Ildephonsus

ON ST. ILDEPHONSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF TOLEDO IN SPAIN.

Year of Christ 667.

Ildephonsus, Archbishop of Toledo in Spain (St.)

[1] The Church of Toledo had many illustrious Bishops celebrated for holiness, enrolled in the register of the Saints; by far the most renowned of all was Ildephonsus, or Alphonsus. Whose feast day on January 23 certain ancient handwritten Martyrologies celebrate with this eulogy: "In the city of Toledo, the feast of St. The feast of St. Ildephonsus. Hildephonsus, Bishop and Confessor, most illustrious for faith and learning." Some add: "who with a wonderful zeal of devotion cultivated the praise and honor of the Blessed Mother of God and ever-Virgin." The Roman Martyrology: "At Toledo, St. Ildephonsus, Bishop, who on account of the singular integrity of his life and his defense against the heretics who assailed the virginity of the Mother of God, was presented by her with a most white garment, and finally, celebrated for holiness, was called to heaven." He is mentioned by most recent authors besides numerous manuscripts: Maurolycus, Galesinius, Molanus, the Carthusians of Cologne, Felicius, Ghinius, who says he was a Canon Regular before the episcopate; but Wion, Menard, Dorgani, Sandoval, and others call him a Benedictine monk.

[2] Very many things have been written about him, especially by Spanish authors, which it would perhaps be worthwhile to collect and arrange in a clear order, for the honor of this most holy Doctor and the glory of the August Virgin Mother of God, whom some call his Chaplain, others the Anchor of the faith, and others the Chrysostom on account of his singular eloquence. But what we have received from the most learned Don Thomas Tamayo de Vargas, Historiographer of the Catholic King, we have judged sufficient. His Life. For what Zixila (or Cixila, or Cixilla, or Zixilanes) and St. Julian II, Bishops of the same See, committed to writing concerning the deeds of Ildephonsus, and what a more recent writer wrote concerning his relics carried off to Zamora and found there -- these Tamayo himself drew from trustworthy codices, illustrated with notes, and sent to us from Madrid, with his characteristic courtesy. What others record is either drawn and amplified from these, or, because not sufficiently grounded in the suitable testimonies of the ancients, may seem uncertain, or not sufficiently suited to our purpose.

[3] One thing from our own John Mariana, book 6, chapter 10, it pleases us to cite, which is described more fully by our Francisco Portocarrero, who composed an entire book on the descent of the Mother of God into the church of Toledo and on the life of St. Ildephonsus. But Mariana more briefly: The house, which now belongs to the Society of Jesus. "In the lofty and indeed most noble part of that city (Toledo) is shown a house made famous by the birth of Ildephonsus: so an opinion handed down through the generations has persuaded the people, with no further authority. That house subsequently became the property of the petty lords of Orgaz, and recently passed into the possession and authority of the Society of Jesus, through whose zeal it was accomplished that what seemed to have been overlooked by the negligence of forebears -- namely, a church bearing the name of Ildephonsus -- should exist in that most noble city."

[4] Peter de Natalibus, and following him the Carthusians of Cologne and Canisius, again record the commemoration of Ildephonsus on December 18; Commemoration on other days. and Peter indeed thought his feast was then celebrated; for he writes thus in book 1, chapter 76: "On the same day on which he established the feast of the Virgin to be celebrated in his Church, namely the eighth day before the Nativity of the Lord, he happily rested in peace, which day is the fifteenth of the Kalends of January. For on the day on which he venerated the Mother of the Lord on earth, on that same day she wished to honor him in heaven." On that day in the Church of Toledo and others throughout Spain, the feast of the Expectation of the Birth of the Mother of God is observed, either first instituted by Ildephonsus himself or propagated with his special zeal. On the same day also occurred that solemn descent and apparition of the Virgin Mother of God, which is now celebrated with a double office of the second class on the day after the feast of St. Ildephonsus, January 24, the feast of St. Timothy being moved to after the octave of St. Ildephonsus. Our Anthony Balinghem, in the Marian Calendar, writes that the apparition occurred on October 18; but he is refuted by the unanimous agreement of all writers.

LIFE

WRITTEN BY ZIXILANES AND JULIAN,

drawn from ancient MSS. and illustrated by Don Thomas Tamayo de Vargas.

Ildephonsus, Archbishop of Toledo in Spain (St.)

BHL Number: 3919, 3917, 3924

By Don Thomas Tamayo de Vargas.

