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The  Life  of  St.  Marcella, widow.... 325 - 410

[Celebrated in the Roman Martyrology on January 31]
by Jerome, presbyter and divine. (a letter written to Principia, a Roman lady)


Chapter I
You have often earnestly asked me, O Principia, virgin of Christ, to write a memoir of
that holy woman Marcella, and set out her goodness in detail the goodness so that
others may know about her as well and follow her example. I have delighted in the
thought of her virtues for a very long time, and I must say that I am somewhat
grieved that you have been so insistent, as though you thought I needed such urging,
for I yield nothing to you in my respect for her, and I am certain that by putting on
record her exceeding great virtues I shall gain much more benefit than I shall be able
to convey. It is just that I have held my peace and remained silent for the last two
years not as a deliberate ploy, as you wrongly seem to think, but simply because I
have been overcome by such an incredible sadness oppressing my soul that I
thought it better to stay silent for the present rather than try to produce something
while in a state of being totally unable to give her the praise she deserved. And even
now I do not intend to eulogise her according to the rules of rhetoric, cherished
though she is by you, by me, by all the saints and by the whole city of Rome. I will not
write about her illustrious family or her lofty pedigree, stretching back through a long
line of proconsuls and praetorian prefects. I will praise only what belongs inalienably
to her, and which is so much the more noble in that she showed her contempt for
nobility and wealth by embracing the greater nobility of poverty and humility.


Chapter II
Her father had already died when she married, but then she also lost her husband
after only seven months. She was young, highborn, eminently respectable, and
above all of great beauty, which is always an attraction for men, and so she was then
pursued most vigorously by one Cerealis, of an illustrious consular family. As an old
man his wealth promised to be available for her as a daughter rather than a wife, and
Albina, Marcella's mother, did everything she possibly could to get such a powerful
protector for their widowed household. But Marcella had her objections.
"If I really wanted to marry," she said, "rather than wanting to dedicate myself to
perpetual chastity, I would be seeking a husband, not an inheritance."
"Yes, but don't forget old men can sometimes live quite long," said Cerealis, "while
young men can die quite early."
"A young man may die early," she cleverly replied, "but an old man can't live long."
This put him in his place so firmly that it became obvious to others that there was no
hope of persuading her to marry.
We read in the Gospel according to St Luke about Anna, a prophetess, the daughter
of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher, who was of an advanced age. She had lived with her
husband seven years from her virginity and was a widow of eighty-four years. She
departed not from the temple night and day, serving God in fasting and prayer (Luke
2.36-37). Not surprising that such great devotion earned the reward of seeing the
Saviour. Now let us compare her seven years with Marcella's seven months. Anna
hoped for Christ, Marcella held him fast, Anna acknowledged him at birth, Marcella
believed in him crucified, Anna accepted him as a little child, Marcella rejoiced in his
reign in heaven. I can't make any distinction between these two holy women. There
are some who do foolishly discuss the differences among holy men and leaders of
the church, but my aim is to stress that those whose labours are the same enjoy the
same rewards.


Chapter III
In a community riddled with gossip, living in a city made up of people from all over
the world who are full of every kind of vice, honest people are easily maligned, and
the pure and clean defiled. It is difficult for anyone at all to escape the breath of
slander. In difficult or impossible circumstances, even the Prophet can do no more
than hope for a favourable outcome, rather than presume he will get it, when he
says, 'Blessed are those who are undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the
Lord' (Psalms 119.1). By 'undefiled in the way' he means people living in the world
whom no hint of ugly rumour has ever stained, and who have never maligned their
neighbours (Psalms 15.3). About people such as this the Saviour says in the Gospel,
'Look kindly on your adversary, and agree with him while you are in the way with him'
(Matthew 5.25). Who ever heard anything derogatory about Marcella worthy of
credit? For people to believe any such rumour was to lay themselves open to the
charge of malice and defamation of character.
She put the heathen to shame because she made it patently obvious to all, by her
moral sense and by the way she dressed, what Christian widowhood entailed.
Pagans take great pains to paint their faces with rouge and white lead, to wear silken
garments, to bedazzle with jewellery, to wear gold necklaces, to pierce their ear lobes
from which to hang the most costly pearls from the Red Sea, to perfume themselves
with musk, and although in mourning for their husbands, they take to themselves
others at their own choice, not in accordance with the commandments of God, but
simply in order to avoid having to obey. They choose poorer men, husbands in name
only, who are willing to put up with rivals, because they know that if they object they
will be sent packing.
Marcella, however, wore clothes simply in order to protect herself from the cold, not
to display her body to advantage. She wore nothing of gold, not even a seal ring,
preferring to spend her money on feeding the poor rather than keeping it in her own
purse. She went nowhere unless accompanied by her mother. Whatever the
demands of a large house might make upon her she would not even see clerics or
monks without witnesses. Her servants were always virgins and widows, chosen for
their seriousness, for she was well aware that the morals of the mistress are often
judged by the behaviour of her maids.


