medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear All,
This is very interesting to me... does anyone have any other references
concerning disemboweling and blasphemy/sacrilege? Such references would be
very helpful to me in an ongoing research project.
My take on the topic comes from a slightly different angle. The scene in
*Hannibal* involves him giving a lecture on Dante in which he shows a slide
of a medieval sculpture, supposedly from Benevento Cathedral, of Judas
hanging himself. Now although the gospels say that Judas comitted suicide
by hanging, he also is shown with his entrails opened up. This is a
somewhat puzzling addition to the text, which makes no logical sense if
Judas killed himself while alone. The explanation, I think, may be found in
other medieval depictions of the death of Judas, in which a demon is shown
bursting out of his stomach. Thus, while most medieval death scenes show
the spirit breathed out through the mouth, Judas is shown with a (demonic)
spirit coming from his guts. I believe the death of the heretic Arius is
sometimes similarly depicted.
These motifs can be read against comtemporary theories about demonic
possession, which claim that demons prefer to inhabit the guts and bowels.
Indeed, one can set forth a rather complex corporeal "geography" dealing
with where, in the body, the human spirit, unclean spirits, and the Holy
Spirit may dwell. I've been dealing with these issues in terms of religious
rhetoric, but it would be interesting to see if it is carried over,
symbolically, to a judicial punishment. Are the bowels the bodily "seat" of
blasphemy?
Thanks for any further illumination,
Nancy Caciola
History
UC-San Diego
At 10:31 AM 2/19/01 +0200, you wrote:
>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
>John A. W. Lock wrote:
>
>"There was a line of logic which ran through it all,with this being just a
>part of it. The object of this bit was that it should be 'notable' (C.16
>quote). In England it was specifically for High Treason, however it should
>suit those in the ascendancy to interpret 'High Treason'. The object of the
>exercise was the utter destruction of a person from rank (stripped by
>attainder), reputation, family (disinherited), property (forfeit), life,
>and body ('to do with as the king chooses'). - - But I don't think that
>the
>'filth' of the human body entered into it. Nor were there any especially
>religious connotations other than that the king was God's Annointed. Rather
>it was to show the power of the monarch. 'This could be you'. No point in
>doing it privately."
>
>
>I have read something quite different in John Bellamy's _The Law of
>Treason in England in the Later Middle Ages_. At some point certain parts
>of the punishment of drawing, hanging, disembowelling and quartering
>did have a religious justification. For example William Wallace
>was executed this way in 1305. He was hanged and disembowelled
>for his robberies, homicides and felonies, he was beheaded for having
>lived and died an outlaw. Because of the injuries to the church and the
>sacrileges committed, his entrails were burned as they had given rise to
>blasphemous thoughts. The connection between sacrilege and
>disembowelling combined with the burning of the entrails was also
>visible in the execution of the Welsh prince David ap Gryffydd for
>treason some twenty years previously. He had committed murders
>at Easter.
>
>However, the point of the brutality of the punishments for treason
>was to match the heinousness of the crime. The religious aspects of
>their justification were only additional to the real purpose of deterring
>and scaring off.
>
>Best wishes,
>
>Mia Korpiola
>
>Mia Korpiola, LL. Lic.
>KATTI
>P. O. Box 4 (Fabianinkatu 24 A)
>FIN-00014 University of Helsinki
>Finland
>
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>
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