Jakob von Vitry (ca. 1165-1240)

by Zhao Luyang 赵鲁阳 (See Chinese translation)

Jakob von Vitry (alternative names) was Bishop of Acre in present-day Israel and Cardinal of Tusculum in Italy. His date and place of birth are unknown, but he must have been born before 1181, and probably in northern France, in the vicinity of Reims. In 1190, he visited the University of Paris, where he later studied for a Masters degree. In 1208, he travelled to Brabant (in present-day Belgium) where he met Maria d’Oigines. She was a formative influence on and convinced him to return to Paris to continue his studies.

In 1210, Jakob became a presbyter, leader of the local Christian congregation, and went to Oignies, northern France, where he became a canon. He also met Bishop Fulk of Toulouse, France. Through the latter's mediation, Jakob became a preacher for the Crusades in 1213, preaching mainly in the diocese of Reims. In 1214, he led a Crusade army to Toulouse. In this way, his reputation reached the Orient. As a result, he was elected Bishop of Acre, travelling to Rome in 1216 to be consecrated by the Pope. During his time in Acre, he travelled as an itinerant preacher through places still in the possession of Christians and marched in 1218 against Damietta in Egypt.

In 1226, Jakob returned to Europe to preach for the Crusades in northern France and bordering districts of Germany. In 1228, he became Bishop and Cardinal of Tusculum in Italy.

Jakob was elected patriarch of Jerusalem in 1239, but Pope Gregory IX did not confirm his election because Jakob was indispensable in Italy. Jakob died in Rome in 1240 and was buried in Oignies back in France.

His book Vita Mariae Oigniacensis is a biography of Marie d’Oigines whom he met in his early years as mentioned above. Marie d’Oigines was widely known for her piety. Written after her death in 1213, this work is a rare source of information about the Beguines and Beghards, Christian lay religious orders active in Northern Europe, and led to their temporary ecclesiastical acceptance.

Maria was married at the age of 14 but convinced her husband to practice abstinence. Together, she and her husband donated their fortune in large part to people suffering from leprosy. They also converted their house into a leper hospital. Later, she went to Oignies, where she lived as a hermit. It was there where she met Jakob and convinced him to return to his studies in Paris.

Jakob von Vitry wrote three books about the Orient and Occident under the title Historia Orientalis et Occidentalis. The first and the second books survive many manuscripts. Although various versions of the third book exist, it is extremely doubtful that all the varied texts handed down are the work of Jakob von Vitry. Gustav Zacher wrote in his dissertation of 1885 that none of the editions are the original versions.

Jakob quotes profusely from the Bible in his books, particularly chapters 15 and 69-72 of his first book, and chapters 1-8 and 10-11 of his second book are made up almost completely of biblical quotes.

The exact dates when he wrote the books are uncertain. He states that he wrote all three while he was in Damietta (Egypt), but historians have argued that he wrote them after his return to Europe in 1227.

He gives a brief introduction to his thought in the beginning of the first book. He then gives a short history of the Holy Land and events that took place in the region, explaining the different nationalities, cities and places named in the Bible. He recounts the diverse peculiarities of the land, to help readers understand the Bible. In the second book, Jakob gives a brief history of the recent (to him) history of the Occident and describes the religious and non-religious orders. In the third book, he relates events from the Fourth Council of the Lateran to the conquest of Damietta.

In the first book, he often cites the writings of other travellers and writers, such as William of Tyre, who was Patriarch of Jerusalem in the 12th century. He begins this book with a brief introduction to the fate of the Holy Land (chapters 1-2) and proceeds to the conquest of the Holy Land by Omar (ʿUmar ibn al-Chattāb) in the 7th century (chapter 3). In chapters 4-14, he writes about Muhammed and his doctrines. The book then covers the First Crusade (1096-1099, chapters 15-21) and the expansion of Christian control (chapters 22-51). Then he discusses the sacred sites (chapters 52-63), the knightly orders (chapters 64-67) and the divinity and the moral condition of the Holy Land (chapters 68-72). Jakob also describes the different nations (chapters 73-83) and geographical conditions in the Orient (chapters 84-93). The book finishes with a summary of the events of the years 1184 to 1212 (chapters 94-102).

The second book is mostly his original composition. He begins with a summary of the moral conditions of the Occident (chapters 1-5): the peasants refused to pay the tithe; doctors were charlatans and lawyers stole from their clients; monks considered worship an annoying. Chapter 6 concerns Fulk of Neuilly, a French preacher of the 12th century who encouraged the Fourth Crusade. He then proceeds to describe Paris and the university, his teachers and other preachers (chapters 7-10). He notes that Paris was in a demoralised state, attributing this to various temptations, and that scientific aspirations were diminishing in the university. His only positive topic was his admiration for his former teacher Petrus. Chapter 11 provides his concluding thoughts. He closes his second book with descriptions of the religious and non-religious orders (chapters 12-33), mentioning the Order of the Hermits and the Order of the Coenbits, from which the Order of Saint Augustine and Order of Saint Benedict developed. He also mentioned the Order of Cistercians, the Order of Calatrava, the Carthusian Order, the Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives, the Humiliati, the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem and the Franciscans.