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St. Catherine of Alexandria and the voice from Heaven
20.11.2012

Can anyone help me translate this Latin? It's from an early modern painting, maybe 18th century: "qua postulate impetrasti, qui te (or maybe le) laudant satul fient" Thanks in Advance.

Roma, 2.1.2013
Dear,
in the absence of images (if you have any to share, I can put them in) I can not correct your interpretation of the Latin text above that, according to my research, seems to belong to Mysticism and to the passion of St. Catherine of Alexandria virgin and martyr, who lived in Egypt at the turn of the third and fourth centuries1. I have found fragments of the text you propose, with slightly different wording, in the following documents:
  1. A work of Martinus Chemnicius, Minister Ecclesiae Brunsuicensis (from Braunschweig - Germany), entitled "Examen Decretorum Concilii Tridentini"2, published in 1565 (see link). In the chapter "De invocatione Sanctorum" of this work it is written:

    "Virgo autem Catharina, ad Martirium ducta, facta est vox ad eam dicens: Veni electa mei ecce tibi beatitudinis janua aperitur. His vero qui passionem tuam celebraverit, opem de coelis promitto.3
    Passionem gloriosae virginis Catharinae devote plebs celebret fidelis, quae sui memores Deo commendat meritis, et juvat beneficiis4.
    Vox de coelis intonuit: veni dilecta mea, veni, intra thalamum sponsi tui; quae postulas impetrasti; qui te laudant salvi fient5,

    where "Satul" supposed by the reader should be interpreted as "salvi" in order to give the phrase the meaning "you have got what you ask; those who praise you will be safe."

  2. Documenta Catholica Omnia (v. link), Argumentum: Metilde von Hackeborn - Liber Gratiae Specialis [1241-1298]8. Among the revelations of St. Metilde described in the first book we read (Italian text to follow, translation in the note8b):
    "Avendo Metilde rivolto una preghiera a santa Caterina in favore di una persona a lei devota, quella Santa rispose: «Le dirai che reciti in mio onore il Laudate Dominum omnes gentes e l'antifona Vox de coelis».

    "Una voce dal cielo si fece sentire: Vieni, mia diletta, vieni; entra nella camera nuziale del tuo Sposo; ciò che tu domandi, ti è concesso; quelli per cui tu preghi, saranno salvati". (A footnote in the Italian text gives the original Latin of this last sentence: "Vox de coelis intonuit; veni dilecta mea; veni, intra thalamum sponsi tui; quod postulas impetrasti; pro quibus oras, salvi erunt".8c

    It goes without saying that the sentence "quod postulas impetrasti; pro quibus oras, salvi erunt" is less close to the reader's text than the one used by Chemnicius.

  3. Breviarium Sarum (Salisbury) (1528)9. Prayer of Saint Catherine, virgin and martyr (page 1118, see link) :

    "Ant10. Passionem gloriosae virginis Katherinae devote plebs celebret fidelis: quae sui memores Deo commendat meritis, et juvat beneficiis4.
    Ps11. Dominus regnavit (xcii, p.29)12.
    Ant. Post plurima supplicia martyr alma ad decollandum est ducta, ad caelum manus oculos tendens, collum sub jugulo, orans dat gloriam Deo.13
    Ps. Jubilate (xcix p.29).14
    Ant. Expecto pro te gladium, Jesus Rex bone, tu meum da paradiso spiritum, et fac misericordiam meam agentibus memoriam.15
    Ps. Deus Deus (lxii, p.30)
    .16
    Ant. Vox de coelis insonuit; veni dilecta mea veni, intra thalamum Sponsi tui, quod postulas impetrasti, pro quibus oras, salus erit.17
    Ps Benedicite."18
  4. ............................................
    The concept implicit in "quod postulas impetrasti, pro quibus oras, salus erit" is the same already expressed in the above mentioned documents but the succession of the words appears more distant from the reader's text.
In conclusion, of the three above-mentioned documents the oldest is the second one, describing the mystical vision of Metilde von Hackeborn in spiritual contact with Saint Catherine; the other two documents standardize only the liturgical cult of the saint. The three documents share the concept that those who preserve the memory of the virtue and actions of the saint will be recognized salvation. Better adherence to the reader's Latin text is granted by the first document with the expression: quae postulas impetrasti; qui te laudant salvi fient.

