With Georgina Protheroe Beynon

If you think the Church is weathering choppy waters today, it has survived more and worse. In the time of St. Damasus who became Pope in 366, there were all kind of storms raging.

Politically there were huge problems in Europe with the attempt to re-unite the old Roman Empire involving which language was to be Top-Dog; not too different from our squabbles today. In religion the great controversy of the day was over how we understood the nature and person of Jesus. And what made it all even more troublesome is that political divisions and theological ones tended to overlap. The Papacy itself was divided with an anti-pope attempting to rule along side the actual Pope.

Damasus was born in Rome a member of a wealthy family who moved in the highest social circles. When the Pope opposed the Emperor’s actions, Damasus, now a scholar, poet and enthusiast for education, in the service of Pope Liberius, followed him into exile. Damasus left Pope Liberius briefly, to work with Felix, the Anti-Pope, in defiance of the Roman clergy. When Liberius after several weak compromises, returned, Damasus rejoined his service, and after his death was elected Pope in 366 AD.

He attempted to re-solve the religious and political controversies of the day and with tireless secretary, Jerome, he reorganised Papal Archives. To make the scriptures more available he established Latin as the liturgical language and commissioned Jerome to undertake a translation of the Bible from the Greek. Damasus revivified the veneration of the Holy Martyrs, drained the Catacombs and wrote many epitaphs. He trained our own Saint Ninian approving his mission, and finally laid down the burdens of his life on November 11th 384 AD. being buried with his Mother and sisters in a little church he had built on the Via Ardeatina.

And now finally, before this month’s recipe, a lttle mystery for you to solve. Deep in Cornwall, the parish church of Blisland was dedicated to St Protus (or Protatius, Prothus, St Proto) and his brother, known locally as St Pratt and St Hyacinth The brothers were first mentioned in English literature in the patent rolls of Henry VI in 1436. Their epitaph was written by Pope Damasus. How did they get there along with their stone epitaph? Answers, please, to the Voice.

The Recipe
THE MAKING OF A “BISHOP”.
Here is a robust tipple to help you untangle your episcopates! It is called simply, “Bishop” There is a version called “English Bishop” guaranteed to give you Comfort and Joy relatively fast. You will need:
1 navel or blood orange
8 whole cloves 1 (750-ml) bottle Ruby Port.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F/200C/Gas 6. Stud orange with cloves and roast in a small shallow ceramic or glass baking dish until browned and soft, (about ½ to ¾ hour). Carefully quarter orange, then bring orange quarters and Port just to a simmer in a suitable sized saucepan. Remove from heat and serve warm. Serves 4 decent or six polite people.

MAKING AN ENGLISH BISHOP 6 oranges
Brown Sugar
Whole cloves
4 Cinnamon sticks and two star anise
1 750-ml. bottle of Dark Rum
1/2 gallon of Apple cider
Grated Nutmeg
Wet and coat oranges with sugar, then stud oranges with cloves. Cook as above. Slice oranges into quarters and place in a heatproof punch bowl with sugar to taste and a couple of star anise. Heat cider gently to a simmer. Add rum and set it on fire. Douse the fire after a few seconds with hot cider. Garnish with nutmeg. Serves about 24 or fewer. Serve with diced cold turkey seasoned and mixed with dried cranberries in a leek and onion sauce, topped with cous-cous or fresh breadcrumbs mixed with grated cheese and pine nuts. Bake until brown and bubbling once you have taken out the oranges for the Bishop. Wonderful as a way to dispose of Those Legs, which no one admits to liking. Roughly 2 lbs meat to a pint of sauce will feed six..

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!