Cenodoxus
Dramatization of the Legend of the Doctor of Paris
This was one of several mediaeval miracle plays by Jacob Bidermann.
Intended Audience was Seminary Students
Like many other miracle plays of the Middle Ages, this was written around 1600 AD at a seminary in Zürich, Switzerland, and found its first performances by the seminary students there, all for the benefit of many students residing at the institute. It was performed in Latin, and the first copies of the play were published in Latin. Not long after that, copies were printed in German.
As productions go, the performances involved elaborate costumes because each of the Deadly Sins was personified by a student that was appropriately dressed, and an intricate dance sequence involved the deadly sins approaching the dying body of Cenodoxus.
Cenodoxus Was a Good Man
Cenodoxus was a man who had a sterling reputation for healing the sick, helping the poor, speaking kindly, and ministering to all in need. He was equally loved and admired by all.
But His Health Failed
At a ripe old age, he had succeeded in all the things he had set out to do. He was a teacher, a scholar, a doctor, a lawyer, and a philosopher. He excelled at all the things a man could excell at. But he began to lose his health, and this alarmed all of his friends. He grew sick. Friends visited his house to see him, but there was nothing they could do to save him. All they had for him was good words, and wished they could be more like him. People prayed for him day and night. Everybody believed that Cenodoxus was the nicest person they'd ever met.
And He Died
Mortal intervention from all quarters could not help the good Doctor of Paris, who had helped so many other people. Regardless of the prayers offered, Cenodoxus died, bringing sadness to all who had met him.
He Interrupted His Own Last Rites
Now, when the dead body of Cenodoxus was taken to the cathedral and prepared for its last rites, it cried out three times in three days, each time leading to an ever larger crowd of onlookers to witness the event that was transpiring before them. Every time the priest started to perform his last rites, no sooner did the priest began to say something, but the corpse turned, moved, and cried out, interrupting the services. Each time this happened, the priest delayed the man's last rites by an extra day.
- On the 1st day, it cried out, "I have been accused."
- On the 2nd day, it cried out, "I have been found guilty"
- On the 3rd day, it cried out, "Oh, My God, My God, My God, I have been damned to Hell Eternal."
People Were Amazed
The onlookers witnessing this event were absolutely dumbfounded because they could not think of anything Cenodoxus had done warranting eternal damnation. He was not known for swearing, cheating, or coveting. He was not a gambler, but was in fact so generous with everything he had, that he had nothing when he died. This was amazing because he had once been very wealthy. They did not understand why Cenodoxus would have cried out the things that he did.
Bruno's Dilemma
Bruno was one of Cenodoxus's many friends, and like all the others had been in the crowded cathedral when Cenodoxus's body cried out the things described. Like all the others seeing this with their own eyes, Bruno was beside himself with confusion as to why these things had happened, and why Cenodoxus - of all people - should have met with such a stern judgment. Being damned to Hell Eternal was far worse than having to go to Purgatory. Had only Cenodoxus done things differently, would he have been able to make things turn out differently?
"If that good man Cenodoxus was lost, despite the many good things that he had done, and despite the many good things that he had accomplished, how could anyone even a bit lesser be saved?" Bruno wondered, and wondered, unable to come to terms with what he had himself seen. Bruno knew Cenodoxus personally, and could attest to all the good things Cenodoxus had done, and yet none of those things was sufficient to guarantee immunity from God's wrath. If a truly good man, like Cenodoxus, was doomed, then what chance did he, Bruno, have? or any other man, for that matter?
Bruno's Conclusion
Now, Bruno thought for a long time about the things he had personally seen - there were so many witnesses it could not be denied - and for all of that concluded that his friend Cenodoxus could only have died guilty of one sin - the deadliest sin of them all - the Sin of Pride. Pride is something that is hard to detect from merely looking; it is something that only God could have detected.
Bruno Built a Monastery
For this reason, Bruno left human society behind to build a monastery in the woods outside of Paris, and he founded an order of monks there.
The legend dates back to the 12th Century.
This play has significance because it led to the sanctification of St. Bruno by the Roman Catholic Church, the patron saint to an order of monks dating back to the 12th or 13th Century.
Inspiration for Goethe's Faust
Jacob Bidermann's treatment of the Legend of the Doctor of Paris is important because it is generally regarded to have been the primary source of inspiration for Goethe's Faust, which in turn inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein.