Longinus ( Greek : Λογγίνος) is the name given to the unnamed Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a lance, who in medieval and some modern Christian traditions is described as a convert to Christianity. His name first appeared in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus . The lance is called in Christianity the " Holy Lance " ( lancea ) and the story is related in the Gospel of John during the Crucifixion . This act is said to have created the last of the Five Holy Wounds of Christ.
42-570: This person, unnamed in the Gospels , is further identified in some versions of the legend as the centurion present at the Crucifixion , who said that Jesus was the son of God, so he is considered as one of the first Christians and Roman converts. Longinus' legend grew over the years to the point that he was said to have converted to Christianity after the Crucifixion, and he is traditionally venerated as
84-599: A saint in the Roman Catholic Church , Eastern Orthodox Church , and several other Christian communions. No name for this soldier is given in the canonical Gospels; the name Longinus is instead found in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus . Longinus was not originally a saint in Christian tradition . An early tradition, found in a sixth or seventh century pseudepigraphal " Letter of Herod to Pilate ", claims that Longinus suffered for having pierced Jesus, and that he
126-665: A holy relic, a fragment of bone, of Saint Longinus. Longinus is venerated, generally as a martyr, in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Armenian Apostolic Church . His feast day is kept on 16 October in the Roman Martyrology , which mentions him, without any indication of martyrdom, in the following terms: "At Jerusalem, commemoration of Saint Longinus, who is venerated as
168-486: Is Noah's wife , to whom it gives the name of Emzara . Other Jewish traditional sources contain many different names for Noah's wife. The Book of Jubilees says that Awan was Adam and Eve 's first daughter. Their second daughter Azura married Seth . For many of the early wives in the series, Jubilees notes that the patriarchs married their sisters. The Cave of Treasures and the earlier Kitab al-Magall (part of Clementine literature ) name entirely different women as
210-534: Is recommended, but the reading may also be done otherwise: in seminaries and similar institutes, it has been traditional to read it after the main meal of the day. Prior to the Second Vatican Council , and where the 1962 liturgical books are used as authorised by Summorum Pontificum , the Martyrology is read at the canonical Hour of Prime . If the Martyrology is read in the post-Vatican II form, this
252-615: Is usually done after the concluding prayer of Lauds , the Hour that preceded Prime. If the Martyrology is read outside of the Liturgy of the Hours, as for instance in the refectory , the reading begins with the mention of the date, followed, optionally, by mention of the phase of the moon . Then the actual text of the Martyrology entry is read, ending with the versicle taken from Psalm 116 : Pretiosa in conspectu Domini – Mors Sanctorum eius ("Precious in
294-497: The Bible . Revelation 12 is thought to identify the serpent with Satan , unlike the pseudepigraphical - apocryphal Apocalypse of Moses ( Vita Adae et Evae ) where the Devil works with the serpent. The pseudepigraphical Book of Jubilees provides names for a host of otherwise unnamed biblical characters, including wives for most of the antediluvian patriarchs . The last of these
336-605: The Catholic Church . Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy , but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved appendices to it. It provides an extensive but not exhaustive list of the saints recognized by the Church. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII decreed a revision of the Julian calendar , creating a new system, now called, after him,
378-512: The Coptic Orthodox Church the names of these four archangels are given as Suriel, Sedakiel, Sarathiel and Ananiel. Several other sets of names have also been given. Appear in the Bible at Matthew 2. The Gospel does not state that there were, in fact, three magi or when exactly they visited Jesus, only that multiple magi brought three gifts: gold, frankincense , and myrrh . Nevertheless,
420-707: The Gregorian calendar . The Roman Martyrology was first published in 1583. A second edition was published in the same year. The third edition, in 1584, was made obligatory wherever the Roman Rite was in use. The main source was the Martyrology of Usuard , completed by the Dialogues of Pope Gregory I and the works of some of the Fathers, and for the Greek saints by the catalogue known as
