medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Here's a puzzler an expert offlist couldn't answer. In 1532
Henry VIII sent along to Parliament a copy of the alleged oath
that clerics took to the Pope. As related in Hall's Chronicle
(1550), the oath includes this item: "...the lightes of the
Apostles I shall visite yerely personally, or by my deputie..."
(The oath has many items and is not well punctuated, but this
item is complete as quoted and the context isn't useful.)
If one can visit, or send a deputy to visit, these lights of the
Apostles, they seem to be physical objects that are locatable.
Were they perhaps some feature of St. Peter's or another part of
the 15th-16th century Church in Rome?
While "light" in general is associated with God, "lamp" has a
closer association with the Apostles--but it's symbolic. For
example:
"All prophecy, therefore, before the coming of the Lord, is a
lamp. Of this lamp the Apostle Peter says: 'We have a more sure
word of prophecy, to which ye do well giving heed, as unto a
lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the
day-star arise in your hearts.' Accordingly the prophets are
lamps, and all prophecy one great lamp. What of the apostles?
Are not they, too, lamps? They are, clearly. He alone is not a
lamp."
(That's commentary on John 5:19-40 in St. Aurelius Augustin's
Tractate XXIII, in Early Church Fathers, Nicene and Post-Nicene
Fathers, Series I, Vol. VII, at
http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF1-07/npnf1-07-28.htm#P1158_711623)
For the entire phrase "lights of the Apostles" Google finds
references only to the lighthouses on the Apostle Islands, a
national park in Wisconsin--which I think only the religious of
our era might be able to visit. "Lamps of the Apostles" as a
phrase draws a blank.
So, any idea where the lights or lamps of the Apostles were
located in medieval/Renaissance times?
Thanks,
Al Magary
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