Chapter IV
She had an incredible love of the divine Scriptures, and was forever singing, 'I have
hidden your words in my heart that I may not sin against you' (Psalms 119.11). She
held before her eyes the image of the perfect man: 'His delight is in the law of the
Lord, and in his law does he meditate day and night (Psalms 1.2). Her kind of
meditation did not consist in repeating the words over and over like the Pharisees of
the Jews, but in learning how to put them into practice in accordance with the words
of the Apostle, ' In eating or drinking or in whatever you do, do all for the glory of the
Lord' (1 Corinthians 10.31), and the words of the Prophet, 'By your commandments I
have gained understanding' (Psalms 118.104). In other words, it was by keeping the
commandments that she earned the ability to understand the Scriptures. She also
meditated on the words, '…that Jesus began both to do and to teach' (Acts 1.1), a
clear statement that would bring a blush to the cheek of people whose conscience
told them that it was of no use merely talking about poverty and almsgiving while
rolling in the riches of Croesus, and no use parading in a threadbare cloak if they
carefully looked after their silken garments at home.
She fasted moderately, in that she ate no meat and was familiar with wine more from
its aroma than its taste, using it only 'for her stomach's sake and her often infirmities'
(1 Timothy 5.23). She rarely appeared in public, and avoided the houses of the
prominent patrician women for fear of being drawn back into a way of life which she
had already put behind her. She visited the basilicas of the apostles and martyrs to
pray in solitude apart from a crush of people, and was obedient to the wishes of her
mother, to the extent that sometimes she would do things that she really would rather
have not done. For her mother was keen on keeping up family ties, and in the
absence of sons and grandchildren she formed the intention of leaving everything to
her nephews and nieces, but Marcella would have preferred to remember the poor.
She could not go against her mother, however, so her necklaces and other personal
effects were earmarked for those who were already rich, so that she renounced the
ability to dispose of her own wealth, rather than give her mother cause to be upset.
None of the high-born ladies of Rome at that time had embraced the monastic way of
life. Such an innovation they would not have dared to embark upon. It was thought to
be a rather reprehensible existence, and no one would have wished to make a public
profession of it. But at that time it so happened that pope Athanasius of Alexandria
was in Rome, where he had fled to escape from the persecution of the Arian heretics,
Rome being the safest haven in which to find communion. From this man first, and
later from Peter, another Alexandrian priest, [Athanasius' successor in the see in the
year 373] she learned about the life of the blessed Antony, still alive at that time,
[Antony died in 356] and the monasteries of Pachomius in the Thebaid. She learned
too that widows and virgins also followed this discipline. She did not feel ashamed to
profess anything that was pleasing to Christ. And her example was followed many
years later by Sophronia and many others after her, to whom might rightly be applied
the words of the Poet Ennius, 'Would that never in Pellon's woods'.
The venerable Paula enjoyed her friendship, and it was in her care that Paula's
daughter, that glorious virgin Eustochium, was trained. To be given the charge of
such an outstanding pupil gives some indication of the qualities of the teacher.


