Valentine of Rome

The third-century Roman Emperor Claudius II was an aggressive military leader who stepped into his role at a time when the Roman Empire was under attack both within and outside its borders. Claudius believed that single men made the best soldiers, undistracted by emotional attachments to wives or children, and he also found the Christian concept of marriage distasteful and unnecessary. So he outlawed marriage in the Roman Empire.

According to 4th-century history, Valentine of Rome was a temple priest who performed secret marriages despite the Emperor's decree, including marriage ceremonies for Roman soldiers. Claudius II spent much of his time battling enemies outside his territory, so for many years, Valentine hosted weddings without detection. When he was found out and refused to deny Christ before the Roman guards, the Emperor ordered him beheaded on February 14, 269 AD.

Valentine or Valentius was a common name derived from the Latin word valens, which means "strong, vigorous, worthy, and healthy." Two other Christian men named Valentine were martyred for their faith on or near February 14 in the mid-200s AD: Valentine of Terni, Italy, a bishop who attempted to convert Claudius II; and Valentine of the Roman province in North Africa, who was also executed for his faith.

When Pope Gelasius I dedicated February 14 to the three saints and martyrs named Valentine in the 400s, he intended to replace the pagan festival Lupercalia with a Christian holiday. Somewhere in the mix of acknowledging the brave role Valentine of Rome once played as well as the oddity of the pagan fertility festival Lupercalia, Valentine became the saint of lovers.

In the 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer offered the first mention of Valentine's Day with a line in "The Parliament of Fowls" that "Seynt Valentynes Day" is the day when every bird comes to choose its mate. In 1600, William Shakespeare gave a nod to Saint Valentine's Day in his comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream, and a fledgling American greeting card manufacturer named Hallmark began producing Valentine's Day cards in 1913, just three years after it was founded in 1900. More than 100 years later, some 131 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year.

As we anticipate Valentine's Day this Sunday, I hope you will ponder the sacrifice made by brave rebels such as Valentine of Rome. While under the rule of an Emperor who forbade Christian marriage and in a time when Christians were commonly tortured and imprisoned, Valentine chose to celebrate love within the secrecy and sanctity of his church. He was willing to risk his life to honor love, and he ultimately claimed Jesus Christ as his first love.

Remember the Apostle John's reminder in his first letter to the struggling churches of his day:

We love because he first loved us.

-- 1 John 4:19

How will you live into the power of this verse as you celebrate Valentine's Day this weekend?

Have a blessed Valentine's Day,

Jennie