The Blessed Ildephonsus, Archbishop of Toledo, had as celebrators of his See other Archbishops, whose writings, reviewed anew from the books, I here present, to correct and to illustrate with notes: thus I found them in the ancient copies.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, here begins the Life or deeds of St. Ildephonsus, Bishop, Metropolitan of the See of Toledo, published by Bishop Zixilanes of the same city, on the tenth of the Kalends of February.

a b c

THE BEGINNING OF THE LIFE OF ILDEPHONSUS.

[1] Behold the banquets of that honey-flowing Lord Ildephonsus, which, taking from the Paradise of God and scattering throughout all Hesperia, he satisfied our hunger with a mighty eloquence. Not unequal in merits to that most holy Lord Isidore, from whose fountain he, still a young protege, drank the purest streams. For having been directed by the holy and venerable Pope Eugene, Bishop Metropolitan of the See of Toledo, St. Ildephonsus is instructed by St. Isidore. to the aforesaid Doctor, the Metropolitan Bishop of Seville, when he already thought himself somewhat learned, he was so held and polished by him -- and, as they say, confined in temporal chains -- that if anything of learning was lacking, more fully instructed, returning to his tutor Lord Eugene, not many days later, while still performing the office of Deacon, he was appointed Abbot in the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, which is situated in the suburbs of Toledo. Where, immediately distinguished in his office, he composed two Masses in praise of those same Lords, to be sung on their feast day, in a wonderful manner of melody. Which Masses we have noted below.

Side Note* perhaps "polished" or "refined"? He is appointed Bishop of the See of Toledo.

[2] Then after a long time, when Lord Eugene died, Then Bishop. he was appointed Bishop in his See. His virtue, now fully manifest, shone forth on the Roman See and, like a burning torch, illuminated all Spain. By his teaching the Church shines to this day, as the moon by the sun. His memory is held in the blessing of fragrance and in the composition of incense. He, from his very cradle, from the beginning of his age remaining a eunuch, prepared in himself a great dwelling for the Lord; Always a virgin. he who was cut not by a handle or a hand but by the divine sword, nor did he cut away lust by the ingenuity of instruments, but by heavenly gift he merited holiness. He, suddenly inspired by a gift from above, equally illustrious with those so great and excellent predecessors of his, what was closed to them was opened to him.

How by the gift of the Holy Spirit the relics of Blessed Leocadia were revealed to Lord Ildephonsus, which had been unknown to his predecessors; and concerning the miracle of the apparition of Lady Leocadia.

[3] For the Holy Spirit, His indweller, so acted that what had not yet been shown for so many years to the longing peoples by those predecessors, he should be the first to reveal, and should present to all those present the relics of the holy and God-dedicated Virgin and Confessor Leocadia, when her feast came in his royal see. And when he himself had fallen on his knees before her sepulcher, the tomb in which her holy little body is buried to this day sprang open; and the lid, which scarcely thirty young men could move, While he prayed, the body of St. Leocadia rose of its own accord from the tomb. was raised not by human but by angelic hands, and the veil which covered the holy Virgin's members was thrust forth green, and as if stretched out by hands, the most beautiful Virgin came forth to meet his gaze -- while the Bishops, Princes, Presbyters, Deacons, Clergy, and people cried out: "Thanks be to God in heaven! Thanks be to God on earth!" -- no one keeping silence. He himself immediately, embracing and clasping her with his hands, is said to have uttered such prayers, crying out with all the people and exclaiming: "Thanks be to God. My Lady lives by the life of Ildephonsus!" And the Clergy, uncovering it, sang with great fervor the Alleluiatic hymn which Lord Ildephonsus himself had recently composed: "Beautiful you are made, Alleluia; and your fragrance is as unmixed balsam"; and the other things which he had set forth in her praise in the Mass that is noted below.

[4] He cried out amid the voices of the people as if bellowing, asking them to bring some cutting instrument, with which he might cut off what he held in his hands; and no one ran to him, because the people were roaring with mighty outcries and gnashing. For the holy Virgin, who had submitted of her own will (that their desires might grow), was violently drawing back. But a certain Prince Receswinth, who was in his time, He himself cuts off a part of her veil. having laid aside his earthly glory and fierceness (he who had looked upon him with a proud eye because of his iniquities, which Ildephonsus had rebuked), offered a small knife, which he kept in a sheath, with tears; and with bowed neck and suppliant hands extended from his throne, he earnestly entreated that the knife be brought to him, begging that he not judge unworthy one who offered with his tears. Seizing it, with his right hand he cut off what he was holding with his left hand, which was already but a small piece; And places it among the relics. and the knife itself, together with those relics, he placed in silver reliquaries, judging it unworthy that what had touched holy things should thereafter touch profane. But he commanded that a reward, as great as was fitting, be given on the spot to the one who sought it, through a Vicar. When these things had been accomplished, because all these matters are lengthy to explain, all things that pertained to the use of the holy Catholic Church in the praises of God were completed everywhere.

