Saint Christopher
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Saint Christopher
(flourished 3rd century; Western feast day July 25; Eastern feast day May 9) Patron saint of travelers and motorists. He is said to have been martyred in Lycia under the Roman emperor Decius ( 250). Legends depict him as a giant who devoted his life to carrying travelers across a river. One day a small child asked to be transported, and in the middle of the river the child became so heavy that Christopher staggered under the burden. The child revealed that the saint had been carrying Christ and the sins of the world, thus giving rise to Christopher's name (Greek: Christ-Bearer). His historicity is doubtful.
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Oxford Dictionary of Saints:
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Christopher
Christopher (3rd century?), martyr. Nothing is known of his history except the record of his death in Asia Minor. A church was dedicated to him in Bithynia in 452 and there are 8th-century Legends in both Greek and Latin. These were augmented, especially in 12th-century Germany, until they reached the final form in the Golden Legend, which inspired innumerable artistic representations all over Europe and assured Christopher a place among the Fourteen Holy Helpers. The name Christopher (Christ-bearer) is made the basis for the Legend: ‘he bare him on his shoulders by conveying and leading, in his body by making it lean, in mind by devotion and in his mouth by confession and preaching.’ Christopher, supposedly a Canaanite, was a giant of fearsome appearance, who first decided to serve the Devil, but finding that the latter was afraid of Christ and his Cross, decided to serve Christ instead. A hermit instructed him in the Christian faith, and assigned to him as his Christian service residence near a river and helping travellers to cross it. Once a child asked Christopher to carry him across, but Christopher found him so heavy that he was bowed down with the weight. The child then told him that he was Jesus Christ and that he had carried the weight of the whole world and ‘him that created and made all the world upon thy shoulders’. He told Christopher to plant his staff in the ground: the next day it woud bear flowers and dates as a sign of the truth of the message he had received. Later he was said to have preached Christianity in the city of Lycia with enormous success, but was imprisoned when in persecution (under Decius?) he refused to sacrifice to the gods. Two women who were sent to seduce him in prison were converted instead; Christopher was beaten with rods of iron; shot with arrows, one of which injured the king in the eye, later healed by Christopher's blood; finally he was beheaded.
Many English wall-paintings of Christopher have survived. Mostly they were placed on the north wall opposite the porch so that he would be seen by all who entered the church. This was because he was not only the patron of travellers, but also was invoked against water, tempest, and plague and especially against sudden death. It was popularly believed that whoever saw an image of Christopher would not die that day. Hence in modern times he is invoked as the patron of motorists (a church in the Javel area of Paris, where Citroën cars are made, is dedicated to his patronage), and the motorists' plaques often bear the ancient inscription ‘Behold St. Christopher and go thy way in safety’. The surviving paintings vary in elaboration. In most of them he is depicted as a giant, carrying the Infant Jesus on his back. From the 14th century the picturesque element is more in evidence, with the hermit, the river, the flowering staff, boats, fishes, and the arrow wounding the king. The two temptresses and even a mermaid are also sometimes found. Examples may be seen at Shorwell (I.W.), Aldermaston (Berks.), Little Missenden (Bucks.), Impington (Cambs.), Breage and St. Keverne (Cornwall), Haddon Hall (Derbyshire), Little Baddow (Essex), and many other places. There are also notable examples in stained glass (e.g. Great Malvern Priory) and sculpture (e.g. Terrington St. Clement, Norfolk). Nine English churches have ancient dedications to him.
The cult of Christopher was severely criticized by Erasmus in his Praise of Folly; his popularity suffered both from the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, so that from the 17th century (in contrast to earlier times) it is hard to find notable examples of images of him. But in modern times his popular cult has revived with the increase in travel by air and motorway. As travelling becomes (or is believed to become) more dangerous, so does devotion to Christopher flourish. When in 1969 the Holy See reduced his feast to the dimension of a merely local cult, there was a sharp reaction in various countries, led in Italy by popular film stars. It seems likely that this medieval legend and cult will never completely lose its popularity. Feast: 25 July.
