Mentioned in Bede's History, Elafius was a British chieftain in the 440s and most likely a leader of the short-lived kingdom of Caer Gwinntguic. He is said to have had a crippled son who was miraculously cured by a visiting missionary, St. Germanus of Auxerre, in c.446.
Bede recorded the events as follows:
"...the wicked spirits, flying over the whole island, were reluctantly compelled to announce to the inhabitants the arrival of St. Germanus. Upon which Elafius, one of the principal men of the country, hastened to meet the holy men, taking with him his son, who, though in the flower of youth, was afflicted with such debility and lameness, as would have moved anyone to compassion to behold him: for the sinews of his legs were so contracted that he could not walk, nor even put his feet to the ground. An immense number of people followed this Elafius, and assembled round the holy prelates...
...Elafius cast himself at the feet of the Missioners, presenting to them his son ... the blessed Germanus ordered the youth to sit down, and, applying his healing hand to the part affected, gently drew it over it, when immediately the contracted sinews were relaxed, and restored to their proper tone, and the young man was presented to his father perfectly cured."
According to Bede, the miracle proved to Elafius that Catholicism was the one true faith, not Pelagianism (a branch of Christianity that rejected the idea of original sin and deemed heretical by the Catholic Church). Whether the events recorded by Bede really happened or not, Elafius and his people converted and shortly afterwards Pelegain preachers were exiled from the kingdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment