Wilbrand of Oldenburg, Journey in the Holy Land 2.2-2.3
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/51
Context
Wilbrand, born to a noble family of Oldenburg in northwestern Germany,
had a distinguished ecclesiastical career as a prelate in the sees of Paderborn,
Münster, Osnabrück, and Utrecht up to his death in 1233. He wrote an account of his
travels to the Middle East in 1211-1212. During the first year of his journey, he served
with Teutonic knights and royal envoys from Austria on an embassy from Otto IV, the
German emperor, to Levon I, the king of Armenian Cilicia. During the second year of his
journey, he visited Jerusalem and other sacred sites. In this passage, Willibrand covers
his journey east from Acre to the Sea of Galilee, then back to the coast, and south to
Caesarea, Arsuf, Jaffa, and Ramla. He mixes observations on both the early Christian
associations and the contemporary state of these communities.
Text
(2) Et relinquentes ad sinistram Sareptam Iudae, ad cuius differentiam
altera Sarepta, de qua vos supra expedivi, Sydoniorum est appellata, veniumus
Cesaream. Haec non est Cesarea Philippi, sed
Stratonis, in qua beatus Petrus, cum in visione de omni
immundo de reptili terre manducare iuberetur, sedem episcopalem ordinavit, et in ea
presidens verbum fidei gentibus predicare incepit, per quod sua visio, de qua iam
tetigi, adimplebatur. In hac hodie est sedes episcopalis. Ipsa vero civitas destructos
habet muros. Tantum tempore treugarum inhabitabatur et tunc nostris obedire consuevit.
In hac, ut quidam volunt, vidit Iesus hominem sedentem in thelonio, nomine Mathaeum, et
dixit illi “Sequere me” etc. Hec distat ab Hakon spacio unius magne diete. Ab illo
timore transivimus Arsun, que est civitas parva et destructa, tempore treugarum a
nostris inhabitata, multos in finibus suis habens latrunculos sarrecenos. Et notate,
quod hec civitates et dicte et dicende in perditione Terre Sancte a Sarracenis fuerunt
destructe, preter Iaf, quam nostri tempore Henrici imperatoris—pro pudor!—perdiderunt.
In qua filii Mammone nostris peccatis exigentibus XII milia Christianorum occiderunt et
captivaverunt. Hec est illa Iopea, in qua beatus Petrus visionem supra tactam accepit,
scilicet vas de celo missum, plenum omni reptili terre, quod angelus ipsum manducare
precepit. Hec est etiam ilia, in cuius portu magi adorato Domino per aliam viam
redeuntes navem nec velo nec remis munitam intraverunt. Qui illinc, ut supra plene
scripsi, ad portum Tharsis miraculose sunt perducti. Hec civitas, sicut et relique, a
nostris pace a paganis eis indulta inhabitari consuevit. Et distat a
Cesarea unam dietam. (3) Illic ducatu nobis concesso
relinquentes maritimam et incedentes versus meridiem transivimus terram verissime lacte
et melle fluentem, et peragravimus Rammam.
1
Textual Note
Ed. Pringle 2012Translation
Leaving to the left Sarepta of Judaea, which in distinction from the
other Sarepta (I addressed it above) is called of the Sidonians, we came to
Caesarea. This is not the Caesarea of Philip but the one of
Strato, in which St. Peter, when he was commanded in a vision
to eat all the unclean things that creep on the earth, established a bishop’s seat.
Presiding in it, he began to preach the word of God to the gentiles, and through this
his vision, which I have just touched upon, came to be fulfilled equally in that place.
In it there is today an episcopal city. In fact the city has its walls destroyed; it was
inhabited only during the period of truce and only then became accustomed to owe
allegiance to our people. In this city, according to some, Jesus saw a man named Matthew
sitting in the customs house and said to him “Follow me” etc. This is the distance of
one long day’s journey from Acre. From there in great fear we passed by Arsuf, which is
a small destroyed city, inhabited by our people at the time of truces and having many
Saracen robbers within its borders. Note that these cities already mentioned or about to
be mentioned were destroyed during the loss of the Holy Land to the Saracens, except for
Jaffa, which our people lost—for shame!—at the time of the emperor Henry. In it the sons
of Mammon killed or took captive 12,000 Christians on account of our sins. This is the
Joppe where St. Peter received the vision touched upon above, that is to say, a dish
sent from heaven full of all the creeping things of the earth, which the angel
instructed him to eat. It is also the one in whose port the Magi, while returning home
by another way after worshipping the Lord, embarked on a ship equipped with no sail or
oars. From there, as I have written fully above, they were miraculously brought to the
port of Tarsus. This city, and equally its remains, have customarily been inhabited by
our people through a favor extended to them by those pagans. It is one day’s journey
from Caesarea. (3) From there, after a guide was assigned to us,
leaving the coast and advancing southwards, we passed over a land truly flowing with
milk and honey, and we wandered through Ramma.
2
Translation Note
Rev. Pringle 2018Works Cited
- 1 Denys Pringle, Wilbrand of Oldenburg’s Journey to Syria, Lesser Armenia, Cyprus and the Holy Land (1211–12): A New Edition, Crusades 11 (2012): 109–37, bk: 2, ch: 2-3.
- 2 Wilbrand of Oldenburg, Wilbrand of Oldenburg: Journey in the Holy Land (1211-12), in Pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Holy Land, 1187-1291, trans. Denys Pringle, Crusade Texts in Translation 23 (London: Routledge, 2018), 61–94, bk: 2.2-3, p: 85-86.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Wilbrand of Oldenburg, Journey in the Holy Land 2.2-2.3,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/51.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Wilbrand of Oldenburg, Journey in the Holy Land 2.2-2.3.” 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/51.About this Entry
Entry Title: Wilbrand of Oldenburg, Journey in the Holy Land 2.2-2.3
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, “Wilbrand of Oldenburg, Journey in the Holy Land 2.2-2.3”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Wilbrand of Oldenburg, Journey in the Holy Land 2.2-2.3”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by William L. Potter
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife