| Saint Christopher |
St. Christopher Carrying the Christ Child, by Hieronymus Bosch (c.
1485) |
| Martyr |
| Born |
unknown, Canaan (in the Roman Catholic tradition) or Marmarica
(in the Orthodox tradition) |
| Died |
c. 251, Asia Minor |
| Venerated in |
Roman Catholic and Orthodox
Churches |
| Feast |
25 July (Roman calendar), 9 May (Orthodox calendar) |
| Attributes |
tree, branch, as a giant or ogre, carrying Jesus
(Roman Catholic tradition), spear, shield, as a dog-headed man (Orthodox tradition) |
| Patronage |
bachelors, transportation (drivers, sailors, etc.),
travelling (especially for long journeys), storms,
Brunswick, Saint Christopher's Island (Saint Kitts),
Island Rab, epilepsy, gardeners,
holy death, toothache, surfers |
| Catholic cult suppressed |
1969 |
 Saints Portal |
Saint Christopher (Greek: Άγιος Χριστόφορος) was a saint venerated by Roman Catholics and
Orthodox Christians, listed as a martyr killed in the reign of
the 3rd century Roman emperor Decius (reigned 249–251). In Catholicism he
is considered the patron saint of travellers. However, St Christopher's feast day was
removed from the universal calendar of saints by the Vatican in 1969 due to lack of historical evidence. It is unclear whether
the man in question actually existed and if so, whether he lived a life of holiness.[1] The feast remains on local calendars (such as diocesan or national calendars) on
July 25.
Christopher's story
The story of this saint's life is astoundingly different, depending upon whether one consults Roman Catholic or Eastern
Orthodox church sources.
Roman Catholic view
One legend states that Christopher was a Roman of imposing stature, originally named
Reprobus. According to legend, Reprobus—referred to as a giant by those who knew him—converted to Christianity and vowed to serve Jesus Christ. Other sources say his name was Offero, and that he was
born in Canaan.[2] He sought out a Christian hermit to inquire as to how he could
better serve Jesus. The hermit directed him to a path with a dangerous crossing point at a swift river, and suggested that the
man's great size and strength made him a good candidate to assist people in crossing the river. Reprobus began ferrying people
across the river on his back.
One day, a small child approached the river and asked to be carried across. Reprobus began to comply, only to discover that
the small boy was far heavier than any other passenger he had taken. The child revealed that he was in fact Jesus Christ, and that his unusual weight was due to the fact that he bore the sins of the world. The boy (Jesus)
then baptized Reprobus in the river, and he acquired his new name, Christopher, which is
Greek for "Christ-carrier" (from Christos, "Christ", and pherein, meaning
"to bear").[2]
The child then told Christopher to plant his staff in the ground. The staff miraculously bloomed into a fruit-bearing tree.
This miracle converted many. Enraged at these conversions, a local king (or by some accounts, the emperor Decius) had Christopher
imprisoned, where, after cruel tortures, he was beheaded
as a martyr.
Eastern Orthodox view
Saint Christopher is sometimes represented with the head of a dog.
During the reign of the Emperor Decius, a man named Reprebus (or Reprobus) was
captured in combat against tribes to the west of Egypt and was assigned to the numerus
Marmaritarum or "Unit of the Marmaritae", which suggests an otherwise-unidentified "Marmaritae" Berber tribe of Cyrenaica. He was of enormous size and terrifying demeanor, being a cannibal with cynocephaly (the head of a dog instead of a man), like
all the Marmaritae.
Traditional Orthodox iconography depicts him as literally dog-headed. Regardless, Reprebus accepted
baptism and began to preach the faith. Eventually, the governor of Antioch (or in some versions, the Emperor himself) decreed that Reprebus was to be executed for his faith. He miraculously survived many attempts at execution, eventually permitting
himself to be martyred after converting multitudes. His body was then taken back to
Alexandria by Peter of Attalia.
The Eastern Church's hymn for the feastday of St Christopher (May 9) reveals details about the holy saint and the traditional
Greek Orthodox dogface legends:
Christopher, Great Martyr (Kontakion Tone 4): Your physique was overwhelming and your face horrifying. / You
willingly suffered trauma from your own people. / Men and women tried to arouse consuming fires of passion in you, /
but instead they followed you to your martyrdom. / You are our strong protector, o great martyr Christopher!