Chapter V
The unbelieving reader might well wonder why I should go on for so long singing the
praises of mere women, but let him call to mind those holy women who were
companions of the Lord and ministered to him of their substance, (Luke 8.3) and the
three Marys standing before the Cross, (Matthew 27.55) especially Mary Magdalene
who for her zeal and diligence was called a Tower. [Magdala means "tower"] She was
privileged to witness the resurrection before any of the apostles. Does not this
convict the unbeliever of pride, rather than convict me of folly? I try to judge people
not by their sex but by the capabilities of their souls, and give greater respect to
those who do not presume on their status or their wealth. It is for that reason that
Jesus loved John the evangelist above the others. The high priest knew John
because of his social position, so John was not afraid to give instructions for Peter to
be allowed in to the courtyard (John 18.15-16). Alone of all the apostles, he was not
afraid of standing by the cross, where he received the mother of the Saviour into his
keeping. The virgin son received the virgin mother as a legacy from the Lord.

Chapter VI

For many years, then, Marcella lived an ascetic life and was quite advanced in years
before she was able to remind herself that she had once been young. She highly
approved of that saying of Plato that the true philosophy was to meditate on death.
Likewise, the Apostle says, 'I die daily for your salvation' (1 Corinthians, 15.31). And
the Lord himself says, 'If anyone will not take up the cross daily and follow me, he
cannot be my disciple' (Luke 9.23). And much earlier than that the holy Spirit spoke
through the Prophet, 'For your sake we are killed all the day long. We are become as
sheep for the slaughter' (Psalms 44.22). Many generations afterwards there were
these words spoken: 'Think always of the day of your death and you will not fall into
sin' (Ecclesiasticus 7.36). Persius the Satyrist also says, 'Live with the thought of
death in mind. Time flies, hence this warning'. So then, she lived always with the
thought that she must die. She dressed in such a way as to remind her of the grave,
offering herself as a rational, living sacrifice, pleasing to God (Romans 12.1).


Chapter VII
There came a time when the affairs of the church demanded that I should go to
Rome, along with Paulinus, bishop of Syrian Antioch, and Epiphanius, bishop of
Salamis in Cyprus. [There was a Synod in Rome in the year 382] I was modestly
trying to avoid the company of the highborn ladies, but Marcella was determined, 'in
season and out of season' (2 Timothy 4.2), to overcome my modesty by her
persistence. She seemedconvinced that there was no name more renowned for
knowledge of the Scriptures than mine, so she never came to see me without asking
questions about the Scriptures. She didn't always agree with me, but would often
suggest different interpretations, not contentiously, but in order to have answers for
anyone who might make such remarks to her.
I hesitate to say too much about the virtues I discerned in her, or the intellectual
brilliance, or holiness or purity, lest I say something you would find it difficult to
believe in, or depress you because I would be reminding you of attributes you do not
possess. But I will just say this: whatever I have learned over a long period of study,
and by daily meditation made part of my very being, this she drank in, learned
thoroughly and possessed for herself - so thoroughly, in fact, that after I had left
Rome, if there were any dispute arising about any Scriptural text, it was she who
would be called upon to settle the matter. And she was extremely prudent, and
understood very well what the philosophers call to prepon, that is, the quality of
acting modestly, so that when asked for her opinion she always replied as if she were
not offering her own views but as if they were what I, or some other person, had said.
She understood very well the saying of the Apostle, 'I do not permit women to teach'
(1 Timothy 2.12), lest she seem to belittle the male sex, including the priests, if they
asked her about obscure and ambiguous matters.
I have been told that you, Principia, had taken my place as her companion, and that
not even so much as a finger's breadth, as the saying goes, was ever allowed to
come between you. You shared the same house, the same room, so that it was well
known to everyone in the city that you had found a mother and she a daughter. You
found some land on the outskirts of the city for a monastery, and you chose the
countryside as a sort of desert. You lived for a long time like that. Many others were
converted and imitated your example, and it gave us great pleasure to know that in
this way Rome had become a second Jerusalem. The number of monasteries of both
monks and virgins increased so quickly that a city which had previously been of ill
reputation began to asquire a reputation of glory.
During this time we consoled our separation from each other by frequent letters, so
that what we could not achieve in the flesh we achieved in the spirit. We always
looked out for each other's letters, were always trying to help each other, and treated
each other with respect. We did not lose much therefore by our separation from each
other, seeing that we kept up such a vigorous correspondence.