Side Note* Much is interpolated here in some copies. On the descent of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a vestment to Ildephonsus.

[5] After these things had been completed, the Holy Spirit performed yet other miracles through him during that very Advent of the Lord, not many days later. But since it is lengthy to recount all the things which Lord Urbanus and Lord Euantius in his times narrated as having been done through him in the city of Toledo, let us attempt a few out of the many. Although those who heard this with me, when they read these things, will grieve that I have passed over so many and so great things which they know along with me. Three days before the day of the holy and ever-Virgin Mary, he performed Litanies for three days, and he composed the aforementioned Mass, which was to be sung in her praise, which is the seventh. But when her holy solemnity came, the aforesaid King, less concerned about the fear of God and well conscious of his own iniquities, came as was customary to hear the solemnities. For the servant of God Ildephonsus, relying on a yet greater gift, while he was receiving with prayer the celebration of his Lady, whom he served as God's minister, and in praise of the Mother of God was applying himself with the utmost affection of heart to that which we have noted above, with the melody of music harmoniously composed; and was elegantly publishing the booklet on virginity, in the manner of synonyms, full of testimonies from the Old and New Testaments; and was adorning his aforesaid Lady with worthy eloquence and magnificence; while he arose before the matutinal hours, according to his usual custom, to perform his services to God, and was consecrating his vigils to the Lord, with a Deacon or Subdeacon preceding him with torches; As he goes to the church at night. suddenly, opening the doors and looking into the church and fixing their eyes on the heavenly splendor, The ministers flee. unable to bear the light they could not endure, fleeing with trembling, they left the lamps they held in their hands, and retracing their steps by which they had come, they returned to their companions nearly dead. The whole congregation anxiously inquires what was happening to the servant of God with the angelic choirs, why the attendants had been so suddenly frightened, and, turning their backs from the door of the church, had returned to their own places.

[6] But he, well conscious of his calling, falling prostrate before the altar of the holy Virgin, found in the chair where the Bishop was accustomed to sit and greet the people, the Lady Herself seated. The Blessed Virgin appears, seated in the episcopal chair. No Bishop attempted to approach that chair afterward, except Lord Sisibotus, who immediately lost the See and was sent into exile. And lifting his eyes, he looked all around her and saw the whole apse of the church filled with throngs of Virgins, singing something with the sweet modulation of the hymns of David. And looking upon him (as he himself related to those who were privy to the secret and most dear to him), she addressed him with these words: With the Saints singing. "Hasten to meet me, most upright servant of God; receive this little gift from my hand, And she gives him a heavenly garment. which I have brought to you from the treasury of my Son. For thus it is needful for you, that you use the blessing of the covering that is to be given you on my day alone. And because you have persevered, keeping the eyes of faith fixed always on my service, and have sweetly depicted my praise in the hearts of the faithful (grace being poured forth upon your lips), you shall be adorned with the vestments of the Church even in this life; and in the future, in my storehouses, you shall rejoice with the other servants of my Son." And saying these things, she returned from his sight together with the Virgins and the light with which she had come. The servant of God therefore remained, as eager to attain glory as he was foreknowing of the victory of the palm bestowed upon him; through the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and rules all things through infinite ages of ages forever. Amen.

Thus far Zixila. There now follows:

THE LIFE OF LORD ILDEPHONSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF TOLEDO,

written by Julian, Bishop of the same See.

e f The character and praise of Ildephonsus.

[7] Ildephonsus, illustrious in the memory of his time, and adorning the ages of our most recent era with the flowing rivers of his eloquence, The virtues of St. Ildephonsus. was summoned to the chair of the See of Toledo as Bishop and was consecrated to the priesthood after Eugene -- a man most worthy of as much praise as he was rich in the grace of virtues. He was endowed with the earnestness of the fear of God, adorned with religion, overflowing with compunction, grave in gait, laudable in propriety, singular in patience, taciturn in keeping secrets, supreme in wisdom, brilliant in the talent of discourse, preeminent in the faculty of speaking, copious in the flow of his tongue, so celebrated for the lofty style of his eloquence His eloquence. that when the prolix oration of his disputations was directed at length, it was believed that not a man but God was speaking abundantly through the man.

