Three Men in the Fire (×3)

Research reveals that the liturgy for Córdoban saints Faustus, Januarius, and Martialis deliberately associates them with the biblical three men in the furnace (Daniel 3) to emphasize their martyrdom under Islamic rule. The study identifies anti-Islamic polemical elements in the saints' passio, suggesting that the liturgical choices were designed to frame their story within contemporary Muslim-Christian tensions. By analyzing chants and prayers borrowed from another Iberian saintly trio, the research demonstrates how cultural associations with Daniel 3 were strategically leveraged. This finding sheds light on the political and religious motivations behind liturgical practices at San Millán de la Cogolla, a key site in the development of this tradition.

Shaffer, M. (2024). Three Men in the Fire (×3). The Journal of Musicology, 41(2), 221–261. https://doi.org/10.1525/jm.2024.41.2.221