Variations
Different retellings of Theophilus's tale introduce variations of certain details, including:
- Theophilus' motivation for pursuing a deal with the devil is simple jealousy.
- The magician is specifically referred to as a Jew. This is an important variation in that it introduces a subtext of anti-semitism into the story. Also of note in this context is the legend's specific reference to the renunication of both Christ and the Virgin Mary.
- The magician is omitted completely, Theophilus deals with the devil alone.
- Theophilus repents the day after he makes his deal, as the bishop apologizes to him.
- Mary appears immediately after Theophilus begins to pray.
- Mary does not appear at all, but Theophilus' contract appears on his chest the morning after he first prays.
- The devil provided Theophilus with great wealth in addition to his position in the church. This wealth is then distributed to the poor before Theophilus's ecstatic death.
Read more about this topic: Theophilus Of Adana
Famous quotes containing the word variations:
“I may be able to spot arrowheads on the desert but a refrigerator is a jungle in which I am easily lost. My wife, however, will unerringly point out that the cheese or the leftover roast is hiding right in front of my eyes. Hundreds of such experiences convince me that men and women often inhabit quite different visual worlds. These are differences which cannot be attributed to variations in visual acuity. Man and women simply have learned to use their eyes in very different ways.”
—Edward T. Hall (b. 1914)