Ildephonsus, monk and Abbot of the monastery, and finally Pontiff of the Church of Toledo.

[8] This man therefore, while still living under the rudiments of infancy, touched by the divine Spirit, delighting in the life of monks, having scorned the affections of parents and possessions, sought the Agalian monastery and for many years conducted himself worthily as a monk therein. He becomes a monk. He also built a convent of Virgins in the little estate of Deibiense and enriched it with his own resources. Then, made Rector of the Agalian monastery, he directed the ways of the monks, settled their affairs, and preserved their manner of life. Afterwards, brought back to Toledo by princely authority, he was there appointed Pontiff after the death of his predecessor. Abbot. Bishop.

Side Note* another reading: "compelled." Books written by him.

[9] He wrote a great many books, most excellent in their brilliant style. These he deemed should be divided into the following parts: a book of the Prosopopoeia of His Own Weakness; a booklet on the Virginity of Holy Mary Books written by him. against three unbelievers; a little work on the Proper Character of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; a book of Annotations on the Divine Action; little works of Annotations on the Sacraments; one book on the Knowledge of Baptism, and another on the Progress of the Spiritual Desert. All this he wished to be connected in the volume of the first part. The second part is a book of Epistles, in which, writing to various people, he employed enigmatic formulas and sometimes introduced characters; in which he also earned more brilliant responses from certain writers. The third part he wished to consist of Masses, hymns, and sermons. The fourth book, finally, is of a further part, composed in verses and prose, in which Epitaphs and certain Epigrams are noted. He also wrote many other things, which, hindered by the various occupations of affairs and troubles, he left some begun, and some half-finished.

Side Note* another reading: "composed." Side Note* another reading: "begun" neuter plural. His death and burial.

[10] Having been called to the pontificate in the ninth year of the glorious Prince Receswinth, he was held illustrious for nine years and nearly two months by the merits of his life and the veneration of his governance. And when the eighteenth year of the aforesaid Prince was completed, on the following day, the tenth of the Kalends of February, he was stripped of the dwelling of the flesh and was buried in the church of Blessed Leocadia, His death. interred at the feet of his predecessor, with whom he is believed to enjoy the eternal abode of glory.

Side Note* another reading: "possession." Thus far also Julian. I shall add the history of the revelation of the body of Blessed Ildephonsus, as it is read, in the Church of Zamora, or of Sentis.

l l [11] When, however, our sins requiring it, nearly the whole of Spain had been subjugated by the Arabs, and a great part devastated by sword and fire, Spain occupied by the Moors. only the Asturians, inhabiting certain inaccessible places of the Pyrenean mountains, preserved the name and religion of Christ. To them therefore the vanquished, who were of right mind, flowed together from all parts; and most of them carried the relics and the most sacred things from their own churches to those places. Among these, Christians, together with many relics with which the city of Toledo was most richly endowed, The sacred vestment was carried to Oviedo; the body to Zamora. carried that most sacred vestment, with which the Mother of God had adorned Blessed Ildephonsus, to the city of Oviedo, the capital of Asturias. The body of the most blessed Ildephonsus was also being carried there, but those transporting it, having been impeded perchance at Zamora, deposited it in a very high place in the church of St. Peter. As the disaster grew daily, even Zamora yielded to the Barbarians. And was hidden there. Wherefore the opportunity of recovering the sequestered pledge was again taken from those men. Many years passed after this, and since the place could not thereafter be frequented by the faithful, the matter fell from memory.

[12] After, by God's mercy, through the efforts of the pious Kings of Castile the kingdom began gradually to be restored to Christ, Zamora too returned to the dominion of the Christians. Revealed to a poor man in a dream. A shepherd from the regions of Toledo, having come to that city, poor in appearance but rich in holiness, entered the church of Blessed Peter and, after praying, began to examine everything around him and to look more carefully at individual things. When the wardens thought he was planning a theft, he said that he was no thief, nor had he come to do any evil, but that he wished to have access to some Priest and God-fearing man, to whom he was about to reveal a great secret. Having heard these things, he was led to a certain Didacus, a most grave Priest; before whom, falling on his knees, he began, as if confessing his sins, to narrate a divine vision of this kind: "My Father," he said, "I saw, caught up in the spirit, in my homeland, a certain Bishop, handsome in his attire, grave in his bearing, and glorious in every ornament of his person, who addressed me with his most honeyed voice and said: 'I am Ildephonsus, once Bishop of the city of Toledo. Come, follow me.' Following him, I seemed to have arrived in this city and to have entered this church; and when we were here, he said (and he pointed out the place with his finger): 'Here my body lies without honor. Take heed, my son, lest any sloth hold you back from making known the power of God; for it is the word of God that I command, not so much from myself as at His bidding.' Having said these things, he vanished. I, having returned to myself, leaving home and family, have come to this city and church, in which I see all the signs that I perceived in the spirit to be present. You have now, best of Fathers, the reason for my coming."

