim ad salvanduim genus humanum olim fuit necessaria nativitas, sic fuit conceptio ipsius.
Nisi conciperetur, minime nasceretnr, Jussu Dei concipitur et nascitur, Quae nisi nasceretur, mundi redemtor ex ea non nasceretur. Limo si divina generatio perspiciatur, specialis conceptionis ejus forma major esse concluditur quam nativitas. Magis enim est, sanctissimum corpus virginis cum beatissima sui anima, quam de nihilo creavit Deus, com cipi et conjungi, quam per nativitatem in esse continuari. Sicut res major est, Adam a Deo creari, quam filios Adae. de matre naturaliter nasci. Cujus ergo nativitas sancta est, ejus conceptio non immerito sancta erit. Quisquis igitnr praesul, abbas et praelatus es, recole diligenter ejus sollemnia et cunctos jnbe eam colere, quia, si enm toto corde amaveris, nunquam a gradu tuo depositus fueris. In memet ipso probavi, quod ajo, Erubescant omnino insensati, qui tanfun diem tantaque sacramenta ac mysteria tenebris ignorantiae excaecati respuunt celebrare, eo quod viri et mulieris copulatio in conceptione virginis exstitit, Si ejus conceptionem, idcirco quod carnalis exstitit, stultis non placeat hodie celebrare, tamen diem illam et noctem, quamvis sit maltis incognita, et tempus et horam spiritualis conceptionis ejus scilicet hodie celebrare delectet, qua ipse animarum creator animam snae matris dignam sanctissimo corpori virginali ejus angelis ministrantibus copulavit, Quam etia diem primam nostrae reparationis et salutis dispositor nostrae salvationis inter caeteros dies fecil, praeelegit et sanctificavit.
Nam quod smt duae conceptiones, hominibns omnibus notum est peritis: una spiritualis, altera carnalis, Una quidem, qua carnalis copulatio viri et mulieris agitur, alia, qua spiritnalis anima nova et pura, Deo operante, corpori divinitns datur et adunatur, Si enim placet illis celebrare sollemnia conceptionis carnalis dominicae matris, placeat iis colere animae ejus spiritualem creationem et corporis animaeque copulationem, O quanta est dies illa, qua nostrae reparatricis anima digna creatur et consecratur et sanctissimo corpori unitur. Non est verus amator virginis, qui despicit’ colere diem ejus conceptionis, Erubescant iterum insani, qui hanc diem colere nolunt, idcirco quod aliormn sanctorum. conceptiones minime colere consuevit ecclesia, Maxima quippe rusticitas est, eam aliis sanctis in hoe comparare, in qua Dens carnem assumsit, quam etiam super omnes sanctos et archangelos in coelis sublimavit, Quamvis enim caeteris sanctis dies conceptionis eonmn non sit concessum mt celebrentur, isti tamen a spiritm sancto concessum est, quod major et excellentior cunctis est, Pulchre et digne hanc dominationem super caeteros sanctos illa debet habere, per quam omnes sancti sanctificantur et beatificantur. Dicitur enim Christus sanctus sanctorum et dicitur haec sancta sanctarum et sicut sine more snmmus rerum disposilor super omnes sanctos et sanctas illam dignitatem ei tribuit, ut verbum caro factnm virgo conciperet et virgo pareret et post partum virgo permaneret, sic ipse pro omnibus absque more hanc dignitatem illi juste contulit, ut conceptionis et mativitatis ejus sollemnia sacrosancta in sancta celebrentur ecclesia, Quid longims! Conceptionem dominicae matris colere est Christi generationem commemorare, nam virginis Mariae conceptio Christi generationis est linea. Quapropter evangelium Jiber generationis hac die, sicut in nativitate domini ante matutinas landes bono more decantamnus et ad missam legimus. Merito igitur colitur et filii generatio et matris conceptio, quoniam conceptio et nativitas matris generatio est filii. Celebremnus ergo dignis officiis alacriter utramque conceptionem, spiritualem scilicet et humanam, nt ipsius meritis et precibus a secularibus curis et a cunctis vitiis mereamur eripi et ad gaudia paradisi perduci, praestante domino nostro Jesu Christo filio ejus, qui cmm patre et spiritm sancto et matre sua Maria virgine vivit et regnat Deus per infinita secula seculorum.
Amen !) , Loic abe colit dendi bits Sequuntur miracula de conceptione beatissimae virginis Mariae.