462-607: The Menologion of Sirlet. Its origins can be traced back to the Martyrologium Hieronymianum , which was originally based on calendars of Roman, African and Syrian provenance, but to which were gradually added names of many saints from other areas, resulting in a number of duplications, fusions of different saints into one, and other mistakes. Very soon, in 1586 and again in 1589, revised editions were published with corrections by Caesar Baronius along with indications of
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#1732855687232504-563: The New Testament . Their names also appear in numerous Jewish texts. Appears in the Bible at: Numbers 12 Appears in the Bible at: Book of Job Apocryphal Jewish folklore says that Sitis, or Sitidos, was Job's first wife, who died during his trials. After his temptation was over, the same sources say that Job remarried Dinah , Jacob 's daughter who appears in Genesis. The source does not tell which wife of Job has this name. Appears in
546-462: The Roman Martyrology authorises the recognition of saints in the following ways: Such commemorations in honour of a person who has only been beatified are only permitted in the diocese or religious order where the cult of that person is authorised, unless special permission is obtained from the Holy See . The entry for each date in the Martyrology is to be read on the previous day. Reading in choir
588-459: The astronomer Liu Xiang was one of the wise men. Appear in the Bible at Luke 2. That Jesus had sisters is mentioned in Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55–56 , although their exact number is not specified in either gospel. See Brothers of Jesus § Jesus' brothers and sisters . Roman Martyrology The Roman Martyrology ( Latin : Martyrologium Romanum ) is the official martyrology of
630-434: The " Apocrypha ", are considered canonical by Catholics, Eastern Orthodox , and Oriental Orthodox (though these churches' lists of books differ slightly from each other). The woman with seven sons is a Jewish martyr who is unnamed in 2 Maccabees 7, but is named Hannah, Miriam, Shamuna and Solomonia in other sources. According to Eastern Orthodox tradition, her sons, the "Holy Maccabean Martyrs" (not to be confused with
672-437: The 2001 edition and added 117 people canonized or beatified between 2001 and 2004, as well as a considerable number of ancient saints not included in the previous edition. "The updated Martyrology contains 7,000 saints and blesseds currently venerated by the Church, and whose cult is officially recognized and proposed to the faithful as models worthy of imitation." As an official list of recognised saints and beati, inclusion in
714-693: The Apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus. There is no reliable authority for the Acts and martyrdom of this saint." The name is probably Latinized into a common cognomen of the Cassia gens , from the Greek lónchē ( λόγχη ), the word used for the spear mentioned in John 19:34 . It first appears lettered on an illumination of the Crucifixion beside the figure of the soldier holding a spear, written, perhaps contemporaneously, in horizontal Greek letters, LOGINOS (ΛΟΓΙΝΟϹ) , in
756-511: The Bible at: 2 Samuel 20 Appears in the Bible at: 1 Kings 10 ; 2 Chronicles 9 According to Ethiopian traditions, the Queen of Sheba returned to Ethiopia pregnant with King Solomon 's child. She bore Solomon a son that went on to found a dynasty that ruled Ethiopia until the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974. Appears in the Bible at: 1 Kings 14 Appears in the Bible at: Book of Esther The Deuterocanonical books , sometimes called
798-459: The Bible at: Judges 11 The Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum falsely ascribes itself to the Jewish author Philo . It in fact did not surface until the sixteenth century; see Works of Philo . Appears in the Bible at: Book of Judges 13 Appears in the Bible at: Book of Samuel Appears in the Bible at: 1 Samuel 28 Appears in the Bible at: 2 Chronicles 12:15 and 1 Kings 13 Appears in
840-411: The Bible at: Genesis 4:17 Appears in the Bible at: Genesis 4 See also: Balbira and Kalmana , Azura and Awan for alternate traditions of names. Appears in the Bible at: Genesis 4:22; Gen. 7:7 Daughter of Lamech and Zillah and sister of Tubal-cain (Gen. iv. 22). According to Abba ben Kahana, Naamah was Noah's wife and was called "Naamah" (pleasant) because her conduct was pleasing to God. But
882-870: The Great Catholic parish church in Veli Lošinj . The Longinus cross (German: Longinuskreuz) is a special form of the Arma Christi cross, which occurs mainly in the Black Forest , but also occasionally in other regions of South Germany. In Brazil, Saint Longinus – in Portuguese , São Longuinho – is attributed the power of finding missing objects. The saint's aid is summoned by the chant: São Longuinho, São Longuinho, se eu achar [missing object], dou três pulinhos! (O Saint Longinus, Saint Longinus, if I find [missing object], I'll hop three times!) Folk tradition explains
