Who were members of the household of Constantia, the daugther of the great and blessed Emperor Constantine, eunuchs, evidently. That enemy of the human race Julian the Apostate had them put to death. They are named in the Roman Canon.
What has intrigued me-- liturgical dilettante that I am-- is that each of the day hours, from Prime through None, use antiphons (from Lauds, or from Vespers and then Lauds-- that is one of those things I've never kept in my head) that begin with the identical three words: Ioannes et Paulus, or Paulus et Ioannes. I wonder if that interesting detail in replicated, mutatis mutandis, in the offices of any other saints?
Perhaps not 'dilettante' but... I should consult the Dictionary.
A lover of the fine arts; originally, one who cultivates them for the love of them rather than professionally, and so = amateur n. as opposed to professional; but in later use generally applied more or less depreciatively to one who interests himself in an art or science merely as a pastime and without serious aim or study (‘a mere dilettante’).
So they may be synonyms or not, depending. I am not 'without serious aim' so 'mere pastime' doesn't fit. Certainly, I habitually use the word 'more or less depreciatively'.
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