Saint Longinus
| Saint Longinus | |
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| Born | 1st century, Cappadocia |
| Died | 1st century, Cappadocia |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Major shrine | Inside the Basilica di San Pietro, in the Vatican. |
| Feast | March 15 |
| Attributes | Military attire |
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Longinus is the name given in Christian tradition to a Roman soldier who pierced Jesus on his side while he was on the Cross.
Origins of the legend
No name for this soldier is given in the Gospels; the name Longinus comes from a version of the pseudepigraphal Acts of Pilate. The spear used is known as the Spear of Destiny, or Lance of Longinus, and figures in the legends of the Holy Grail. In some medieval folklore, e.g. the Golden Legend, the touch of Jesus's blood cures his blindness. Longinus is revered as a martyr in the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy, with anecdotal details introduced to reinforce the duplicity of the Jews in the lore that accumulated around these supposed witnesses to the crucifixion. Longinus does not have an entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia. His feast day is March 15. [1]
A statue of a Saint Longinus is in the Basilica di San Pietro, in the Vatican. It was sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The original spear which is thought to have been used by St Longinus when piercing Christ is embedded within one of the altar's pillars closest to the statue of St Longinus at St Peter's Basilica.
Gallery
 Longinus pierces the side of Christ. From a fresco by Fra Angelico. |
 Christ on the Cross, the three Mary's, John the Evangelist, and Saint Longinus |
 Statue of Longinus. Sagrada Família. |
The Longinus legend in popular culture
- Louis de Wohl, known for his "biographical novels" of saints and other religious characters, devotes an entire novel, Spear, to Cassius Longinus, the legionnaire who put a spear through Christ's side. The novel tells his life before and after the event, from a pagan son of a member of Roman nobility, through him being sold as a slave, to a converted Christian.
- Leonard Wibberley's The Centurion (1966) features Longinus as a veteran of the campaigns in Britain who seeks Christ's help when his servant (and father-in-law) falls mortally ill. This version conflates the Centurion in Matthew 8:8 with the one in command of the guard at the Crucifixion (Matthew 27:54).
- The Seventh Sign is a 1988 film that incorporates elements of the Longinus legend and the Wandering Jew legend.
- Barry Sadler's series of novels features Casca Rufio Longinius, cursed by Jesus for spearing him to soldier until they meet again. This seems to be an intentional blending of the legends of Longinus and the Wandering Jew.
- In the short-lived television series Roar starring a young Heath Ledger set in 400 AD, Longinus is a sorceror, and is revealed to be the Roman who pierced the side of Jesus, cursed by God with eternal life until he finds the Spear of Destiny hidden somewhere in Ireland. Only the Spear can release him from his earthly prison.
- In the White Wolf, Inc. roleplaying game Vampire: The Requiem, Longinus is one of the only three vampires to ever exist without a clan.
See also
External links
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