Saint Ildephonsus of Toledo | |
|---|---|
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| Bishop of Toledo | |
| Born | 8 December 607 |
| Died | 23 January 667 |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | 23 January |
Ildefonsus orIldephonsus (rarelyIldephoses orIldefonse; Spanish:San Ildefonso; c. 8 December A.D. 607 – 23 January A.D. 667) was a scholar and theologian who served as themetropolitanBishop of Toledo for the last decade of his life. HisGothic name wasHildefuns. In theEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church he is known asDexius (ደቅስዮስDaqsəyos) based on theGe'ez translation oflegends about his life.[1]
Although his writings were less influential outside ofHispania, Ildefonsus wascanonised and remained a potent force in theIberian Peninsula for centuries.[2] Spanish missionaries, and to a lesser extent Portuguese ones, spread his ideas worldwide.
Ildefonsus was born to a prominentVisigothic family in Toledo during the reign ofWitteric.[3] Civil wars racked theVisigothic kingdom during most of Ildefonsus' life. His uncleEugenius, who later became Toledo's bishop, began educating the devout youth. Ildefonsus began his religious career circa A.D. 632 when BishopEladius of Toledo ordained him as a deacon. However, Ildefonse defied his family's plans for his clerical career by becoming a monk at theAgali monastery outside the city. While he was still a simple monk, he founded and endowed a monastery of nuns.[4] In 650 Ildefonsus was elected its abbot of Agali. In that capacity, he attended two synods of the Iberian church, theeighth andninth Councils of Toledo. When his uncle Bishop Eugenius II died in 657, Ildefonsus was elected his successor as bishop of Toledo. KingRecceswinth compelled him to accept the position, as Ildefonsus later complained to his protégé and successor, BishopQuiricus of Barcelona.
At the end of the eighth century,Cixila, Archbishop of Toledo, embellished the biography of his predecessor. He relates that Ildephonsus was praying one day before the relics of SaintLeocadia when the martyr arose from her tomb and thanked him for the devotion he showed towards the Mother of God.[4]
It was reported that on 18 December 665 he experienced a vision of the Blessed Virgin when she appeared to him in person and presented him with a priestly vestment, to reward him for his zeal in honouring her.[4] As Bishop Ildefonsus and the congregation sang Marian hymns, light engulfed the church, causing most worshippers to flee. Ildefonsus, remaining with a few deacons, saw Mary descend and sit on the episcopal throne. She praised Ildefonsus for his devotion, and vested him with a specialchasuble from her son's treasury, which she instructed the bishop to wear only duringMarian festivals. In part because of the vision, Rome later elevated Toledo's status to the metropolitan see ofCarthaginiensis, with the most authority in the Iberian Peninsula.[5]
Ildefonsus died after a decade in office and was buried at his (and the city's) basilica, Toledo'sChurch of Santa Leocadia. Another Council of Toledo decreed that henceforth 18 December would be celebrated as a Marian feast day, to commemorate his vision, although some sources claim that feast day was added to the calendar during the 10th Council (where Ildefonsus had served as a reporter), along with theFeast of the Annunciation on 25 March. Even during the Muslim occupation, when the basilica was converted into a mosque, the area where the vision occurred remained sacred and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Pilgrims travelled to Toledo to see the stone where Mary stepped during Ildefonsus' vision. During later wars, Ildefonsus' remains were transferred toZamora, where they remain at the Church of Sts. Peter and Ildefonso.
Quiricus, the dedicatee of Ildefonsus'De perpetua virginitate, succeeded him as bishop. His later successor, Julian, included Ildefonsus among the biographies added in his own continuation to theDe viris illustribus. Another successor,Cixila, wrote a hagiographical life of Ildefonsus. During the 13th century, the DominicanRodrigo de Cerrato included Ildefonsus among his vignettes of illustrious men.