Ad informationem denique hujus veritatis de conoeptione beatissimae virginis genitricis Dei inveniuntur plura scripta miracula in libro, qui dicitur defensoriuimn virginis, appenso catenis in pluribus librariis fuilque compositus circa annwn domini MCCCXC. Ubi sic scribitur: Quidam baccalaureus formatus de ordine Carinelitarum in quadam disputatione lacta Parisiis in scholis uni de ordine praedicatorum retulit, quomodo tempore cancellariatus magistri Johannis de Tolete, cuin. in provincia Bohemiae in civitate Cracoviensi quidam frater praedicatorum in ambitione praedicasset populo virginem gloriosam in peccato originali conceptam, subito corruit et portalus ad locum habitationis suae paulo post obit, Haec asserebat referentibus viris honorabilibus magistris in theologia, scilicet Heinrico de Hassia et magistro Heinrico de Huta et magistro Johanne de Bolonia doctore in medicina et baccalaureo in theologia, qui haec se vidisse eL interfuisse dicebant, Ex his conclusit dictus baccalaureus, quod credebat, istam opinionem de originali in virgine post tanta miracula esse sufficientem in fide, Hem venerabilis doctor Giroldus de liscariis ordinis ininorun hujus piae conclusionis adversarius exsistens, cum semel in sermone de conceptione conlra sacram virginem diutius praedicasset, finito senmone missam suam devotissime celebrans elevatione corporis Christi lacta, eadem virgiffe sibi praesentialiler apparente, correptus fnit et speciebus panis ab altari sublatis inquit virgo: qua fronte corpus de me sumtum sumere vis, frater inique, quam hodie tam verbis quam factis voluntarie maculasti ? Ipso autem magnis gemitibus petente venian eucharistia sibi reddita fuit, missam finivit et inmediate ascendens pulpitum, quod in primo sermone contra virginem dixerat, revocavit et iniraculum referens ad longum fecit sermonem, icnt-ego ipse habui a pluribus fide dignis, ltem in civitate Ydoni, cum quidam frater ordinis praedicalorum Wiennensis nationis de materia conceptionis coram Odonio Campanensi ordinis beatae Mariae respondere deberet magno populo congregato in ecclesia cathedrali monachorum dictae civitatis, et cum positionem suam dictus frater dicere vellet, a Deo inirabiliter tactus. quasi mutus et amens factus est, Deportalus autem per fratres suos ad locnm religionis eorum octava die eadein amentia continuata mortuus est, sicnt habni ab illis, qui praesentialiter affuerunt. Mem in Villa Brine Leinoniscensis dyoeceseos quidam eotor de ordine praedicatorum istum articulhun conceptionis ita odiosum habens, ut nunquam sermonen faceret, quin virginem conceptam in originali peccalo diceret et fundaret in suo conventu, quodam die sollemni, in quo sermonem de dicta materia fecit, ipso inter fratres. suos magno populo praesente ad divinum officium exeunte, quidam lupus a silvis veniens usque ad conventum istum secrete accedens dimissis parvis et magnis usque ad chomin adscendit et dictuin fratrem per guttur arripiens interfecit, sicut Parisiis et in ipsa terra clara fama et publica attestatur. Haec in dicto libro, quod defensoriwmn virginis dicitur, plenius continentur, Illud antem inter alia miracula merito mirandum venit, quod quidem Alexander de Ales doctor in theologia famosissimus sibi accidisse refert in libro ab eodem composito, qui dicitur Mariale, continens sex libros parliales, in quibus diversa capitula sunt, Cujus prünum capituluin intitulatur de genealogia beatae virginis et incipit: sancta et superlaudabilis semper virgo Dei genitrix Maria ab aeterno provisa.
