medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Dr. Gordon Arthur wrote:

> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> Charles Giguere wrote:
>
>> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and 
>> culture
>>
>> I know even less, but I did think that the English system was based on
>> precedent rather than reason. The French in particular might be 
>> offended by
>> the suggestion that theirs is less so than any other. But perhaps one 
>> could
>> argue that a legal system depending on precedent is more sensible 
>> than one
>> depending on "reason".
>> Bernadette Filotas
>
>
> I don't think it's a straightforward either/or situation. The two go 
> hand in hand. Where there's a clear precedent, it would be 
> unreasonable to ignore it without good cause. Equally, unreasonable 
> precedents tend not to last.
>
> This started as a discussion about saints of the sixteenth and 
> seventeenth centuries, and by the seventeenth century the break with 
> Rome was well established. My point about European Legal systems was 
> that they were much more closely based on Roman Law than English Law 
> was at that stage. I was not suggesting they were in any way 
> unreasonable, just that English lawyers after Henry VIII tended to 
> place a great deal of emphasis on reason and moderation as bases for 
> English Law.
>
> Gordon
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------
> Dr. Gordon Arthur | Orthodoxy is my doxy; heterodoxy is
> [log in to unmask] | another man's doxy. (Bishop Warburton)
> -------------------------------------------------------------
> http://www.ecumenist.org/
> -------------------------------------------------------------
>
> **********************************************************************
> 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

Having posed the original question I was (regrettably) unable to follow 
the discussion, which as is often the case develops a life of its own.

It is interesting that the issue of martyrs was/is a strong one in 
Britain, probably because of the influence of Foxe on the Protestant 
side and the cult of the martyrs on the Catholic side (vide the cycle of 
paintings depicting the religious history of Britain in the Church of 
the Holy Trinity and St Thomas of Canterbury, and the paintings 
depicting martyrdom in San Stefano Rotondo, both in Rome).

I have not come across the figure of (similar modern) martyrs in Spain 
and Italy for example. (They may exist and would be grateful for any 
references). The nearest I can think of in Spain is the commemoration of 
the Nationalists in the basilica Franco built in the El Valle de los 
Caídos (Valley of the Fallen), which rather suggests that the 
iconography and figure of martyrdom is something, like history, which is 
written by the victors. The more I consider the subject, the more I 
think about the question of what role does martyrdom play in the 
religious life of the early modern period? To what extent was it a 
conscious appropriation and adaptation of traditional forms to meet new 
situations? Admittedly this may not be appropriate for M-R, but since it 
is on the cusp of the modern period the insights of the mediaevalists 
may be able to shed some light on it.

With many thanks for the fascinating discussions so far, and for 
members’ indulgence.

Wyn Thomas

-- 
Wyn Thomas
Llyfrgellydd Cynorthwyol | Assistant Librarian
Uned Llyfryddiaeth Cymru | Bibliography of Wales Unit 
Isadran Rheoli Data Llyfryddol | Bibliographic Data Management Section 
Adran Casgliadau | Collections Department 
Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru | National Library of Wales
Aberystwyth
Ceredigion SY23 3BU

Ffôn | Tel. : 01970 632945
Ffacs | Fax:  01970 615 709

**********************************************************************
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