An Italian bishop whose location is not revealed in our source, revered most next to the mother of God, Saint Andrew. On his day, the bishop held not only a celebratory mass but also set a festive dinner in his quarters to which he invited noted spiritual and secular people.
When once again, St. Andrew’s Day arrived and the bishop was already in the church to be clothed in his festive regalia, a young woman entered the church with a stately retinue. She went directly to the bishop, fell before him and begged him to hear her confession. He replied that she should see his priest of penitence, to whom he had given the power to grant absolution in his place, and that he himself must attend to the celebratory mass that was about to begin.
Nonetheless, the woman insisted on her request and exclaimed that the fault would be his if she were to die without having confessed; the bishop finally let himself be moved to her will. The young woman knew to make her confession in such a clever and well-meaning way that the bishop was completely captivated, and he invited her to take part in the dinner.
Following the end of the service, he went to his dining hall, directing the woman to a place of honor. After the invited guests had made good work of the excellent food and wine, the guests, one after the other, left the hall so that finally only the bishop, the woman and the serving monks remained. Now, the bishop asked the woman, whose ingratiating manner charmed him more and more, to sit near him. Soon the talk between them became intimate and so dangerous for the bishop that he was close to betraying his vows.
But at just the right moment, God made St. Andrew aware of the threatening danger. A hard knock was heard at the door and the bishop ordered the servant monks to open it. But the woman asked the servant not to move too quickly: “I have many enemies,” she said, “and it’s possible that one of them seeks entry. Instead, let’s put the one seeking entry to a test so we learn who it is. Since you have bid me to your table you wouldn’t want that I would encounter displeasure.”
The bishop replied that it is in any case his desire to protect her from any upset, but in no case did he want to close the door to anyone in need on such a special day. Nonetheless, he declared himself ready to make a test.
The young woman suggested that the stranger should be asked what creature God had created from the lowliest matter and had raised to the highest. The servant monk was given the task to request an answer from the one who was knocking. As he opened the door, he saw a man dressed in pilgrimage garb.
The man asked if the bishop was at home, stating that he had to speak with him on an urgent matter. The monk replied that he could not be admitted until he answered a question. The pilgrim wondered about this demand but was ready to oblige.
As soon as the question was put to him, he thought for a bit and then gave the answer: “Which creature is higher than man? Which matter is lower than earthly clay?” The monk praised the answer highly but hesitated to let the pilgrim in until he had reported to the bishop. He felt it was undeniable that the door should be opened to the stranger. However, the woman demanded the answer to a second question. Reluctantly, the bishop agreed.
The question was put to the pilgrim: which earth he believed to be the most exquisite. “That is an excellent question,” he replied, “and a deeper sense is hidden in it although I’ll only give a short answer. The church generally teaches that the living son of God took on a mortal body created from nature’s dust within the pure womb of the Virgin Mary. This he wore, in this he taught, in this he suffered, in this blessed and eternal body he rose up, in this he ascended to heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the father as king of all worlds. Now I feel that the question posed to me is solved and I would like to gain entry.”
The monk answered that he again must seek the bishop, who after learning how exceptional the answer was, ordered that he be allowed entry. But once again, the young woman objected and insisted that a third question should be asked. Annoyed by this obstinacy, the bishop nonetheless did what she recommended.
She replied that the pilgrim should be asked how far it is from heaven to hell. When this question was put to the pilgrim, he answered, “I could answer the first two questions because I took them from the lap of the holy church. But I cannot answer this last question; however, I can tell the bishop to whom he should go to get the answer if he’s plagued by inquisitiveness: he should ask the devil, who has taken a place beside him on his high seat. Then it was he who went that way as the result of his pride, falling from the heights of heaven to the prison of hell.”
This answer seemed somewhat sharp to the monk, but he passed it on to the bishop. The devil, which was hiding behind the mask of the young woman, fell through the wall and disappeared as soon as he found he was betrayed. Shocked and happy at the same time, the bishop jumped up to open the door himself for the pilgrim, but he was no where to be seen. The bishop then had no doubt that St. Andrew personally had hurried to his rescue, and he thanked God and the saints in fervent prayer.