Theophilus of Adana
Theophilus of Adana | |
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Pre-congregation | |
Feast | February 4[1] |
Saint Theophilus the Penitent or Theophilus of Adana (Greek: Θεόφιλος Άδανας, died c. 538 AD) was a cleric in the sixth century Church who is said to have made a deal with the Devil to gain an ecclesiastical position. His story is significant as it is one of the oldest popular stories of a pact with the Devil and was an inspiration for the Faust legend. Eutychianus of Adana, who claimed to be an eyewitness of the events, is the first to record Theophilus's story.
Although Theophilus is considered to be an historical personage, the tale associated with him is of an apocryphal nature. His feast day is February 4.[1]
Legend
Theophilus was the
Later, fearful for his soul, Theophilus repented and prayed to the Virgin for forgiveness. After forty days of fasting, the Virgin appeared to him and verbally chastised him. Theophilus begged forgiveness and Mary promised to intercede with God. He then fasted a further thirty days, after which Mary appeared to him again, and granted him absolution. However, Satan was unwilling to relinquish his hold over Theophilus, and three days later,[3] Theophilus awoke to find the damning contract on his chest. He then took the contract to the legitimate bishop and confessed all that he had done. The bishop burned the document, and Theophilus died out of sheer joy to be free from the burden of his contract.[1]
Importance
Theophilus's story played a role in establishing the importance of the intercession of the Virgin Mary, in addition to providing a basis for later tales involving the
The Virgin Mary increased in
The story of Saint Theophilus is an important example in the development of the theology of
The legend in art
The legend of Theophilus first appears in art in the 11th century in an historiated initial, which depicts the
The legend was the most popular in art in the 13th century; it occurred most frequently in
Marcel Proust briefly mentions him in Swann's Way as being an important figure of sculpture in France.
References
- ^ a b c Baring-Gould, Sabine. "Theophilus", Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, London. Rivington's, 1877 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- S2CID 161402260. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ISSN 0013-8266.
- ^ Mâle, Emile (1986). Religious Art in France: The Thirteenth Century. Translated by Mathews, Marthiel. Princeton University Press. p. 261.
- ^ S2CID 54544208.
- ISBN 9781843844617.
- ^ Mâle, Emile (1984). Religious Art in France: The Thirteenth Century. Translated by Mathews, Mathiel. Princeton University Press. p. 262,266.
- ^ Sangster, Minnie B. (1999). "Envisioning Le Miracle de Theophile in France: Stained Glass, Sculpture, and Stage". Medieval Perspectives. 14: 191–201.
Sources
- John Yohalem (March, 2005), "Crossing the Line of Forbidden Knowledge" Retrieved 11 April 2005
- Paul Carus (1900) "The History of the Devil Archived 2020-07-15 at the Wayback Machine" pp. 415–417 Retrieved 11 April 2005
- Alphonsus Liguori, (1750)"Mary's Intercession Is Necessary for our Salvation Archived 2016-08-12 at the Wayback Machine" Retrieved 11 April 2005
External links
The National Library of the Netherlands has a collection of images pertaining to Saint Theophilus.