Passio Albani

Last updated
Stained Glass Window Representing Saint Alban StAlbansFiveDock StainedGlass PatronSaintAlban.jpg
Stained Glass Window Representing Saint Alban

The Passio Albani, or Passion of Saint Alban, is medieval hagiographic text about the martyrdom of Saint Alban, the protomartyr of Roman Britain. The author is anonymous, but the work is thought to have been written in the sixth or fifth century. In the latter case, it may actually have been authored or commissioned by Germanus of Auxerre. It currently survives in three different recensions and six separate manuscripts located throughout Europe, and forms the basis for all subsequent retellings of the Saint Alban martyrdom, from Gildas to Bede.

Contents

Manuscripts and recensions

The Passio has survived in six separate manuscripts located throughout Europe. In 1904, The German scholar W. Meyer identified three different recensions of the manuscript, which he named T, P, and E. [1] The T manuscript is located in Turin, the P manuscript in Paris, and the E manuscripts, of which there are four copies, are located at the British Library, Gray's Inn London, Autun France, and Einsiedeln Switzerland. [2]

Meyer identified the T or Turin manuscript as the oldest version of the Passio, and the basis for all other recensions. He believed it was produced at the end of the eighth century at Corbie. [2] Meyer did not believe that the original version of the Passio, the one set down by Germanus on tituli, had survived, and he assumed that the T version was therefore the oldest and most accurate version of the lost original. He postulated that the Turin manuscript was later abridged to form text E, which was then redacted to form the Paris text. [1] This led him to assume that the E version was merely an abridgment of the Turin manuscript, and he edited it only in an abridged form as part of his 1904 survey. [3]

Meyer's view was the standard interpretation for nearly 100 years, which had major implications in how later historians interpreted the historicity of Saint Alban and dated his martyrdom. [2] It wasn't until 2001 that Richard Sharpe examined the E manuscripts and argued that the Turin manuscript is probably not the oldest version after all, and was instead probably composed in the ninth or tenth century at Saint Maur-des-Fossés. [4] Not taking into account Meyer's main argument, Sharpe tried to demonstrate that the E recension is in fact older, and the parent text of all both the T and P texts. [2] [3]

Illustration of Alban's Martyrdom from the 13th-century manuscript "The Life of St. Alban" By Matthew Paris DublinTrinityCollegeMSEi40LifeAlbanFol38rMartyrdomAlban.jpg
Illustration of Alban's Martyrdom from the 13th-century manuscript "The Life of St. Alban" By Matthew Paris

Author and date

The original author or commissioner of the Passio is thought by historians to be Germanus of Auxerre, [4] [3] though this cannot be proven with certainty, and his name is not recorded as the author of any of the recensions. We know from the Vita Germani and Prosper of Aquitaine [5] that Germanus visited the tomb of Saint Alban in 429. All versions of the Passio, meanwhile, include some details about this visit, after the account of Alban's martyrdom. According to the 'T 'version, Alban came to Germanus in a dream, revealing the details of his martyrdom. When Germanus awoke, he had the tale set down on tituli, possibly engraved onto painted illustrations of the martyrdom. This account set down by Germanus has been thought to be the first copy of the Passio Albani: the E version (minus the few concluding lines about the visit of Germanus to the martyr's tomb), convincingly argued by Professor Sharpe to be not only the shortest and simplest of the recensions but also the oldest [4] This cannot be proved but it is almost certain that this Passio, very likely the source of all our information about Saint Alban, originated within the circle of Germanus at Auxerre. Some historians have argued that this short 'E version/ account of Alban's martyrdom could have been written beneath illustrations of the martyr's passion on the walls of a basilica, actually at Auxerre [3] [4] This was a practice known to happen in 5th- and 6th-century churches, most notably in the collection from Tours known as the Martinellus. [3]

Interpretation

Throughout the 20th century most scholarship related to Saint Alban tended to focus on determining the date and location of Alban's martyrdom, and implicitly assumed that Alban was an authentic historical figure whose cult developed shortly after his martyrdom and continued on from the Roman period into the Anglo-Saxon period and beyond. [2] While the E text of the Passio says only that Alban was martyred tempore persecutionis ," in the time of the persecution," the T text says that Alban was martyred during the reign of Severus, and that Alban was tried by a Caesar. This led some historians [6] to suggest that the martyrdom occurred at the time of the Emperor Severus although other scholars [7] pointed out that the reference to that Emperor looked like an interpolation and that the original version probably only referred to a iudex. This was confirmed by Sharpe's 2001 article which argued for the E version as the most original.

