Gripla - 01.01.1995, Blaðsíða 158

156
GRIPLA
compiler. Should the references to the legend of James the Less not be
Björn’s, however, then one would have to assume that the cross refer-
ences already existed in the manuscript he was copying, which seems
unlikely.
Like the account of the healing of Vespasian, which appears not on-
ly in the legend of St. Stephen but also in others, for example, in ab-
breviated form in the legend of Sts. James (the Greater) and John in
Postola sögur (602:26-603:17), the tale of Tiberius and Veronica occurs
now in one, now in another legend. Unger edited the redaction of the
tale (156:1-157:28) that is found in Gyðinga saga as part of the „Saga af
Pilatus," which he printed as a supplement (pp. 151:14-159:20) to
„Petrs saga postola“ in Postola sögur. In the Legenda aurea the story
of Veronica is incorporated into the above-named account of the Pas-
sion of the Lord (pp. 232-33). The reference to Jacobs saga minna in
connection with Veronica thus suggests that there had existed a redac-
tion of the legend of James the Less containing the account of Veroni-
ca’s healing of Tiberius. The existence of this legend of St. James the
Less in a no longer extant redaction may be suggested by the conclud-
ing words of ch. 3: „sem skrifat stendr j fyr greindre savgv sancte Jach-
obs“ (218:6). The legend of Veronica presumably was part of at least
three different narratives in Iceland, namely Stefanus saga, Gyðinga
saga, and a no longer extant Jacobs saga minna. Furthermore, matter
from Stefanus saga, including a résumé of the legend of Tiberius and
Veronica, is incorporated into a fourth hagiographic text, Petrs saga
postola.26
Whereas the tale of Veronica was excised from the legend of St. Ste-
phen because one could read it in a no longer extant Jacobs saga
minna, a text consisting of a series of citations from the gospel of St.
Luke was interpolated at the end of ch. 7. This chapter recounts the
martyrdom of St. Stephen, and in conclusion his death is interpreted as
a cause of the divine retribution visited upon Jerusalem at the hands of
Vespasian and Titus: „Og j þeirre reisv fylltezt þat 'ord' er drotten vor
mællte er hann var leiddr vt af stadnvm Jervsalem ...“ (226:2-3).
There follows an interpolation that concludes with the comment that
"6 C. R. Unger, ed., Poslola sögur (Christiania, 1874), 32:29-35:15 (hereafter Post. s.).
Cf. Peter Foote, ed., A Saga of Sl. Peter the Aposlle. Perg. 4:o nr 19 in Tlte Royat Library,
Stockholm (Copenhagen: Rosenkilde and Bagger, 1990), p. 14; facs. 20r-v.