Bibliography
Click here for a list of abbreviations used in this bibliography.
- AA.SS. Iul. VI (1729), 125–49 with Anal. Boll., i (1882), 121–48 and x (1891), 393–405
- H. Usener, Acta S. Marinae et S. Christopori (1886), 54–76
- W. Morris and F. S. Ellis (edd.), The Golden Legend (1892)
- H. C. Whaite, St. Christopher in English Medieval Wallpainting (1929)
- H. F. Rosenfeldt, Der hl. Christophorus (1937)
- C. Johnson, St. Christopher (1938)
- A. Masseron, Saint Christophe, patron des automobilistes (1933)
- A. Caiger-Smith, English Medieval Mural Paintings (1963)
- G. McN. Rushforth, Medieval Christian Imagery (1936), pp. 221–4
- Bibl. SS., iv. 349–64
Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore:
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St Christopher
All that is known historically of Christopher is that he was a martyr in Asia Minor (3rd century?); his name means ‘Christ-carrier’. According to medieval legend, he was a giant who became Christian and used to serve travellers by carrying them across a river. One day he was almost crushed by the weight of a young boy, for the boy was Jesus, who carries the weight of the world. Many English churches had wall paintings and windows depicting Christopher, usually facing the main entrance, as it was said that anyone who saw an image of him would not die that day. He was also patron of travellers, and protected people from plague and storm. Processional giants were sometimes named after him, he being a rare example of a virtuous giant; one survives, at Salisbury (Wiltshire). St Christopher medals were already known in the Middle Ages; one of Chaucer's pilgrims, the Yeoman, wears a silver one. They are very popular charms in the 20th century, especially among motorists and those travelling by air.
Columbia Encyclopedia:
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St Christopher
Christopher, Saint (krĭs'təfər) [Gr.,=Christ bearer], 3d cent.?, martyr of Asia Minor. His characteristic legend is that one day when he was carrying a little child over a river, he felt the child's weight almost too great to bear. The child was Jesus, carrying the world in his hands. Hence St. Christopher is usually represented as a giant, with the Holy Child on his shoulder; he leans on a staff. He is the patron of travelers, hence the practice of wearing his medal on journeys. His name was dropped from the liturgical calendar in 1969. Feast: July 25.
American Heritage Dictionary:
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Chris·to·pher
, Saint fl. third century A.D.Christian martyr often depicted as a giant who converted to Christianity and thereafter devoted himself to carrying travelers across a river. His feast, July 25, was dropped from the Catholic liturgical calendar in 1969.
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Saint Christopher
For other uses, see Saint Christopher (disambiguation).
| Saint Christopher | |
|---|---|
 St. Christopher Carrying the Christ Child, by Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1485) |
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| Martyr | |
| Born | July 25 Canaan (Western accounts) or Marmarica (Eastern accounts) |
| Died | c. 251 Asia Minor |
| Honored in | Roman Catholicism Eastern Orthodoxy Lutheranism Oriental Orthodoxy Anglicanism |
| Feast | 25 July (since 1967: 21 August) (West), 9 May (East) |
| Attributes | tree, branch, as a giant or ogre, carrying Jesus, spear, shield, as a dog-headed man |
| Patronage | bachelors, transportation (drivers, sailors, etc.), travelling (especially for long journeys), storms, Brunswick, Saint Christopher's Island (Saint Kitts), Island Rab, Vilnius, epilepsy, gardeners, holy death, toothache |
Saint Christopher (Greek: Άγιος Χριστόφορος) is venerated by Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd century Roman Emperor Decius (reigned 249–251) or alternatively under the Roman Emperor Maximinus II Dacian (reigned 308–313). There appears to be confusion due to the similarity in names "Decius" and "Dacian".[1]
The Eastern Orthodox Church venerates Saint Christopher on May 9.[2] The Tridentine Calendar allowed a commemoration of Saint Christopher on 25 July only in private Masses. This restriction was lifted later (see General Roman Calendar as in 1954). Although the Roman Catholic Church still approves devotion to him, listing him in the Roman Martyrology among the saints venerated on 25 July,[3] Pope Paul VI removed his feast day from the Roman Catholic calendar of saints in his 1969 motu proprio Mysterii Paschalis. At that time the church declared that this commemoration was not of Roman tradition, in view of the relatively late date (about 1550) and limited manner in which it was accepted into the Roman calendar,[4] but his feast is still observed locally.[5]
