medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Regarding the "putrid stumps" of the cross at St. Paul's, this is a somewhat
more elaborate form of what becomes the standard Lollard objection to
images, that they were "nisi ligna et lapides" (only wood and stones,
"stocks and stonys" in the vernacular) rather than the real image of God,
which is the person (the same sentiments repeated in Lollard writings and in
the records of prosecution into the sixteenth century). Thus I would guess
that the putridity and worms refer quite prosaically to a insect-ridden
wooden cross, the Lollards trying to make their point in colourful language
that it was not a thing to be venerated or worshipped. (Similarly colourful
-- or over-the-top -- was a later reference to a statue of the Virgin as a
"brent-arse poppet," i.e. a prostitute infected with venereal disease.)
Paul's Cross and other religious landmarks were objects of public
veneration, which Lollards would have termed idolatry. The best work on
Lollards and images is Margaret Aston's: her essay collection *Lollards and
Images* and the two-volume *England's Iconoclasts* are places to start.
Shannon McSheffrey
Associate Professor of History
Concordia University
LB-601, 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W.
Montreal, QC Canada H3G 1M8
[log in to unmask]
http://alcor.concordia.ca/~shannon
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
|