Inter alia autem libro HI, hujus voluminis capite ultimo, quod intitulatur de conceptione beatae virginis et incipit: fiat lux, post responsionem ad quandam invectionem dicentium, virginem conceptam fore copula maritali, sic dicitur; nonne possibile est, ut talis actio ad inspirationem spiritus sancti perpetrata et speciali praecepto completa absque omni peccato exerceatur! Sequitur post pauca: ego ipse, qui haec scribo, dum publice legerem in theologia, vehementer erravi asserendo, quod dies conceptionis beatae Marise celebrandus non esset, Unde et quolibet anno illa die legere decreveram, sicut et in profestis 95 diebus consueveramm, Sed protestor sollemnissime, qnia repentino morbo vexatus fui Uxoniae singulis annis illa die, ita quod nullo modo illa die susceptum magisterii officium exsequi valerem, sive casus ageret sive divina voluntas, quisque considerare potest, Sed et viri prudentes, qui me lunc temporis in scholis audierunt, me secrete corripuerant, eo quod impugnare velle videbar diem festum celebrantes conceptionis beatae virginis. Ego vero doceo, assero et credo, illos bene vidisse et potius in hoc comminendandos fore, qui pie et devote se praedictum festum celebrare satagunt in honorem perpetuae virginis Mariae, Haec ille, Offert se praeterea illad commeinorandum, quod, cum snper hac materia de sancta conceptione beatissimae virginis fierent publicae disputationes coram sancta synodo Basileensi, quamplures ex patribus interessentibus retulerunt singularia beneficia miraculose a Deo recepisse ob devotionem, quam habebant ad celebritatem de hac sancta conceptione beatissimae virginis, Inter quos autem reverendus in Christo pater et dominus Bernardus episcopus montis Albani die sabbati XXI, Aprilis anno a nativitate domini MCCCCX XXVI, quando prima allegatio facta fnit publice de hac materia, retulit, qualiter eo equitanto super pontem fluvii, qui est inter civitatem Ebredinensem et oppidum sancti Crispini, ipse pons erat ruptus in medio eo looo super ilumnen, ubi erat navis periculum , habens unum magnum foramen, eoque inadvertente equus, quem equitabat, transiens ex illa parte, nbi pons ruptus erat, posuit duos pedes anferiores super diclum foramen vacumm, cunque rmeret in praeceps ad aquam junqfé caput equi esset quasi infra pontem, concussus pavore magno invocavit beatissimam virginem in auxilium sunm, vovens celebrare annuatim festua de sua sancta conceptione, et nesciebat referre, qualiter exivit, sed statim nbsque laesione aliqua sui et equi vidit se positum in securo ab altera parte foraminis. Unde extuno majori spiritu cmn devotione continuavit celebrationem dictae festivitatis. ltem magister Johannes Roreti canonicus Aniciensis in sermone ab eo facto de hac celebritate coram sancta synodo Basileensi anno domini MCCCCXXXYV inter alia miracula retulit de domino Heylia de Lestrangiis episcopo dictae ecclesiae Aniciensis proxune defuncto, quod, cum dictus reverendus pater in universitate Tolosana in die celebritatis conceptionis beatae Mariae virginis contra hanc sanctam conceptionem praedicare decrevisset et, priusquam ascenderet ambonem, solito more fundaret orationem ante altare ad virginem Mariam et eo ibi exeunte omnes orationes et puncta, quae contra conceptionem virginis conceperat, subito de sua memoria evanuerunt, oppositis et contrariis in eadem fixe perinanentibus, coactusque est ad confusionem vitandan oppositum sui primi propositi praedicare, Qnem casun, ut sibi contigerat, ad exaltationem virginis, quamdiu vixit, privatim et publice frequentius enarravit, Item aliud. assertum est, quod Barchinone in monasterio beatae Mariae de Mercede consuetudo est, praeterquam in diebus paschae et paucis maximis festivitatibus omni die tribui fratribus panes recentes coctos eadem die summo mane. Quadam antem vice, cum in die hujns festivitatis de sancta conceptione virginis pistor praeparasset massam velletque ex ea panes formare, discooperiens reperit emn, quasi esset coagulatus sanguis respersa nigredine aut lutum. ad modwm coeni, divulgataque postea notitia miraculi hoo publice ordinatum est per civitatem municipali suo statuto, quod ea die Conceptionis non iacendantur furni.
