Initial Sightings: John the Priest

Thanks to the summer vacations, I've got plenty of free time on my hands. 

I have started writing Unit V, The Boots on the Ground: the Dogged Courtship after Elusive Prester John.

I recount the well-known legend, trying to find out its historic core. 

In the Prologue, I emphasize the distinct features of this character. 

1. He is elusive; nobody knows his whereabouts. Besides, he is always in transit, attempting to carry out his ambitious plans.

2. He is a mix of reality and fiction. The value of this character for historians lies in the fact that the narrative taps into historical events, offering their garbled version. 

3. He is long-lasting. Officially baptized in the twelfth century, he continued to gain supporters through the seventeenth century at least and because we pick up this topic again and again, he is still relevant to our time.

 I also explain that Prester John's title, king-priest, has a Biblical origin. I allude to Melchizedek, citing the Old and the New Testaments to show the link. 

Besides, I comment on the meaning of "India" for the medieval European audience. It was considered a remote realm on the eastern rim of the inhabited world. It was adjacent to the Paradise and tapped into its wealth. It was the home of countless marvels and monsters. Finally, it was rife with the Christians, though of other persuasions. 

The title of this entry, Initial Sightings, concerns two episodes that precede the official 'birth' of the legend but explain the psychological atmosphere that facilitated the spread of the yarn and its acceptance both in clerical circles and among laymen. 

1. The attendance of John, an oriental bishop, at the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. He was a member of the Church whose jurisdiction lay outside the Roman Empire and was sent as an observer. My witness is Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea and a participant of the council.  

2. The arrival of an oriental cleric to Rome, where he enchanted his listeners with the account of India and the marvels of St. Thomas the Apostle who, according to the Church record, have baptized India. He also lectured the Roman Curia whose reaction was a little different from the common comprehension. I rely on two sources which refer to the tenure of Pope Calixtus II, specifically to the year 1122. 

 

Image: The tomb of Thomas the Apostle in San Thome Basilica.

Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mylapore#/media/File:Tomb_of_St._Thomas_in_India.JPG