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#1732855687232924-812: The Holy Lance is also conserved in the Basilica. Longinus and his legend are the subject of the Moriones Festival held during Holy Week on the island of Marinduque , the Philippines . Hagiographical fragments on St. Longinus from 11th–13th century found in Dubrovnik indicate his veneration in this area in Middle Ages. There is altarpiece St. Longinus and St. Gaudentius by an anonymous author from 17th century in St. Anthony
966-627: The Syriac gospel manuscript illuminated by a certain Rabulas in the year 586, in the Laurentian Library , Florence. The spear used is known as the Holy Lance , and more recently, especially in occult circles, as the "Spear of Destiny", which was revered at Jerusalem by the sixth century, although neither the centurion nor the name "Longinus" were invoked in any surviving report. As the "Lance of Longinus",
1008-471: The addition of the names of newly canonized saints. The Second Vatican Council decreed: "The accounts of martyrdom or the lives of the saints are to accord with the facts of history." This required years of study, after which a fully revised edition of the Roman Martyrology was issued in Latin (entitled Martyrologium Romanum ) in 2001, followed in 2004 by a revision that corrected some typographical errors in
1050-446: The association with missing objects with a tale from the saint's days in Rome. It is said he was of short stature and, as such, had unimpeded view of the underside of tables in crowded parties. Due to this, he would find and return objects dropped on the ground by the other attendants. Accounts vary regarding the promised offering of three hops, citing either deference to an alleged limping of
1092-449: The majority of the rabbis reject this statement, declaring that Naamah was an idolatrous woman who sang "pleasant" songs to idols. See also Wives aboard the Ark for a list of traditional names given to the wives of Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Appears in the Bible in Genesis 7 and 6 The Mormon Book of Abraham, first published in 1842, mentions Egyptus ( Abraham 1:23 ) as being
1134-516: The martyrs in the Ethiopian book of Meqabyan ), are named Abim, Antonius, Gurias, Eleazar, Eusebonus, Alimus and Marcellus. According to the Syriac Maronite Fenqitho (book of festal offices), the name of the mother is Shmooni while her sons are Habroun, Hebsoun, Bakhous, Adai, Tarsai, Maqbai and Yawnothon. Tobit 12:15 reads "I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels , which present
1176-546: The name of Ham's wife; his daughter apparently had the same name (v. 25). A large body of legend has attached itself to Nimrod , whose brief mention in Genesis merely makes him "a mighty hunter in the face of the Lord ". (The biblical account makes no mention of a wife at all.) These legends usually make Nimrod to be a sinister figure, and they reach their peak in Hislop's The Two Babylons , which make Nimrod and his wife Semiramis to be
1218-596: The number of magi is usually extrapolated from the number of gifts, and the three wise men are a staple of Christian nativity scenes . While the European names have enjoyed the most publicity, other faith traditions have different versions. According to the Armenisches Kindheitsevangelium , the three magi were brothers and kings, namely Balthasar, king of India; Melqon, king of Persia ; and Gaspar, king of Arabia . The Chinese Christian Church believes that
1260-470: The original authors of every false and pagan religion. Appears in the Bible at: Book of Genesis Appears in the Bible at: Book of Genesis Appears in the Bible at: Book of Genesis Appears in the Bible at: Book of Genesis Appears in the Bible at: Genesis 39:12 Potiphar's wife attempted to seduce Joseph in Egypt . Appears in the Bible at: Exodus 2 Pharaoh's daughter, who drew Moses out of
1302-652: The prayers of the saints, and which go in and out before the glory of the Holy One." Of the six unnamed archangels , Michael is named in the Book of Daniel , and Gabriel is named in the Gospel of Luke . The Book of Enoch , deuterocanonical in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church , names the remaining four archangels Uriel , Raguel , Zerachiel , and Ramiel . Other sources name them Uriel, Izidkiel, Haniel , and Kepharel. In