Best regards.
Giulio De Florio

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Note:

(1) The lack of contemporary written sources on St. Catherine, who lived at the turn of the third / fourth century, the first available sources dating back to the sixth/seventh century, has in the past cast doubt on the very existence of the saint and made ​​optional her public memory in the annual liturgical celebration on November the 25th (v. link). According to the popular tradition, the saint was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 287 and, for the refusal to pagan sacrifice, was tortured on the wheel before being beheaded in 305. In the paintings Santa Caterina is represented next to the instruments of her martyrdom, the wheel and the sword (see for example the link). According to legend, her body was carried by the angels on Mount Sinai, to the place where, in the sixth century, Justinian would have founded a monastery that bears her name.
(2) The decrees of the Council of Trent lay down detailed rules of the liturgy and religious practices, including the honors due to the Saints.
(3) The virgin Catherine, led to martyrdom, hears a voice that says: Come my elect, beatitude door is going to open for you. I promise the help of Heaven to those who remember your passion.
(4) The faithful shall devoutly celebrate the passion of the glorious virgin Catherine who recommends to God for the merits those who remember her and helps with benefits.
(5) A voice from Heaven intoned6: Come my beloved, come to the thalamus of your spouse7, you have got what you asked for, those who praise you will be safe.
(6) The voice from Heaven intones a hymn according to the notes on the staff (v. link):

(7) The thalamus of the spouse is an explicit reference to the "mystical marriage" which finds representation in the paintings as well (see, for example, the link).
(8) Matilda, born Mechthild (hence Metilde) von Hackeborn (1240 ca.; † Helfta, 1298) - see the link. When her sister was elected abbess of the Benedictine monastery of Helfta, Matilda followed her. In the monastery she was a teacher of singing and, because of the sweet voice, she was called "God's nightingale". She was fifty and ill, her older sister died recently, when she revealed the wonders that God's grace was producing on her soul, everything that God showed her, her passionate outbursts and her deep anguish. St. Gertrude and another sister gathered those confidences from which one of the most famous medieval mysticism books will come out: the Book of Special (or spiritual) Grace. The work is divided into seven chapters (see the link). The first two collect the mystical experiences that the saint experimented during the major religious festivals. In the third and fourth there are teachings about men salvation and human virtues. The fifth deals with the souls of the dead. The sixth is a short biography of her sister Gertrude. The last describes the last days of the saint and her death. Pope Benedict XVI in the general audience in St. Peter's Square, Wednesday, September 29, 2010, illustrated the life of the saint beginning with these words: "Dear brothers and sisters, today I would like to tell you about Saint Metilde von Hackeborn, one of the great figures of the monastery of Helfta, lived in the thirteenth century .... ". For the rest of the speech consult the link.
(8b)Translation of the Italian text: Metilde having addressed a prayer to Saint Catherine in favor of a person devoted to her, that Saint replied: You will tell that person to recite in my honor "Laudate Dominum omnes gentes" and the antiphon "Vox de coelis".
(8c) A voice from Heaven intoned: Come my beloved, come to the thalamus of your spouse, you have got what you asked for, those for whom you pray will be safe.
(9) The Sarum Rite (more properly called Use of Salisbury) was a variant of the Roman Rite (see link) widely used to rule the Christian public worship, including the Mass and the Divine Office. Originally used in the eleventh century in the Cathedral and Diocese of Salisbury, the Rite afterwards spread in England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland up to the time of the reign of Queen Mary. Although abandoned after the 16th century it had considerable influence in the Anglican liturgical scheme depicted in the Book of Common Prayer.
(10) Ant stands for antiphony.
(11) Ps stands for psalm.
(12) The Lord has reigned.
(13) After many tortures, the holy martyr, carried to the cut of the neck under the chin, hands and eyes raised to Heaven, prays glorifying the Lord.
(14) Rejoice.
(15) For you, my good Jesus, I face the sword, give my spirit to Heaven, have mercy on those who keep my memory (see link).
(16) God, God.
(17) A voice from Heaven was heard6: Come my beloved, come to the thalamus of your spouse7, You got what you have asked, those for whom you pray will be safe.
(18) Benedicite (Bless).
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