Ildefonsus is considered a patron saint of Toledo, Zamora, and several smaller towns. Hisfeast day is 23 January, the date of his death. InOlula del Río (Almería), festivities begin with a bonfire and fireworks the previous night, and continue with a traditional procession of the saint's image with bread being tossed onto onlookers. Iberian missionaries promoted San Ildefonso worldwide, including theSan Ildefonso Peninsula and municipalitiesSan Ildefonso, Bulacan, Patron Saint ofTanay, Rizal andSan Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur in the Philippines,San Ildefonso Ixtahuacán in Guatemala,San Ildefonso, San Vicente in El Salvador andSan Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico.
Some consider Ildefonsus the source of common Spanish allusions to Mary as "the Virgin" rather than "Our Lady" per French or "the Lady" in Italian practice. Ildefonsus' most important work was hisDe perpetua virginitate Mariae contra tres infideles, which imitated an earlier work byJerome, and became the center of Spanish Marian theology.[7] The three heretics reflected the Marian teaching of Eligius, with whom Ildefonsus disagreed theologically. Ildefonsus utilises Isidore's "synonymous method" (orSynonyma Ciceronis) for theological purposes, wherein he repeats every phrase several times in different, although purportedly identical, ways.[5][8] The identifications reveal the arguments in a rhetorically strong way, andlexicographers study the synonyms Ildefonsus used. Ildefonsus also probably wrote theVisigothic Mass ofAscension, which explains how the benefits received from Christ are richer than the wonders he performed, such as "ascending unaided to the clouds".[9] Theologically, Ildefonsus regarded theNicene Creed assufficientem scientiam salutarem (sufficient knowledge for salvation) and as afoedus (compact) between believer and God.[10] LikeIsidore of Seville before him, Ildefonsus regarded the creed as forming "two pacts" between God and believer: one renouncing the devil, and another the statement of belief itself.[11] Ildefonsus encouraged frequentCommunion, implying that normal practice was infrequent, and insisted upon preparation, which may have discouraged many.[12]
Ildefonsus'De viris illustribus is a continuation, in thirteen parts, of a work of Isidore bearing the same name. The book contains nobiblical quotations,[13] but expands the biographies of famous writers to include illustrious leaders in the church and government, including Isidore himself (though Ildefonsus appears ignorant ofBraulio of Zaragoza's better biography of Isidore).[14] Ildefonsus' edition emphasised the monastic backgrounds of Toledo's earlier bishops (adding seven biographies). Nonetheless, modern editors note his pastoral concern and emphasis onpraedicatio (preaching).[15] Ildefonsus' continuation became an important historical source concerning Toledo during the 6th and 7th centuries. Ildefonsus also prepared ananthology of Isidore's works, excluding theEpistula ad Leudefredum.[16]
In hisDe cognitione baptismi, Ildefonsus explained the biblical origins of the sacrament, as well as Hispanic baptismal practices and important prayers. The work relied onAugustine's narrative concerning the psalms, as well asGregory the Great's moral teachings, andIsidore'sEtymologies. With respect to the latter, Ildefonsus dared to disagree with Isidore concerningMasses for the dead who had not had theirlast rites.[17]Julian of Toledo in hisPrognosticum followed Ildefonsus in arguing that such could still be effective. Ildefonsus also wroteDe progressu spiritualis deserti elaborating on the same themes, analogizing baptism as a personal equivalent to the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, and the beginning of a personal spiritual journey.
Several of Ildefonsus's letters to Quiricus of Barcelona survive. Julian of Toledo in theElogium Ildefonsi mentions two lost works by Ildefonsus:Liber Prosopopoeia Imbecillitatis Propriae andOpusculum de proprietate personarum Patris, et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. The former treatise (on his own imbecility) was probably aconfessional monologue or dialogue, andValerius of Bierzo may have used it as a model.[18] The latter deals withmonothelitism, a heresy of the time.[19]
His workLibellus de Corona Virginis has recently (2021) been translated by Robert Nixon OSB and published asCrown of the Virgin: An Ancient Meditation on Mary's Beauty, Virtue, and Sanctity by Catholic publisherTAN Books.[20]