Chapter VIII
But in the midst of this scene of tranquillity in the Lord's service, a terrible storm of
heresy began to disturb our Eastern provinces, causing a great deal of uproar, and
reaching such a pitch of madness that it spared neither themselves or any of those
on the side of what is right and good. [This was the controversy caused by Rufinus'
translation into Latin of Origen's Peri Archon (On First Principles)] And as if it were
not enough to have upset everything here, it launched a ship full of blasphemies into
the harbour of Rome itself. The provisions it contained soon found a buyer,
[Invenitque protinus patella operculum, lit. "the dish soon found a cover", a metaphor
familiar to Jerome's readers, but not to us] and the diet of the citizens of Rome was
contaminated by it, as was the fountain of Rome's pure faith by the heretics' dirty
feet. No wonder, then, that false prophets were able to beat the buttocks of the
ignorant in the squares and market places, or pick up a cudgel and break their teeth.
It was a poisonous and spurious teaching that they were introducing into Rome.
This was when that infamous book On First Principles appeared, and also that
'fortunate disciple' who could have been counted fortunate indeed if he had never
become involved with such a teacher. [[The 'fortunate disciple' was one Macarius, a
writer to whom Rufinus had dedicated his translation of Origen] I then wrote a
refutation which threw the company of the Pharisees into confusion.[Presumably the
Roman clergy who sided with Rufinus] The holy Marcella had up till then remained
silent, not wishing to be seen as though she were putting herself forward. But then
she sensed that the faith of Rome, which the Apostle said was spoken of throughout
the whole world (Romans 1.8), was in danger. Even the priests, many of the monks
and especially the laity were being drawn into agreement with the heretics. Even the
bishop was inclined to agree with them, being a simple man who judged others
according to the measure of his own naivete. Marcella then spoke out in public,
preferring to please God rather than men.
The Saviour in the Gospel praises the unjust steward, who deceived his lord in order
to save himself (Luke 16.8). Similarly, the heretics observed how a small spark had
soon spread fire up to the housetops, and were aware how many people they had
deceived, so they asked for, and obtained, letters from the church authorities, before
they went on elsewhere, to the effect that they were in true communion with the
Church. Not long after this Anastasius, a brilliant man, succeeded to the pontificate.
[In the year 398]. Rome was not allowed to have him for very long. It was right that
he should have been spared from having to be the pontiff during the sacking of the
chief city of the world. [Rome was sacked by Alaric the Goth in 410] He was taken up
to heaven so that he would not have been able to attempt by his prayers to stay the
hidden sentence of the Lord, like that pronounced to Jeremiah: 'Do not pray for this
people, nor seek to do them good. However much they fast I will not listen to their
prayers. However many victims and sacrifices they offer me I will not accept them. I
will consume them by the sword, by famine and by pestilence' (Jeremiah 14.11-12).
Did I hear you ask what all that has got to do with the praise of Marcella? Well, she
was the principal cause of the heretics being condemned. She it was who brought
into the public domain witnesses who had listened to their teaching and been
corrupted into heretical error by it. She pointed out how many had been deceived by
reading that infamous book, On First Principles, edited by the hand of a scorpion.
[The scorpion is Rufinus, whom Jerome accused of editing the book in such a way as
to conceal some of the worst of Origen's 'errors']. When summoned by frequent
letters to come out and defend themselves in public, the heretics refused. They felt
so guilty that they preferred to be condemned in their absence rather than defeated
in public. Marcella was the cause of this glorious victory. You, Principia, also played
an important part along with her to the benefit of all, and you know that I am telling
the truth. You know that there are many things that I have not said a great deal about,
lest I tire the reader with wearisome repetitions, and appear to the malicious minded
to be praising someone merely as an excuse to give vent to my own spleen. But I
must go on to the rest of my tale.


