Jacob de Voragine
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Jacobus de Voragine (c. 123013/16 July 1298) was an Italian chronicler and
archbishop of Genoa The Archdiocese of Genoa ( la, Archidioecesis Ianuensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. Erected in the 3rd century, it was elevated to an archdiocese on 20 March 1133. The archdiocese of Gen ...
. He was the author, or more accurately the compiler, of the '' Golden Legend'', a collection of the legendary lives of the greater
saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
s of the medieval church that was one of the most popular religious works of the Middle Ages.


Biography

Jacobus was born either in Varazze or in Genoa, where a family originally from Varazze and bearing that name is attested at the time. He entered the Dominican order in 1244, and became the prior at Como, Bologna and
Asti Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a ''comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deemed t ...
in succession. Besides preaching with success in many parts of Italy, he also taught in the schools of his own fraternity. He was
provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...
of
Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
from 1267 till 1286, when he was removed at the meeting of the order in Paris. He also represented his own province at the councils of Lucca (1288) and
Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
(1290). On the last occasion he was one of the four delegates charged with signifying Pope Nicholas IV's desire for the deposition of Munio de Zamora – who had been master of the Dominican order from 1285 and was eventually deprived of his office by a papal bull dated 12 April 1291. In 1288 Nicholas empowered him to absolve the people of Genoa for their offence in aiding the Sicilians against Charles II. Early in 1292 the same pope, himself a Franciscan, summoned Jacobus to Rome, intending to consecrate him archbishop of Genoa. Jacobus reached Rome on Palm Sunday (30 March), only to find his patron ill of a deadly sickness, from which he died on
Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
(4 April). The cardinals, however, ''propter honorem Communis Januae'' ("for the honor of the commune of Genoa"), determined to carry out this consecration on the Sunday after Easter. He was a good bishop, and especially distinguished himself by his efforts to appease the civil discords of Genoa among
Guelf The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, rivalr ...
s and Ghibellines.Ott, Michael. "Blessed Jacopo de Voragine." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 17 July 2016
A story, mentioned by Echard as unworthy of credit, makes
Pope Boniface VIII Pope Boniface VIII ( la, Bonifatius PP. VIII; born Benedetto Caetani, c. 1230 – 11 October 1303) was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 to his death in 1303. The Caetani, Caetani family was of b ...
, on the first day of
Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
, cast the ashes in the archbishop's eyes instead of on his head, with the words, "Remember that thou art a Ghibelline, and with thy fellow Ghibellines wilt return to naught." He died in 1298 or 1299, and was buried in the Dominican church at Genoa. He was beatified by Pius VII in 1816.


Works

Jacobus de Voragine left a list of his own works. Speaking of himself in his ''Chronicon januense'', he says: "While he was in his order, and after he had been made archbishop, he wrote many works. For he compiled the legends of the saints ( ''Legenda sanctorum'') in one volume, adding many things from the ''Historia tripartita et scholastica,'' and from the chronicles of many writers." The other writings he claims are two anonymous volumes of ''Sermons concerning all the Saints'' whose yearly feasts the church celebrates. Of these volumes, he adds, one is very diffuse, but the other short and concise. Then follow ''Sermones de omnibus evangeliis dominicalibus'' for every Sunday in the year; ''Sermones de omnibus evangeliis,'' i.e., a book of discourses on all the Gospels, from
Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and falls on the first day of Lent (the six weeks of penitence before Easter). It is observed by Catholics in the Rom ...
to the Tuesday after Easter; and a treatise called ''Marialis, qui totus est de B. Maria compositus,'' consisting of about 160 discourses on the attributes, titles, etc., of the Virgin Mary. In the same work the archbishop claims to have written his ''Chronicon januense'' in the second year of his episcopate (1293), but it extends to 1296 or 1297. To Jacobus' own list his biographer Giovanni Monleone adds several other works, such as a defence of the Dominicans, printed at Venice in 1504, and a ''Summa virtutum et vitiorum Guillelmi Peraldi,'' a Dominican who died in 1271. Jacobus is also said by
Sixtus of Siena Sixtus of Siena (or Sixtus Senensis) (1520–1569) was a Jew who converted to Roman Catholicism, and became a Roman Catholic theologian. Biography He began his career as a Franciscan preacher, speaking throughout Italy. Though he was convicted t ...
(''Biblioth. Sacra,'' lib. ix) to have translated the
Old Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...
and New Testaments into his own tongue. "But," adds the historian of the Dominican order Jacques Échard, "if he did so, the version lies so closely hid that there is no recollection of it," and it may be added that it is highly improbable that the man who compiled the ''Golden Legend'' ever conceived the necessity of having the Scriptures in the vernacular.


The ''Golden Legend''

