"According to Tradition . . ."

Mary Ann Collins
(A Former Catholic Nun)

January 2002

According to tradition, around 40 A.D., the Apostle James (the Greater) was in Saragossa, Spain. He was discouraged because his mission had failed. Mary appeared to him. She gave him a pillar (column) of jasper wood, and a small wooden statue of herself. She also told him to build a church in her honor. This is considered to be the first apparition of Mary. [Note 1]

There are some problems with this story. In the first place, in 40 A.D., Mary may well have been alive. (It was only a few years after Jesus was crucified.) If she was alive, then how could she "appear" to anybody?

In the second place, the early Christians didn't have churches. They met in people's homes. (See Acts 2:46; Acts 20:20; Romans 16:19; 1 Corinthian 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2, which all refer to churches meeting in people's homes.) The Book of Acts ends around 60 A.D., when Paul was in Rome. There is no record of any church buildings.

Furthermore, starting with the stoning of Stephen, Christians were killed for their faith. It is basic common sense that people who are being killed for their faith do not want to call attention to their religious gatherings. That is not a good time to build church buildings.

According to tradition, in the eighth century, a hermit "discovered" the body of the Apostle James in Saragossa. [Note 1] This discovery is questionable in view of the fact that (as we shall see) the Catholic Church has a history of fake discoveries of relics (bodies of saints, pieces of the "true" cross, the nails which were used to crucify Jesus, bread from the Feeding of the Five Thousand, etc.).

Relics were believed to have spiritual power to protect people from demons, give them victory in war, and bless them in other ways. People wore small relics on chains around their necks, as charms for protection. Churches were built over the bodies of saints. Important relics drew pilgrims, which could have a significant financial impact on a community. Bodies of saints were stolen and portions of them were sold for money. Graveyards were robbed, and the bodies were passed off as relics of saints. Kings and bishops took great risks to steal the bodies of important saints. Towns that had relics prospered and expanded. [Note 2]

Relics were important for raising money. Historian Paul Johnson says, "A cathedral without a well-known saint was missing an important source of revenue". [Note 3]

A great cathedral was built in Saragossa in honor of Our Lady of the Pillar. It is in an area of Saragossa known as Campostella (which means "starry field") . It is a major pilgrimage site. The wooden statue of Mary, and the pillar (the column of jasper wood) can be seen on special occasions. [Note 4

A friend of mine visited this cathedral. There is a fountain with a statue of Mary, holding a star in her hand, and standing on James' coffin. I have a seen a photograph of it.

The Cathedral has a statue of Our Lady of the Pillar which wears clothing. It has a crown made of 25 pounds of gold and diamonds, with so many diamonds that you can hardly see the gold. In addition, it has six other crowns of gold, diamonds, and emeralds. It has 365 mantles, embroidered with gold and covered with roses of diamonds and other precious stones. It has 365 necklaces of pearls and diamonds, and six chains of gold set with diamonds. The cathedral has another statue of Mary which is five feet high, made of pure silver set with precious stones, with a diamond-studded crown of pure gold. In the 1700s the English General, Stanhope, was shown this treasury. He said that the combined treasuries of all the kings of Europe would not be able to buy half the riches of the treasury of Our Lady of the Pillar. [Note 5]

According to tradition, the head of the Apostle James (the Greater) is buried in Jerusalem. It is in the Cathedral of St. James. [Note 6]

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Notes

1. Joan Carrol Cruz, “Miraculous Images of Our Lady: 100 Famous Catholic Portraits and Statues.” The tradition about Our Lady of the Pillar is described on pages 401-406, along with 4 black-and-white pictures of the statue. This is a Catholic devotional book.

2. Paul Johnson, “A History of Christianity,” pages 105-107 and 161-166. Paul Johnson is a Catholic.

3. Paul Johnson, “A History of Christianity,” page 226.

4. See Note 1.

5. Joan Carrol Cruz, “Miraculous Images of Our Lady.” Following page 238 there are 32 pages with full color pictures, numbered 328-1, 328-2, etc. There are color pictures of the statue of Our Lady of the Pillar on pages 238-2 and 238-7. The picture on 238-7 is a close-up of the crown and sunburst (large halo), showing the jewels clearly.

Dave Hunt, “A Woman Rides the Beast,” (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1994), pages 239-240.

6. William Steuart McBirnie, “The Search for the Twelve Apostles” (Wheaton, Illinois: Living Books, Tyndale House Publishers, 1973, 1982), page 103.

Copyright 2002 by Mary Ann Collins. All rights reserved.

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