Egeria the Pilgrim and the Stations of the Cross

Way of the Fathers

Egeria (or Etheria) was a woman who embarked on a three-year pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in the late fourth century. From her “pilgrimage diary” (actually fragments from her letters to her “sisters” back in Spain) we learn much about liturgy in Jerusalem. There we can see the beginnings of the lectionary, and the seeds of the Stations of the Cross. In this episode, Dr. Papandrea also talks about the history of the spiritual discipline of pilgrimage itself.

Links

To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode on the city of Jerusalem, Episode 3.2: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/32-cities-god-jerusalem-city-origin/

To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode on Cyril of Jerusalem, Episode 34: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/cyril-jerusalemmystery-and-mayhem/

To read the fragments from Egeria’s “diary” (letters): https://www.ccel.org/m/mcclure/etheria/etheria.htm

For more on the historical context of the early Church in the fourth century, see the book: Reading the Church Fathers: A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/reading-the-church-fathers/

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To connect with Dr. James Papandrea, On YouTube - The Original Church: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch

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Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage: http://www.jimpapandrea.com

Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed: https://www.ccwatershed.org/