George's end of year musings prompts me to add one of my own. I just
returned from trudging through several chilly French cathedrals and monastic
houses. I noticed that both in monastic churches and working cathedrals that
services were often held in the crypt where it was nicely warm. So I was
wondering whether medieval congregations were as pusillanimous as we
moderns: is there evidence of ordinary services being held in the crypts, or
more interesting, any evidence of fires for warmth being lit in some of the
huge spaces in some of these buildings?
jw
-----Original Message-----
From: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Ferzoco, G.P.
Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2000 10:38 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: resolutions...
This message is partly administrative. In this part I resolve to try harder
as a list owner, in order to keep this list what it almost always is: a good
cyberplace to be. I also encourage you to do your bit to put out potential
flames, before they combust; the best way for all of this to accomplish such
a resolution would be to contribute our scholarly queries and knowledge when
appropriate, and in a civil, sensitive way.
This message is also partly 'scholarly'. Thinking about resolutions makes me
wonder about how medieval religious culture could have made use of them.
Apart from generic resolutions to avoid sin and the occasions of sin, does
anyone know of moments in sermon literature where saints' lives were used as
source material for getting listeners and readers to resolve to do something
specific?
Thanks for your consideration of the above!
Best wishes,
George Ferzoco
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