James

ON ST. JAMES, BISHOP OF TARENTAISE.

Fifth Century.

[1] Forum Claudii in the Graian Alps was a city of the Centrones, situated on the bank of the river Isere, which was afterward called Darantasia, Tarantasia, and Tarentaise, and is now an archiepiscopal see. Its first bishop, St. James, was a disciple of St. Honoratus of Arles, whose feast day the Church of Tarentaise records on January 16, as Ferrarius notes with these words: "At Tarentaise, St. James, Bishop of the same city." The feast of St. James. He records that he is also venerated at Aosta, because that city is subject to the metropolitan see of Tarentaise. Saussay in his Supplement to the Gallic Martyrology writes of him thus: "At Tarentaise in Gallia Narbonensis itself, St. James, Bishop and Confessor of that metropolitan see, who, filled with the Apostolic spirit, illuminating that region with the torches of the Gospel, filled it with faith and religion; and having there erected a permanent episcopal see, organized a hierarchy, and designated Marcellinus — a man of proven virtue and grace — as the heir of his sacred office, after having most holily presided over the flock he had gathered, he received from the Lord, whom he had zealously served, the reward of faithful stewardship. He also founded the episcopal church at Aosta of the Salassi, of which he appointed St. Eustachius as the first pastor."

[2] The Life of St. James, though mutilated, was transcribed from an ancient codex and communicated to us by our Peter Francis Chifflet, his life, who conjectures that its author was Guy, of the Counts of Burgundy, first Archbishop of Vienne, then Roman Pontiff as Calixtus II. For, he says, we read that this man wrote some Lives of the Saints; and Tarentaise is in old Burgundy and in the province of Vienne; and in our manuscript codex this life was found after the book of Calixtus himself on the translation and miracles of St. James the Apostle of the Spains.

LIFE

Drawn from an ancient manuscript by Peter Francis Chifflet, Society of Jesus.

PREFACE.

[1] Since, by the rolling of the ages and the passing of mortals, deeds well done are sometimes consigned to oblivion, we therefore transmit to posterity for their reading the Life of the most blessed James, Archbishop of Tarentaise, which will profit many, as we believe. About to speak of his virtues and miracles, we humbly admonish our hearers that when they have learned of the great things which almighty God deigned to work through him, they should also strive to imitate his life and character, knowing that those who wish to follow him piously and cling diligently to his footsteps will themselves attain to the joy into which he has entered, through the grant of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is God blessed above all things for ever and ever. Amen.

CHAPTER I. The monastic life of St. James.

[2] When, therefore, the trumpet of the holy Gospel was sounding through nearly the whole world, saying, "Repent, St. James abandons worldly military service: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," the Blessed James, a soldier who according to worldly rank was held illustrious among the Assyrians, having been forestalled by divine grace, strove to enter through the narrow gate that leads to life, as was made clear at the end. Accordingly, casting off the military garb in which he shone, he wisely resolved to follow as a poor man in the footsteps of the poor Christ; and, converted to the Lord, he strove with all his strength to accomplish in deed what he held in his heart. Above all things, his great desire was to be able to find somewhere a master who would instruct him more thoroughly in the faith and in the love of God. And so within a short time, receiving the sacrament of Baptism and attaching himself to a certain servant of God, the monk Honoratus, who at that time was flourishing within Gaul, he attaches himself to St. Honoratus, he gave himself entirely to be consecrated to the service of God. Thenceforth, utterly abhorring the warfare of the crafty enemy, he chose the best part when he joined himself to a holy master.

[3] While they were dwelling for some time in that place where the devout disciple had joined his revered master, a rumor spread that a pestilential dragon had surrounded the island of Lerins A dragon put to flight from Lerins, and was accustomed to overwhelm with its most noxious stench those sailing around that island. Then the man of God, Honoratus, traversed the regions of Provence with the sheep he had won for the Lord in that place, taking with him only his disciple James; then approaching the aforesaid island by ship, constantly imploring the Lord's mercy with his faithful disciple, he utterly drove that pestilential dragon from the island, so that it never afterward appeared there again.

[4] The servants of the Lord, seeing that the aforesaid island had been cleansed of the ancient enemy and was suitable for the use of monks, built an oratory and erected a cell, The monastery is built, in which, residing together for some years, they excelled in virtues and shone with miracles; and having gathered disciples, that place, founded by that same congregation, is governed by monks in religious observance to the present day.

CHAPTER II. The episcopate. A temple built. Miracles.

[5] Meanwhile, as the fame of the man of God Honoratus was spreading all the way to Arles, By Honoratus, now Bishop of Arles, he was sought by the clergy, nobles, and common people of that city, so that since their bishop had already departed to the Lord, they might merit to have the same servant of God, the monk Honoratus, as their bishop. It came to pass that the clergy of the aforesaid city, taking him against his will and leading him with them, with all eagerness and by common counsel chose him as their bishop.

[6] While he was distinguished in the pontifical chair and his disciple James was constantly attending him in frequent visits, James is sent to the Centrones, perceiving him to be a man of outstanding holiness, he addressed him, beseeching with the whole affection of his mind that he should go to the town of the Centrones and convert the people dwelling there under the rite of paganism to the faith of Christ. Hearing this, the obedient disciple gave his assent with all joyfulness and ready humility, and promised that with the Lord's help he would do so to the best of his ability. Wherefore the venerable father, having summoned other priests, ordained James as bishop He is created bishop: and directed him to the aforesaid town and the valley of Tarentaise to preach the word of the Lord. When he arrived there, as if secretly, by God's dispensation his fame spread among the people, so that they said openly that the beloved servant of Christ, Bishop James, had now come to them. When this was discovered, James, the priest of God, rejoiced at such great benefits of Christ; he converts many, and at earliest dawn when he began to preach, an innumerable multitude was converted to the faith of Christ; and without delay, the people of the aforesaid town almost entirely came together to the grace of baptism with a ready spirit and a single will.

[7] It came to pass that few remained unfaithful in the valley of Tarentaise He builds a church, who did not joyfully bow their necks at the preaching of Bishop James. Seeing this, the venerable bishop, rejoicing and exulting at so great a flock won for Christ, founded a basilica. Then he commanded his servants to cut beams and other timber in the forests for completing the roof of that building. While the Christians, inflamed with more fervent faith, were hauling these with their oxen, it happened that a most enormous bear, springing from its cave with the greatest ferocity, seized with its claws one of the oxen yoked for hauling a beam, attacking it with a fierce and impudent aspect, and tore it apart and devoured it with its mouth. Seeing this, the servants, struck with fear, reported it to the bishop in a most rapid dash. Hearing this, the holy man ran swiftly and found the bear devouring the carcass of the ox. He subjects the bear to the yoke, He is reported to have said to it: "I, James, servant of Christ, command you, most savage and bloodthirsty beast, to bow your stiff neck in the name of the Lord to the work that you have impeded, and to submit your proud neck to the yoke of the ox that you have killed." Immediately at the voice of the servant of God, though roaring, it placed its neck under the yoke; and the servant of the Lord, binding it with the straps by which the ox had been fastened, had the beam hauled to the work begun. Seeing this, the elder inhabitants of the town were turned to amazement at so great a miracle; but the younger ones, whom sloth still detained, seized swords and attempted to kill the bear. Perceiving this, the man of God restrained the youths with a gentle address, saying: "O little sons, let the beast which you caught by no snare go alive from your borders." Then he dismisses it unharmed. When they obeyed, the Blessed James commanded the bear that it should henceforth cause no injury in that valley. The bear itself, unharmed, betook itself to the deep wilderness and never again appeared in that territory.

[8] The Lord then, wishing to display the illustrious merits of his most faithful servant, showed a second great miracle. For when the beam which the bear, yoked with the ox, had hauled from the forest was found to be five feet shorter than the other beams, He makes a beam five feet longer by sprinkling it with holy water, the servant of God, sprinkling the same beam with consecrated water and praying, in the sight of all made it equal to the others. When this miracle was accomplished, by God's gift all the inhabitants of that valley, inflamed with divine love, utterly drove away the darkness of their former error, clinging inseparably to the true light — which is Christ — and establishing their foundation on that cornerstone, Christ Jesus our Lord.

CHAPTER III. A journey to the Prince, renowned for various miracles.

[9] When the basilica had been duly completed and dedicated in honor of St. Stephen the Protomartyr, it seemed good to the servant of God, Bishop James, to go to the Prince of Gaul and bring some modest gifts, He visits the Prince with a gift of snow, in summer, so that he might merit to gain acquaintance with him. He therefore took snow gathered in the summertime, and loading a donkey with it, he set out on the journey with his disciple James and his other servants. A wondrous thing and most worthy of report! For although the heat of the blazing sun, which at that time was drying the fields and altogether melting all other snow by the excessive ardor of its heat, neither the summer's pleasantness nor any heat melted the snow that he had brought from the town of the Centrones; rather, hardened by glacial rigidity, it remained whole.

