Cenodoxus

Dramatization of the Legend of the Doctor of Paris

This was one of several mediaeval miracle plays by Jacob Bidermann, a German seminarian and playwright.

Intended Audience was Seminary Students

Written in 1602 AD at a seminary in Augsburg, Cenodoxus found its first performances by the seminary students there, principally 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, upon meeting with tremendous acceptance by the academicians and religious leaders of the day, copies were printed in German, and a wider degree of circulation was realized.

As productions go, the performances involved elaborate costumes because each of the Deadly Sins was personified by a student that was appropriately dressed so he could be recognized as such, and an intricate dance sequence involved the deadly sins approaching the dying body of Cenodoxus. Some of the sins approached singly, others in pairs, and this required a lot of choreographic preparation. It was a fairly complex play when seen in that light.

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. The priest came, but was unable to hear him confess any sins that were not already confessed. The priest left, saying he had done all he could do, "But with the Lord's help, he may yet regain his health."

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 - namely, a blessing in the nature of a viaticum - and when it was laid out stiff and still on the cold stone table there, it managed to cry out three times in three days, each time prompted by the priest saying his name, and each timeleading to an ever larger crowd of onlookers to witness what was happening.

No sooner had the priest begun to perform his last rites, and started to say "Cenodoxus" than the corpse opened its mouth and, moving its lips, cried out a few words to interrupt the services. Each time this happened, the priest figured it was a terribly bad omen, and 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 there had been in the crowded cathedral when Cenodoxus's body cried out the things described. Seeing this with his 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, far worse than having to go to Purgatory. Could it be that if only Cenodoxus had done things differently, he'd have met with some other fate?

"If that good man Cenodoxus is lost, despite the many good things he has done, how can I be saved, who am so much worse a man, and by far the less deserving?" 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 monastery he built in the 12th Century led to other similar monasteries being built, most of them Jesuit in nature, though his brotherhood was more ascetic and isolationist.

The order of monks he founded continues to this day, and regards him as their Patron Saint.

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.

There are some noted differences, however.

While both The Legend of the Doctor of Paris (as described by Bidermann) and Faust (as fashioned by Goethe) are tragedies, the Doctor of Paris employed his talents for the betterment of mankind, and had no selfish motive beyond that; in fact, it was a secret spark of vainglory or superbia in his heart, which caused his downfall. Goethe's Faust, on the other hand, relied upon numerous instances of divine (and infernal) intervention to work out the many details of his personal profits and pleasures, and all of these figured highly in his tragedy, as well as in the corruption or destruction of innocents having no part in God's wager with Satan, or even of the subsequent wager between Faust and Mephistopheles. It is interesting that Cenodoxus should perish for what sin lurked within his heart, and Faust should meet his end on the basis of a wager. If Cenodoxus had been judged by how many people he helped, he would certainly have gone to Heaven; conversely, had Faust been judged by how many people he had harmed, there would have been no question as to his Doom.

Goethe's Faust is also considered to be a source of inspiration for Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein.