Sometimes Saint James is portrayed on a horse with a sword held in an aggressive pose and trampling upon some poor fellow. This image is known as "Santiago Matamoros." During The Middle Ages, there was much conflict in Spain between Christians and Muslims. Ambiguous legends suggest that Saint James gave encouragement through visions and prayer to slay as many Moors (a grouping of Muslims) as possible. I have a hard time with this. It is easier for me to believe that the body of Saint James … even if it was in a stone sarcophagus … drifted all the way across the Mediterranean Sea, through the Strait of Gibraltar and up the coast of Spain than it is for me to believe that he encouraged the slaying of Moors. I do believe he hoped for all to learn of Christ … but I find it hard to believe that Saint James encouraged a Moorish genocide.
I guess the boys had a very busy day, or could not find a computer. I wonder if they are approaching the city of Logroño … if so, 1/5 of their journey would be behind them. Logroño was in a very desirable location in the Middle Ages, and so consequently had many battles … groups fighting for the location. As a result, few medieval buildings remain. It’s evidently somewhat of a modern/industrial sort of city now. But, it does have a river going through it, the Río Ebro. If Seamus and Noah happened to have their inner tubes with them, hopped into the Río Ebro and went tubing down the river about 110 miles, they would reach Zaragoza … which is where Mary appeared to the apostle James and gave him encouragement for his evangelizing. It would be neat to visit the spot, and the boys would probably enjoy giving their feet a break like that, but then they would be many miles off track. Maybe another time.
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