Chapter IX
The storm passed from East to West threatening grievous shipwreck to many. And
thus were the words of Jesus fulfilled: 'When the Son of Man comes will he find faith
on the earth?' (Luke 18.8). 'The love of many grew cold' (Matthew 24.12), though
some who loved the true faith aligned themselves with us, to the great danger of their
very lives, for great forces were brought to bear against them. Think how 'Barnabas
himself was carried away by their dissimulation' (Galatians 2.13), just as a present
day Barnabas was prepared to commit murder, if not in actual fact then certainly in
will and desire. [The reference is to certain prominent churchmen who defended
Origen's principles]Then behold, the wind of the Lord blew away the tempest, fulfilling
the words of the prophet, 'You will take away their spirit and they shall fail, and be
turned again to their dust' (Psalms 104.29). 'In that day all their thoughts shall perish'
(Psalms 146.4). Remember the words of the Gospel also: 'You fool, this night your
soul shall be taken away from you. Who then will own all those things you have
gathered together?' (Luke 12.20).


Chapter X
While these things were happening in Jebus, [The Canaanite name for Jerusalem]
terrible news came from the West. Rome had been besieged [By Alaric the Goth, in
408] and the citizens forced to pay protection money. Then they were attacked again.
Having lost their money they were also threatened with losing their lives. My voice
fails me, and my words are choked with sobs. The city was taken, that city which
ruled the whole world, and the people perished with hunger even before being put to
the sword. There was scarcely anyone who remained alive to be taken captive. In
their frenzied hunger people had resorted to horrible practices in order to eat. They
tore each other limb from limb, the mother spared not the infant at the breast,
ingesting back into herself that which she had lately brought forth. 'Moab is taken by
night. By night her walls have fallen' (Isaiah 15.1). 'O Lord, the heathen have come
into your inheritance, they have polluted your holy temple, they have turned
Jerusalem into an apple orchard. The bodies of your saints have become food for the
birds of the air, the flesh of your saints for the beasts of the earth. They have spilt
blood like water on every side of Jerusalem and there is none to give them burial'
(Psalms 79.1-3).
Who can tell the horror of that night, who can declaim the funeral oration, or who can
shed sufficient tears to match their grief? The ancient city falls, city supreme for
countless ages. Lifeless bodies lie in profusion in her streets, and in the houses.
Everywhere the image of death.
And in the midst of all the confusion bloodstained victors forced their way into
Marcella's house.


Chapter XI
Let it now be my privilege to tell what I have heard, and repeat what has been seen
by holy men who were present in the midst of it all, and who say that you also,
Principia, were with her in that perilous hour. She is said to have confronted the
intruders with no fear. They demanded money. She pointed to her threadbare
clothing to show that she had no treasure hidden away, but they would not believe
that she could be so voluntarily poor. She was beaten with cudgels and whips, but
she is said to have felt no pain. She threw herself at their feet and pleaded with tears
that you would not be taken away from her. She pleaded that you in your
youthfulness would not be subjected to the same torture which she in her old age did
not fear to suffer. And Christ softened their hard hearts to provide a moment of
kindness to offset their bloodstained swords, for these barbarians took you both to
the basilica of St Paul, to bring one of you to safety but the other to the tomb.
Marcella is said to have broken out into praise of God with great joy for keeping you
from harm. Being taken captive had not made her poor for she had been poor
already. She had been able to go without her daily bread because Christ had
satisfied her needs. She felt no hunger, but in word and deed she proclaimed, 'Naked
I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return. As it seems good to
the Lord, so is it done. Blessed be the name of the Lord' (Job 1.21). After a few days
she fell asleep in the Lord, whole and vigorous in spirit, leaving you as the heir of her
poverty, or rather the poor through you. She died in your arms, giving up her spirit
before your very eyes. As you wept she smiled, having a good conscience of a life
well spent for a reward in the life to come.
For you, O venerable Marcella, and for you, my daughter Principia, I have dictated
this letter in the space of one brief night, not in order to display my own eloquence,
but to express my heartfelt gratitude to you both. My only desire has been to please
both God and my readers.

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De Vitis Patrum, Book II
By Rufinus of Aquileia

Prologue. Blessed be God who wills all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.
It is he who has guided our steps to Egypt, and showed us great wonders, to be
recorded for the benefit of posterity. In this history will be found salutary examples
and teachings most conducive to true devotion, which for anyone wishing to walk in
holiness will reveal clearly the pathways along which our forefathers in the faith have
walked. (Read More Here) - - - - - - - - - - Life of St. Paula, widow, by Jerome

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