Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/314

 JACOB'S WELL

262

JACOPO

(Cologne, 1506), of which more than nine editions were pubUshed in the fifteenth century.

Kellner. Jakobus von Jiiterbogk in Theologische Quartal- achrift (Tubingen, 1S66), XLVIII, 315-348; Bkieuer in Zeil- tchrift fur Kirchmgeschichte (Gotha, 1903), XXIV, 136-150; Kessel in Kirchenlex., s. v. Jacob von Jiiterbogk.

Michael Ott.

Jacob's Well. See Wells (in Scripture).

Jacobus de Teramo (ab Ancharano), belonging to the family of Palladini, canonist and bishop, b. in 13-19 at Teramo in Italy; d. in 1417 in Poland. After studying jurisprudence at Padua he was arch- deacon at Aversa in 13S4, and later Secretary of Papal Briefs and of the Pcenitentiaria at Rome. He became successively Bishop of Monopoli (1391), of Tarentum (1400), of Florence (1401), and of Spoleto (1410). As Bishop of Spoleto he was also governor of the Duchy of Spoleto. In 1417 Pope Martin V sent him as legate to Poland, where he died the same year. He is the author of a commentary on Lombard's "Books of Sentences" (Augsburg, 1472); a dialogue entitled "De Pontificis Romani monar- chia" (unprinted); and a peculiar little volume entitled "Consolatio peccatorum", or "Processus Luciferi contra Jesum Christum ". The last work is a lawsuit between the Devil and Jesus Christ. The Devil is represented as suing Christ for having in- fringed upon the rights of his ownership by descending into hell. At the first trial Solomon acts as judge, while Moses is counsel for Jesus Christ and Belial for the Devil. At the second trial the Patriarch Joseph is judge, Aristotle and Isaias defend Jesus Christ, and the Emperor Augustus and Jeremias defend the Devil. In both trials the decision is in favour of Christ, but at the second trial the Devil is granted the right to take possession of the bodies and souls of the damned at the last judgment. This work was printed repeatedly and translated into several languages, but was later placed on the Index.

Makchand in Diet. Uistorique, II (L:i Ha> c. IT'iS). I17-L'.j; Tafuri, Istoria degli scriltori noli net regno di .\aputi, U (Naples, 1749), ii, 145-S; Schmitz, Ein verschwuruJener dcr Hiiresie vcr- diichliger Traktat in Rumische QiMrtalschrifl, X (Rome, 1896), 163-9.

Michael Ott.

Jacopo de Voragine (di Viraggio), Blessed, Archbishop of Genoa and medieval hagiologist, b. at Viraggio (now Varazze), near Genoa, about 1230; d. 13 July, about 1298. In 1244 he entered the Order of St. Dominic, and soon became famous for his piety, learning, and zeal in the care of souls. His fame as a preacher spread tliroughout Italy, and he was called upon to preach from the most celebrated pulpits of Lombardy. After teaching Holy Scrip- ture and theology in various houses of his order in Northern Italy, he was elected provincial of Lombardy in 1267, holding this office until 12S6, in which year he became definitor of the Lombard province of Do- jtiinicans. In the latter capacity he attended a chapter at Lucca in 128S, and another at Ferrara, 1290. In 1288 he was commissioned by Pope Nich- olas IV to free the Genoese from the ban of the Church, which they had incurred for assisting the Sicilians in their revolt against the King of Naples. When Archbishop Charles Bernard of Genoa died, in 12S6, the metropolitan chapter of Genoa proposed Jacojio de Voragine as his successor. Upon his refusal to accept the dignity, Obizzo Fieschi, the P;itriarch of Antioch whom the Saracens had driven from his see, was transferred ti) the archiepiscopal See of Genoa by Nicholas IV in 1288.

When Obizzo Fieschi died, in 1292, the chapter of Genoa unanimously elected Jacopo de Voragine as his successor. He again endeavoured to evade the archiepiscopal dignity, but was finally obliged to yield to the combined prayers of the clergy, the Senate, and the people of Genoa. Nicholas IV wished

to consecrate him bishop personally, and called him to Rome for that purpose; but shortly after the ar- rival of de Voragine the pope died, and the new bishop was consecrated at Rome during the succeeding interregnum, on 13 April, 1292. The episcopate of Jacopo de Voragine fell in a time when Genoa was a scene of continuous warfare between the Rampini and the Mascarati, the former of whom were Guelphs, the latter Ghibellines. The archbishop, indeed, ef- fected an apparent reconciliation between the two hostile parties in 1295; but the dissensions broke out anew, and all his efforts to restore peace were useless. In 1292 he held a provincial synod at Genoa, chiefly for the purpose of identifying the relics of St. Syrus, one of the earliest bishops' of Genoa (.324?). The cult of Jacopo de Voragine, which seems to have begun soon after his death, was ratified by Pius VII in 1816. The same pope permitted the clergy of Genoa and Savona, and the whole Order of St. Dominic, to celelirate his feast as that of a saint.

Jacopo de Voragine is best known as the author of a collection of legendary lives of the saints, which was entitled "Legenda Sanctorum" by the author, but soon became universally known as " Legenda Aurea" (Golden Legend), because the people of those times considered it worth its weight in gold. In some of the earlier editions it is styled " Lom- bardica Historia", which title gave rise to the false opinion that this was a different work from the "Golden Legend". The title "Lombardica His- toria " originated in the fact that in the life of Pope Pelagius, which forms the second last chapter of the "Golden Legend", is contained an abstract of the history of the Lombards down to 1250 (Mon. Germ. Hist.: Script., XXIV, 167 sq.). In the preface to the "Golden Legend" the author divides the ecclesiastical year into four periods, which he com- pared to four epochs in the history of the world, viz. a time of deviation, renovation, reconciliation, and jiilgrimage. The body of the work, which contains 177 cliapters (according to others, 182), is divided into five sections, viz. from Advent to Christmas, from Christmas to Septuagesima, from Septuagesima to Easter, from Easter to the Octave of Pentecost, and from the Octave of Pentecost to Advent. If we are to judge the "Golden Legend" from an historical standpoint, we must condemn it as entirely un- critical and hence of no value, except in so far as it teaches us that the people of those times were an extremely naive and a thoroughly religious people, permeated with an unshakable belief in God's omnip- otence and His fatherly care for those who lead a saintly life.

If, on the other han<l, we view the " Golden I,egend " as an artistically composed book of tlevoticn, we must admit that it is a complete success. It is admirably adapted to enhance our love and respect towards God, to foster our devotion towards His saints, and to animate us with a holy zeal to fol- low their example. The chief object of Jacopo de Voragine and of other medieval hagiologists was not to compose reliable biographies or to write scientific treatises for the learned, but to write books of devotion that were adapted to the simple manners of the common people. It is due to a wrong con- ception of the purpo.se of the "Golden Legend" that Luis Mves (De causis corruptarum artium, c. ii), Melchior Canus (De locis theologicis, xi, 6), and others have severely dcnoimced it; and to a true conception that theBollandists (Acta SS., January, I, 19) and many recent hagiologists have highly praised it. That' the work made a d(>ep impression on the people is evident from its immense popu- larity, and from the great influence it had on the prose and poetic literature of many nations. It became the basis of many passionals of the Middle Ages and religious poems of later times. Longfellow's " Golden