Saint Pothinus
Encyclopedia
Saint Pothinus is a figure of uncertain historicity
, who is first mentioned in a letter attributed to Irenaeus of Lyon. The letter was sent from the Christian communities of Lyon
and Vienne
to the Roman province of Asia.
Irenaeus, in attempting to assert his own authority as bishop of Lyon, claims that Pothinus had been his predecessor in the position, and the first holder of that office; in Irenaeus' account, Pothinus was born around the year 87, and died at the age of ninety, in about 177 AD.
According to the letter, Pothinus was a martyr
ed along with Alexander, Attalus, Espagathus, Maturus, and Sanctius, during persecutions by Marcus Aurelius, a Roman Emperor
known for his great tolerance of faiths other than Christianity. Pothinus and several companions were seized by a mob and taken to the magistrate; Pothinus is believed to have died from the abuse he suffered in prison, while the others were killed by wild beasts in the local amphitheater.
The similarity of the name Pothinus and the Old French
verb foutre (roughly equivalent to the Modern English
term fuck) lead to syncretic amalgamation
of Pothinus and Priapus
, under the assimilated name Saint Foutin
;.
Historicity
Historicity may mean:*the quality of being part of recorded history, as opposed to prehistory*the quality of being part of history as opposed to being a historical myth or legend, for example:** Historicity of the Iliad**Historicity...
, who is first mentioned in a letter attributed to Irenaeus of Lyon. The letter was sent from the Christian communities of Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
and Vienne
Vienne, Isère
Vienne is a commune in south-eastern France, located south of Lyon, on the Rhône River. It is the second largest city after Grenoble in the Isère department, of which it is a subprefecture. The city's population was of 29,400 as of the 2001 census....
to the Roman province of Asia.
According to the letter, Pothinus was a martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
ed along with Alexander, Attalus, Espagathus, Maturus, and Sanctius, during persecutions by Marcus Aurelius, a Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
known for his great tolerance of faiths other than Christianity. Pothinus and several companions were seized by a mob and taken to the magistrate; Pothinus is believed to have died from the abuse he suffered in prison, while the others were killed by wild beasts in the local amphitheater.
The similarity of the name Pothinus and the Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
verb foutre (roughly equivalent to the Modern English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
term fuck) lead to syncretic amalgamation
Syncretism
Syncretism is the combining of different beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term means "combining", but see below for the origin of the word...
of Pothinus and Priapus
Priapus
In Greek mythology, Priapus or Priapos , was a minor rustic fertility god, protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia. Priapus is marked by his absurdly oversized, permanent erection, which gave rise to the medical term priapism...
, under the assimilated name Saint Foutin
Saint Foutin
Saint Foutin was a syncretic amalgam of Priapus with Pothinus, a figure of uncertain historicity alleged by Irenaeus to have been the first bishop of Lyon. The similarity of the name Pothinus and the Old French verb foutre led to linguistic assimilation; the name Saint Foutin is roughly equivalent...
;.