The Lives of the Saints through 100 Masterpieces

Christopher

The Lives of the Saints 72 Christopher July 25 At the very dawn of the Christian era, there lived in Canaan a gigantic man who was named Reprobus. He proudly decided to put his strength at the service of the most powerful king on earth, and set out to find that monarch. Once found, Reprobus employed himself at his court, only to realize that his master was afraid of the devil. The devil, therefore, is more powerful than the king, thought the giant, who then left in quest of the demon so as to serve him instead. He found the devil in a desert, placed himself at his service, but then noticed shortly afterwards that his new master scrupulously avoided the symbol of the cross. So he asked a hermit where he could find this Christ who was more powerful than the devil. “Everywhere,” replied the holy man. “And how can I serve him?” “By fasting and praying,” was the answer. “I wouldn’t know how to do the first, and I know not how to do the latter,” objected Reprobus. Good psychologist that he was, the hermit took the giant to the banks of a roaring stream that could only be crossed with difficult and suggested that he become a ferryman; by helping people overcome this obstacle, he would be serving the most powerful king on earth. One day, a child asked Reprobus to help him cross the torrent. But during the crossing, the child became so heavy on his shoulders that it was almost impossible to carry him. Still, the ferryman managed to reach the other bank, and told the child, “I felt as if I had been carrying the whole world on my shoulders!” “Not only the whole world, but you were also carrying the creator of the world,” replied the Infant Jesus. Thenceforth, Reprobus took the name Christopher, which in Greek means “Christ-bearer.” Patron of travelers, Saint Christopher was very popular until the Renaissance, and then was forgotten. However, he miraculously regained all his renown with the development of the automobile—in our own time he is almost certainly the saint with the greatest number of medals to his account. Dirk Bouts (ca. 1415–1475) Saint Christopher Alte Pinakothek, Munich ...