De sancta Margareta
The Pearl of Antioch
The name Margaret is interpreted through the symbolism of a pearl, reflecting her purity, humility, and spiritual strength.
The name Margaret comes from a precious gem known as a pearl, which is a small, white, and virtuous stone. In this way, blessed Margaret was white through her virginity, small through her humility, and virtuous through the working of miracles; the power of this stone is said to be against the shedding of blood, against the suffering of the heart, and for the strengthening of the spirit. Likewise, blessed Margaret had power against the shedding of her own blood through her constancy, because she remained most constant in her martyrdom; against the suffering of the heart—that is, the temptation of the devil—through victory, because she overcame the devil; and for the strengthening of the spirit through her teaching, because through her teaching she strengthened the souls of many and converted them to the faith of Christ. The learned man Theotimus wrote her legend. .
The Prefect's Demand
Margaret is discovered by the prefect Olybrius, who attempts to claim her for his own, only to be rebuffed by her Christian faith.
Margaret was from the city of Antioch, the daughter of Theodosius, a patriarch of the pagans; she was handed over to a nurse, and upon reaching adulthood, she was baptized, and because of this, she was held in great hatred by her father. One day, when she had reached her fifteenth year, and was tending her nurse's sheep with other girls, the prefect Olybrius passed by and saw her. Struck by her beauty, he was immediately inflamed with desire and sent his men to her, saying, "Go and seize her. If she is free, I will take her as my wife; if she is a slave, I will have her as my concubine." When she was brought before him, he asked about her family, her name, and her religion. She replied that she was noble by birth, Margaret by name, and Christian by religion. The prefect said to her, "The first two things suit you well, for you are considered noble and are truly a beautiful pearl, but the third does not suit you—that a girl so beautiful... ...and noble should have a crucified God."
The Trial of Faith
Margaret endures interrogation and brutal torture, remaining steadfast in her love for the crucified Christ.
She asked him, "How do you know that Christ was crucified?" He replied, "From the books of the Christians." Margaret said to him, "Since you read about both the suffering of Christ and his glory, what kind of shame is this of yours, that you believe the one but deny the other?" But when Margaret insisted that he had willingly been crucified for our redemption, yet also affirmed that he now lives forever, the angry prefect ordered her to be thrown into prison. The next day, he had her brought before him and said, "You foolish girl, have pity on your own beauty and worship our gods, so that things may go well for you." She replied, "I worship the one before whom the earth trembles, whom the sea fears, and whom all creatures dread." The prefect said to her, "Unless you agree with me, I will have your body torn to pieces." Margaret replied, "Christ gave himself up to death for me, and for that reason, I desire to die for Christ." Then the prefect ordered her to be suspended on the rack and torn so cruelly—first with rods, then with iron combs, until her bones were exposed—that blood flowed from her body as if from a pure spring. Those who were there wept and said, "Oh Margaret, we truly grieve for you, because we see your body being torn so cruelly. Oh, what beauty you have lost because of your stubbornness! Yet even now, at least believe, so that you may live." She told them, "You evil counselors, get away from here; this torture of the flesh is the salvation of the soul," and she said to the prefect, "You shameless dog and insatiable lion, you have power over my flesh, but Christ keeps my soul." The prefect, however, covered his face with his cloak, unable to look at such a great shedding of blood.
Victory Over the Tempter
While imprisoned, Margaret confronts and overcomes demonic forces through prayer and the sign of the cross.
Then he had her taken down and ordered her to be locked in prison, where a wonderful light shone. While she was there, she prayed to the Lord to show her visibly the enemy who fights against her. And look, a monstrous dragon appeared there, who attacked her as if to devour her; she made the sign of the cross, and it vanished—or, as it is read elsewhere, it placed its mouth over her head and stretched its tongue over her heel and swallowed her immediately. But while it wanted to absorb her, she armed herself with the sign of the cross, and because of that, the dragon burst by the power of the cross, and the virgin came out unharmed. This account, however, which is told about the dragon's devouring and its bursting, is considered apocryphal and frivolous. The devil, in order to deceive her, changed himself into the form of a man. Seeing him, she gave herself to prayer, and when she had risen, the devil approached her, took her hand, and said, "Let what you have done be enough for you; now stop bothering me." She, however, grabbed him by the head, threw him down to the ground beneath her, placed her right foot on his neck, and said, "Be still, proud demon, beneath the foot of a woman." The demon, however, cried out, "O blessed Margaret, I am overcome! If a young man had defeated me, I wouldn't have cared, but look, I am overcome by a tender girl, and I grieve all the more because your father and mother were my friends." She, however, forced him to say why he had come. He claimed he had come to offer her advice so she would obey the governor's warnings. She also compelled him to say why he tempted Christians in so many different ways. He replied that he felt a natural hatred for virtuous men, and although he was often driven away by them, he remained hostile, driven by a desire to seduce them. Because he envied the happiness that man had lost, he strove to take it away from others, even though he could not regain it himself. He added that Solomon had once shut up an infinite multitude of demons in a certain vessel; after his death, when demons sent fire from that vessel and men thought there was a great treasure inside, they broke the vessel, and the demons came out and filled the air. At these words, the virgin lifted her foot and said, "Flee, wretch!" and the demon vanished at once. She was made secure, therefore, because she who had conquered the prince would undoubtedly overcome the servant.
