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To: Soliton
So no source is valid until you say so?

Yeah, that's it...grow up.

83 posted on 09/07/2008 12:52:31 PM PDT by papertyger (I'll vote McCain today for him giving us Palin tomorrow.)
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To: papertyger

St. Valentine:
The church replaced elements of various love-gods (Juno Februata, Eros, Cupid, Kama, Priapus) with St. Valentine, an imaginary Christian. A number of contradictory biographies were created for him. One source claims that there were as many as seven Valentines. Some were:

A Bishop of Interamna (modern-day Terni) who was martyred circa 271 CE.
A priest at Rome who married couples in secret. The Emperor Claudius II had previously cancelled all marriages in the city in order to encourage more men to join the military. According to the story, Valentine was caught and executed on FEB-14, in the year 270 or perhaps 269 CE.
A Rome priest who clamed that the Roman gods Jupiter and Mercury were “shameless and contemptible characters.” He was arrested, beaten and beheaded...but not before he befriended the blind daughter of the jailer, and cured her.
A Christian who lived in Africa, about which little is known.

By taking over some of the features of the Pagan gods and goddesses, St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. “The crocus, which flowers about [FEB-14]...is St. Valentine’s Flower.” Pope Gregory XVI gave the remains of one of the St. Valentines to the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin Ireland. 12

Valentine’s Day and its traditions originated in two separate Roman feasts: Lupercalia and the feast day of Juno Februata.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/valentine1.htm


101 posted on 09/07/2008 2:03:15 PM PDT by Soliton (> 100)
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