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Legend
There are several legends associated with the life and death of Saint Christopher, which first appear in Greece, perhaps in the 6th century, and had spread to France by the 9th century. The 11th century writer Walter of Speyer gives one version, but the most popular variations originate from the 13th century Golden Legend.[6]
According to the legendary account of his life Christopher was a Canaanite 5 cubits (7.5 feet (2.3 m)) tall and with a fearsome face. While serving the king of Canaan, he took it into his head to go and serve "the greatest king there was". He went to the king who was reputed to be the greatest, but one day he saw the king cross himself at the mention of the devil. On thus learning that the king feared the devil, he departed to look for the devil. He came across a band of marauders, one of whom declared himself to be the devil, so Christopher decided to serve him. But when he saw his new master avoid a wayside cross and found out that the devil feared Christ, he left him and enquired from people where to find Christ. He met a hermit who instructed him in the Christian faith. Christopher asked him how he could serve Christ. When the hermit suggested fasting and prayer, Christopher replied that he was unable to perform that service. The hermit then suggested that because of his size and strength Christopher could serve Christ by assisting people to cross a dangerous river, where they were perishing in the attempt. The hermit promised that this service would be pleasing to Christ.
After Christopher had performed this service for some time, a little child asked him to take him across the river. During the crossing, the river became swollen and the child seemed as heavy as lead, so much that Christopher could scarcely carry him and found himself in great difficulty. When he finally reached the other side, he said to the child: "You have put me in the greatest danger. I do not think the whole world could have been as heavy on my shoulders as you were." The child replied: "You had on your shoulders not only the whole world but Him who made it. I am Christ your king, whom you are serving by this work." The child then vanished.
Christopher later visited the city of Lycia and there comforted the Christians who were being martyred. Brought before the local king, he refused to sacrifice to the pagan gods. The king tried to win him by riches and by sending two beautiful women to tempt him. Christopher converted the women to Christianity, as he had already converted thousands in the city. The king ordered him to be killed. Various attempts failed, but finally Christopher was decapitated.
Historical identification
Historical examination of the legends suggests Reprobus (Christopher) lived during the Christian persecutions of the Roman emperor Decius, and that he was captured and martyred by the governor of Antioch.[7] Historian David Woods has proposed that St. Christopher's remains were possibly taken to Alexandria by Peter of Attalia where he may have become identified with the Egyptian martyr Saint Menas.[7]
The legend of Saint Christopher records two important historical facts that identify him with the historical Saint Menas. The first is that the Greek and Latin legends of Saint Christopher identify him as belonging to the Third Valerian Cohort of the Marmantae (Latin: Cohors tertia Valeria, at Marmantarum), a military unit of Northern Africa of Marmarica (between modern day Libya and Egypt), recruited by none other than the Emperor Diocletian.[8] The second is that Saint Christopher was martyred in Antioch.
The martyrdom of Saint Menas corresponds to the details of the legend of Saint Christopher. The theory that identifies the two saints as one and the same concludes that the name "Christopher" meaning "Christ-bearer" was a title given to the name of the valiant Menas who died in Antioch. Since, he was not a native of that land, his name was not known and so he was simply revered by his generic title: "Christophoros" or "Christ-Bearer."[9] Saint Menas happens to be the patron of travelers in the Coptic tradition,[9] which further supports an association with Saint Christopher who is the patron of travelers in the Greek and Latin traditions.
Veneration and patronage of St Christopher
Eastern Orthodox liturgy
The Eastern Orthodox Church venerates Christopher of Lycea with a Feast Day on May 9. The liturgical reading and hymns refer to his imprisonment by Decius who tempts Christopher with harlots before ordering his beheading.[10] The Kontakion in the Fourth Tone (hymn) reads:
Thou who wast terrifying both in strength and in countenance, for thy Creator's sake thou didst surrender thyself willingly to them that sought thee; for thou didst persuade both them and the women that sought to arouse in thee the fire of lust, and they followed thee in the path of martyrdom. And in torments thou didst prove to be courageous. Wherefore, we have gained thee as our great protector, O great Christopher.[11]
Relics
The Museum of Sacred Art at Saint Justine's Church (Sveti Justina) in Rab, Croatia claims a gold-plated reliquary holds the skull of St. Christopher. According to the church, the skull was transported there in the 11th century and when placed upon the city wall, it destroyed a siege of the city by a Saracen army.[12]
Medals
Medallions with St. Christopher's name and image are commonly worn as pendants, especially by travelers, to show devotion and as a request for his blessing. Miniature statues are frequently displayed in automobiles. 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"); Saint Christopher medals and holy cards in Spanish have the phrase "Si en San Cristóbal confías, de accidente no morirás" ("If you trust St. Christopher, you won't die in an accident"). In Austria an annual collection for providing vehicles for the use of missionaries is taken up on a Sunday close to the feast of Saint Christopher, asking people to contribute a very small sum of money for every kilometer that they have traveled safely during the year.[citation needed]
General patronage
St.Christopher is a widely popular saint, especially revered by athletes, mariners, ferrymen, and travelers.[13] He is revered as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. He holds patronage of things related to travel and travelers: against lightning; against pestilence; archers; bachelors; boatmen; bookbinders; epilepsy; floods; fruit dealers; fullers; gardeners; for a holy death; mariners; market carriers; motorists and drivers; sailors; storms; surfers;[14] toothache; mountaineering; and transportation workers.
Patronage of places
Christopher is the patron saint of many places, including: Baden, Germany;[13] Barga, Italy; Brunswick, Germany;[13] Mecklenburg, Germany;[13] Rab, Croatia; Roermond, The Netherlands; Saint Christopher's Island (Saint Kitts); Toses in Catalonia, Spain; Mondim de Basto, Portugal; Agrinion, Greece; Vilnius, Lithuania; Riga, Latvia; Havana, Cuba; and Paete, Laguna, Philippines.
Depictions in art
Because St. Christopher offered protection to travelers and against sudden death, many churches placed images or statues of him, usually opposite the south door, so he could be easily seen.[5] He is usually depicted as a giant of a man, with a child on his shoulder and a staff in one hand.[15] In England, there are more wall paintings of St. Christopher than of any other saint;[5] in 1904, Mrs. Collier, writing for the British Archaeological Association, reported 183 paintings, statues, and other representations of the saint, outnumbering all others except for the Virgin Mary.[16]
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In Eastern Orthodox icons, Saint Christopher is often represented with the head of a dog. The background to the dog-headed Christopher is laid in the reign of the Emperor Diocletian, when a man named Reprebus, Rebrebus or Reprobus (the "reprobate" or "scoundrel") was captured in combat against tribes dwelling to the west of Egypt in Cyrenaica. To the unit of soldiers, according to the hagiographic narrative, was assigned the name numerus Marmaritarum or "Unit of the Marmaritae", which suggests an otherwise-unidentified "Marmaritae" (perhaps the same as the Marmaricae Berber tribe of Cyrenaica). He was reported to be of enormous size, with the head of a dog instead of a man, apparently a characteristic of the Marmaritae. This Byzantine depiction of St. Christopher as dog-headed resulted from their misinterpretation of the Latin term Cananeus to read canineus, that is, "canine."[17]
The German bishop and poet Walter of Speyer portrayed St. Christopher as a giant of a cynocephalic species in the land of the Chananeans (the "canines" of Canaan in the New Testament) who ate human flesh and barked. Eventually, Christopher met the Christ child, regretted his former behavior, and received baptism. He, too, was rewarded with a human appearance, whereupon he devoted his life to Christian service and became an athlete of God, one of the soldier-saints.[18]
References in popular culture
Notes
- ^ T.D. Barnes, The New Empire of Diocletian and Constantine (Cambridge, MA, 1982). pp. 65–66.
