396 James of Voragine
OFTYRE. The work, also a guide to the Holy Land, was a
scathing attack on MUHAMMAD and early ISLAM. As a
famous preacher, he left some 400 sermons divided into
four series, which contained instructions appropriate to
the various states and conditions of life, of prelates and
priests, monks, NUNS, canons, students, pilgrims, cru-
saders, MERCHANTSand laborers, widows and married
women.
Further reading:Thomas Frederick Crane, ed., The
Exempla or Illustrative Stories from the “Sermones vulgares”
of Jacques de Vitry (1890; reprint, New York: Burt
Franklin, 1971).
James of Voragine(Jacobus de or da Voragine,
Jacopo)(ca. 1230–1298)Dominican bishop of Genoa,
author of sermon collections
Born at Varazze near GENOAabout 1230, Jacob entered
the DOMINICAN ORDERin 1244. Without a university edu-
cation, he rose through the ranks of the order, becoming
prior of the province of Lombardy between 1267 and
1277 and between 1281 and 1286. He took part in the
Council of LYONin 1274. Then, on the death of John of
Vercelli (d. 1283), he became the interim master general
of the Dominicans between 1283 and 1285. In 1292 he
was elected archbishop of Genoa, where until his death in
1298 he vainly tried to promote church reform and peace
between its GUELF ANDGHIBELLINEfactions. His firm sup-
port for the eventually deposed master general Muni de
Zamora (d. 1300) between 1285 and 1293 placed him in
opposition to the “university” element within the order.
For him, the pastoral mission of the Dominicans was of
the utmost importance. He died on July 13/14, 1298, and
was beatified in 1816.
WRITINGSVoragine’s name remains justifiably attached to his work
of Christian evangelization and particularly to his Golden
Legend.Compiled in the mid-1260s and an immensely
successful hagiographical collection, it was a main part of
a Dominican effort to circulate and unify the Christian
legends and exemplary stories of the saints. Jacob was
more concerned with clarification of tradition than hagio-
graphical innovation. Voragine continued such work with
three collections of sermons between 1275 and 1285.
These 306 sermons on 81 saints were based in part on the
material of the Golden Legend,enriched with scriptural
and patristic texts and references. The primary function
of all this was to help friars and other clerics to prepare
for PREACHING. The success of this collection encouraged
James to continue, compiling an additional 159 sermons
on Sunday Gospels and the 98 sermons for Lent. These
were model sermons for clerics firmly structured and
written out; they were well circulated in the order. He
also wrote a chronicle of the city of Genoa.
See alsoHAGIOGRAPHY.
Further reading: Jacobus de Voragine, The Golden
Legend: Readings on the Saints, 2 vols., trans. William
Granger Ryan (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University
Press, 1993); Sherry L. Reames, The Legenda Aurea: A
Reexamination of Its Paradoxical History(Madison: Uni-
versity of Wisconsin Press, 1985).Jan Hus SeeHUS,JOHN.Janissaries and the Janissary Corps(Devshirme)
The Janissaries were the shock troops of OTTOMAN
expansion. They were composed mostly of Christian boys
taken in the devshirme(collection), the levy exacted on
non-Muslim male youths living in the sultan’s domains
and called “yeni geri” or new army. The boys taken in
this manner converted to ISLAMand became the sultan’s
slaves for life. Some went into the civil administration.
Others were trained for the military Janissaries. The
Janissaries played a crucial role in the Ottoman conquest
of CONSTANTINOPLEin 1453.
See alsoDHIMMI.
Further reading:Godfrey Goodwin, The Janissaries
(London: Saqi, 1994); V. L. Ménage, “Devshirme,” Ency-
clopedia of Islam2.210–213.Jan van Ruusbroec SeeRUYSBROECK,JAN VAN.Jaroslav the Wise See YAROSLAV THE WISE, GRAND
PRINCE OFKIEVANRUSSIA.Jaufré Rudel(fl. 1111/20–1148)troubadour, lord of Blaye
He was born between 1110 and 1120 and became the lord
of Blaye in France. Of his six surviving authentic songs,
Jaufré’s most successful was directed to love from afar, or
amor de loing,which gave this rather pathetic lyrics their
leitmotif and theme. In this song and in Qan to rius,he
voiced a yearning for a distant love, interpreted by some as
a woman, the Virgin MARY,GOD, or the Holy Land. Others
have underlined the ambiguity in his fusion of love objects
from both profane and Christian traditions. The legend of
his love for a countess of TRIPOLIsprang from a fictional
biographical life. He flourished between 1120 and 1148
and might have died on the Second Crusade.
See also COURTLY LOVE;WILLIAM IX, DUKE OF
AQUITAINE.
Further reading:Jaufré Rudel, The Poetry of Cerca-
mon and Jaufré Rudel,ed. and trans. George Wolf and Roy
Rosenstein (New York: Garland, 1983); The Songs of
Jaufre Rudel,ed. Rupert T. Pickens (Toronto: Pontifical
Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1978).Jean de France, duke of Berry See BERRY,JOHN,
Duke.