ON ST. BALTHASAR THE KING.
CommentaryBalthasar the King, one of the three Magi (S.)
From various sources.
[1] We have said above that the memory of the holy three Kings, the Magi, is indeed celebrated on the day of the Epiphany, and that the Translation is celebrated at Cologne on the 23rd of July; yet the feast days of each individually are observed on different days: The feast days of the three Kings: that of Gaspar indeed on the 1st of January, of Melchior on the 6th, and of Balthasar on the 11th -- although there are those who venerate Melchior on the 1st, Balthasar on the 6th, and Gaspar, whom they consider the third among those three holy men, on the 11th. For the manuscript Florarium Sanctorum has this for this day: "Commemoration of the death of the third King in the East, namely St. Jaspar, who died in the one hundred and ninth year of his age." Molanus in his additions to Usuard: "At Cologne, the death of Jaspar, the third King. A double feast." Ferrarius: "At Cologne of the Agrippinians, the feast of St. Gaspar the Magus." Saussaius in the supplement to the Gallican Martyrology agrees, as does Broelmannus below.
[2] St. Balthasar, January 11. We have followed the martyrologies: the ancient Cologne edition printed in the year 1490, in which these words are found: "In the East, of St. Balthasar, King and Bishop, who on this day fell asleep in the Lord, having first celebrated and received the divine sacrifice in church." The Carthusians of Cologne in additions to Usuard published in the year 1521: "In the East, of St. Balthasar, King and Bishop, who, the third among the three Magi, on this day fell asleep, having first celebrated and received the divine sacrifice in church." The German Martyrology says nearly the same.
[3] Commemoration of others on this day. In the same Church of Cologne, a commemoration of all three Kings is made on this day. The same Carthusians of Cologne: "On this day also, or according to some on the following day, a festive memorial is held of the three Magi together." The German Martyrology agrees, as do certain manuscript calendars. Galesinius on January 7th in his Notes records their feast day on that day in these words: "On this same day is also celebrated the birthday of the three holy Magi."
[4] Concerning this common solemnity of the three Kings and the particular solemnity of St. Balthasar, our Jean Gamans supplied us with the following from the manuscript Fasti Sanctorum Coloniensium of Aegidius Gelenius, a most learned man: "On the 3rd of the Ides of January: The Metropolitan Church of Cologne, in the presence of the canons, the deacons of the collegiate churches of Cunibert and of the Blessed Virgin on the Steps, and the magistrates of Cologne, celebrates the solemn feast of the death of the third King from those three Eastern Evangelical Magi, the firstfruits of the Gentiles, who adored the newborn Savior with gifts. In whose honor the entire choir comes forth, as if giving a sign of festive jubilation, for all stand attending the divine offices holding a torch in their right hand, crowned with a wreath of ivy, The celebration of this day at Cologne. interwoven with bronze and purple. To each of the other two holy Magi, in ancient manuscripts and from the traditions of the Church of Cologne, their own day of death is ascribed -- namely the Kalends of this month and the sixth day. But because the universal Church is impeded on those days by greater festivities, they are not honored with a proper divine office; and this third, of whom our manuscript Martyrologies speak thus: 'On the 3rd of the Ides of January, in the East, of St. Balthasar, King and Bishop, who fell asleep in the Lord, having first celebrated and received the divine sacrifice in church.' The manuscript Usuard and Philippus Ferrarius today have much about St. Gaspar. Lucius Flavius Dexter attributes the palm of martyrdom to the Evangelical Magi themselves. In the ancient books of sacred rites it is said that today, on the death of the third King, there is jubilation."
[5] Concerning this jubilation and celebration, the same Gamans extracted for us these words from the manuscript Calendar of the Saints of Cologne by Stephanus Broelmannus, a most distinguished man: "In the Metropolitan basilica of Cologne, and not in others, a solemn feast is celebrated for the death of the third King, who were the very first of the Gentiles to offer their gifts with adoration. Just as the Saints in the same Metropolitan Church of Cologne are invoked in the general Litany ('Holy three Kings, pray for us'), and they have nocturns of nine Lessons. Noteworthy is what the Metropolitan basilica then sings for the matutinal lessons: 'In the year 54 of Christ the Savior' (opinion differs whether from the Passion or from the Nativity) 'these Magi, now Priests after their evangelization and, as it were, Bishops, came together to celebrate the Nativity in the royal church of the city of Sevve with many others, The death and burial of the three Kings. and there the eldest, Melchior by name, one hundred and sixteen years old, on the octave of the Lord's Nativity, which is the first of January; then on the sixth day of the same month, Balthasar, the second, in the one hundred and twelfth year of his age; and soon also the third, Jaspar, in the one hundred and ninth year of his age -- and each indeed, having completed the sacrifice of the liturgy, happily departed this life. And in the very tomb, at the time of burial, as many looked on, the first yielded the right-hand place to the second, and the two yielded the middle place to the third, reverently.' An outstanding ancient painting agrees with this account, which to this day is visible on the interior face of the wall that encloses the southern side of the choir of the Metropolitan basilica. There they are also depicted in episcopal vestments and mitres, as men who had evangelized the Asian peoples, which is likewise expressed in colors."
[6] "Among our ecclesiastics, I recall, it was often discussed in debates The jubilation on this day. what that means which is also noted in the old Breviary -- namely, that from the responsories for the feast the last of three is not sung, as the words of the notation have it, 'On account of the jubilation.' Some fabricated a tale, as though Capitoline Virgins had once publicly danced with the Metropolitan Canons in the cloister of the Holy Apostles, and that to watch these dances the evening prayers had been shortened. Others say that by ancient custom of the Christians, as a sign of the joy of the Christmas feasts, there was dancing with song by the laity in the churches; and that shortened prayers gave way to this. Just as also today children's songs with little bells and singing have been retained. And the festive dances of Spanish soldiers in these parts, and the custom of our own laity in many places, observe a practice accepted from the Jews, in the Book of Judges, last chapter."
[7] Those who held the first opinion, I believe, wished to provide a witty and laughable fable as a joke. For besides the fact that such dancing in such a place and at such a time, among such persons, far exceeds the bounds of decency and clerical discipline, which is well known, What sort it was. it is also certain that not more than about a hundred years ago the Capitoline Virgins, under the Rule of St. Benedict, were held in quite strict enclosure, not yet having been made secular canonesses. The latter opinion would greatly please learned men, if we could find any traces of that custom among us. But what indeed prevents conjecturing that "jubilation" denotes the festive Christmas songs which, as is the custom of our churches, are sung frequently and at length during the Christmas days, in alternating verses by choirs -- some singing, some playing the organ -- in competition, and more profusely on this day? To which good and zealous custom the ordinary prayers were somewhat curtailed, and room was given to such Christian jubilation? Yet without any authority, on my own word alone, I would assert nothing. And it is well: even our forebears, when they were revising the Breviary for reprinting, cut this out as irrelevant.
[8] Thus Broelmannus. But what he timidly conjectures, we consider entirely true; for in the lives of the Saints and other ecclesiastical writings, the word tripudium very frequently occurs in that signification. Tripudium used for jubilation. The same Gamans suggested one passage from the history of the Translation of St. Anno made in the year of the Lord 1183, at which the writer himself was present, and narrating what he saw says: "On the next day, which was the Sunday between the Ascension of Christ and Pentecost, the same white-robed and distinguished company of Canons devoutly mingled with the assembly of the Brothers, so that the choir being divided, the Canons filled one part and the monks the other. There with such solemnity and jubilation, in the voice of exultation, they performed together in honor of God and the holy Confessor the insignia of the procession and the solemnities of the Mass," etc.