Et ita in eadem civitate observatur usque in hodiernun diem. Praeter haec autem tempore Johannis regis Aragoniae bonae memoriae, qui circa annos domini MCCCC regnavit in regno Aragoniae, habita primo coram ipso sollemni et pnblica per plures dies disputatione inter defensores virgineae innocentiae et assertores maculae originalis, regis ordinatione statuta est sollemnis confraternitas devotorum hujusmodi festivitatem de conceptione beatissimae virginis celebrantium. Quorum primns confratrum fuit ipse rex Aragonum, et ordinatum fuit, quod annual;m ea die fieret sollemnis processio ad laudem et gloriam hujas festivitatis. Demwun de anno domini MCCCCIX cum ipso die beatae Mariae virginis in ecclesia Gerundiensi praedicasset de praeservalione ab originali maula frater Johannes de Rota ordinis minorum sacrae theologiae professor obque hujusmodi sermonem inquisitor quidam haereticae pravitatis de ordine praedicatorum detulisset in judicium fidei, exsistente in praedicta civitate Barchinomensi successore immediate dicti Johannis Martino rege Aragoniae, habita fuit inter praedictos de mandato ac in praesentia regis sollemnis et publica disputatio, Qua finila praefatus rex in signum victoriae posuit super caput praedicti Jobannis sertum viride vernantium foliorum sicque insignitus una cum tubicinis fuit honorifice associatus per dictam civitatem aliasque civitates et oppida circumjacentia, praecone regis clamante, quod nemini de caetero in omnibus regnis suis et dominüs liceret asserere vel dogmatizare contra hanc doctrinam de sancta et pura conceptione beatae virginis continueque imminenti hujusmodi festivitate fait postea observatum ac nt communiter observatur de die in dies. Hem Basileae die lunae sexto mensis Octobris anno a nativitate domini MCCCCXXXYV in manibus judicis fidei depntati per sanctam synodum fuit testificatum etiam cum juramento, quod nono die mensis Septembris nno domini MUCCCXXVII in civitate Minorisse quidam Franciscus Mileti canonicus ecclesiae collegiatae dictae civitatis Vicenensis dyoecesis, cum in extremis ageret et jam quasi mortnus appareret, sic, postquam fuerat in agonia et exstasi, magno cum suspirio clamavit in haec verba: o virgo Marin, ifa igitur est, quod propter hoc ego eram condemnatus ; tu scis, quod ego a me ipso non habui Statimque vocans ad se priorem praedicatorum et confessorem monialium sanctae Clarae dixit publice coram praedictis et aliis adstantibus, quod comburerent certas conclusiones et nnum tractatum de conceptione virginis in peccato originali, quae ipse audierat, cum esset studens. Nisi fuisset alias devotus virgini Mariae et ipsa eidem subvenisset, ob hoc erat condemnatus in divino judicio, ideoque ipse firmiter credebat, ipsam fuisse conceptam absque originali peccato. Fuerunt praeterea coram dicta synodo Basileensi a mnltis patribus omni acceptione majoribus qnamplura alia de hac sancta conceptione narrata miracula etiam in sermonibus publicis factis de hie sollemnitate, sed non tam cura attendere fuit ad illa nec redigere in scriptis. lllud autem fiducialiter hicet asserere, quod, cum de anno domini MCCCCXXXIX vigeret.
gravissima pestis in civifhte BasiJeensi, ubi dicta sancta synodus celebrabatur, eo ipso, quo fuit sancta de hac materia synodalis definitio per sacrum concilium declarando in sua sollemni ac publica sessione, doctrinam istam disserentem, gloriosam Dei genitricen Mariam nunquam actualiter subjacuisse originali peccato, sed immunem semper fuisse ab originali et actuali culpa sanctamque et immaculatam tamquam piam et consonam fidei publicae, rectae rationi et sacrae scriplurae ab omnibus catholicis approbandam fore, tenendam et amplectendain, nulli de caetero Íore licitum in contrarium praedicare sive docere, immediate patres, qui erant in concilio, ac tota civitas experimento palpabili coelesti quasi miraculo senserunt auxilium divinae misericordiae. Equidem remissa est ao cessavit statim, quae plurimum ante vexabat, acerbissima pestis, Praeterea, quum de hac synodali definitione quamplnrimze bullae expeditae fuerant et ad diversas mundi partes destinatae, per litteras fide dignas significatum est in generali congregatione, quod in principali conventu ordinis Cluniacensium tempore, quo mihi praesentata fuit una ex dictis bullis, Tam de religiosis quam alis personis dicti oonventus infirmabantur de dicta peste quasi XXX personae et statim, cum dictam bullam receperunt, processionaliter magna cum devotione agentes gratias Deo pro ipsa declaratione ad laudem perpetuam virginis gloriosae, qui infirmi tune erant, convaluerunt cessavitque amodo in dicto conventu pro illo anno pestilentiae morbus, Multa etiam alia merito digna miratione ad gloriam virginis, quae praedictam veritatem confirmant , suniliter de hac dicta fuere, sed intentionis fuit, non omnia, sed ex multis dicere panca, et sic omnibus constat, quod singularissime Deus filius virginis beatissimam genitricem suam magnificare dignatus est frequentatis miraculis, quae de veritate sanctae conceptionis Suae sunt testimonium domini fidele sapientiam praestans parvulis,
The Golden Legend (Legenda Aurea) companion
Continue through all 240 chapters, one saint a day
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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
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