The Life of the Jura Fathers

The Life of the Jura Fathers: The Life and Rule of the Holy Fathers Romanus, Lupicinus, and Eugendus, Abbots of the Monasteries in the Jura Mountains; With Appendices—Avitus of Vienne, Letter XVIIII to Viventiolus; Eucherius of Lyon, The Passion of the Martyrs of Agaune, Saint Maurice and His Companions, In Praise of the Desert

Publication Data: Kalamazoo, MI/Spencer, MA: Cistercian Publications, 1999
Format: softcover
Number of Pages: 240
Dimensions (l × w × h): 21.5 cm × 13.9 cm × 1.4 cm
Additional Information: black-and-white illustrations
ISBN: 0‒87907‒778‒6

   
Translated, with an Introduction, by Tim Vivian, Kim Vivian, Jeffrey Burton Russell, with the assistance of Charles Cummings, OCSO
Preface by Terrence Kardong, OSB
Foreword by Adalbert de Vogüé, OSB

Number One Hundred Seventy-Eight of Cistercian Studies Series

“The Life of the Jura Fathers is an account of a monastic foundation in the rugged Jura Mountains of eastern France just before the time of Saint Benedict. This foundation, called Condat in French but Condadisco in Latin, had the good fortune to have not one but three great abbots among its founding fathers. Eventually they created other monasteries at nearby Lauconne (Lauconnus) and La Balme (Balma) but none of them have perdured to our time. The same cannot be said about the memory of the three great abbots, who are still venerated in Jura today. Although the account of their Life must becalled hagiographic in that its aim is edification rather than historical information, nevertheless these three lives are recounted in a manner that not only conveys a good deal of the local color, but also manages to give us a fairly rounded picture of each saint. Romanus comes through as the aggressive, magnanimous missionary. Lupicinus is a harder character, but his courage often defends the weak and poor. Eugendus is a retiring mystic who still manages to function well as an administrator.”
—“Preface”

CONTENTS

Preface
Foreword
Authors’ Note
Table of Place Names
Chronological Table
Introduction
   I. Eastern Gaul in the Fifth and Early Sixth Centuries: An Historical Overview
   II. The Way of the Desert
   III. The Lives of the Jura Fathers
   IV. Spirituality and Way of Life
   V. In the Footsteps of the Jura Fathers
The Life of the Jura Fathers
   I. The Life of Saint Romanus
   II. The Life of Saint Lupicinus
   III. The Life of Saint Eugendus
Appendix I: A Letter from Avitus, Bishop of Vienne, to Viventiolus, Priest at the Jura Monasteries
Appendix II: The Passion of the Martyrs of Agaune, Saint Maurice and His Companions by Eucherius of Lyon
Appendix III: In Praise of the Desert by Eucherius of Lyon
Bibliography
Index of Scriptural and Patristic References
Index of Names
Index of Subjects