A third story
The story, as told by Ernest Thompson Seton, begins with the giant Gorm working on his father's farm. For his entire life, he obeyed his father because Gorm saw him as "the
big boss." His father becomes distraught at the amount that he is being taxed by the king, and he expresses fear. Gorm decides
that since his father is scared of the king, the king must be the "big boss," and Gorm wanted to work only for the "biggest"
boss. He leaves his father and goes to the king, seeking a job. Out of fear, the king hires him. Several years later, after
growing even bigger, he repels a pirate attack single-handed with only a club, earning him much admiration. The king, sometime
later, mentions the Devil, of whom Gorm had never heard. The king explains that the Devil is very
evil, and that everyone is afraid of him. Gorm, with his logic, decides that the Devil is the "biggest boss" that he should work
for. He leaves the king, and comes across the Devil in a tavern. The Devil is happy to employ the giant, and Gorm is told to
destroy everything that he is told to. After destroying several towns, the two of them come by a church. The Devil tells him not
to destroy the church, because it is the property of The King of all Kings. Gorm leaves the Devil to
find this "biggest" boss, and comes to a river. He meets a child, and Gorm asks the child where he can find the King of all
Kings. The child says that the King passed by not long ago, and He would come soon. Gorm helps the child across the rapids, and
this becomes his business, never asking for money, only accepting what people give him out of gratitude. Gorm eventually builds
himself a house and settles down there, waiting for the King to pass. For decades Gorm helps people across the river, which is
just a stream to him. One winter night, in his old age, a child (the very same child) asks to cross the river, and Gorm (no
longer the mountain of a man he was) obliges. Crossing the river had never been as difficult as that night. Just as Gorm gets to
the edge, ready to drown, the child changes before his eyes and becomes Jesus Christ. Gorm,
mourning his old age and inability to serve, falls face down before Jesus, wishing to die. Jesus tells him that every person that
he carried across the river was Jesus himself. And Gorm was then known as "Christofero," the Christ-carrier.
Historical verifiability
The veneration of this improbable figure was sharply criticized by Erasmus in his
Praise of Folly. Christopher's feast day was downgraded by the
Vatican to a purely local commemoration in 1969 based on a lack
of specific historical evidence regarding the details of his life. Contrary to popular belief, he was not "de-canonized" and is
thus still considered a saint by the Catholic Church.
While surviving accounts of his life are replete with miracles and events that do not mesh well with modern historiography, enough information has been preserved to present a possible account of a St. Christopher
that would be amenable to modern historical sensibilities.
The first hurdle to consider is the idea that he was a dog-headed cannibal. This can be understood in the light that the
surviving accounts of St. Christopher are contemporaneous. The practice of the time was to describe all people outside the
"civilized" (Greco-Roman-Persian) world as cannibals, dog-headed, or even more bizarre things, albeit often metaphorically. A later generation could then mistake a metaphor or hyperbole for a literal statement.
However, the man in question is also said to have been assigned to a military unit made up of Marmaritae. The Marmaritae were
the independent tribes of Marmarica (now in modern Libya), who would have been pushed to the
frontier region after Roman settlement. Since he was from a frontier tribe, describing him as being from the land of dog-headed
people would have been a literary convention of the day.
The various miracles attributed to him in the Eastern stories could be explained as ordinary embroidering typical of
hagiography, especially regarding saints of the early centuries of Christianity.
Finally, we have the statements that he was killed in Antioch and his body taken elsewhere by a bishop. St. Christopher could
not have been killed in the fourth year of the Emperor Decius, as Decius only reigned for two years. However, before ascending to
the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire, Maximinus
was known as "Daza" before rising to power. Unfortunately, there is no record of a visit to Antioch by Maximinus in the fourth
year of his reign (308). It is, of course, possible that St. Christopher was executed in Antioch
during this year by the order of a lower authority; a personal trial before one of the Caesars could be a later embellishment.
Unfortunately, none of this information permits identification of the actual man. Christopher is simply
Greek for "Christ-bearer", and it refers, in the Eastern
tradition, to St. Christopher's willingness to "take up the cross" -- a common metaphor for converting to Christianity.
Reprebus or Reprobus simply means "wicked person", so saying that Reprobus became Christopher amounts
to saying "A wicked person became a Christian." Furthermore, no place claims to be the burial site of St. Christopher, which
would be very unusual for a martyr.
It has been speculated that St. Christopher could be the same man known as Saint Menas
among the Copts, for whom a 4th
century burial site is known but has no verifiable details about his life or martyrdom attached to him. However, there is
no conclusive link.
Some believers in the Roman Catholic tradition carry images of Saint Christopher, either on their person or in their vehicles,
for protection on journeys
Veneration and patronage
Veneration
After having been held in Constantinople, the relics
and the head of the saint were moved to the island of Rab in Croatia. When Normans tried to invade the islands and besieged the city, its
inhabitants placed the saint's relics on the city walls. Miraculously, the winds changed and the bows and ships were blown away
from the city. One of the city's largest medieval squares is named after the saint.