More recently scholars have been more skeptical about the historicity of Saint Alban. In 2009 Professor Ian Wood (followed subsequently by Michael Garcia [8] ) suggested that the cult was actually an 'invention' of Saint Germanus of Auxerre, [9] although this has been disputed by, for instance, Professor Nick Higham. [10] Crucial to the debate is the passage from the T text which describes the appearance of saint Alban to Germanus in a dream. This can be interpreted as implying that the identity of the martyr was unknown before it was revealed to Germanus but it can also be interpreted as simply a way of explaining where the acta (or story of the martyrdom) of an already well known figure, came from. In any case what seems clear is that Germanus wanted to identify the cult firmly with continental orthodoxy as a part of his campaign against the Pelagian heresy in Britain.

Related Research Articles

St Albans is a city located in Hertfordshire, England. It was originally founded as Verlamion a settlement belonging to the Catuvellauni. It was subsequently transformed into the Roman settlement of Verulamium from where it grew into a municipium around AD 50.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ignatius of Antioch</span> Late 1st / early 2nd century Christian author and Patriarch of Antioch

Ignatius of Antioch, also known as Ignatius Theophorus, was an early Christian writer and Patriarch of Antioch. While en route to Rome, where he met his martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This correspondence forms a central part of a later collection of works by the Apostolic Fathers. He is considered one of the three most important of these, together with Clement of Rome and Polycarp. His letters also serve as an example of early Christian theology, and address important topics including ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund the Martyr</span> King of East Anglia from about 855 until 869

Edmund the Martyr was king of East Anglia from about 855 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germanus of Auxerre</span> 5th century Bishop of Auxerre and saint

Germanus of Auxerre was a western Roman clergyman who was bishop of Autissiodorum in Late Antique Gaul. He abandoned a career as a high-ranking government official to devote his formidable energy towards the promotion of the church and the protection of his "flock" in dangerous times, personally confronting, for instance, the barbarian king "Goar". In Britain he is best remembered for his journey to combat Pelagianism in or around 429 AD, and the records of this visit provide valuable information on the state of post-Roman British society. He also played an important part in the establishment and promotion of the Cult of Saint Alban. The saint was said to have revealed the story of his martyrdom to Germanus in a dream or holy vision, and Germanus ordered this to be written down for public display. Germanus is venerated as a saint in both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, which commemorate him on 31 July.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agatha of Sicily</span> Saint and virgin martyr

Agathaof Sicily is a Christian saint. Her feast is on 5 February. Agatha was born in Catania, part of the Roman Province of Sicily, and was martyred c. 251. She is one of several virgin martyrs who are commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amphibalus</span> Early medieval Christian saint

Amphibalus is a venerated early Christian priest said to have converted Saint Alban to Christianity. He occupied a place in British hagiography almost as revered as Alban himself. According to many hagiographical accounts, including those of Gildas, Bede, Geoffrey of Monmouth, and Matthew of Paris, Amphibalus was a Roman Christian fleeing religious persecution under Emperor Diocletian. Amphibalus was offered shelter by Alban in the Roman city of Verulamium, in modern-day England. Alban was so impressed with the priest's faith and teaching that he began to emulate him in worship, and eventually became a Christian himself. When Roman soldiers came to seize Amphibalus, Alban put on Amphibalus' robes and was punished in his place. According to Matthew Paris, after Alban's martyrdom, the Romans eventually caught and martyred Amphibalus as well.

Elafius, alternately Elaphus and Elasius, was recorded as a British figure of the fifth century AD. Elafius is the name used by Bede, however, the best texts of Constantius of Lyon record the name as Elaphus and Elafus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Alban</span> English protomartyr

Saint Alban is venerated as the first-recorded British Christian martyr, for which reason he is considered to be the British protomartyr. Along with fellow Saints Julius and Aaron, Alban is one of three named martyrs recorded at an early date from Roman Britain. He is traditionally believed to have been beheaded in Verulamium sometime during the 3rd or 4th century, and his cult has been celebrated there since ancient times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyricus and Julitta</span> Mother and son Christian martyrs in the 4th-century AD

Cyricus, and his mother, Julitta are venerated as early Christian martyrs. According to tradition, they were put to death at Tarsus in AD 304.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Æthelberht II of East Anglia</span> 8th-century saint and king of East Anglia

Æthelberht, also called Saint Ethelbert the King, was an eighth-century saint and a king of East Anglia, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Little is known of his reign, which may have begun in 779, according to later sources, and very few of the coins he issued have been discovered. It is known from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle that he was killed on the orders of Offa of Mercia in 794.

