Tuesday, November 25, 2025

It is the 25th of November 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

I’m not a fireworks guy… I use all of my fingers daily to type, so… but, when it comes to handheld decorative explosives, the Catherine Wheel takes the cake. It’s the spiral tube filled with powder mounted on a pin- light it up, and it spins and sparks. Good times. And it’s named for an ancient torture device- the Catherine Wheel was a large wagon wheel with sharp objects attached to it- it rolls over the condemned until they are deceased, and then they are attached to the wheel for display. Gruesome stuff, I prefer the fireworks.

But you may wonder- who is this Catherine after whom fireworks and torture are named? Answer: St. Catherine of Alexandria, who is said to have died a martyr's death on this, the 25th of November in 305.

There are two major Catherine- Catherine of Sienna, the 14th-century Italian mystic and patron saint of Europe, and our Catherine, the super-popular, so-called “Great Martyr” from Alexandria, whose legend is about as popular as any in the Middle Ages and, for good measure, probably never existed.

Let’s break down the story as it’s told and then ponder why a made-up saint would be as popular as she has been. She is said to have suffered under the Emperor Maximinus (or Maxentius in some versions)- this puts her in the early 300s, before the rise of Constantine and the legalization of Christianity. The story goes that she is imprisoned for criticizing the Emperor for persecuting Christians. Although a young girl, she is especially learned, and she is imprisoned while the Emperor brings in scholars from all over the empire to debate with her to get her to abandon the faith. As the story goes, this is not only unsuccessful but many of the scholars brought in to debate her end up converting to the faith and are subsequently put to death for apostatizing from the Roman religion.

X One of the famous converts of Catherine is the wife of the emperor, who, curious about the young scholar, goes to meet with her and becomes a Christian. The emperor couldn’t kill his own wife, and so Catherine herself is condemned. The story goes that the emperor, wanting to make an example of the apologist, condemned her to the worst death possible- the wheel (it was just “the wheel” as if it were already called the Catherine Wheel, it would be one heck of a coincidence). Taken to the wheel, she put out her hand to touch it, and it collapsed. Frustrated by this, the emperor had her beheaded (and in some stories, her neck didn’t bleed but emitted a white substance).

The story continues, and her body is whisked away by Angels who take it to a monastery near Mt. Sinai, which became a famous pilgrimage site in the High to the late Middle Ages. The problem with the story is that it doesn’t come to us until at least 900, some 600 years after the events that purportedly took place.

Her story seems to be the Christian parallel to Hypatia of Alexandria, the very famous female philosopher and astronomer. A female scholar, putting to shame her male opponents, was a popular story and certainly one that fit the general Christian theme of the weak triumphing over the strong. The young maiden who by piety and learning thwarts the mighty goes back to the Old Testament and has the Virgin Mary as part of the template. And so from the 900s into the modern age, “St. Catherine of Alexandria” became a favorite patron saint for women and men, for students, apologists, for people who use wheels (like potters), and unmarried women (called “spinsters”).

She would be named one of the 14 Holy Helpers in some versions of the super saints named at various times for their exceptional work in the world to come on behalf of the living.

St. Catherine’s in Ontario is named for the amalgamated saint, as is St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, Minnesota. And it was in 1602 that the explorer Sebastian Vizcaino was exploring the coast of Southern California and, 26 miles off the coast “discovered” an Island- it was on this, the 25th of November- and so Sebastian named the island after the saint- in Spanish, Catalina Island- where  I used to take college students and my own kids have summer camp every year (shout out Campus by the Sea). Today, we remember the namesake for the island, the torture device, and the firework… rangy. She was, err.. let’s just call it the “legend of St. Catherine of Alexandria”.  

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and the end — Revelation 22:

16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you of these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires, take the water of life without cost.

18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 25th of November 2025, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who invites you to find the San Diego Firework show that lit off 17 minutes of fireworks in 30 seconds- Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who saw a fireworks show in Japan in 1999 that has never been topped…   I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.