Introduction
In the Revelation of St John, the ‘beloved disciple’ tells us that he spent some time on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. A tradition going back to Tertullian (155-220) says that John was banished there in 92 after frustrating the State’s attempt to execute him for his Christian beliefs. Pioneering English printer William Caxton translated the tale for his edition of The Golden Legend, published in 1483-84.
WHEN St John the apostle and evangelist preached in a city of Greece named Ephesus, he was taken of the judge, which commanded him that he should make sacrifice to the false idols, and when he would not do it he put him in prison. And after, he sent a letter to Domitian* which said that he held an enchanter in prison which had despised their gods and worshipped him that was crucified.* Then commanded Domitian that he should be brought to Rome, and when he was there they did do shave off all the hairs of his head in derision,* and after, they brought him tofore* the gate called Port Latin,* and put him in a tun full of burning oil. But he never felt harm nor pain, and without suffering any harm he issued out. In that place Christian men did do make a fair church,* and this day made a solemn feast, as it were the day of his martyrdom. And when the emperor saw that he ceased not of preaching for the commandment that he had made, he sent him in exile into an isle named Patmos.
Spelling modernised
* Roman Emperor from 81 to 96, infamous for his persecution of Christians.
* Wild rumours flickered to and fro of a secret society with cannibal feasts (apparently stirred by garbled accounts of the Eucharist) but it was enough for many, as The Golden Legend goes on to explain, that the Christians refused to say that any religion rubber-stamped by the Senate was as good as another. See Why Rome Persecuted the Christians.
* Shaving the head was a punishment imposed on sex workers operating outside the Government’s regulatory system. According to Bruce W. Winter in Roman Wives, Roman Widows (2003), this is why St Paul told certain married women attending churches in Corinth that, if they were going to do off their matronly head-coverings in the hope of snaring a lover (much as a woman today might take off her wedding ring in a bar) they might as well just get their heads shaved and save the State the trouble. See 1 Corinthians 11:1-15.
* An archaic word meaning ‘up to’, still to be seen in the adverb ‘heretofore’, meaning ‘up to now’.
* The Porta Latina is a single-arched gate in the third-century (271-275) Aurelian Walls of ancient Rome, where the Via Latina entered the south east of the City. Most of the gate as it stands today dates back to the time of Emperor Honorius (r. 393-423). On Honorius, see also A Bird in the Hand is Worth....
* The Chuch of St John at the Latin Gate in Rome is the ‘fair church’ that Christian men built at the place where St John suffered. There has been a church here since around 493-496, though it has seen a good deal of rebuilding over the centuries. Some features go back to Pope Adrian I (r. 772-795), a generation or so after our own St Bede; some to Pope Celestine III (1191-1198) in the reign of Henry II of England; and the impressive bell tower to the eleventh century and the days of the Norman Conquest. The church’s patronal feast on May 6th was abolished by the Roman Church in 1960 in a wide-ranging cull of festivals thought to be without historical foundation. See a picture of the church at Wikimedia Commons.
Précis
The thirteenth-century Golden Legend retold an ancient tale about how St John the Divine, arraigned at Ephesus for seditious preaching, was taken to Rome but emerged unscathed from Emperor Domitian’s attempt to boil him in oil outside the Latin Gate. Domitian banished him to Patmos, but Christians raised a church on the site just as if the martyrdom had succeeded. (60 / 60 words)
The thirteenth-century Golden Legend retold an ancient tale about how St John the Divine, arraigned at Ephesus for seditious preaching, was taken to Rome but emerged unscathed from Emperor Domitian’s attempt to boil him in oil outside the Latin Gate. Domitian banished him to Patmos, but Christians raised a church on the site just as if the martyrdom had succeeded.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: although, because, not, otherwise, ought, since, unless, whether.
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Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Any. Day. Never.
2 But. Out. Worship.
3 Letter. Port. Take.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Homophones Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that sound the same, but differ in spelling and also in meaning. Compose your own sentences to bring out the differences between them.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Adjectives Find in Think and Speak
For each word below, compose sentences to show that it may be used as an adjective. Adjectives provide extra information about a noun, e.g. a black cat, a round table, the early bird etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 False. 2 Harmless. 3 Full. 4 Harmful. 5 Painful. 6 Fair. 7 Solemn.
Variations: 1.show whether your adjective can also be used as e.g. a noun, verb or adverb. 2.show whether your adjective can be used in comparisons (e.g. good/better/best). 3.show whether your adjective can be used in attributive position (e.g. a dangerous corner) and also in predicate position (this corner is dangerous).
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
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