Comments on: Underground Movement

By: Mike Aquilina

Mike Aquilina — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:59:40 +0000

When I say “Holy $#!+!” you’re supposed to say “Ora pro nobis.”

An historian of some note dropped me a line to say that he once worked under an academic dean named Stercorinus.

Then he said he was just kidding.

By: Maureen

Maureen — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:48:05 +0000

You’re baaaaaad. But yeah, onomastics is fun stuff, especially now that we have search engines.

Oh, and Bishop Stercorius of Canusium attended the Council of Sardis.

By: Mike Aquilina

Mike Aquilina — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:36:40 +0000

What else can I say? Holy $#!+!

By: Maureen

Maureen — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:31:27 +0000

Mwahaha! St. Stercorius was a martyr at Rome, feast day July 25, with his companions Chariatho, Clement, Julian, Emeritus, and others!

There’s also the female saints Stercia/Stercita (martyred at Byzantium with St. Acacius, May 8) and Stercola (Feb 28 with many others).

However, Stercia and Stercola may have names related to the worship of Saturn/Picus’ dad, whom St. Augustine says was called Stercius because he invented manuring fields. :)

By: bob

bob — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 18:52:29 +0000

I forgot to mention the fellow who was the coreographer for Fred Astaire for many years, a guy named Hermes Pan in the movie credits. Actually Hermes Panagiotides. Good Pagan first name, good Orthodox Christian last name.

By: Mike Aquilina

Mike Aquilina — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:28:34 +0000

OK, Maureen, but you’d draw the line at Stercorinus, right?

By: Mike Aquilina

Mike Aquilina — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 02:50:44 +0000

I don't read SF, though I studied writing under the great William Tenn. My wife reads it, though.

By: Jayson

Jayson — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 02:48:18 +0000

“Fossores is correct, and they’re all over this book.”

All right. I’ll look for the book sometime. (Actually, there seems to be more info available online about the fossores than the last time I looked [which was, admittedly, awhile back]).

Rather [almost] serendipitous[??] coming across this post recently. My interest in the catacombs has been [indirectly-]reawakened lately by a discussion on a sci-fi mailing list.

By anychance, do you read sci-fi? Might you be familiar with the novelist Stephen Baxter? Just wondering, is all…

By: Maureen

Maureen — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 02:25:30 +0000

If somebody already has a pagan name, gets baptized with a common baptismal name (say, Matthew), and then becomes a notable person and considered a saint, of course they’re going to talk about the guy under his pagan name. Because it makes that pagan name a Christian name from then on! (And thus also makes life easier for all the other Eros Matthews out there….)

I don’t advocate naming one’s kids Snow or Tempest, but I have to say I felt better for all the poor Snows and Tempests out there when I found out there were martyrs by those names. :)

By: bob

bob — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 05:57:24 +0000

I’m reminded that the 5th bishop of Antioch was Eros. It’s something the Orthodox Antiochians in the US don’t like to admit! They typically try to “clean it up” to “Heros” or some such. It goes against the usual habit of taking a saint’s name at baptism or reception by chrismation. Nice to see it confirmed that the first Christians had fewer odd scruples than modern ones!