Although there were several Saint Valentines, the common biography (hagiography – I learned a new word!) describes Saint Valentine as either a priest of Rome or the Bishop of Terni, a town in central Italy.
There are many legends ascribed to Saint Valentine. In one, dated from the 3rd century AD, Valentine defied the order of the emperor Claudius and secretly performed Christian weddings (not Roman) for couples. This allowed the husbands to escape conscription into the Roman army. As soldiers were in short supply at that time, this was a thorn in the side of Claudius. It is said that to “remind these men of their vows and God’s love, Saint Valentine cut hearts out of parchment”, sending them to the Christians, who were persecuted at that time. So this is a possible origin of the widespread use of hearts on St. Valentine’s Day.
Another legend claims that while St. Valentine was under house arrest by a certain Judge Asterius, he discussed the validity of Jesus’ existence faith with the judge. The judge put Valentinus (his Roman name) to the test, brought him his adopted blind daughter, and told him if Valentinus could restore her sight, the judge would do whatever he asked. Valentinus, praying to God, put her hands on her eyes and the child’s vision was restored.
In return, Valentinus asked that all of the Roman idols in the judge’s house be broken and that the judge should fast for three days and then be baptized. The judge did that, then freed all the Christians jailed under his authority, and Valentine then baptized the judge, his family, and his entire household.
Valentinus continued evangelizing, and eventually, Emperor Claudius had him arrested and brought to Rome. Claudius took a liking to him until Valentinus tried to convince Claudius to become Christian. This was possibly the last straw because Claudius refused and condemned Valentinus to death, commanding that Valentinus renounce his faith or be beaten with clubs and then beheaded. Valentinus of course refused and was executed in Rome, outside the Flaminian Gate in the Aurelian Walls, on February 14, 269.
Another legend from the time of his execution claims that Saint Valentine wrote a note to Asterius’s daughter signed “from your Valentine”, which may or may not have inspired the romantic messages of Valentine’s Day.
The Feast of Saint Valentine, also known as Saint Valentine’s Day, was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honor of Valentine’s martyrdom.
Happy Valentine’s Day from Saint Valentine and me!
Happy Valentine’s, Noelle!
Thanks, Olga.
What a grim way to be executed. I am thankful, however, for Valentine’s historic commitment to Christian marriages.
Me, too. Clearly heshould be a saint.
Enjoyed the history, Noelle. Happy Valentine’s Day
Thanks, John. I found it very interesting how the legends morphed into our celebration of the day.
I was amazed that celebration of the day originated so long ago
I’ve heard a combination of all these legends mixed together, but enjoyed reading them again.
Great post, Noelle. I hope you and your hubby had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
He had to work – so I spent the evening alone, trying to figure out the mechanism of buying him a late night meal (prime rib) via Door Dash. We only have one car, so I am stuck when he’s at work. I was asleep when he got home but he said the meal was great (he does like his meat!).
Thanks for the history, Noelle. I hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day. Chin rubs to Garfield. Hugs.
Garfield thanks you! Hubs worked that night but I ordered him a lovely dinner to surprise him when he came home!
Fascinating. And what a history, Noelle, whichever Valentinus it was who became the saint of love. I hope you and yours had a wonderful day full of the joys and affection of love. Hugs, my friend.
Gene was working that night but I ordered him a steak dinner for when I got home (I am usually asleep by then!) Hope yours was terrific too – flowers? candy?
We don’t celebrate the day. My excuse if that we’re in love all year round. Hehehe. 🙂
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Ya know the חכמה how the Torah itself proves that JeZeus & Muhammad, as false prophets? Moshe commanded that later in the future would come prophets like himself. The Torah commands משנה תורה, common law. All the NaCH prophets teach משנה תורה mussar. The false prophets JeZeus & Muhammad do not teach משנה תורה\common law mussar.