Christopher is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and the patron saint of travelers. Despite his removal from the calendar of
saints, devotion to Saint Christopher remains popular among Roman Catholics. Medallions
issued in his name, which are worn to show devotion to a certain saint and ask for that saint's prayers, are fairly popular among
Catholics. They are frequently displayed in automobiles.
General patronage
Christopher has always been a widely popular saint, being especially revered by mariners,
ferrymen, and travelers. However, in 1969 he was decanonized following an investigation in the
validity of his faith. He is still revered as such in many local calenders. His feast day was July
25, except in Greece, where it was celebrated on May 9. In
modern times a major center of his following has been in Italy and among Italian-Americans. Saint Christopher medals and holy cards in
Spanish sometimes have this phrase written: "Si en San Cristóbal confías, de accidente no morirás" ("If you place your trust in
St. Christopher, you won't die in an accident"). In French a widespread phrase for such medals is "Regarde St Christophe et
va-t-en rassuré" ("Look at St Christopher and go on reassured").
Among Roman Catholics, Saint Christopher is unofficially revered as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. He holds patronage of things related to travel and travelers: people who
carry things; against lightning; against pestilence;
archers; automobile drivers; bachelors; boatmen; bookbinders; epilepsy; floods; fruit dealers; fullers;
gardeners; hailstorms; for a holy death; lorry drivers; mariners; market carriers; porters; sailors; surfers; toothache;
transportation; and transportation workers.
Patronage of places
Christopher is the patron saint of the following places: Baden, Germany; Barga, Italy; Brunswick, Germany; Mecklenburg,
Germany; Rab, Croatia; Roermond, The Netherlands; Saint
Christopher's Island (Saint Kitts); Toses in Catalonia,
Spain; Agrinion, Greece; Vilnius, Lithuania; and
Havana, Cuba.[2]
References in popular culture
In the hit BBC drama Life on Mars, the character Sam Tyler wears a St Christopher's
medal.
Jessica Alba carries a St. Christopher medal when she travels.
In the movie The Spirit of St. Louis, (1957), James Stewart stars as Charles Lindbergh, the first man to fly solo non-stop from New York
City, across the Atlantic Ocean, to Paris, France.
Lindbergh is given a St Christopher medal before his big flight, which he refuses to accept, to save every unnecessary ounce of
weight. His friend instead hides the medal in the aircraft, to make sure that the saint would be with him for the long and
dangerous trip. Whether this short scene is based in fact, or a product of Hollywood is unknown.
In The Children of Green Knowe, by Lucy M. Boston, there is a large statue of St Christopher in the garden at Green
Knowe.
It is notable that the large African-American healing protagonist John Coffey of the Stephen King novel and movie The Green Mile is
given a medal of Saint Christopher on a necklace after healing a woman. It could be considered symbolic, since both men are
large, have extraordinary abilities they use for good, and that some accounts report that Saint Christopher was from
Libya or elsewhere in Africa, making him of African descent, the
same as John Coffey.
Dennis DeYoung of the rock band Styx wrote the
song "Christopher, Mr. Christopher" for Styx's 1974 album Man of Miracles. The
song reflects fondly of the story of Saint Christopher and laments the perceived downgrade of Saint Christopher's status in 1969,
when DeYoung sings "So when they took that saint away, all that's left were her fears".
Tom Waits wrote the song "Hang on St. Christopher", released on the album
Franks Wild Years in 1987, in which he implores Saint Christopher to watch over
him as he pushes his hot-roded cars and motorcycles to their limits.
Tom Waits also penned "Tom Traubert's Blues" where he sings, "I've lost my St. Christopher, Now that I've kissed her".
In the 2004 movie Crash, Peter Waters
(Larenz Tate) carries around a pocket sized statue of Saint Christopher. Waters hitches a
ride from a cop (played by Ryan Phillippe) who has the same statue figure. When he laughs
at the thought that he has one too and reaches to pull his statue from his pocket, the cop suspects a gun and shoots him. Later
the cop finds out he was pulling the statue out after he shot him to death.
In the 2004 movie The Butterfly Effect, the
story's main character, Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher) is seen wearing a Saint Christopher
pendant throughout the entire movie in each stage of his life. This could symbolize the long "journey" that Evan took.
In the episode entitled "Would You Want Me to Tell You?" (1.5) of the 2007 show
Saving Grace, Grace mentions that her husband (who does not exist) carries around a
St. Christopher's medal for good luck while he his driving his trucks. She says that if she wanted to hurt him she would steal
the medal just before a "long haul".
Notes
External links
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