The PurveyProject

De sancto Iohanne euangelista
Homilies for Saints

Par Alina MIHOC
Publication en ligne le 05 octobre 2013

1/f. 51v/ Frendys, we redyn of seynt Iohn euangeliste the whiche day is cleped Iohn Portlatyn. And sethe now whi it is cleped so. We rede that day of him that he went him into a londe that was called Epheso and thereinne he dede preche Goddes worde, the holy gospel, to the peple. And so thurgh his prechinge and his techinge he dede conuerte many a man to cristen feith. And tho there was an emperoure in the londe – his name was Domicianus – and he herde seyn this apostle Iohn had turned awey from him many of his peple. And so on a tyme this emperoure cam and bad him that he shulde stynte his prechinge and denyen al that he had seyde beforn. And so seynt Iohn answerd him ayen and seyde theise wordes to him : Aportet me magis obedire Deo quam hominibus. And this is to say: ‘Hit befalleth me more to be buxome to God than to be buxome to men’. And there anon the emperoure wax wrothe with his answere and anon he commaunde his men that thei shulde take him and bynde him, and right so brynge him to Rome to a place that was called Portlatyn, and so ayen that he shulde come thedyre. There was ordeynde a tonne ful of oyle and thereinne seyn Iohn was put before the senatoures of Rome and many oder men were there or thei had put

2/f. 52r/ him into the tonne. Thei bete him with scourges and thei bytteof his hereof his hed and thei dede make him as he had ben a peloure. And also thei dede so for he shulde beseme foule and oribel to loken on.And whanne thei had fared thus with him, tho thei toke him be bothe shulders and thei caste him into the hote tonne brennynge ful of oyle. And whanne he was thereinne, anon seynt Iohn stode up thereinne and dede preche Goddes wordes to the peple with a clere voys and with a glad chere. And tho whanne the peple sawe of what conforte he was offe1, anon thei dede take up a cry and seyde theise wordes: Vnus est saluator noster Ihesu Christus quem predicat Iohannes apostolus. And this is toseyn: ‘On God there is that is Ihesu Criste,oure sauioure, of whome seynt Iohn hath preched’, seyde thei. ‘And therefore’, sayde thei, ‘we wil beleue in him and become christenmen there thurgh the prechinge of seynt Iohn’.And so this apostle seynt Iohn cam him out of the2 tonne withoutyn eny payrement of body, but neueretheless amayste he was for his suffrynge, and for that martirdam this fest was ordeynde.

3/f. 52v/ And so after that he went him to anoder cite the whiche was cleped Patmos. And in that cite he wrote the Apocalypes and at the laste he had tythenges from God that he shulde depart out of this worlde. And so upon a day he had his dissyples togedyr. And whanne thei were alle before him, he bad hem go forthe to his graue. And tho he was there and toke his leue at alle of hem and toke up his honde and blessed hem. And anon he went himself into his graue and thereinne he dede yelde up the goste to God almyty. And there comen anon Cristes angels and dede brynge up his soule to heuene ther to duellyn withoutyn ende. Amen.

Notes

Pour citer ce document