Jewish worship of avoda zarah defined through assimilation and intermarriage with Goyim, who never accepted the revelation of the Torah at Sinai – the Prime First Cause which defines the k’vanna of the Torah curse known as the Amalek antisemitism. Which plagues Jews in all generations.
Xtian & Muslim revisionist history/’Evil Eye’- I believe theology – sucks. Today, as it has for 2000+ years. God is not a Man, anymore than JeZeus or Muhammad T’NaCH prophets. Justice does not depend upon what persons personally believes, concerning speculation attempts to define the Gods. The gospel metaphor of “Father” just as false as prayer directed to God in Heaven. Tefillah a matter of the heart; just that simple. Throw your new-testament or koran revisionist history upon the dung heaps of false history.
Xtian religious revisionist history as meritorious, as tits on a boar hog. The Genocide slander of Israel made by post-Apartheid South Africa, compares to the Xtian ‘Blood Libels, and follow-up Pogroms’, committed every Easter – throughout the Middle Ages of European criminal barbarism.
The absolute and complete ignorance of Goyim living in faraway distant countries, coupled with their arrogant presumed superiority of Israeli politics – a bad joke. Why? Their disgraceful sophomoric biblical translations unto foreign languages, falsely assumes that translations possess the power to define key terms, from one language to the next.
Alas, covenant does not define brit. The koran abomination never once refers to the “Brit Faith”. Their bible & koran idols, fail to discern the difference between translating words from language to language. To comprehending the prophetic mussar rebukes. The defining “k’vanna” which all tohor time-oriented commandment most fundamentally require.
The Book of בראשית commands tohor time oriented commandments. This opening Book of the Torah contains few Torah commandments, like as expressed in the other 4 Books of the Torah. Time oriented commandments center on some time of national crisis. Jewish laws of kashrut require the Gid Hanasheh/sciatic nerve, based upon the crisis of Yaacov meeting Esau who travelled with an Army at his back. Hence the mitzva to remove the gid Hanasheh remembers this National crisis on par with the Akadah of Yitzak. Neither new testament nor koran teach the Av mitzva of all Torah commandments – the dedication of tohor time-oriented commandments during times of National distress.
Scratch a Goy and expose the Satan barbarian that possesses their Souls; never in their entire lives has a single Goy ever contemplated the concept of Torah time-oriented commandments. Amazing! Because all other Torah commandments qualify as toldoth/off-spring\ of these Most Holy of Holies Av/Father Torah commandments.
How could Goyim theology so horribly fail? How could the best alien Goyim minds, in Ages past to present fall?! In their inability to grasp the essential primacy of tohor time-oriented commandments which define not only the Book of בראשית but the Siddur as well?
Answer: Flawed from the first word of the Torah; their translations of “tefillah to prayer”, totally fails to grasp that בראשית holds within its 6 letters: ברית אש, ראש בית, ב’ ראשית. These forever “outsiders” deny the existence of the פרדס Oral Torah revelation at Horev!
Post WWII Shoah European guilt, expressed through the rebuke made against false prophets to their eternal condemnation as CURSED: “By their fruits you shall know them.”
Their Evil Eye/I believe theology speculations of the Gods, abhors the Primacy – the pursuit of justice between Man & Man, as the definition of Torah faith. Their replacement theology: “I am saved”, belief in false Universal God(s), an utter total abomination; like unto the Oct 7th Abomination War.
Muhammad falsely presumed that JeZeus qualifies, comparable to his bloated Ego-self, as a T’NaCH prophet. His pie in the sky koran avoda-zarah did not know how the T’NaCH defines the word “Prophet”.
The avoda-zarah name: Allah, it profanes the 1st Sinai commandment. Therefore (A concealed sworn Torah oath implied by this legal common law language of Torah.), Allah just another “Sin of the Golden Calf”, abomination of avoda zarah – the k’vanna of the 2nd Sinai Commandment.
Thank your for your reply.
The concluding day of Pesach just completed.