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E06567: Aldhelm, in his prose On Virginity, names *Cosmas/Kosmas and Damianos (physician martyrs of Syria, S00385), as exemplary virgins. Written in Latin in southern Britain, for the nuns at the monastery at Barking (south-east Britain), c. 675/686.
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posted on 2018-09-20, 00:00 authored by bsavillAldhelm, prose On Virginity, 34
Sed et operae pretium reor, ut celeberrimos spiritalis militiae bellatores et caelestis medicinae archiatros Cosmam et Damianum nequaquam ab historica virginum relatione dirimentes velut indignos ceterorum consortio sequestremus. Quos in superno Hierusolimae municipatu praedistinatos et aethralis litteraturae albo descriptos cum praedictis commanipularibus laetabundos fore fiducialiter confidimus [...] Exin eculei tormento vexatos et gabuli patibulo suspensos, insuper diris sagittarum ictibus obrutos angelicum protexit patrocinium. Ad ultimum decollandi sortiti sententiam cum palma virginitatis triumpho martirii agonizarunt.
'But I think it worthwhile that we do not in any way exclude from (our) historical account of virgins – as if unworthy of the company of others – COSMAS and DAMIANUS, the most famous warriors of spiritual warfare and arch-physicians of spiritual warfare. We confidently trust that these two, predestined to citizenship in the heavenly Jerusalem and inscribed in the register of celestial writing, will rejoice with their aforementioned colleagues [...] the patronage of angels protected them (while they were) tormented by the anguish of the rack and the suspended from the fork of the gallows, and in addition buried under the dreadful blows of arrows. In the end they were sentenced to be beheaded: with their palm of virginity they earned a martyr's triumph.'
Text: Ehwald, 275-6. Translation: Lapidge and Herren 1979, 95-6.
Sed et operae pretium reor, ut celeberrimos spiritalis militiae bellatores et caelestis medicinae archiatros Cosmam et Damianum nequaquam ab historica virginum relatione dirimentes velut indignos ceterorum consortio sequestremus. Quos in superno Hierusolimae municipatu praedistinatos et aethralis litteraturae albo descriptos cum praedictis commanipularibus laetabundos fore fiducialiter confidimus [...] Exin eculei tormento vexatos et gabuli patibulo suspensos, insuper diris sagittarum ictibus obrutos angelicum protexit patrocinium. Ad ultimum decollandi sortiti sententiam cum palma virginitatis triumpho martirii agonizarunt.
'But I think it worthwhile that we do not in any way exclude from (our) historical account of virgins – as if unworthy of the company of others – COSMAS and DAMIANUS, the most famous warriors of spiritual warfare and arch-physicians of spiritual warfare. We confidently trust that these two, predestined to citizenship in the heavenly Jerusalem and inscribed in the register of celestial writing, will rejoice with their aforementioned colleagues [...] the patronage of angels protected them (while they were) tormented by the anguish of the rack and the suspended from the fork of the gallows, and in addition buried under the dreadful blows of arrows. In the end they were sentenced to be beheaded: with their palm of virginity they earned a martyr's triumph.'
Text: Ehwald, 275-6. Translation: Lapidge and Herren 1979, 95-6.