medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
From: "Ferzoco, G.P." <[log in to unmask]>
> Dave Postles has been an administrator of the list since 2000, and has done
an admirable job throughout.
and no one, least of all i, wish to abridge in any way his right to express an
opinion
> His recent advice is indeed advice
or even "advice", on any subject, on this list.
> and is not intended to block or condemn all non-medieval comments.
my fault for reading it that way, i suppose.
From: "Postles, Dr D.A." <[log in to unmask]>
>Continuation of the discussion of medieval or early-modern names is
absolutely valid and extremely interesting. The digression to idiosyncratic
modern ones is really outside the remit of the list and I would reiterate my
advice that we now return to the focus of the list, please.
you're right, George, i see now that he did characterise it as "advice".
mea coolper.
>It simply recalls to us that some aspects of some discussions may from time
to time lose the thread
mmmm... i've only been on the list a bit more than 5 years, but it is my
observation that it is the Fate of All Threads to be "lost" from time to time,
just in the Nature of Things.
sometimes they are "lost" and never found again, their electrons recycled into
(presumably) more Useful persuits;
sometimes they morph into other, even more interesting, Threads, eventually
becomming as far removed from their origins as one page of Joyce is from
another.
how this latter happens is always interesting to observe in itself, but it is
not at all infrequent that it happens in response to posts which are "off
topic" (what a concept) or (heavens!) "modern" in their subjectmatter.
Threads, as Organic Phenomena, are subject to Evolution, and i would point out
that one current view of that process comming into vogue among Evolutionary
Biologists is centered around the concept of "Punctuated Equilibrium"
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/PUNCTUEQ.html
"instead of a slow, continuous movement, evolution tends to be characterized
by long periods of virtual standstill ('equilibrium'), 'punctuated' by
episodes of very fast development of new forms."
this is, i find, a very useful idea, applicable (with caution) to a lot of
different historical circumstances.
> and that we should be alert to this and try to avoid such situations.
or, on the Contrary, we should Welcome them.
> Ali G might say 'keep it real';
didn't know he --whoever he is-- was a member of the list.
doesn't post much, does he?
>I might say 'keep medieval-religion a scholarly list dealing with medieval
religious culture'.
and i might say "Everything is Grist for the Mill, so let the discussion be as
free-ranging as possible, without any restraint whatever from Over Acting List
Mommies or anyone else, in the Eternal Hope that Our damned Equilibrium might
be Punctuated as often as Possible!"
a case in point, as Brenda has just informed us, is this thoroughly UnMedieval
post by Professor Prozorov:
From: Vadim Prozorov <[log in to unmask]>
> Under the Bolsheviks in Russia there appeared a tradition to grant poor
children names like Revoljutsiya (Revolution), Vilen (V.I.Len(in)), or
Vladlen (Vlad(imir)Len(in)),
these examples put me in mind of the compound names, so common in the Frankish
period in (at least) Northern France.
except that those later didn't seem to refer to contemporary events or
persons... or, did they?
Lenin was surely the closest thing to a secular "saint" as we've seen in
modren times --complete with a Hagiographical Tradition and a very popular
Pilgrimage centered around his Tomb (and his birthplace? study?), his relics
as revered as those of any middlevil saint.
probably worked miracles, too.
how is naming a child after him any different from naming one after a "living"
saint in the m.a. ?
>Elektrostantsiya (Electric Station),
this one's my favorite, even though i'm pressed a bit to think of a middevil
parallel.
except for "Astrolabe", of course.
but it has to be said that those were not too Thick on the Ground, before the
19th c. and therefore beyond the "remit of the list", whateverthahell that
means.
>even Spartak after the gladiator who revolted against Rome and was considered
to be a predecessor of the Russian revolutionists.
a ProtoMartyr, then?
From: "Ms Brenda M. Cook" <[log in to unmask]>
> Elektrostantsiya (Electric Station),
>
> Which brings us neatly back to Astralabe/Astrolabe where we all started.
yes.
a totally "non-medieval" post which Punctuated our Equilibrium.
amazing, isn't it?
> ...ADELARD of BATH - "the first English scientist" ...was the leading
exponent of astrolabes in the 12th century,
now, see, Brenda, in the earlier discussion of this name i thought that its
origin was obvious, but since no one --including your own knowledgable self--
was pointing that out, i refrained from doing so thinking that what was
Obvious to me was, as so often happens (alas), also quite Wrong.
> even travelling to the middle east to find out more about them. He was in
Leon in 1112 as was Peter Abelard,
i didn't even know he ever went to Spain.
>so it is just possible they were there at the same time and I find it hard to
believe that if they were, two such enquiring minds did NOT get together for a
lengthy discussion on a range of topics - including scientific instruments.
yes, very modren fellows, both of them.
>This event was BEFORE Adelard went to the Holy Land and beyond not after.
but he must have heard about suchlike instruments before he went?
>It was also just before PA returned to Paris and (if the Lost Love Letters
chronology is to be accepted) fell for Heloise.
well, if he named his son after the instrument, he probably would have to have
heard about it --or at least heard its name-- before the kid was born.
>All I am saying is that astrolabes might well have been a topic of discussion
at this time.
in certain circles, yes.
sounds like a good connection, to me.
but, what do i know?
From: Rochelle Altman <[log in to unmask]>
> I knew a woman who named her daughter Debris -- short-e accent on "de"
-- she thought it was such a pretty name.
well, middlevil folks *never* gave their children names just because they were
"pretty", so this observation should be Summarily Purged from the Archives,
it's electrons recycled into the Ozone.
> Diana Wright wrote:
> >I knew an infant girl named Female. 3 syllables.
otOh, this one is O.K., since there were a lot of middlevil names with three
syllables.
best to all, even List Mommies,
c
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