DIOT IX.
Silvester IV.: Antipope 1102. See Paschal II.
Silvia Aquitana Simeon Metaphrastes
THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
SILVIA AQUITANA: The name under which is known a pilgrim of the fourth century to the Holy Land, who has left a record of her travels. The trend toward pilgrimages became almost a craze in the fourth century, against which, e.g., Gregory of Xyssa protested (MPG, xlvi. 1016-24), though Jerome favored it (Epist., xlvi., Eng. transl., in XPXF, 2 ser., vi. 60-65). A sort of guide-book made on a journey c. 333 a.d. exists in the Itinerarium Bunligalense (" The Bordeaux Pilgrim "), but it is not a journal of travel like that which exists in the Peregrinatio S. Silvia, discovered in 1884 by G. F Gamurrini at Arezzo in Tuscany and consisting of a letter describing her experiences written to the nuns of a cloister at her native place. The manuscript is not complete, lacks both beginning and end, and also a part from the middle of the narrative. Fortunately, the omissions are practically supplied by Peter the Deacon, who used the narrative, as did Bede. The date may be set between 379-3S7, with 394 as the latest date possible; in that year the bones of the Apostle Thomas were translated to the chief church at Edessa, which the pilgrim distinguished from the Martyrium which she visited. Recently, however, Meister (see bibliography) has proposed 533-540 as the date of the pilgrimage, and many have accepted his arguments. Gamurrini sought to identify the pilgrim with the traveler named by Palladius in the " Lausiac History/' but Ferotin (see bibliography) has with greater probability suggested the Spanish nun F.ucheria, and at any rate " St. Silvia of Aquitania " is " a purely mythical personage." That the pilgrim was a person of consequence appears from the attentions which were showered upon her by clerics, monks, and bishops, and even by the military, escorts being furnished at times. She traveled in comfort and with a considerable retinue.
Peter the Deacon states that she made Jerusalem her headquarters, visited Bethlehem, Hebron, and the other cities celebrated in patriarchal history; covered all Palestine in her travels — Tabor, Carmel, Nazareth, Xain, Tiberias, Capernaum; then went to Egypt and back to Jerusalem, and then to Sinai and other sites in the Mosaic history, where the extant manuscript takes up the story. At Sinai she was shown the sacred sites, the thorn-bush and the like, went to Paran and Clysma, Rameses in Goshen, Tanis, and then to Jerusalem by way of Pelusium; then visited Nebo and the grave of Job in the Hauran by way of Aenon; next to Antioch, Hierapolis, Edessa, and Harran, her farthest point east. Her return led via Constantinople through Asia Minor, and in Seleucia she read the Acts of Thecla, while in Chalcedon she visited the grave of St. Euphemia.
The narrative is interesting, faithful, and sincere. Her notice of the worship of the Jerusalem community is important, being the only one covering that period ; she attended such services as those of Christmas, Easter, Ascension Day, and Pentecost, and describes baptism and the instruction leading to it. Far behind this in worth are such books as Eucherius' De situ Hierosolymitance urbis (a compilation from oral and written sources), the Breviarius de Hierosolyma of the sixth century, Bede's De locis Sanctis, and the work of Peter the Deacon (q.v.).
Of independent worth is Theodosius' De situ terrce sanctce (middle of the sixth century) ; the reports of the Gallic bishop Arculphus rest upon an Itinerarium of c. 580 and one of Adamnan. (G. Kruger.) Bibliography: The editio princeps, by G. F. Gamurrini, the discoverer of the document, was issued at Rome, 1887, 2d ed., 1888, with the account of Peter the deacon and other matter, Italian transl., Milan, 1890. The best ed. is that of P Geyer, in CSEL, xxxix., Vienna, 1898. Other texts are those of J. Pomialowsky, Kt. Petersburg, 1889; J. H. Bernard, for Palestine Pilgrims Text Society, with Eng. transl., introduction and notes, London, 1896; E. A. Bechtel, Chicago, 1902; and a fragment by E. von Dobschutz, in TU, 1899, pp. 167 sqq. Consult: L. Delisle, in Bibliotheque de Vecole des charles, xlvii (1877), 342- 346; T. Mommsen, in SBA, 1887, pp. 357-364; E. Wolfflin, in Archiv fur kiteinischc Lexicograp/iie und Grammatik, iv (1887), 259-277; C. Weyman, in TQS, lxx (1888), 38-50; L. de Saint-Aignan, Le Pilerinage de S. Sylvie- . . en 385, Orleans, 1889; E. Ebert, Allt/emeine Geschichte der Literatur des Mittelalters, i. 345-347, Leipsic, 1889; G. Kruger, in Preussische Jahrbiicher, lxvi (1890), 491-505; P Geyer, Kritische Bemerkungen zu S. Silvice peregrinatio, Augsburg, 1890; F. Cabrol, Etude sur la Peregrinatio Silvice. Les Eglises de Jerusalem, la discipline et la liturgie au iv. siecle, Paris, 1895; J. von der Vliet, in TSK, xiv (1896), 1-29; M. Ferotin, Le Veritable Auteur de la Peregrinatio Sylvice, Paris, 1903; A. Bludau, in Der Katholik, lxxxiv. 2 (1904), 61-74, 81-98; J. Anglade, De latinitate libelli qui inscriptus est Peregrinatio . . , Paris, 1905; C. Meister, in Rheinisches Museum, lxiv (1909), 337-392.
SIMEON, sim'e-en: Second bishop of Jerusalem and cousin of Jesus; d. c. 107. His father was Cleophas or Clopas (see Alph^eus), who, according to Hegesippus (Eusebius, Hist, eccl., III., xi. 2), was a brother of Joseph. His mother may have been the Mary mentioned in John xix. 25, who is designated as the wife of Cleophas. Owing to his family connections, Simeon was chosen successor of James the Just in the leadership of the Jerusalem congregation. He is said to have held his office a long time, and to have attained an age of 120 years. As successor of James, Simeon was the head not only of the congregation of Jerusalem but of all other congregations in Palestine. Since the congregation of Jerusalem left the city before the catastrophe of the year 70 and went to Pella, the seat of the activity of Simeon must have been there. Tradition also says that under Emperor Trajan and Governor Atticus he was denounced by the Jews as a Davidite and Christian, a pretender to the crown. At the order of Atticus he was for many days tortured and finally crucified. (H. Achelis.)
Bibliography: The sources are Eusebius, Hist eccl.. III., xi., xxii., xxxii., xxxv., IV., xxii. 4, Eng. transl. in NPXF. vol. i., passim; and the same author's " Chronicle " for the year 107. Consult further: Tillemont, Memoires, ii. 186 sqq.; J. B. Lightfoot, Apostolic Fathers, part II., i. 15, 21-22, 39, 58, 60, 66, ii. 443-449, London. 1885; E. Loning, Gemeindeverfassung des Urchristcntwn*, pp. 107-114, Halle, 1888; A. C. McGiffert, Apostolic Age, pp. 564-565, New York, 1897; T. Zahn, Forschungen zur Geschichte des neutestamentlichen Kanons, vi. 282 sqq., Leipsic, 1900; R. Knopf, Nachajiostolisches Zeitalter, pp. 1 sqq., Tubingen, 1905; Harnack, Litteratur, i. 223 sqq.; DCB, iv. 677-678; KL, xi. 307-308.
SIMEON METAPHRASTES, met-a-f ras'tiz : Byzantine hagiographer; flourished probably in the second half of the tenth century. Of his life scarcely a detail is known; even the younger Psellos' encomium and office for Simeon's day, Nov. 2S [nowcombined with St. Theoktiste's day, Nov. 9] (MPG,