[13] That Didacus, however, being a grave and God-fearing man, gathered the Chapter of the Church with some prudent laymen; and the right opinion of all who were assembled there was that nothing should be attempted on the word of one stranger and unknown man. Nevertheless, the report went out to the ears of the people, and though it was believed by many, no attempt was made. When, however, Ildephonsus, the eighth of this name, was King of Spain, and Assuerus, Bishop of the Church of Zamora, wished to enlarge that church of Blessed Peter, Found by chance. and the earth was being dug deeper for laying the foundations of columns, by chance in that place which the shepherd had designated, a sarcophagus was revealed, covered with marble, which the diggers broke with careless blows. In it were the remains of a human body, Breathing a most sweet fragrance. breathing a certain most sweet fragrance beyond what can be described, with which all the surrounding earth seemed to be suffused. Then indeed what had been reported by the shepherd came to mind. For there was an epitaph inscribed upon the marble; but because it had been shattered by the carelessness of the diggers, when the parts had been put together, as far as could be done by human skill and labor, only this much was read: OF FATHER ILDEPHONSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF TOLEDO.

[14] The faith was finally confirmed, especially by the miracles that were wrought upon the invocation of the holy Confessor. The Bishop with the Clergy and the whole city, rejoicing and exulting that Zamora was enriched by so great a gift, deposited the relics beside the altar of Blessed Peter in the same church. There innumerable miracles occur daily; all of which Brother John Giles of Zamora, of the Order of Friars Minor, a supremely learned man, wrote down most diligently up to his own times. When this most sacred body had been placed in the most hidden spot for many years, known only to a few who were bound by oath, in the year of the Lord 1400, on this Feast of the Invention, it was drawn forth from that place, placed above the highest altar itself, and shown to all; where many miracles were again seen: the mute spoke, various sick were healed, and frequent crowds flowed together from everywhere to venerate these holy relics. Finally, after eight days, it was honorably placed in a chapel above the altar itself, enclosed within a great silver-gilt casket. Again elevated. Where it is seen by all.

[15] And this is the Zamoran history. I now give, in summary, the illustration of all. The life and gloriously accomplished deeds of the most holy Ildephonsus have been individually recorded, Those who have written the life of St. Ildephonsus. besides Julian and Zixila, in our own times and those of our forebears, by Lawrence Surius and Aloysius Lipomanus, men who deserved most excellently of the Lives of the Saints and the affairs of the Church. But not having obtained sufficiently reliable manuscripts, they published both histories mutilated and imperfect, and filled with many errors, under the name of Julian alone, with no mention made of Cixila, nor any division of the work indicated. Michael Carranza, a most learned Carmelite, illuminated the book of Blessed Ildephonsus on the Blessed Virgin, together with his life, with a Commentary. John Mariana of our Society, in Book 6 of his work on the affairs of Spain, chapter 10. The Most Illustrious Baronius, in the eighth volume of his Annals. In the vernacular tongue: Francisco Pisa, in Part 2 of his History of Toledo, chapter 14; Prudencio de Sandoval, Part 1 of the Monasteries of the Order of St. Benedict, Book 13; Antonio de Yepes, Century 1, chapter 5, year 554, and Century 2, from folio 227, of the Benedictine affairs; Francisco Padilla, Century 7 of the Ecclesiastical History of Spain, chapter 48; Alonso de Villegas and Pedro de Ribadeneira, natives of Toledo, in their collections of the Lives of the Saints; Pedro Salazar de Mendoza, a Canon of Toledo, and Francisco Portocarrero, a Priest of the Society of Jesus, in complete books on the Life of St. Ildephonsus. We ourselves, finally, in our Apology for the sacred vestment, with which the Virgin of Virgins, the Mother of God, adorned her Ildephonsus, published in the year 1616. Of all these, those which illuminate Cixila and Julian most, I shall note briefly, and I wish the series of letters in the Notes to serve as an index to the Text.

Side Note* So reports Valeriano de Villa Quiran in his booklet on this elevation, the autograph of which is preserved in the Complutensian College.

NOTES

OF THE SAME DON THOMAS TAMAYO DE VARGAS.