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1344-576: The saint or a plea to the Holy Trinity . Brazilian medium Chico Xavier wrote Brasil, Coração do Mundo, Pátria do Evangelho , a psychographic book of authorship attributed to the spirit of Humberto de Campos . In the book, Saint Longinus is claimed to have been reincarnated as Pedro II , the last Brazilian emperor. Unnamed people in the Bible This list provides names given in history and traditions for people who appear to be unnamed in
1386-464: The same form is used, but without the optional scripture reading. Reading of the Martyrology is completely omitted during the Paschal Triduum : Holy Thursday , Good Friday , and Holy Saturday (in which no saints of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday are commemorated). On certain dates of the liturgical year, the Martyrology prescribes special announcements to be made before or after
1428-451: The sight of the Lord – Is the death of his Saints"). A short Scripture reading may follow, which the reader concludes with Verbum Domini ("The word of the Lord"), to which those present respond: Deo gratias ("Thanks be to God"). A prayer, for which texts are given in the Martyrology, is recited, followed by a blessing and dismissal. If the Martyrology is read within the Liturgy of the Hours,
1470-525: The soldier opening the side of the crucified Lord with a lance". The pre-1969 feast day in the Roman Rite is 15 March. The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates him on 16 October. In the Armenian Apostolic Church, his feast is commemorated on 22 October. The statue of Saint Longinus , sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is one of four in the niches beneath the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica , Vatican City . A spearpoint fragment said to be from
1512-457: The sources on which he drew, and in 1630 Pope Urban VIII issued a new edition. 1748 saw the appearance of a revised edition by Pope Benedict XIV , who personally worked on the corrections: he suppressed some names, such as those of Clement of Alexandria and Sulpicius Severus , but kept others that had been objected to, such as that of Pope Siricius . Subsequent changes until the edition of 2001 were minor, involving some corrections, but mainly
1554-577: The spear figures in the legends of the Holy Grail . Blindness or other eye problems are not mentioned until after the tenth century. Petrus Comestor was one of the first to add an eyesight problem to the legend and his text can be translated as "blind", "dim-sighted" or "weak-sighted". The Golden Legend says that he saw celestial signs before conversion and that his eye problems might have been caused by illness or age. The touch of Jesus's blood cures his eye problem: Christian legend has it that Longinus
1596-462: The water, is known as Bithiah in Jewish tradition (identifying her with the "Pharaoh's daughter Bithiah" in 1 Chronicles 4:18). Appears in the Bible at: Genesis 34 Appears in the Bible at: Exodus 7 The names of Jannes and Jambres, or Jannes and Mambres, were well known through the ancient world as magicians. In this instance, nameless characters from the Hebrew Bible are given names in
1638-450: The wives of the patriarchs, with considerable variations among the extant copies. The Muslim historian Ibn Ishaq (c. 750), as cited in al-Tabari (c. 915), provides names for these wives which are generally similar to those in Jubilees , but he makes them Cainites rather than Sethites , despite clearly stating elsewhere that none of Noah's ancestors were descended from Cain. Appears in
1680-546: Was a blind Roman centurion who thrust the spear into Christ's side at the crucifixion. Some of Jesus's blood fell upon his eyes and he was healed. Upon this miracle Longinus believed in Jesus. The body of Longinus is said to have been lost twice, but discovered at Mantua , together with the Holy Sponge stained with Christ's blood, wherewith it was told—extending Longinus' role—that Longinus had assisted in cleansing Christ's body when it
1722-509: Was condemned to a cave where every night a lion came and mauled him until dawn, after which his body healed back to normal, in a pattern that would repeat until the end of time. Later traditions turned him into a Christian convert, but as Sabine Baring-Gould observed: "The name of Longinus was not known to the Greeks previous to the patriarch Germanus , in 715. It was introduced among the Westerns from
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1764-566: Was taken down from the cross. The relic enjoyed a revived cult in the late 13th century under the patronage of the Bonacolsi . The relics are said to have been divided and then distributed to Prague (St. Peter and Paul Basilica, Vyšehrad) and elsewhere. Greek sources assert that he suffered martyrdom in Cappadocia . The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St.John the Baptist , Washington DC. purports to have
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