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| (Photo by blackfish) |
Although the real history of Valentine's Day isn't quite clear, gory theories abound.
According to The
Huffington Post (which never met a scandal it didn't
like), the most plausible of these theories is
the one about the Saint Valentine (there were allegedly three) who "was a Roman
priest during the 3rd century A.D. under
Emperor Claudius II."
Now Claudius II wasn't the
kindest kid on the block (chopping block, in his
case). Not that he didn't have a lot on his
mind… The Roman Empire was splitting apart,
and the "threat of invasion"
was imminent.
This called for action – military
action - which in turn called for soldiers,
and lots of them. Because Claudius (mistakenly or not) believed that single lads
are somehow fiercer, he went ahead
and
banned marriage.
This did not sit well with then-Father Valentine (with a name like that,
how could it?). He therefore "began officiating marriages in secret…" Claudius, being Claudius, had him imprisoned and
beheaded.
Because marriage is a holy
sacrament of the Roman Catholic Church, Father Valentine later became Saint Valentine for
defending this tradition with his life.
So there you have it – love hurts.
Resources
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/13/valentines-day-bloody-history_n_4768652.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
Copyright February 13, 2014 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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