(a) So I found in three manuscripts.

(b) As in the diploma of Honorius III, Supreme Pontiff: "Hence it is that, considering the nobility of the Church of Toledo," etc.

(c) See what we say in his eulogy and on folio 9 of the Apology for the sacred vestment. Those who attribute this history to Blessed Helladius are entirely mistaken, since he preceded Ildephonsus.

(d) In ancient copies, the life of Lord Ildephonsus written by Julian is customarily placed before his book on the Virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; which is followed by this history of Zixila, which begins with a commendation of that truly golden book: "Behold the banquet." It seemed best to us to follow a different order, since more and more distinguished deeds of Ildephonsus are contained herein.

(e) This name is variously used: Hildephonsus, Ildephonsus, Olfus, Adifonsus, Alifonsus, Alfonsus, Ildefonsus, Ilefonsus, Anfusus, Afonsus, Alonsus, in ancient monuments The name Ildephonsus, and through changes of names; today only Alonsus is in use among us. It is a Gothic word: if we believe Wolfgang Lazius, from the German Hildebuntz, meaning "faithfully beloved"; if Covarrubias, from Alpha, the first element of the Greek alphabet, meaning "prince" or "first." Whatever this may be, given by the Blessed Virgin. this name was imposed upon her Ildephonsus by the Blessed Mother of God herself, and indicated to his mother Lucia, as the ancient Breviary of the Church of Cordoba and John Giles of Zamora, and others among the ancients, attest.

(f) All Bishops were formerly distinguished by the title of "Papa," down to the times of Gregory VII, The name "Papa" given to other Bishops. who decreed in the Roman Council that it should be applied par excellence solely to the Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ on earth. This can be seen frequently in writers of the Middle Ages: Sidonius, Ennodius, Prudentius, Gregory of Tours, Eulogius, Paulinus, Balsamon, and others. You may find more in Savaron on Sidonius, Book 6, letter 1; Sirmond on Ennodius, Book 4, letter 1; Baronius in the Martyrology; and Ambrose Morales on Blessed Eulogius's Apology; Meursius in the Glossary, under the word Pappas. The use of this title in the Greek Church as well is shown by the inscription of a Greek epigram in Book 3 of the Anthology, in which "Of John, Papa of Alexandria" appears. Whence those who consider this appellation peculiar to the Archbishop of Toledo, or Metropolitan, are easily convicted of error. See Onuphrius Panvinius, Interpretation of Ecclesiastical Terms.

(g) Gregory the Great calls Blessed Isidore "of Hispalis" i.e., Seville, to whom Blessed Ildephonsus was sent to be educated. Julian Perez, of Toledo and Archpriest of the Church of St. Justa, in his manuscript: "Ildephonsus, who was born at Toledo in the Era 644, at the age of ten is sent to Isidore."

(h) Was Blessed Ildephonsus initiated into this office by Blessed Helladius? Certainly he was made a minister by him. He himself showed this in the epigram written for the cenotaph of Blessed Helladius:

"I, Ildephonsus, whom he himself had made his minister, have rendered these few verses to the holy elder."

(i) The patron saints and guardians of the Agalian monastery, concerning whose antiquity and location I treat at greater length in its proper place.

(k) Luitprand of Ticinum, in his Fragments: "Ildephonsus, made Provost of the Agalian monastery, augmented its resources, restored the collapsing discipline of observance, and kept the life of the monks from forbidden things." Julian our author says nearly the same thing in his Life of St. Ildephonsus: "Made Rector of the Agalian monastery, he trained the ways of the monks, managed its affairs, and preserved its manner of life." In his time the popular saying was in use:

"A sword against offenses was the Abbot of the Agalians."

(l) In the manuscripts: "shining" clarens, a word Zixila uses more than once.

(m) Is this Hispalis, which is Julia Romulea, as Pliny says, where as a youth he had been taught at the feet of Isidore? Or Rome itself, which in the Gothic hymn of Saints Torquatus and companions is called "the white toga of the Romulean city"? Nonsense. The very See of Toledo is Romulean; indeed, Toledo is Rome. See, if you please, what we shall note elsewhere.

(n) Because he made himself a eunuch for the kingdom of God. Matt. 19.

(o) Surius reads "proceeded," as if she went out to meet Ildephonsus. Isa. 56.

(p) In the same manner in the Lectionary and the history of Blessed Leocadia: "embracing and clasping Leocadia herself."

(q) I believe this to be a gloss, for it is absent from many of the manuscripts.

