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Nemo Sermon on St. Nobody Vir erat in oriente, Nemo nomine, et erat uir ille ut allter Iob inter omnes orientales. There was a man in the East by the name of Nobody, and this man was as another Job among all the Easterners. Magnus namque erat iste Nemo sanctus: magnus in genere et prosapia, magnus in potencia, magnus in scientia, magnus in clemencia <et> in compassione, magnus in honore et reuerentia. For that Nobody was a great saint: great in origin and lineage, great in power, great in learning, great in mercy and in compassion, great in honor and reverence. Hec autem omnia supra dicuntur ex sacra scriptura, cui nephas est reclamandum et contradicendum. More is said of him than all others in sacred scripture, which it is a sin to protest or speak publicly against. Item Nemo, dico, primo fuit magnus in genere et prosapia et similis Ade, qui fuit nec creatus nec genitus sed formatus I say first that Nobody was great in origin and lineage and was like Adam, who was not begotten or born but was formed, as the prophet says: Days will be formed and Nobody in them. Fuit eciam de genere militari, unde apostolus: Nemo militans deo. Furthermore he was of a warlike origin, hence the apostle says: Nobody fighting for God. Imo fuit nobilitate miles qui propriis et non alienis stipendiis militauit, unde illud apostoli: Indeed, he was a soldier of renown, who served at his own expense and not others’, hence the following, of the apostle: Nobody serves as a soldier at his own expense. Eciam fuit de genere non qualicumque sed regali, Ecclesiastici ii: Nemo ex regibus sumpsit exordium. Furthermore, he was not of a common but a regal origin, as in Ecclesiastes 2: Nobody began life among kings. Eciam fuit de cognacione uirginis gloriose eo quod fuerit de stirpe regia et de cognacione Elizabet, Luc 1: Nemo est in cognacione tua. For he was of the relatives of a glorious virgin, who was of a regal lineage, and of the relatives of Elizabeth, as in Luke 1: Nobody is among your relatives. Nec fuit solum de stirpe regia sed cum ipso deo legitur semper regnaturus, Ecclesiastici xxi: ‘Nemo semper regnaturus.’ Nor was he only of a regal lineage, but it is said of him by God himself that he will reign forever, Ecclesiastes 21: Nobody will reign forever. Secundo, dixi, iste Nemo magnus fuit in potencia, prius quia aperit quod deus claudit, unde illud: Deus claudit et Nemo aperit. Second, I said this Nobody was great in power, because he opens what God closes, hence the following: God closes and Nobody opens. Iob 12: Si incluserit hominem, Nemo est qui aperiat. Job 12: If God imprisons a man, it is Nobody who can release him. Item de manu dei audacter eripit, Iob 2: Cum sit Nemo qui de manu tua possit eruere. He also takes boldly from the hand of God, as in Job 2: Since it is Nobody who can pluck [me] from your hand. Item edifficat quod deus destruit, unde Iob: Si deus destruit, Nemo est qui edifficat. He also builds up what God destroys, hence Job: If God destroys it, it is Nobody who can build it up. Item ipsum deum superat et uincitt, Ecclesiastici ii: Nemo uincit deum. He also surpasses and conquers God himself, as in Ecclesiastes 2: Nobody conquers God. Propterea quod deus fecit, iste Nemo illa potest facere si uoluerit, sicut dixit Nicodemus in ewangelio: For this reason God made it so that this Nobody could do whatever he wanted, just as Nicodemus says in the Gospel: Item gaudium ab apostolis potenter tollit, unde in ewangelio: Et gaudium tuum Nemo tollet a uobis. Imo quod maius est, animam a Christo rapit: Animam meam Nemo tollit. Indeed, what is greater, he takes away life from Christ: Nobody takes away my life. Item duobus dominis potest seruire utiliter, quod multis uidetur inpossibile et quod est contro ewangelium, iuxta illud ut habetur in ewangelio: Nemo potest duobus dominis seruire. He can also serve two masters usefully, which seems impossible to many and is against the Gospel, just as follows, as it is had in the Gospels: Nobody can serve two masters. Tercio dixi quod iste Nemo magnus fuit <in> scientiis. Third, I said that Nobody was great in knowledge. Sciuit utrum amore uel odio dignus sit. He knew whether he was worthy of love or hate. Eciam magnus in scientia, principaliter in grammatica, Prisciano se conformans, ipso attestante: Neminem inueni mihi socium. Furthermore, he was great in learning, chiefly in grammar, describing him thus with Priscian himself affirming: I have found Nobody my peer. Fuit enim magnus in arismetrica, secundum illud apostoli: Nemo poterat dinumerare turbam. For he was great in arithmetic, according to the apostle, as follows: Nobody could number the crowd. Fuit magnus in musica, item Apocalypsis: Nemo poterat dicere canticum. He was great in music, also in Revelation: Nobody could sing that song. Fuit eciam magnus propheta, secundum Matthei dictum: Nemo propheta acceptus in patria sua. And he was a great prophet, according to the saying of Matthew: Nobody the prophet was accepted in his homeland. Item fuit magnus in clementia et compassione. He was also great in mercy and compassion. Primum signum compassionis quia Christo fuit compassus in cruce morienti, unde illud Isaie: Ecce quomodo moritur iustus et Nemo considerat. The first sign of his compassion was that he had pity for Christ dying on the cross, hence the following from Isaiah: Behold how the righteous man dies and Nobody looks. Etiam martiribus compassus fuit pro Christo morientibus, iuxta illud: Viri iusti tolluntur et Nemo percipit corde. Furthermore he had pity for the martyrs dying for Christ, according to the following: Righteous men are taken up and Nobody takes it to heart. Item Lazaro mendicante compassus fuit qui poscrebat uentrem suum saturari de micis que cadebant de mensa diuitis, et Nemo ei dabat. He also had pity for Lazarus the beggar who asked that his belly be filled with crumbs that fell from the wealthy man’s table, and Nobody gave to him. Item filio prodigio compassus fuit, Luc iii, qui cupiebat uentrem suum saturare de siliquis quas porci comedebant et Nemo illi dabat. Fuit etiam pauperum consolator, unde Ecclesiastici x: Verti me ad alia et uidi calumpnias que sub sole geruntur et consolatorem Neminem inueni. He was also the comforter of the poor, hence Ecclesiastes 10: I turned myself to others and I saw the foul deeds that came to pass under the sun and I found Nobody to be a comforter. Eciam fuit magnus in uita contemplatiua, deo et sanctis seruicia inpendenda, iuxta illud: Nemo accendit lucernam. He was also great in the contemplative life, the service to God and the saints to which one ought to devote oneself, according to the following: Nobody lights a lamp. Eciam magnus fuit in uita actiua iuxta illud: Nemo mittens manum ad aratrum. He was also great in the active life, according to the following: Nobody putting his hand to the plow. Item ut omnem eius dignitatem ita concludam breuiloquio, fuit iste sanctus Nemo ita dignus quod singulari honore honorauit eum dominus per suas salutationes sibi transmittendo: Also, so that I might thus define all his dignity with concision, this Saint Nobody was so worthy because the Lord honored him with a remarkable honor by sending his greetings to him: Fuit magnus domini consiliarius, ut ibi: Nemini dixeritis uisionem hanc. He was the Lord’s great confidant, as then: tell this vision to Nobody. Eciam ex speciali auctoritate concedit ei ut possit cum duabus contrahere matrimonium, iuxta decretum:‘Nemo licet habere duas uxores.’ Furthermore, the Lord allows him by special decree to enter into marriage with two women, according to the doctrine: “Nobody is permitted to have two wives.” Fuit iste Nemo magnus in audacia, quia cum Iudei non fuerunt ausi manus mittere in Ihesum, ipse audacter irruit in eum et ligauit eum et sepeliuit, This Nobody was great in boldness, since when the Jews did not dare to lay hands on Jesus, he bravely rushed at him, tied him up, and buried him, In fine iste sanctus Nemo accusauit eam mulierem deprehensam in adulterio, iuxta illud dictum domini: Mulier, qui sunt qui te accusabat? Finally, this Saint Nobody accused the woman caught in adultery, according to the following saying of the Lord: Woman, who are they who accused you? Nemo te contempnauit? Has Nobody condemned you? Respondit mulier: Nemo, domine. The woman answered: Nobody, Lord. Item ut omnem eius concludam dignitatem, iste Nemo, uana huius mundi uidens, conscendit ad celestia, iuxta illud Iob ii: Nemo ascendit in celum. Also, so that I might conclude his dignity, this Nobody, seeing the emptiness of this world, ascended to the heavens, according to the following Ut illuc ascendamus hoc prestet nobis deus trinus et unus. May we ascend there, where God, triune and one, may stand before us. Amen. Amen.

