John of Gorze
John of Gorze (c. 900 in Vandières; † March 7 in Gorze 974 ) was a monk of Lorraine, diplomat, estate manager and monastery reformer.
Early years
John was born in Vandières at Pont -à -Mousson. His parents were wealthy, and allowed him a good education in the Benedictine monasteries in Saint- Mihiel and in Metz. His teacher was Hildebold, who had studied in Paris under Remigius of Auxerre. At the age of twenty years, John had already established relationships with powerful people in the region, such Ricuin Count of Verdun and Dado, bishop of Verdun.
He became a monk in the Benedictine Gorze 933, after he had renounced the wealth as an estate manager and made a pilgrimage to Rome and Monte Cassino.
In Gorze
John was not satisfied with the discipline in Gorze and found in Einold of Toul (or Eginold ) an ally. 933 were commissioned to rebuild the dilapidated monastery of Gorze again and reform of Bishop John and Einold Adalbero of Metz ( 929-962 ). Einold became abbot and John became his first assistant. The number of monks increased and returned to the reforms spread out in other monasteries. 950 finally asked Pope Agapetus II the monks of Gorze, restore discipline in the monasteries of the Holy See in Rome ( see Gorzer reform).
Mission to Andalusia
953 John was sent for two years of Otto I as an envoy to the Caliph of Cordoba, Abd ar -Rahman III. . John traveled across Langres, Dijon, Lyon, Avignon, Barcelona, Tortosa and Zaragoza. The purpose of the mission was to prevent the attacks of Andalusian adventurers Fraxinet and by Arab pirates. John reached Cordoba in the year 953 or 954 with his companions, and presented a letter from the Emperor and gifts. The ambassador of the caliph, Hasdai ibn Shaprut, met with the delegation. The Caliph himself commissioned Hasdai for negotiations, fearing that the letter of the German ruler could contain derogatory remarks about Islam ( according to another report, sat John therefore some time in prison ). In fact Hasdai came to the conclusion that the letter was not so überbringbar, and convinced the embassy to formulate another letter. John reported that he " never a man with such a mind as when Jews Hasdeu had met ".
John lived in Cordoba in a palace near the caliph. He came into contact with Mozarabs and met with the bishop of Elvira, Recemundus who was familiar with Islamic teachings. On his return journey John brought many fonts from Andalusia to Lorraine, which should make this duchy into a center for the spread of Islamic philosophy and science in Europe.
Later life
John was probably 967 after the death of Einold himself Abbot of Gorze. He died 974 Jean, the Abbot of St. Arnulf at Metz, wrote a book about the life of John of Gorze. He was beatified, his name-day is February 27th.
Others
It is reported that John had a so-called photographic memory and that he developed an accounting system and a certain investment philosophy.
Swell
- John of St. Arnulf, Vita John Gorziensis: Georg Heinrich Pertz et al (eds): Scriptores ( in folio ) 4: Annales, chronica et historiae aevi Carolini et Saxonici. Hannover 1841, pp. 337-377 ( Monumenta Historica Germaniae, digitized ) French edition: La vie de Jean, abbé de Gorze. Presentee et traduite par Michel Parisse. Picard, Paris 1999, ISBN 2-7084-0581-0.