(r) To the Prefect of the City, as Sulpicius Severus notes was the practice in the Roman Republic.

(s) Below: "not many days later." Whence it is inferred that the miracle of Leocadia emerging from the tomb occurred before that of the Blessed Mary ever-Virgin descending into the temple dedicated to her. There is no need here to observe the order of dignity, but rather the sequence of festivals as they occur through the cycle of the year, whatever the learned Ambrosio de Morales may argue. I have already demonstrated this more fully in the Apology for the sacred vestment and the descent of the Blessed Virgin, folio 41. See Rodrigo of Toledo, Chronicle 2, chapter 22; the author of Palencia, Part 2 of his history; Lucas of Tuy in the Chronicle; John Magnus, Book 16 of his History of the Goths, chapter 21; Vincent, Book 8 of the Speculum, chapter 120.

(t) These men were obviously taught by Ildephonsus himself, and reported to Zixila; for by their age they were certainly able to have been present at the miracle. Euantius, or Ouantius (as Rodrigo of Toledo reports), was Archdeacon of the same Church, renowned for learning, wisdom, and holiness. Urbanus was Bishop of Toledo after Sinderedus, when Spain had already been devastated, as the same Rodrigo attests. Isidore of Beja calls him "the Melodist of Toledo," perhaps because he was previously Precentor of the Church of Toledo.

(v) In the office of the Gothic Mass, which was celebrated at Toledo at that time, a certain prayer is sung which is itself called a "Missa." Moreover, Ildephonsus divided his book on the Virginity of Blessed Mary into seven such Missae, as I have read in a codex written in Gothic letters; among which the seventh in order closes that booklet, whose beginning is "At nunc venio ad te," which is chapter 12 in the edition of Michael Carranza.

(x) In Rodrigo of Toledo, Book 2, chapter 22, many things worthy of a Christian Prince are recorded concerning Receswinth; nor do I find anything in him that does not bespeak Christian piety. And so, that he was aware within himself of his sins is the mark of a God-fearing man.

(y) He used the word of distinction i.e., "or" as a conjunction, as is frequent among Spaniards.

(z) So I read. The manuscripts had "procedens" proceeding.

(aa) He does not here say that Sisibotus burst asunder or died suddenly, as is commonly said; but that he was deposed from his dignity, not for this offense but because he had tried to depose King Egica, as is clear from the Council of Toledo 16, chapters 9 and 12, and from Rodrigo of Toledo, Book 4, chapter 3.

(bb) Apse. Some aspirate this word, "Hapsis," from the Greek hapto, that is, "touching"; for others it is "Sapsis." Hesychius and Suidas say that apsides are vaults. Jerome, in his commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians: "Did he, passing through and transcending the circles of heaven, which the philosophers call spheres, stand at the summit of the vault of heaven, and, to use the very word, at the apse?" For us, it is the Tribune. See Panvinius, Interpretation of Ecclesiastical Terms, and Ciacconius on Cassian.

(cc) The gift itself is called a "benediction" in the sacred Scriptures. 1 Kings 1 Samuel 25:27: Abigail to David: "Receive this blessing, which your handmaid has brought to you, my lord."

(dd) Prayers in the Gothic Office are closed by nearly this same formula.

(ee) Who this was, I have shown at greater length on folio 25 of the Apology for the vestment and the descent of the Blessed Virgin into the Temple of Toledo, and at the beginning of the Apology for Dexter.

(ff) Whether this is true? See our eulogies, under Julian.

(gg) At this point in some codices many things are added that do not seem to be Julian's, but borrowed from another history of Ildephonsus. Behold here, O Innovator, that monasticism is not a novelty.

(hh) What this was is still debated. Some read "Deissense," The Deibiense monastery. "Bissense," or "Sissense." "As many heads, so many opinions" applies here. Alcocer, in Book 2 of his History of Toledo, says that the monastery which still exists at Toledo, of St. Dominic of Silos, of Cistercian nuns, was first founded after Toledo was restored to Christians in memory of St. Ildephonsus, who had formerly built in that same place a convent of nuns following the Rule of St. Benedict. Alvaro Gomez de Castro prefers the monastery of Scilense, and thinks that where now the monastery of the Hieronymite Friars is seen, there was once a sacred little church. My friend Covarrubias suggests "Ileocensi" should be read, since he identifies it with Illescas, a town six leagues distant from Toledo. Michael Carranza locates the Deibiense monastery in the city itself. Whatever the case, Julian Perez writes the following about it: "The Hermitage of St. Mary of Eleoce, built by St. Ildephonsus, Archbishop of Toledo, as some say, is now under the patronage of the Mozarab Nunez. Near this hermitage, in the estate of Deibiense, was the monastery of St. Mary the Virgin, of the Order of Benedictine nuns, built there by the same Ildephonsus on his paternal soil, and later destroyed; and its properties were kept by the hermitage." And Luitprand: "In the Deibiense monastery, St. Ildephonsus placed an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which he had in his oratory." But that this was his paternal and hereditary little estate I would readily be led to believe, since Julian adds: "he enriched it with his own resources." Trithemius reads "endowed." Let no one think this contrary to religious poverty, since he contributed his hereditary portion, coming to him by the death of his excellent parents, not for his own use but for the service of God and the Mother of God.

