A Funny Thing Happened at the Forum

The Roman Forum, being very old, and well known, has been thoroughly researched, and has many resources expounding upon its oldness and why it's well known. This blog is not one of those resources. I know that the Forum is very old, that it is very well known, and that Romans built it, so it is known as the Roman Forum (and at the height of their power, you wouldn't want to be against 'em).

Additionally I can surmise that Emperor Vespasian, when he built his Templum Alma Urbis in the 70's in the Roman Forum, probably hadn't the slightest awareness that his building would be absconded with and made into a church for two medical doctors.

Cosmas and Damian were not his contemporaries, living in the late 200's, and were also very unlike this Emperor of the Known World in that they were known as the 'silverless', applying their skill often without charge--that lack of silver being one of the prime motivators to not follow their example today, silver still being highly valued, and compassion significantly less so.

Having responded to the Physician of Souls in caring for others ("Freely you have received, freely give" Matthew 10:8), Cosmas and Damian reflect Christ's mission still underway in the Church, recognized as a hospital for souls, restoring ill and hurting hearts needing healing and care.

The interior mosaic is a much deeper and richer blue than shown in this photo--I wish you could see it with your own eyes. Pope Felix IV ('happy' in Latin, 'fourth' in Latin) had the happy idea of reformatting the temple as a church, making it the first appropriation thusly in the Forum (note use of the word 'thusly'). His mosaic (well, it probably wasn't Felix IV clambering about on the scaffolding--but you know what I mean) is one of the finest in Rome, meaning also one of the most frequently copied. Next to Jesus returning on the clouds are Peter and Paul, and Cosmas and Damian, with Theodore and Felix IV doing the church presentation. Only Jesus has a halo in this image, so we don't have one of those awkward, 'why do Theodore and Felix only get blue squares?' moments. The crew is standing before the river Jordan (note text: 'Jordani' which means 'Jordan'), symbol of the cleansing waters leading into paradise--the whole crowd of sheep below drawing on the early symbol of Jesus as the Good Shepherd--us being the sheep who need some serious guidance to get to where we want to be.