- ^ (Greek) Ὁ Ἅγιος Χριστοφόρος ὁ Μεγαλομάρτυρας. 9 Μαΐου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
- ^ Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2001 ISBN 88-209-7210-7)
- ^ Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 131
- ^ a b c Butler, Alban (2000). Peter Doyle, Paul Burns. ed. Butler's lives of the saints, Volume 7. Liturgical Press. pp. 198–99. ISBN 978-0-8146-2383-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=umn3JEADSTQC&pg=PA198. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- ^ Catholic Encyclopedia, "Saint Christopher"
- ^ a b David Woods, "St. Christopher, Bishop Peter of Attalia, and the Cohors Marmaritarum: A Fresh Examination", Vigiliae Christianae, Vol. 48, No. 2 (Jun., 1994), p.170
- ^ D.H. Farmer, The Oxford Dictionary of Saints (3rd ed.: Oxford, 1992), 97-98; or the note by V. Saxer in A. di Berardino (ed.), Encyclopedia of the Early Church I (New York, 1992), 165.
- ^ a b "The Origin of the Cult of St. Christopher". http://www.ucc.ie/milmart/chrsorig.html.
- ^ "Christopher the Martyr of Lycea", Saints, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 2009
- ^ Holy Transfiguration Monastery, (translation), "Kontakion in the Fourth Tone", Saints, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 2009
- ^ Bousfield, Jonathan (July 2003). The Rough Guide to Croatia. Rough Guides; 2nd edition. p. 236.
- ^ a b c d Mershman, F. (1908). St. Christopher. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved September 16, 2008
- ^ Dioces of Orange hosts First Annual Blessing of the Waves in Surf City Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, September 15, 2008
- ^ Magill, Frank Northen; Christin he is a boring person a J. Moose, Alison Aves (1998). Dictionary of World Biography: The ancient world. Taylor & Francis. pp. 239–44. ISBN 978-0-89356-313-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=wyKaVFZqbdUC&pg=PA242. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- ^ Collier, Mrs. (1904). "Saint Christopher and Some Representations of Him in English Churches". Journal of the British Archaeological Association: 130–45. http://books.google.com/books?id=UDgNAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA130. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- ^ L. Ross, Medieval Art: A Topical Dictionary (Westport, 1996).. pp. 50.
- ^ Walter of Speyer, Vita et passio sancti Christopher martyris, 75.
Further reading
- Bouquet, John A. (1930). A People's Book of Saints. London: Longman's.
- Butler, Alban (1956). Thurston, Herbert J.; Attwater, Donald. eds. Butler's lives of the saints. New York: Kenedy.
- Cunningham, Lawrence S. (1980). The meaning of saints. San Francisco: Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-061649-0.
- de Voragine, Jacobus (1993). The golden legend: readings on the saints. William Ryan, trans. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 0-691-00865-5.
- Weinstein, Donald; Bell, Rudolph M. (1982). Saints and society: the 2 worlds of western Christendom, 1000–1700. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Pr.. ISBN 0-226-89055-4.
- White, Helen (1963). Tudor Books of Saints and Martyrs. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
- Wilson, Stephen, ed. (1983). Saints and their cults: studies in religious sociology, folklore, and history. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24978-3.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Saint Christopher |
- Saint Christopher Website with information and references about St. Christopher.
- "The Life of Saint Christopher", The Golden Legend or Lives of the Saints, Temple Classics, 1931 (Compiled by Jacobus de Voragine, Translated by William Caxton) at the Fordham University Medieval Sourcebook
- St. Christopher page at Christian Iconography
- St. Christopher in the Golden Legend: Latin original, English translation (Caxton)
- "The Passion of St. Christopher"
- Irish "Passion of St. Christopher"
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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
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The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Copyright © David Hugh Farmer 1978, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2003, 2004. All rights reserved.
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A Dictionary of English Folklore. Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
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