St. Valentine's Tough Love for Empire

For the saint whose martyrdom nets millions of dollars annually for the industries of greeting cards, chocolate, flowers and jewelry, surprisingly little is known for certain about St. Valentine. He lived in ancient Rome, sometime during the reign of Claudius Gothicus (Claudius II). By some accounts Valentine was a doctor turned priest, who may have risen to the bishopric of Terni.

Of the scant records kept, with even fewer surviving, it is thought that Valentine fell afoul of the imperial authorities for his missionary work, preaching the gospel to pagan Romans and aiding persecuted Christians. At some point Emperor Claudius imprisoned Valentine and ordered him to renounce his faith lest he be executed. Valentine refused and was martyred outside Rome’s Flaminian Gate on February 14th in A.D. 269, 270, 273 or 280. Pope Gelasius canonized Valentine in 496.

Uncertainty about St. Valentine – with some hagiographers even thinking that Valentine may be an amalgamation of two or three personages – was enough to compel the Catholic Church officially to discontinue liturgical celebration of the saint in 1969. With so little known for sure about St. Valentine, popular culture has ascribed to him the patronage of romantic love. That alone is the noblest of legacies, but there is one account of Valentine which strikes me as admirably Libertarian.

One version of Valentine’s story is that as a priest he performed clandestine marriages for couples, which strongly disinclined the husbands from going to war. This was considered treasonous civil disobedience since it deprived Rome’s war machine of fresh fodder, which is why the authorities imprisoned and murdered Valentine. Thus, even if you are not Christian, on this day honor St. Valentine, and celebrate those like him in modern times who are channelling our sons and daughters away from military adventurism.

Originally published February 14th, 2024, on Facebook.