(ii) Julian: "Ildephonsus, monk of the Agalian monastery and Abbot of Saints Cosmas and Damian, succeeds to the royal See of Toledo after St. Eugene IV, who is venerated on November 13."

(kk) An ancient inscription reads: "against three unbelievers." Luitprand: Heretics suppressed by St. Ildephonsus. "Genesius, the first Bishop of Auvergne, advises Lord Ildephonsus by letter concerning the heresy of Jovinian, which had been stirred up by certain persons at Auvergne, who said that the Blessed Virgin had remained corrupted in childbirth; and that they were heading for Carpetania, in order to undermine and utterly destroy the vigorous faith in the most holy Virgin with their most false arguments." And Julian Perez: "In this year he convenes a Council against certain heretics, who held wrong views concerning the Virginity of Blessed Mary, namely that she had given birth as other women do, with the virginal chambers dilated, without any new miracle. He refutes the Gallic heretics Theudius and Helladius, who spoke wrongly about the manner of the Blessed Virgin Mary's giving birth." Who those heretics were, I have explained on folio 13 of the Apology for the Descent of the Blessed Virgin into the Temple of Toledo.

(ll) This was written by John Giles of Zamora, tutor of King Sancho IV; it was reported by Blas Ortiz, chapter 14 of his summary of the Ages of Toledo.

(mm) Julian Perez in the Chronicle: "Certain men of the families of the Gudiels, the Eslazars, and the Palumbos" (note these Toledo names, and of the most distinguished nobility, now almost extinct: the Gudiels, the Palomeques) "carried the body of St. Ildephonsus from Toledo and transported it to Zamora." I will add the epitaph inscription, written by Julian the Archdeacon, after the body of St. Ildephonsus was found:

"The venerable body of Alphonsus lies beneath this stone, but it shines more by virtue than by nobility. His epitaph. As a youth he found harbor, and, having left the world, he loved the cells of the Agalian monastery. Thence he is carried off as Bishop to the city of Toledo, whose wish had been to lie hidden in his own seat."

I will only add what is absent from this history: the birthday of St. Ildephonsus, his parents, his bodily appearance, and his writings. Luitprand in his Chronicle, year 3 of Auratius, Archbishop of Toledo (that is, the Era 614): "St. Ildephonsus, afterward Pontiff of Toledo, is born in his paternal home." And: "At Toledo, Ildephonsus is born of most illustrious parents, in the house of Stephen and Lucia, on December 18." Julian Perez: "Now St. Ildephonsus was, as appears from the ancient histories and documents that still survive, tall of stature, his appearance, of very venerable countenance, and of a face at once venerable and modest, handsome and truly regal, of a rosy complexion mingled with a singular whiteness. God had given to his speech a marvelous sweetness and charm. He was always cheerful, gentle, and courteous, meek, kind to all, and beloved by all, whether as a layman, a monk, or a Pontiff; he was always held in esteem."

The writings of Blessed Ildephonsus: A Book of the Prosopopoeia of His Own Weakness. A Book on the Virginity of Blessed Mary. On the Perpetual Virginity and Childbearing of the Same. Twelve Sermons on the Same. On the Properties of the Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Annotations on the Sacraments. On the Knowledge of Baptism. His writings. The Way of the Spiritual Desert. A Catalogue of Certain Illustrious Writers. A Book of Letters. A Book of Masses. A Book of Hymns and Epigrams. A Supplement to the Chronicle of Isidore.

This last was published in Spain with the scholia of John Vasaeus the Belgian and the supplement of other writers. Many works still lie hidden in the libraries of Spain; several have already been brought to light. If God Almighty grants life as He grants endeavor, I undertake to publish, God willing (or, as writers of that age would have said, "Deo Praesule"), whatever works of Blessed Ildephonsus can be found, furnished with our annotations.