Elisabeth’s Visio in Arngrímr Brandsson’s Guðmundar saga D
Translated from Arngrímr Brandsson, Guðmundar saga D (written after 1343 before 1361, based on Bergr’s saga and expanded with supplemental sources). Jón Sígurðsson and Guðbrandur Vigfússon, eds. Biskupa Sögur. Kaupmannahöfn: Í Prentsmiðju S.L. Möllers, 1858, pp. 150-155.
AM 220 fol. IV (c. 1475-1525)
AM 397 4to (c. 1700, defective)
AM 398 4to (c. 1600-1700, defective)
AM dipl. Isl. Fasc. LXX 7 (c. 1400, defective)
Stock. Perg. 5 Fol. (c. 1350-65)
Elisabeth’s Visio in Arngrímr Brandsson’s Revised Saga of Guðmundr Arason
It was said that many worthy men from Norway wrote to Guðmundr to gladden him during this time. He received one such letter after he had asked his friend, a clerk, to write to him from Norway when he had found confirmation of the vision of the Assumption of our lady. The clerk sent confirmation in a letter, which is quoted here:
“Esteemed Guðmundr, bishop at Hólar in Iceland through God’s mercy, your clerk, as promised, sends you true greetings and the continuation of good health. The Lord God gives good things to all who act with tenderness to their neighbors. Let this be your indissoluble reward for all of that good you bestowed on me when I was embraced by your fatherhood.
I know, good lord, that you have been long delayed from that heavenly inheritance while you have been greatly burdened in difficult exile, particularly because you dwell among uncharitable people who are rather reluctant to follow the path of God in true obedience. But whatever your subjects do against you, the heavenly father will save your life and soul from sliding into worldly ways. You will remember, holy father, that we spoke of the bodily Assumption of God’s blessed mother, I am writing this letter to you to affirm what I’ve heard concerning her Assumption.”
When 1152 years had passed from the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the apostolic days of Pope Eugene the Third, there was a nun named Elizabeth in that cloister which is called Schönau, which was in the diocese of Trier in Saxony. In charge over that convent was the abbot Hildelin, who watched closely what she had taken through steering from God’s hand.
The aforementioned Elizabeth had gone into the cloister at eleven years old, and lived such a glorious life. Omnipotent God and his blessed mother valued Elizabeth so much that both thought she could bear witness. By that time when this nun had lived in the cloister another eleven years, at the age of twenty-two, God enriched her with such endless consolation that God’s holy mother was revealed to her often and spoke to her about the various branches and the interpretations of holy writ.
With Mary was often revealed to Elizabeth one of God’s holy angels, who was able to teach Elizabeth special wisdom. She recognized that this was always the same angel coming to her as a true friend and dear companion. And when she blossomed in these gifts, she was even more intent to be most pleasing to God in all things, committing to her humility with good works.
And so it happened, after she understood that that lady was God’s mother Mary who valued her enough to visit, that she mentioned it secretly to one of her holy fathers there in the cloister, who gave her the counsel to ask some questions of the queen when she visited her the next time.
The sister asked what the old man wanted her to find out.
He said: “I ask, my daughter, that you find out whether Mary has risen from death and lives with God now in both soul and body.”
Now the next time when the most blooming of all women, the honorable Mary, appeared to Elizabeth, they spoke with each other very dearly. That was in the octave of the feast of the Assumption of Saint Mary, when they performed the service to God in the church. A trance then passed over the nun, at that moment the holy mother Mary appeared to her as usual. Elizabeth then asked boldly, saying: “My truest queen, if it be pleasing to your holiness, we wish to know eagerly whether you have risen up in soul and taken power with your son or if you rose up from death and ascended above all the angels in both soul and body. I ask for distinction about this event through your kindness because I’ve that there is ambiguity about your Assumption in the writings of the holy fathers.”
The queen answered her in this way: “that which you ask may not be made known to you at this time, but I intend this event to be clearly revealed to you eventually.”
When this sight disappeared the sister told the elder how the conversation with the queen had gone. Then that good brother suggested that the nun take up special prayers to God’s mother in remembrance of this promise, and to hold them daily until a new vision came.
A whole year passed. During that time the nun did not dare to ask God’s mother or the intimate angel about those things, even though they appeared to her both as usual. Things continued like this until the feast of the Assumption of Saint Mary in the next year. Elizabeth became so sick that on the eve of the feast she remained in bed greatly weakened.
When the cloister performed the most sublime service on that blessed day, a heavy swoon passed over her. Next she saw a stone coffin a great distance off. In the coffin she saw a woman’s body; on all sides of the coffin stood the servants of the heavenly kingdom. God’s bright angels were beaming with shining light. After a short while the body, which before had been in the grave, rose up with great glory. The holy angels bowed then and came to her flying all together high up in the heavens in worshipful order sweetly sounding the arrival there of the heavenly curia, fair and glorious from the son of man above. It was the living son of God with many thousands of his host. That same Lord bore in his hand the holy cross covered in a glorious banner. Then an especially heavenly and sublime processio was arranged, which far exceeded what a human heart could imagine. That blessed queen, who had shortly before risen from the grave, went into that honorable joy. The heavenly king himself came flying on the path to greet her with his hand. Then the host was arranged on all sides so that she could most honorably be carried. Then this most sublime processio disappeared from the eyes of Elizabeth.