Introduction to the Source

The first iteration of the “Sermon on St. Nobody” was written by one Radulphus in the late thirteenth century. The text was, however, embedded in a much longer tradition of medieval Latin parody, and it would be transformed by that tradition in turn. The iteration of the “Sermon on St. Nobody” presented here for the most part resembles Radulphus’s version only in concept. The Latin text used for this translation is taken from Graz, Universitaetsbibliothek 904, fols. 175r-176v, as edited by Martha Bayless. This particular manuscript dates to c. 1425 and contains a hodgepodge of religious and secular texts, including a selection of verse proverbs in both Latin and German.

Introduction to the Text

The “Sermon on St. Nobody” is a pseudo-hagiographical text that relies for humorous effect on a simple conceit: it treats the Latin word nemo, meaning no one or nobody, as a name, then quotes the Bible and other prominent texts to give an account of this supposed saint’s extraordinary deeds; for example, from Job 12:14, “If God imprisons a man, it is Nobody who can release him.” 

The many variations of the “Sermon on St. Nobody” are part of a lively tradition of religious parody that flourished across medieval Europe, especially in the later Middle Ages. Medieval education, especially monastic education, fostered a deep familiarity with a relatively consistent textual canon, an environment almost tailor-made for parody. That this account of “St. Nobody” was written in Latin makes the erudition of the intended audience clear, as does the deep familiarity with biblical passages that is required to get the jokes. Other such parody saints also emerged in the later Middle Ages, such as St. One-Another (Invicem), whose veneration Jesus especially promotes with the command to “love one another.” None of these others, however, seems to have achieved such widespread success as St. Nobody: half a dozen separate versions of the “Sermon on St. Nobody” have been identified, from nineteen different manuscripts. Nor did St. Nobody remain popular exclusively among monks; he moved out of the monastery in the early modern period and was referenced in vernacular art and literature, including, as Bayless notes, Shakespeare’s Tempest.

Further Reading

Bayless, Martha, ed. Fifteen Medieval Latin Parodies. Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 2018.

Billy, Dennis J. “Hagiographical parody in the Ysengrimus,” Quidditas, vol. 12, 1991, pp. 1-12

Doležalová, Lucie. “Receptions of Obscurity and Obscurities of Reception: The Case of the Cena Cypriani,” Listy filologické / Folia philologica, vol. 125, no. 3/4, 2002, pp. 187 -197

Credits

Based on the edition in Martha Bayless, ed. Fifteen Medieval Latin Parodies. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, 2018., Translation by Emma Grover, Encoded in TEI P5 XML by Nina Du