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 IHS

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ILDEPHONSUS

done with full knowledge. This holds good except perhaps with regard to the sort of ignorance termed affected. Here theologians are not agreed as to whether it increases or diminishes a man's moral lia- bility. The solution is possibly to be had from a consideration of the motive which influences one in choosing purposely to be ignorant. For instance, a man who would refuse to learn the doctrines of the Church from a fear that he would thus find himself compelled to embrace them would certainly be in a bad plight. Still he would be less guilty than the man whose neg- lect to know the teachings of the Church was inspired by sheer scorn of her authority. Invincible ignorance, whether of the law or fact, exempts one from the pen- alty which may have been provided by positive legislation. Even vincible ignorance, either of the law or fact, which is not crass, excuses one from the pun- ishment. Mere lack of knowledge of the sanction does not free one from the penalty except in cases of censures. It is true then that any sort of ignorance which is not itself grievously sinful excuses, because for the incurring of censures contumacy is required. Vincible and consequent ignorance about the duties of our state of life or the truths of faith necessary for salvation is, of course, sinful. Ignorance of the na- ture or effects of an act does not make it invalid if everything else requisite for its validity be present. For instance, one who knows nothing of the efficacy of baptism validly baptizes, provided that he employs the matter and form and has the intention of doing what the Church does.

Taunton, The Law of the Church (London, 1906); Joseph RicKABY, Ethics and Natural Law (London, 1908): Slater, Manunl of Moral Theology (New York, 1908); Ballerini, Opus Thcologicum Morale (Prato, 1898); Tapparelli, Drilto Ttaturale (Rome, 1900); Zigliara, Summa Philosophica (Paris, 1891).

Joseph F. Delany.

IHS, a monogram of the name of Jesus Christ. From the third century the names of our Saviour are sometimes shortened, particularly in Christian in- scriptions (m and xp, for Jesus and Christus). In the next century the "sigla" ^B* occurs not only as an abbreviation but also as a /t\ symbol. From the beginning, however, in Christian inscriptions the tiomina sacra, or names of Jesus Christ, were short- ened by contraction, thus ic and xc; or IHS and XPS for 'IH(7oOS XPitrrAS. These Greek monograms continued to be used in Latin during the Middle Ages. Eventually the right meaning was lost, and erro- neous interpretation of IHS led to the faulty orthog- raphy "Jhesus". In Latin the learned abbreviation IHC rarely occurs after the Carlovingian era. The monogram became more popular after the twelfth century when St. Bernard insisted much on devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, and the fourteenth, when the founder of the Jesuati, Blessed John Colombini (d. l.'5B7), usually wore it on his breast. Towards the close of the Middle Ages IHS became a symbol, quite like vB" in the Constantinian period. Sometimes above the /T\ H appears a cross and underneath three nails, while the whole figure is surrounded by rays, ihs became the accepted iconographical characteristic of St. Vincent Ferrer (d. 1419) and of St. Bernardine of Siena (d. 1-4-14). The latter holy missionary, at the end of his sermons, was wont to exhibit this mono- gram devoutly to his audience, for which some blamed him; he was even called before Martin V. St. Igna- tius of Loyola adopted the monogram in his seal as general of the Society of Jesus (1541), and thus it became the emblem of his institute. iHS was some- times wrongly understood as "Jesus Hominum (or Hierosolymae) Salvator", i. e. Jesus, the Saviour of men (or of Jerusalem = Hierosolyma).

Tradbe, Vorlesungen und Abhandlungen, I (Munich, 1907), 145 seq. ; Hauck, Realencyclopadie, XIII (Leipzig, 1903), 370 Beq.

R. Maere.

Ildephonsus, S.unt, Archbishop of Toledo; d. 23 January, 667. He was born of a distinguished family and was a nephew of St. Eugenius, his predecessor in the See of Toledo. At an early age, despite the deter- mined opposition of his father, he embraced the mo- nastic life in the monastery of Agli, near Toledo. While he was still a simple monk, he founded and en- dowed a monastery of nuns in Deibiensi villula. We learn from his writings that he was ordained a deacon (about 6.30) by Helladius, who had been his abbot and was afterwards elected Archbishop of Toledo. Ilde- phonsus himself became Abbot of Agli, and in this capacity was one of the signatories, in 653 and 655, at the Eighth and Ninth Councils of Toledo. Called by King Reccesvinth, towards the end of 657, to fill the archiepiscopal throne, he governed the Church of To- ledo for a little more than nine years and was buried in the Basilica of Saint Leocadia. To these scanty but authentic details of his life (they are attested by Ildephonsus himself, or by his immediate successor, Archbishop Julianus, in a short biographical notice which he added to the "De viris illustribus" of Ilde- phonsus) some doubtful or even legendary anecdotes were added later. At the end of the eighth century Cixila, Archbishop of Toledo, embellished the biog- raphy of his predecessor. He relates that Ildephon- sus was the disciple of Isidore of Seville, and recalls in particular two marvellous stories, of which the second, a favourite theme of hagiographers, poets, and artists, has been for ages entwined with the memory of the saint. Ildephonsus, it is said, was one day praying before the relics of Saint Leocadia, when the martyr arose from her tomb and thanked the saint for the devotion he showed towards the Mother of God. It was related, further, that on another occasion the Blessed Virgin appeared to him in person and pre- sented him with a priestly vestment, to reward him for his zeal in honouring her.

The literary work of Ildephonsus is better known than the details of his life, and merits for him a distin- guished place in the roll of Spanish writers. His suc- cessor, Julianus of Toledo, in 1 he notice already referred to, informs us that the saint himself divided his works into four parts. The first and principal division con- tained six treatises, of which two only have been pre- served: "De virginitate perpetua sanctse MariK adversus tres infideles" (these three unbelievers are Jovinianus, Helvidius, and "a Jew"), a bombastic work which displays however a spirit of ardent piety, and assures Ildephonsus a place of honour among the devoted servants of the Blessed Virgin; also a treatise in two books; (1) " Annotationes de cognitione bap- tismi ", and (2) "Liber de itinere deserti, quo itur post baptismum". Recent researches have proved that the first book is only a new edition of a very important treatise compiled, at the latest, in the sixth century, Ildephonsus having contributed to it only a few addi- tions (Helfferich, "Der westgothische Arianismus", 1860, 41-49). The second part of his works contained the saint's correspondence; of this portion there are still preserved two letters of Quiricus, Bishop of Barcelona, with the replies of Ildephonsus. The third part comprised masses, hymns, and sermons; and the fourth, opusciila in prose and verse, especially epi- taphs. 'The editions of the complete works of Ilde- phonsus contain a certain number of writings, several of which may be placed in either of the last two divi- sions; but some of them are of doubtful authenticity, while the remainder are certainly the work of another author. Moreover, Julianus states that Ildephonsus began a good number of other works, but his many cares would not permit of his finishing them. On the other hand, he makes no mention of a little work which is certainly authentic, the " De viris illustribus ". It may be considered as a supplement to the " De viris illustribus " of Isidore of Seville, and is not so much a literary historical work as a writing intended to glorify