medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Many thanks to Pavel, Dennis, Brenda, and Jim for their thoughtful replies
to my questions about Christian soldiers. Another quick question, albeit
not totally medieval. The Bible refers to Beelzebub as the prince of
devils, i.e. another name for Satan. Milton makes him the second in
command. Does anyone know why Milton takes this liberty? Is he merely
appropriating names from the Bible or is he working in another tradition?
Are there earlier texts which make this disctinction?
Best,
Clint
Clinton Atchley, Ph.D.
Department of English and Foreign Languages
Box 7652
Henderson State University
Arkadelphia, AR 71999
Phone: 870.230.5276
Email: [log in to unmask]
URL: http://www.hsu.edu/faculty/atchlec
>-----Original Message-----
>From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2001 4:49 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [M-R] Christian soldiers
>
>
>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion
>and culture
>
>> If each individual soldier must decide the justness of the
>combat, then
>> authority becomes shaken in the ranks. It is the soldier's
>duty to obey
>> without thinking--there is a reason 18-year-olds are drafted and not
>> 50-somethings--because success might hinge on immediate
>action. Does the
>> responsibility then lie in the leaders to interpret the
>justness? Does this
>> absolve the individual soldier following orders? If the
>Pope called a
>> crusade for the wrong, i.e. unjust, reasons, would the grunt soldier
>> following the Pope's orders forfeit his soul?
>
>This is not exactly the same thing, but when the army of the Fourth
>Crusade decided to attack the Christian city of Zara, a sizeable
>contingent refused, and left crusade completely. St Bernard had
>quite a bit to say on the correct end of holy warfare and the
>considerable ways that secular warfare and secular knights differed
>from the knights of Christ, i.e. the new military orders.
>Cheers,
>Jim Bugslag
>
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