apostolicfathers0201clem - Carmel Apologetics

IGNATIUS THE MARTYR. 5
entreaties of his counsellors, stayed his march, paid
the widow a compensation
from the imperial treasury, and put the offenders in chains,
only releasing them on their giving proof of sincere penitence. The
great pope was moved to tears by this act of clemency in the great
emperor. He betook himself to the tomb of S. Peter, where he wept
and prayed earnestly. There, rapt in an ecstasy, he received a revelation
to the etfect that the soul of Trajan was released from torments in
answer to his intercessions ;
but he was warned never again to presume to
pray for those who had died without holy baptism. The miracle, says
John Damascene' (if
indeed the discourse attributed to him be genuine),
was attested by the whole East and West. The noble charity which
underlies this story may well exempt it from rigorous
criticism. But
its doctrine has not escaped censure. The tale, writes one of Gregory's
biographers', John the Deacon, is told by EngUsh writers. The Romans
themselves, while accepting other miracles recorded of Gregory by these
Saxons, hesitate to credit this one story, because it cannot be supposed
that Gregory would have prayed for a pagan. He himself however
thinks it a sufficient answer to this objection, that Gregory
is not said to
over-stated the difficulty. Thus he speaks from Gregory's Italian biographers.
'will see to it.' 'And what will it of John the Deacon in the ninth century
profit thee,'' says the widow, 'if another as the earliest authority, whereas it is
shall do me justice' 'Why nothing at related a century before by Paul. Whether
all,' answers Trajan. 'Well then,' says genuine or not, this passage is already
she again, 'is it not better for thee, quoted as from John Damascene by
to do me justice thyself and get thy Aquinas.
reward for this, rather than transfer it
2
Vit. Greg. ii. 41, 44, 'Quae autem
to another' Thus the motive is no de Gregorii miraculis penes easdem Anglorum
longer the inherent sense of mercy and
ecclesias vulgo leguntur, omit-
righteousness in Trajan, but his fear of tenda non arbitror...Legitur etiam penes
personal consequences. In this last form easdem Anglorum ecclesias, quod Gregorius
however the story is repeated by John of
etc....Sed cum de superioribus
Salisbury and by Dante.
miraculis Romanorum sit nemo qui dubitet,
^
Joann. Damasc. In Fide Dormient.
de hoc quod apud Saxones legitur,
16 {Op.
I.
p. 591, Lequien) 6Vt tovto hujus precibus Trajani animam ab inferni
•yvi)cnov ireXei. /cat ddid^XriTov, /xdfiTv^ ij
cruciatibus liberatam, ob id vel
eya irdcra Kal i) iawipio^. genuineness
The maxime dubitari videtur quod etc' The
of this work is questioned by Le-
intercourse between England and Rome
quien and other older critics on various during and after the lifetime of Gregory
grounds. It is condemned also by a gives weight to the English tradition.
recent writer, Langen {yohannes von Nevertheless I cannot find any traces of
Damaskus p. 1S2 sq). His main argument
the story in English writers of this early
is the impossibility of this story of date. Later authors, as John of Salis-
Trajan and Gregory being already known bury and Henry of Huntingdon, obviously
to John Damascene; but he has much
borrow it directly or to indirectly