The Crown of Martyrdom
After surviving further tortures and converting many, Margaret is beheaded, receiving her crown and leaving a legacy of intercession.
The following day, as the crowds gathered, she was presented to the judge. Because she refused to sacrifice, she was stripped and her body burned with torches, so that everyone marveled at how such a tender girl could endure so many torments. Then he had her bound and placed in a vessel full of water, so that the change in her suffering would increase the intensity of her pain, but suddenly the earth shook, and before everyone's eyes, the virgin emerged unharmed. Then five thousand men believed and accepted the death sentence for the name of Christ. The governor, however, fearing that others would be converted, was stirred to anger and ordered the blessed Margaret to be beheaded. Having obtained a moment to pray, she prayed devoutly for herself and her persecutors, as well as for those who would keep her memory and call upon her, adding that whoever called upon her while in the danger of childbirth should safely deliver her child. A voice came from heaven saying that her petitions were heard, and rising from prayer, she said to the executioner, "Brother, take your sword and strike me." He struck off her head with a single blow, and in this way she received the crown of martyrdom. She suffered, however, on the 14th. The calends. Of August, as is found in her history. Elsewhere it is read that these are... The Ides of July. A certain holy man says this about this holy virgin: blessed Margaret was full of the fear of God, endowed with justice, and religious. She was covered in grace, steeped in compunction, praiseworthy in her honesty, singular in her patience, and nothing contrary to the Christian religion was found in her; she was hateful to her father, and... chosen for the Lord Jesus Christ.1
Read the original Latin
Margareta dicitur a quadam pretiosa gemma, quae margarita vocatur: quae gemma est candida, parva et virtuosa. Sic beata Margareta fuit candida per virginitatem, parva per humilitatem, virtuosa per miraculorum operationem, Virtus autem hujus lapidis dicitur esse contra sanguinis effusionem , contra cordis passionem et ad spiritus confortationem. Sic beata Margareta habuit virtutem contra effusionem sui sanguinis per constantiam ,- quia in suo martirio constantissima exstitit, contra cordis passionem, id est, daemonis tentationem per victoriam, quia ipsa dyabolum superavit, ad spiritus confortationem per doctrinam, quia per suam doctrinam multorum animos confortavit et ad Christi fidem convertit. Cujus legendam Theotimus vir eruditus scripsit. .
Margareta de civitate Antiochiae filia fuit Theodosii gentilium patriarchae: haec nutrici traditur et ad adultam aetatem veniens baptizatur et propter hoc exosa patri plurimum habebatur. Quadam igitur die, dum jam annum XV. attigisset et cum aliis virginihus oves nutricis custodiret; praefectus Olybrius inde transitum faciens et puellam. tam speciosam considerans mox in ejus amore exarsit et pueros ad se concitus misit dicens: ite et eam comprehendite, ut, si libera est, eam mihi in uxorem accipiam, si ancilla est, eam mihi in concubinam habeam. Cum ergo ejus adspectui fuisset praesentata, eam de genere suo ac nomine et religione requisivit. Illa autem respondit, se genere nobilem, nomine Margaretam ac religione christianam. Cui praefectus: duo prima tibi recte conveniunt, quia nobilis haberis et pulcherrima margarita comprobaris, sed tertium tibi non convenit, ut puella tam pulchra . et nobilis Deum habeat crucifixum.
Gi illa: unde scis, Christum fuisse crucifixum? Et ille: ex libris christianorum. Cui Margareta: cum igitur legatur poena Christi et gloria, quae verecundia est vestra, ut unum credatis et alterum denegetis? Cum autem Margareta eum sponte crucifixuin fuisse pro redemtione nostra assereret, sed nunc eum in aeternum vivere affirmaret, iratus praefectus eam in carcerem mitti jussit, sequenti autem die eam ad se vocari fecit éique dixit: vana puella, miserere pulchritudinis tuae et Deos nostros adora, ut tibi bene sit, Cui illa: illum adoro, quem terra contremiscit, mare formidat et omnes creaturae timent. Cui praefectus: nisi mihi consentias, corpus tuum faciam laniari. Cui Margareta: Christus in mortem semetipsum pro me tradidit et ideo pro Christo mori desidero. Tunc praefectus jussit eam in equuleum suspendi et tam crudeliter primo virgis, deinde pectinibus ferreis usque ad nudationem ossium laniari, quod sanguis de ejus corpore tamquam de fonte purissimo emanavit. Flebant autem, qui ibi aderant, et dicebant: o Margareta, vere de te dolemus, quia corpus tuum tam crudeliter laniari conspicimus; o qualem amisisti pulchritudinem propter tuam incredulitatem, tamen nunc vel saltem crede, ut vivas.