The ''Golden Legend'', one of the most popular religious works of the Middle Ages, is a collection of the legendary lives of the greater
saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
s of the medieval church. The preface divides the ecclesiastical year into four periods corresponding to the various epochs of the world's history, a time of deviation, of renovation, of reconciliation and of pilgrimage. The book itself, however, falls into five sections: (a) from
Advent Advent is a Christian season of preparation for the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity. The name was adopted from Latin "coming; arrival", translating Greek ''parousia''. In ...
to Christmas (cc. 1–5); (b) from Christmas to Septuagesima (6–30); (c) from Septuagesima to Easter (31–53); (d) from Easter Day to the
octave In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...
of
Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...
(54–76); (e) from the octave of Pentecost to Advent (77–180). The saints' lives are full of fanciful legend, and in not a few cases contain accounts of 13th century miracles wrought at special places, particularly with reference to the Dominicans. The penultimate chapter (181), "De Sancto Pelagio Papa", contains a universal history from the point of view of
Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
, or ''Historia Lombardica'' (History of Lombardy"), from the middle of the 6th century. The last (182) is a somewhat allegorical disquisition on the dedication of churches, "De dedicatione ecclesiae". The ''Golden Legend'' was translated into
Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
in the 13th century and a first dated version was published in Barcelona in 1494. A
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
version was made by
Jean Belet de Vigny Jean Beleth ( la, Joannes Belethus; -1182) was a twelfth-century French liturgist and theologian. He is thought to have been rector in a Paris theological college. That he was possibly of English origin was a hypothesis discussed by John Pits, an ...
in the 14th century. A Latin edition is assigned to about 1469; and a dated one was published at Lyon in 1473. Many other Latin editions were printed before the end of the century. A French translation by Master John Bataillier is dated 1476; Jean de Vigny's appeared at Paris, 1488; an Italian one by Nic. Manerbi (?Venice, 1475); a Czech one at Pilsen, 1475–1479, and at Prague, 1495;
Caxton Caxton may refer to: Places * Caxton Street, Brisbane, Australia * Caxton, Cambridgeshire, a village in Cambridgeshire, UK ** Caxton Gibbet, a knoll near the village * Caxton Hall, a historic building in London, UK * Caxton Building, a historic ...
's English versions, 1483, 1487, and 1493; and a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
one in 1489. Overall, during the first five decades of printing in Europe, editions of the ''Legenda Aurea'' appeared at a rate of about two per year.


''Sermones'' and ''Mariale''

Almost as popular as the ''Legenda Aurea'' were Jacobus' collected sermons, also termed ''Aurei''. Several 15th-century editions of the ''Sermons'' are also known; while his ''Mariale'' was printed at Venice in 1497 and at Paris in 1503.


''Chronicon januense''

Jacobus' other chief work is his ''Chronicon januense'', a history of Genoa. It is divided into twelve parts. The first four deal with the mythical history of the city from the time of its founder,
Janus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; la, Ianvs ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janu ...
, called the first king of Italy, and its enlarger, a second Janus, "citizen of Troy", till its conversion to Christianity "about twenty-five years after the passion of Christ". The fifth part professes to treat of the beginning, growth and perfection of the city; but of the first period the writer candidly confesses he knows nothing except by hearsay. The second period includes the Genoese crusading exploits in the East, and extends to their victory over the
Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...
ns (c. 1130), while the third reaches down to the author's days as
archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
. The sixth part deals with the constitution of the city, the seventh and eighth with the duties of rulers and
citizen Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
s, the ninth with those of domestic life. The tenth gives the ecclesiastical history of Genoa from the time of its first known bishop, Saint Valentine, "whom we believe to have lived about 530
A.D. The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord", ...
", until 1133, when the city was raised to archiepiscopal rank. The eleventh contains the lives of all the bishops in order, and includes the chief events during their episcopates; the twelfth deals in the same way with the archbishops, not forgetting the writer himself.


Marian views

Jacobus is relevant to mariology in light of his numerous Marian sermons, ''Sermones de sanctis per circulum anni feliciter'' and his ''Laudes Beatae Mariae Virginis''. He describes the miracles of Mary and explains specific local customs and usages on Marian feast days. Since most of these usages do not exist anymore, Jacobus de Varagine serves as a valuable source for the study of medieval Marian customs. Theologically Jacobus is one of the first of several Christian writers, who view Mary as
mediatrix Mediatrix is a title given to Mary, mother of Jesus in Christianity. It refers to the intercessory role of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a mediator in the salvific redemption by her son Jesus Christ and that he bestows graces through her. Mediatrix i ...
or mediator between God and humanity. In his view of the mystical body of Christ, she is the ''neck'' through which ''all'' graces flow from Christ to his body.Bäumer, Marienlexikon Eos St. Ottilien, 1992 489 This view was later shared by others such as Bernardino of Siena, and, most recently, by one of the noted mariologists of the 20th century,
Gabriel Roschini Gabriel Maria Roschini, OSM (December 19, 1900 – September 12, 1977), was a Roman Catholic Italian priest and professor of Mariology, who published over 900 titles on the subject. During the pontificate of Pope Pius XII, he worked closely with ...
.


Editions

* Iacopo da Varazze, ''Legenda aurea'' G. P. Maggioni (ed.), Firenze, 1998. * Ryan, William G., ed. ''The Golden Legend: Readings on the Saints.'
Volume 1
an
volume 2.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 1993. *


Notes


References


Further reading


"Jacobus De Voragine"
'' Encyclopædia Britannica'' * Reames, Sherry L. ''The Legenda Aurea: A Reexamination of Its Paradoxical History'' (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press) 1985. *


External links

*
Christian classics Ethereal Library
brief biography






Sermones.net – édition électronique d'un corpus de sermons latins médiévaux
: academic website, with an electronic annotated edition of the model sermons collections composed by Jacobus de Voragine (the first collection published is the ''Sermones Quadragesimales'', 98 texts). Also offers an extensive biography and bibliography on the author. *
''Das Passional, oder Der Heiligen Leben durch das gantz Iar''
Reutlingen ohann Otmar12 Mar. (Dienstag nach Oculi) 42. From th
Rare Book and Special Collections Division
at the Library of Congress {{DEFAULTSORT:Voragine, Jacobus da 1230 births 1298 deaths Year of birth uncertain People from the Province of Savona Christian hagiographers Italian beatified people Italian Dominicans 13th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops Roman Catholic archbishops of Genoa Catholic Mariology 13th-century Italian Roman Catholic theologians 13th-century venerated Christians 13th-century Latin writers Venerated Catholics Beatifications by Pope Pius VII