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Pseudo-Odoric of Pordenone, The Holy Land 65-66

   https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/232

Context

Nothing about this work attaches it to the known career of the Franciscan Odoric, who famously travelled to China, though admittedly our knowledge of his career before embarking for the Black Sea and the Silk Road is limited. This narrative is recorded under his name in a single manuscript of the 15th century in Berlin. Judging from the contents, we identify the author as an unknown pilgrim to the Holy Land, presumably also a Franciscan, who had ostensibly studied earlier writings. If the work is in fact pseudepigraphical, the author wrote it after Odoric’s death in 1331 C.E. and the subsequent growth of his reputation but no later than the end of the following century, i.e., ca. 1350-1500. The account of Caesarea by Pseudo-Odoric comes at the end of the itinerary, before a discussion of the prophet Mohammed. The passage is noteworthy for its length and topographic detail, Beyond the usual mention of Peter, Cornelius, and Philip, he notes identifications of the site of Paul’s prison and of a rocky suburban locale, then in the countryside, as Peter’s first church.

Text

(65) XXIIII miliario a Ioppe est Cesarea civitas, metropolis Palestine, sita super litus maris. Que qιιondam vocabatur Dor, sed nunc est destructa. Hanc civitatem Herodes, rex Iudee, ampliavit et ad honorum Augusti Cesaris Cesaream vocavit. Et regio Palestina incipit. In hac civitate est ecclesia Sancti Petri, edificata de domo Cornelii, quem beatus Petrus convertit et baptizavit et in episcopum ordinavit; et fuit centurio. Ex ea fuit etiam Philippus, unus de VII dyaconis ab apostolis ordinatis, habens quatuor filias prophetissas, cum quibus ipse sepultus fuit. Et dicitur Cesarea Palestine, et non Philippi. Hic quondam fuit turris Stratonis. In ea est carcer supra ecclesiam, ubi beatus Paulus apostolus longo tempore fuit detentus. Inde pergens Romam, consecutus est suam apellacionem apostolacionis. Extra eam et inter ortos est petra, que vocatur Domini tabula, ubi ipse cum discipulis suis comedit. Iuxta illam est cathedra, super quam beatus Petrus apostolus missam celebravit. Et alie tres grosse petre, que fuerunt sua candelabra. (66) II miliario a Cesarea est parva capella, ubi domina nostra morari quandoque solebat. Haec de terra sancta sufficiant. 1

Textual Note

Ed. Laurent 1873

Discussion Note

Codex Berolinensis Theol. Lat. IV.141 (15th century)

Translation

(12) At the 24th mile from Ioppe is the city Caesarea, capital of Palestine, located on the seashore. It was once called Dor but now is in ruin. Herodes, king of Judaea, expanded this city and named it Caesarea in honor of Augustus Caesar. And the region Palestine begins (here). In it is the Church of St. Peter, built from the house of Cornelius, whom the blessed Peter converted, baptized, and ordained as bishop; he was a centurion. Also from this city was Philip, one of the seven deacons ordained by the Apostles, whose four daughters were phophetesses with whom he was buried. It is called Caearea Palestinae, not Caesarea Philippi. It was once Strato's Tower. Here is a jail above the church where the blessed Paul the apostle was once detained for a long time. Outside the city among the fields is a stone called the Slab of the Lord, where he ate with his disciples. Near it is the seat on which the blessed Peter the apostle celebrated mass, and three other large stones were his candelabrum. (66) At the 2nd mile from Caesarea is a small chapel where our guide sometimes used to stop. This information about the Holy Land will suffice.

Translation Note

Trans. J. L. Rife

Works Cited

  • 1 ch: 65-66. , ch: 65-66.
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How to Cite This Entry

Joseph L. Rife, “Pseudo-Odoric of Pordenone, The Holy Land 65-66,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/232.

Bibliography:

Joseph L. Rife, “Pseudo-Odoric of Pordenone, The Holy Land 65-66.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/232.

About this Entry

Entry Title: Pseudo-Odoric of Pordenone, The Holy Land 65-66

Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:

  • Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
  • Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
  • David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Pseudo-Odoric of Pordenone, The Holy Land 65-66”
  • Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Pseudo-Odoric of Pordenone, The Holy Land 65-66”

Additional Credit:

  • TEI encoding by William L. Potter
  • Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife
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