Kult relikwii św. Szczepana i nawracanie Żydów na podstawie Epistula Severi

Abstract

The article deals with the Epistula Severi. This document is a relation about events that took place on the Balearic Islands at the turn of the years 417 and 418 AD . Severus, the bishop of Menorca, described the conflict around the arrival of the relics of the St. Stephan into the town of Magonia (Mahon). The relics of the first martyr were found in a miraculous way in 415 AD , moved to the Church of the Holy Sion in Jerusalem, and then started their way through the churches of the North Africa and the whole Empire, with Magonia among others – where in the result of the riots, the Jewish synagogue was burnt down, and 540 Jews were converted. The report is replete with chronological and topographical details. The aim of the article is to analyse the principles of the theological mechanisms behind the relation between Judaism and Christianity at the beginning of the 5th century AD . In the argumentation of Severus, anti-Jewish rhetoric is predominant. The author is aware of the widespread hagiographic tradition of the Maccabean Martyrs, but his use of it is very limited. In the narration the influence of the sapiential books is evident. The rhetorical figures of polarisation and antagonistic parallelisms help to catch the audience and effectively influence its choices.