Porphirea
Porphirea is, in the work of Maria Valtorta, the wife of Simon Peter. The Gospel only mentions the Peter’s mother-in-law[1], but says nothing about his wife. No feast is attributed to her by the Church. Saint Paul alludes to the wife Disciples who accompanied the Apostles including Cephas (Peter)[2], but does not name her.
What Maria Valtorta says about her
Porphirea is a Galilean native of Capernaum. It is there, in her family, that she returns when her husband Simon, nicknamed Peter, leaves to follow Jesus and does not want to leave her alone at the marital home of Bethsaida.
Her appearance
From her husband's own confession, she is not beautiful, but she is very loved by her husband: he praises her qualities to Jesus and recounts their romance when he is entrusted with the young orphan Margziam:
"Her goodness makes her precious. I loved her because she is peaceful, chaste, silent. Three Virtues... hey! they are not easy to find! I had noticed her when she was just a little girl. I used to come down to Capernaum with the fish and saw her quietly working on the nets, or at the fountain, or in the garden of the house. She was not the flighty butterfly that flits here and there, nor the scatterbrained hen that turns her head at every cockcrow. She never lifted her head, even when she heard men's voices, and when I, enamored of her goodness and her magnificent braids, which was all she had of Good, and also... Yes, and also pitied by her condition as a slave in her family, I addressed my first greetings to her - she was then sixteen years old - she barely answered, lowering her veil more and remaining more at home. Hey! It took me a long time to understand if she did not take me for an ogre and to send the paranymph[3]! ... But I do not regret it. I could have traveled around the earth, but someone like her, I would not have found."
At the request of the Peter’s mother-in-law, a possessive woman, the couple comes to live in Capernaum at her house, where Porphirea finds many sisters and some brothers-in-law. The difficult character of the mother-in-law makes cohabitation impossible: Porphirea returns to Bethsaida.[4]
A sterile couple who adopts
The couple is sterile, but they adopt Margziam, a young orphan, a prodigious disciple, which fulfills them.
"I have never had a child, she confides to Jesus, but nephews Yes. I know how to take care of children. I am the disciple who does not know how to speak, who does not have enough health to follow you as others do. I am between two ropes pulling me in opposite directions[5] and I do not have the courage to break one. Allow me, at least to serve you a little by being the mother disciple for this child. I will teach him what others teach to so many people: To love you".[6]She surrounds the young orphan with all her motherly affection, particularly at the death of his grandfather[7], the only relative he had left:
"(...) Porphirea (...) without concern for the little waves on the still somewhat restless lake, (...) wades into the water up to mid-thigh. She leans into the boat where Marziam is and kisses him saying: 'I will love you Good also for him. I will love you Good for everyone, dear son!'
She says it very moved, and as soon as the boat stops and those who were on it get out, Porphirea holds Marziam Against her, yielding to no one the duty of making the young man feel very loved."[8]
A discreet disciple, but highly appreciated
Her character complements the impetuous temperament of her husband. Her brother-in-law Andrew the Apostle says of Porphirea: "She is very shy."[9]
Jesus appreciates her a lot:"Her Heart knows only how to give gentleness, he comments. She is a good and silent disciple, active in her obedience more than many others".[10]
Knowing the torments of his coming Passion, Jesus comes to Bethsaida to give Porphirea the last instructions regarding Margziam and asks that neither of them come to Jerusalem for Passover.
"You are a brave woman, he tells her as he leaves, and a good disciple. I have loved you greatly since I have known you. It is with great joy that I have Homelie you as a disciple and entrusted you with the child. I know you are prudent and virtuous as few are. I know you know how to keep silent, a very rare virtue among women".[11]
Her name
Porphirea comes from purple, a bright red coloring substance extracted from shells (porphyra in Greek), whose trade enriched her father. This name is not unique: a Saint Porphyry of Gaza and another philosopher of Tyre are known.
Where is she mentioned in the work?
EMV 50 EMV 51 EMV 60 EMV 95
EMV 133 EMV 153 EMV 179 EMV 180
EMV 214 EMV 228 EMV 239 EMV 240 EMV 281 EMV 296 EMV 299
EMV 310 EMV 312 EMV 313 EMV 314 EMV 338 EMV 347 EMV 348 EMV 350 EMV 365 EMV 366 EMV 367 EMV 370 EMV 371
EMV 426 EMV 440 EMV 443 EMV 446 EMV 447 EMV 465 EMV 497
EMV 566
EMV 634
Remarkable points
Excerpt from the Dictionary of Gospel Characters by Monsignor Abbé René Laurentin, François-Michel Debroise and Jean-François Lavère:
According to the Chronicle of Flavius Dexter, she followed Saint Peter to Jerusalem and Antioch after the Resurrection, then to Rome around 42 or 44. This is undoubtedly what Saint Paul alludes to when speaking of the "woman-wives" who accompany some Apostles, including Peter.[12] According to Eusebius of Caesarea, citing Saint Clement of Alexandria, Peter's wife was dead martyred before her husband. He assisted and encouraged her in the trial.[13]
Notes and references
- ↑ Matthew 8:14-15 | Mark 1:30-31 | Luke 4:38-39
- ↑ 1 Corinthians 9:5
- ↑ Paranymph: Person, man or woman, charged with leading the bride or groom to their marital home during a wedding ceremony.
- ↑ EMV 179.2
- ↑ Porphirea, the wife of Peter, has a very difficult mother, Cf Peter’s mother-in-law.
- ↑ 228.3-5
- ↑ EMV 443.2-7
- ↑ EMV 446.1
- ↑ EMV 153.2
- ↑ EMV 240.1-2
- ↑ EMV 465.3
- ↑ 1 Corinthians 9:5
- ↑ Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, 3, ch. 30.