Tuesday, July 14, 2026

It is the 14th of July 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Let’s pretend you asked me, “Dan, what’s the most important theological work of the Middle Ages”? I’d say, “Good question; this is precisely the kind of question I would expect… and for the sake of both education and entertainment, I’ll tell you it’s not what you might expect”.

Sure, Dante’s Divine Comedy and Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica are in the pantheon- but what if I told you that in terms of popular impact there was another book- by a contemporary of those two men, but whose life is shadowy at best and whose book is so fantastical and, some would say, preposterous- that it was a bestseller and mocked?

The book is what we call “the Golden Legend,” and it was written, or compiled perhaps, by Jacob de Voragine. The most recent academic biography of Voragine notes that most of what we know about him comes from a few personal comments that he included in his history of Genoa, his hometown. He was probably born in 1228. He was trained by local Dominicans and ordained around 1250. In the 1260s, he began compiling the “Golden Legend”- more on that in a minute. He would become a prior of the Dominicans and was known for his other writings on the church year and sermons, which were copied and used by other Dominicans. In 1292 Pope Nicholas IV made Jacob the archbishop of Genoa- a position that had been vacant for years- but held out for Genoa’s popular son who would serve for six years before, we read, “he was dead by the morning of July 14th, 1298”.

So- what was this “Golden Legend” and why was it so important and popular?

The “Golden Legend” was a name given to it by its fans- it was the Legenda Sanctorum- a work that covered the church year and, for each day and season, told the story of a biblical character or saint. “Legenda” didn’t mean “legend” as in fanciful lore- but think of a “legend” on a map or chart- it’s the thing to be read to understand it. It was a collection of Readings about Saints. It was called “Golden” later because it was “worth its weight in gold” by readers and preachers who could use the anecdotes to spice up their sermons.

And spice up they would… Jacob was not a historian- he was a moralist who collected stories- even calling them “wonderful tales” to make a point. But the Medieval person wasn’t concerned with making the distinction between history and fiction. The stories, starting with Adam and going into the 10th century. Some of the more popular stories are that of St. George- the dragon slayer we have discussed on this show as phenomenally popular in the Middle Ages- in large part due to this text. Voragine includes a number of dragons, such as the one that swallowed Margaret of Antioch, for her to burst out of his belly. St. Elmo is another popular story- he is disemboweled by a windlass, and he survives and rebukes the executioner. It’s a common thread- the tortured, dying, and even dead doing things beyond belief. But this was part of the book's appeal- it told stories that made death subservient to Christ and his followers. The highly readable, short entries made it more popular than other similar books. When the printing press was developed, after the Bible, it was the second most popular text. It was one of the first texts ever printed in English, and one study suggests that between 1470 and 1530 it was the most published book- even more than the Bible.

Nicholas of Cusa, a Cardinal, would forbid his priests from using it. Renaissance scholars and Reformers criticized it. Some editors would take out some of the more fanciful stories, but its stories and woodcuts made it popular and invaluable for historians who want to know what the average Medieval Christian was reading and thinking about. The Golden Legend- an old-fashioned Christian History Almanac of sorts- but with Dragons- was written by Jacob de Voragine, who died on this, the 14th of July, in 1298.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and from the letter to the Ephesians:

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 14th of July 2026 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who wishes my stories had more dragons… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man on VBS duty again this week in the Rainforest Falls amongst the kindergarteners… 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.