Alban of Mainz was a Catholic priest, missionary, and martyr in the Late Roman Empire. He is venerated as Saint Alban of Mainz in the Catholic Church, not to be confused with Saint Alban of Verulamium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Crowned Martyrs</span> Martyrs and saints in Early Christianity

The Four Crowned Martyrs or Four Holy Crowned Ones were nine individuals who are venerated as martyrs and saints of Early Christianity. The nine saints are divided into two groups:

  1. Severus, Severian(us), Carpophorus (Carpoforus), Victorinus
  2. Claudius, Castorius, Symphorian (Simpronian), Nicostratus, and Simplicius
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randoald of Grandval</span>

Saint Randoald was prior of the Benedictine Moutier-Grandval Abbey under Germanus of Granfelden. He is recognised as a saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amator</span> Catholic bishop and saint

Amator(in French)Amadour or Amatre was bishop of Auxerre from 388 until his death on 1 May 418 and venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. Amator's feast day is celebrated on 1 May.

Julius and Aaron were two Romano-British Christian saints who were martyred around the third century. Along with Saint Alban, they are the only named Christian martyrs from Roman Britain. Most historians place the martyrdom in Caerleon, although other suggestions have placed it in Chester or Leicester. Their feast day was traditionally celebrated on 1 July, but it is now observed together with Alban on 20 June by the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches.

Nicomedes was a martyr of unknown era, whose feast is observed 15 September. He was buried in a catacomb on the Via Nomentana near the gate of that name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germanus of Granfelden</span>

Saint Germanus of Granfelden was the first abbot of Moutier-Grandval Abbey. He is venerated as a martyr saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Indract or Indracht was an Irish saint who, along with his companions, was venerated at Glastonbury Abbey, a monastery in the county of Somerset in south-western England. In the High Middle Ages Glastonbury tradition held that he had been an Irish pilgrim — a king's son – on his way back from Rome who was molested and killed by a local thegn after he had stopped off to visit the shrine of St Patrick. This tradition synchronised his life with that of King Ine (688–726), though historian Michael Lapidge has argued that he is most likely to represent a 9th-century abbot of Iona named Indrechtach ua Fínnachta.

<i>Vita Germani</i> Hagiographic text written by Constantius in 5th century AD

The Vita Germani is a hagiographic text written by Constantius of Lyon in the 5th century AD. It is one of the first hagiographic texts written in Western Europe, and is an important resource for historians studying the origins of saintly veneration and the "cult of saints." It recounts the life and acts of bishop Germanus of Auxerre, who travelled to Britain c. 429 AD, and is the principal source of details about his life. It is one of the few surviving texts from the 5th century with information about Britain and the Pelagian controversy, and is also one of the first texts to identify and promote the cult of Saint Alban.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Roman Britain</span>

Christianity was present in Roman Britain from at least the third century until the end of the Roman imperial administration in the early fifth century, and continued in western Britain.

References

  1. 1 2 Meyer, W. (1904). "Passio Albani". Die Legende des h. Albanus des Protomartyr Angliae in Texten vor Beda. VII (21–22).
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Garcia, Michael. "Saint Alban and the Cult of Saints in Late Antique Britain". Academia.edu. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Wood, Ian. "Germanus, Alban and Auxerre". Bucema: Bulletin du centre d'études médiévales - Auxerre. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Sharpe, Richard (2001). Henigand, M.; Lindley, P. (eds.). "The Late Antique Passion of Saint Alban". Alban and St Albans: 30–37.
  5. ↑ Prosper of Aquitaine, Prosperi Tironis Epitoma Chronicon, in Monumenta Germaniae Historica (MGH), Chronica Minora vol 1, 1892, Mommsen, Theodore, ed., Berlin: Weidemann pp. 385-485
  6. ↑ Morris, John (1968). "The Date of Saint Alban". Hertfordshire Archaeology. 1.
  7. ↑ pp. 349-50 in Levison, Willhelm “St Alban and St Albans” in 'Antiquity' 15, pp. 337-59; p.13 in Wood, Ian (1984) “The End of Roman Britain: Continental Evidence and Parallels” in M. Lapidge and Dumville, ed., 'Gildas New Approaches', Woodbridge: Boydell Press.
  8. ↑ Garcia, Michael, op.cit
  9. ↑ Wood, Ian (2014), op.cit
  10. ↑ Higham, Nicholas J (2014) “Constantius, Germanus and fifth century Britain” in 'Early Medieval Europe' 22 (2), pp. 113-37; cf Thornhill, Revised Version, op.cit
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.