Every
Sunday outdoors under a large banyan tree in Highland Park, there is a
spiritual studies presentation on topics of current interest. The outdoor talks
are sponsored by WTI (see www.wtinc.info
for details and schedule of upcoming talks.)
Last Sunday the topic was
Valentine’s Day, and everyone learned that there was a very real person – and
possibly two – that this day is named after.
February 14 is the day set aside to
commemorate a real historical person named Valentinus. With just a little bit of research, we learn
that this Valentinus person was stoned, clubbed, and beheaded in about the year
270 A.D. He was violently killed by an
unruly mob. That’s the meaning buried
there in that word “martyr.” But
why? And how have we come to associate
Valentinus with chocolates and hearts and lovers?
It
turns out that there were at least two people called Valentinus – possibly more
– who lived in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries. One – who the Catholic Church now called
Saint Valentine – was beheaded in 270 A.D.
Another Valentinus lived
about a century earlier and founded one of the most important sects of
Gnosticism. He was born in Egypt and
educated in Alexandria. He settled in
Rome during the reign of Pope Hyginus and taught there for more than 20
years. He attracted a large following
to his beliefs, due in part to his intelligence, his eloquence of speech, and
his impeccable arguments.
But the teachings of this
Valentinus differed in some ways from the Christian church of that time, and
when the office for the Bishop of Rome opened up, he was not selected. Valentinus then chose to break off from the
Christian church, left Rome, and continued to develop his doctrines as he saw
fit.
There are no original
surviving documents from the teachings of Valentinus. So, if you want to discover what he actually believed and taught,
you have to study fragmentary quotations found in the writings of his orthodox
Christian opponents.
Through research, we learn
that Valentinus was influenced by Plato (the main source of the teachings of
Socrates), Zoroastrianism, and Christianity. Valentinus also spoke of a
spiritual realm which he called Pleroma, which consisted of “emanations” evolving
from an original divine being. These
have been described as the layers of an onion, with each layer being a wholly
complete reality. It’s all very
interesting, though it’s all a bit second-hand because whatever Valentinus
wrote was apparently “lost” or destroyed by opponents.
The term Gnosticism came
from the word “gnosis,” defined as spiritual knowledge. Those who followed this line of study were
called the Gnostics, and many were referred to as Christian Gnostics. But by the third century, the more orthodox
Christian church (and the political power of the day), decided to oppose and
persecute the Gnostics. By the end of
the third century, Gnosticism as a distinct movement had largely disapppeared.
Now, here’s the quiz: Where in all this did you hear anything
about chocolates, hearts, greeting cards, bunnies, jewelry, roses, or lace
underwear? Plus, there doesn’t appear
to be any historical connection with any of the individuals named Valentinus
with the date of February 14.
It turns out that in the
pre-Christian days, there was a celebration in honor of Lupercus, a pastoral
god, sometimes identified with Faunus or Pan.
Faunus is depicted as having the body of a man but the horns, pointed
ears, tail, and hind legs of a goat.
That is, Faunus is more or less identical with the satyr, who was said
to be lecherous, lustful, and always ready to party.
The pre-Christian observance
of this day was called Lupercalia, which fell on February 15. Most of what people do today in the name
of “celebrating St. Valentine’s Day”
has its roots in the ancient feast of Lupercalia. On Lupercalia, cards were given (often with subtle or overt
sexual overtones), and men reportedly chased women through the streets (sounds
somewhat like Mardi Gras).
It is difficult to ascertain
why the commemoration of Valentinus was used to supplant, uplift, and supercede
the already-existing commemoration of Lupercus, but that’s what happened. Yet, very little of the trappings of modern
St. Valentine’s Day have anything to do with the historical Valentinus.
And that’s really a shame,
since Valentinus was as important as perhaps Socrates or Pythagoras, and yet
most of us only associate him with the silly commercialism of Lupercalia’s
remnants. Certainly it’s possible that the Church engineered this substitution
so that people would elevate their practices on this day, though there is no
evidence that that has happened.
So rather than waste money
and time on chocolates and red cards, why not take the time to study something
meaningful about the great teacher Valentinus, or about the real meaning
of that much-used word “love.” One
excellent book in this regard is Eric Fromm’s “Art of Loving.” Once you get into it, you may discover – as
I did -- that much of what he taught is very relevant today.
The WTI Sunday morning talks
are excellent presentations. For more
details, go to their website at www.wtinc.info.
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