Some time passed before the blessed Mary appeared to her in that same light as she usually did, so that Elisabeth was able to stand well in spirit. The queen revealed her mild and graceful face, but did not speak with her.
When she disappeared the intimate angel of God came to her. Then Elizabeth spoke to him saying: “My lord, what does this vision, which was recently revealed to me, signify?”
The angel answered: “In this vision God granted you it was revealed clearly how our queen, the lady Saint Mary was resurrected to heaven with both body and soul together.”
After this vision Elizabeth quickly became healthy. Some time now passed until the next octave of the feast of the Assumption. On the verge of the octave the same angel appeared to her in great happiness. Immediately she asked about another thing: “My lord, can you tell me how much time passed from the Assumption of our lady before her bodily resurrection followed?”
The angel answered her with respect: “on that same day, which you now celebrate in the church as her Assumption, she passed away from this life. Forty days later, on September 23rd (there is a mistake here: the MS copies kalendas Septembris—so August 24th—instead of the correct reading Octobris—September 23rd), she rose from death. The holy fathers who arranged for her Assumption day to be held as a feast day in the Catholic Church, had no knowledge of her bodily resurrection. Thus they called her death day the Assumption because they believed without hesitation that she was taken up in both soul and body.”
When Elizabeth had heard these things and was satisfied, she was then conflicted as to whether she should make this revelation public. She feared that she would be judged as the originator of novelties concerning this matter. And so again two years had passed, when the same feast was close at hand, God’s mother appeared to that often-named nun. Elizabeth asked the queen about this issue, which she had considered so often before, and said this: “My lady, should we make public this vision concerning your resurrection?”
Our lady Saint Mary answered her: “We should not make it public and start rumors among the common folk because the world is less benevolent than it should be. This information, when they hear it, could cause their souls danger if they mistrust true events and mock divine miracles.”
The sister then asked: “Now then my queen, do you wish that we scrape away all that is written concerning this revelation?”
God’s mother answered: “These things were not revealed to you so that they may be blotted out and forgotten, but rather, so that my praise will multiply among those who particularly love me. We should make this information known to my friends that are alone before your delivery. This news will be beloved to them, who exhibit me in their heart, so that they can perform special praise in my honor and receive special reward from me in return. Many are those who will receive these words with great joy and esteem and preserve them in their works, for the sake of love towards me.”
After this vision the monastery at Schönau began to sing the feast of the Assumption in praise of God’s mother on September 23rd (there is a mistake here again: the MS copies kalendas Septembris—so August 24th—instead of the correct reading Octobris—September 23rd), holding with honor her resurrection feast. At first, as was commanded, they did so in secretly in chapels rather than publicly in the parish churches.’
Now they who sing this festival, said the clerk who wrote concerning this to Guðmundr, have that letter as lection at matins, which is here translated into Norse, and another one for the office of the first Assumption feast of Mary.
Now I ask you blessed bishop, that you remember me and my brothers in your holy prayers, committing us all under the wield and merit of queen Mary, so that you and we may for eternity enjoy heavenly community with the noble joy of the divine countenance. In Christo Valete (Yours in Christ, Farewell).”
Guðmundr was exceedingly pleased by this letter because of his love and friendship with our lady Saint Mary. This revelation is now well understood to all men without any doubt because it is in that authoritative book Speculum historiale. It corrects the year that this happened. 1,156 years had passed since the incarnation of our Lord.
It is necessary that this distinction be made. The clerk began his account four years too soon in the days of Pope Eugene; Elizabeth had gone into the cloistered life during his tenure, and stayed there throughout his papacy and into the tenure of the next pope, Anastasius, keeping busy with the holy spirit, before she received this vision.
This vision did not happen in the days of Eugene, but rather in the second year of Adrian the fourth, who was first named in the saga, as is shown in the year-count here and in Speculum historiale. The prologue established the date in the papacy of Adrian IV. Here is how it is in written in Speculum in Latin: Anno domini M.C.L.VJ in partibus Saxoniae sanctimonialis Elisabeth mirabiles visiones vidit, inter quas etiam angelus familiaris ei librum, qui dicitur Viarium dei, annuntiavit et diem translationis sacri corporis beatissimae virginis in celum demonstravit (In the year of our Lord 1156 in the land of Saxony the holy Elizabeth witnessed wonderful visions, among which, furthermore, her familiar angel related to her a book, which is called The Ways of God, and demonstrated the day of the translation of the sacred body of most blessed Virgin into heaven). This same book says in another chapter that when the vision happened, Saint Thomas prospered in England, and Henry became king, in the days of Theobald archbishop of Canterbury.
This was five years before the birth of Guðmundr. Blessed Augustine magnus saw for himself and further bears witness to this revelation through his exegesis on the gospels: Intravit Jesus (Jesus entered), and follows: Letatur igitur Maria Letitia inenarrabili anima et corpore, in proprio filio, cum filio proprio, per filium proprium, et cet. (Therefore rejoice, Mary, in indescribable joy in both soul and body, in your own son, with your own son, by the side of your own son, et cet.). Such a friendship was shared between our lady and Guðmundr that the queen occupied this part of his saga.