--
****************************************
Luciana Cuppo Csaki
Societas internationalis pro Vivario
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.geocities.com/athens/aegean/9891/
****************************************
Stephen and Abigail, you've got me intrigued, and I should like to go
back to Stephen's original question, "does anyone know of a tradition
wherein John Chrysostom commits adultery and murder?" I believe that's
the correct one to ask, and it is an odd reference, but that's what
makes it interesting, at least for my purposes (see my introductory
message). Cassiodorus promoted and recommended St. John Chrysostom; in
the eyes of many of his Roman contemporaries, it was bad enough to
promote Greek, albeit Christian, culture; a former adulterer and
murderer would surely add zest to the sauce.So, I am curious.
I doubt that penance was imposed, or self-imposed "on account of (his?)
prideful speech against adultery and murder". Linguistically "lapsus
mutus" is a bit tough to swallow; one would expect "verba", not "verbum"
for "speech", and it is not clear to me why beasts should be grieving in
the pastures. Perhaps we should rephrase: "Also John Chrysostom...lapsed
in adultery and homicide because of a puffed-up word, from that time on,
doing penance, groaned without speech, like a four-legged animal roaming
the woods."
My main objection, though, is not linguistic. As one who recommended
Father Boyle's "Medieval Latin Paleography", you will appreciate that
palaeography should be integral, that is to say, should study a text in
its proper context. I do not have at hand the AASS, but from a look at
the Office of St. John C.in the Breviary (27 January, in secundo
nocturno), I learned that our man "a forensibus et saecularibus studiis
ad divinas litteras summa cum ingenii et industriae laude se contulit"
(so, he was a man of the world before becoming a priest and then a
bishop, although there is nothing about murder or adultery). More
importantly, the readings in the Office make it clear that his preaching
against the dissolute life of Eudoxia and other notables in CP led to
his exiles, torments, and real if not official martyrdom. Far from being
cause for penance, the speeches against adultery situate John in the
prophetic tradition (model: John the Baptist). Can the "quoque" shed any
light? Who else might have done penance for adultery and/or murder? (in
all of the above, I take that "proper" os "propter" and "paenientes" is
"paenitens"). Thanks
Luciana
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|