Quibus illa: o mali consiliarii, recedite et abite, haec carnis ernciatio est animae salvatio, dixitque ad praefectum: impudens canis et insatiabilis leo, in carnem potestatem habes, sed animam Christus reservat. Praefectus autem faciem chlamyde operiebat nec tantam sanguinis effusionem videre poterat. Deinde eam deponi fecit et in carcerem recludi jussit et mira ibi claritas fulsit, Ubi dum esset, oravit dominum, ut inimicum, qui secum pugnat, sibi visibiliter demonstraret, et ecce draco immanissimus ibidem apparuit, qui dum eam devoraturus impeteret, signum crucis edidit et ille evanuit, vel, ut alibi legitnr, os super caput ejus ponens et linguam super calcaneum porrigens eam protinus deglutivit, sed' dum eam absorbere vellet, signo crucis se munivit et ideo draco virtute crucis crepuit et virgo illaesa exivit. Istud autem, quod dicitur de draconis devoratione et ipsius crepatione, apocryphum et frivolum reputatur. Dyabolus iterum, ut eam decipere posset, in speciem hominis se mutavit, quem videns in orationem se dedit et dum surrexisset, dyabolus ad eam accessit et manum tenens dixit : sufficiant tibi, quae fecisti, ideo nunc cessa de mea persona. llla autem eum per caput apprehendit et sub se ad terram dejecit et snper cervicem ejus dexterum pedem posuit et dixit: sternere, superbedaemon, sub pedilygs feminae. Daemon autem clamabat: o beata Margareta, superatus sum; si juvenis me vinceret, non curassem , ecce a tenera puella superatus sum et inde plus doleo, quia pater tuus et mater tua amici mei fuerunt. Illa vero eum coegit, nt diceret, cur venisset.
Qui se venisse ait, ut sibi consuleret, quod monitis praesidis obediret. Coegit quoque, ut diceret, cur christianos tam multipliciter tentaret. Qui respondit, naturale odium sibi esse contra viros virtuosos, et quamvis saepe ab iis repellatur, sed tamen desiderio seducendi ipse infestus exsistit et, quia invidet homini de felicitate, quam ipse amisit, quamvis eam recuperare non possit, ipsam tamen aliis auferre contendit, Addiditque, quod Salomon infinitam daemonum multitudinem in quodam vase inclusit, post mortem suam cum de illo vase daemones ignem mitterent et homines ibidem magnum esse thesaurum putarent, vas confregerunt et daemones exeuntes aérem impleverunt. His dictis virgo pedem sublevavit et dixit: fuge, miser; et daemon statim evanuit. Secura igitur efficitur, quia, quae principem vicerat, ministrum procul dubio superaret. Sequenti igitur die convenientibus populis judici praesentatur et sacrificare contemnens exuitur corpusque facibus ardentibus comburitur, ita ut cuncti mirarentur, quomodo tam tenera puella tot posset tormenta sustinere. Deinde in vase pleno aqua ipsam ligari atque poni fecit, ut ex poenarum commutatione cresceret vis doloris, sed subito terra concutitur et cunctis videntibus virgo illaesa egreditur. Tunc V millia virorum crediderunt et pro nomine Christi capitalem sententiam acceperunt, praefectus autem timens, ne alii converterentur, concitus beatam Margaretam decollari praecepit, illa autem impetrato orandi spatio pro se et suis persecutoribus nec non et pro ejus memoriam agentibus et se invocantibus devote oravit, addens, ut, quaecumque in partu periclitans se invocaret, illaesam prolem emitteret, factaque est de coelo vox, quod in suis se noverit petitionibus exauditam, surgensque ab oratione dixit spiculatori: frater, tolle gladium tuum et perente me.
Qui percutiens caput ejus uno ictu abstulit et sic martirii coronam suscepit. Passa est autem XIV. cal. Augusti, ut in ejus hystoria invenitur. Alibi legitur, quod HI. ydus Julii. De hac sancta virgine sic dicit quidam sanctus: beata Margareta fuit timoris Dei plena, justitia praedita, religione. cooperta, compunctione perfusa, honestate laudabilis, patientia singularis, nihilque in ea contrarium religioni christianae inveniebatur, odiosa patri suo, di.
lecta domino Jesu Christo.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'lecta' here is likely a participle meaning 'chosen' or 'selected' (from 'eligere'), often used in hagiography to describe a saint's dedication to God.
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