[10] At length, while he was pursuing the journey he had begun and, weary from excessive heat, turned aside to a certain shade to rest, and the little donkey carrying the snow paused briefly to rest, a most foul bird flew up — at the suggestion, as it seemed, of the ancient enemy, who always opposes the servants of the Lord insofar as it is permitted to him — and perched upon the resting donkey He restores the eye torn from the donkey, and tore out its eye. As soon as the servants saw blood dripping from the donkey's cheek, they reported it to their master, who immediately arose and, invoking the name of Christ, ordered the bloodied crow to return, saying: "I command you, most foul bird, in the name of the Lord, to bring back at once what you stole from our donkey." Wondrously you might see the crow, cawing, bringing back what it had taken; and having disgorged the eye in the same place from which it had violently torn it, it restored the beast of burden of the snow, sound and whole, to its master. Immediately placing the load of snow upon it, they resumed the journey they had begun.

[11] When these things had happened and the toil of the long journey was not yet ended, one of his disciples, a kinsman by flesh and nearer still in spirit, named James, was seized by fever — and this, as later became clear, happened by divine will, so that the merit of the most holy bishop might be made manifest in foreign regions as well as in neighboring ones. He is badly received by the Prince. Having commended the sick man to the faithfulness of the Christians, he resumed his journey and went to the Prince of Gaul. Presented before him, he first offered a greeting, then the snow. But the Prince, filled with a malign spirit, loudly calling the servant of God an impostor, sorcerer, and evil-doer, with a contemptuous, haughty, and angry spirit ordered the snow to be received.

[12] He was immediately wracked by the most grievous pains of fever; languishing and near death, and already at the point of expiring, he sought a remedy for his health forthwith. Then one of the nobles present wisely addressed him, He is soon recalled by the ailing Prince, saying: "Why do you now so eagerly seek the remedy of health, when you have presumed to grieve the man of God, full of the Holy Spirit, who, illustrious and powerful in miracles, works the greatest wonders everywhere by the power of the Lord?" The Prince, hearing the admonition of his noble and seized with excessive fear, commanded the servants attending him to go at the swiftest pace after the bishop, and enjoined them to fall at his feet, kiss his footprints, and strive to obtain that he might deign to visit him in person and come to the aid of the sick man with a most gentle countenance.

[13] When the matter was made known to the man of God, moved by his customary piety, he hastened back, entered the Prince's hall, and pouring forth prayers before the Lord, He restores him to health, cured the sick man of the most violent fevers. On account of this sudden miracle, so evidently wrought by God through the holy man, the whole household of the Prince was abundantly gladdened; and magnifying the virtue of the holy man, they unanimously rendered immense praises to the Lord. The Prince, wonderfully cheered by the longed-for health obtained through the prayers of the holy bishop, giving many thanks to God and to the same servant of God, asked him to request without hesitation whatever he wished to obtain, for he would by no means suffer a refusal. To this the holy man replied: "O my glorious monarch of Gaul and of all Burgundy, having undertaken the difficulty of so long a journey out of desire to see you, I seek from you neither gold nor silver. But because the territory of my diocese is contained among the steep and narrow mountain passes of the Alps and is not spaciously suited for habitation, it would be expedient for us that your dignity should take care to extend our boundaries somewhat. I therefore humbly entreat the magnificence of your highness that, in consideration of God and out of love for the Blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and for the perpetual memory of your name, you would deign to confer upon us some enlargement from the possessions of your kingdom lying in the vicinity of our rude church, to be of benefit to us and our successors, and to be held in perpetuity by the authority of your most binding decree, to the honor of God and of the Blessed Peter the Apostle." The Prince replied: "Whatever you wish to ask shall be done for you." The holy man said: "What I ask of you is indeed very suitable and necessary for me, but for you may be light and most easy to give: He asks of him a certain rock, namely, a certain rock of projecting stone, which the inhabitants of that place call by the ancient name Pupis."

Here the torn parchment fails me. St. James, Apostle of Tarentaise, is venerated in his diocese and in other neighboring ones on the seventeenth day before the Kalends of February, the same day as his master, St. Honoratus, Bishop of Arles.