medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> I believe it was St Bernard who likened Mary's impregnation, while
> remaining a virgin, to light passing through a glass vessel without
> breaking it.
.. and Tim Ayres, in his PhD thesis on the stained glass of Wells
cathedral (and I presume in the published CVMA volume too) reminds us
that the entire Marian cycle of images and ideas in the Lady Chapel and
elsewhere, focusing on these (to a modern secular person by turns
bewildering and poetic) ideas about corporeal and spiritual conceptions
and births, is (when such quotes are borne in mind) given an added
dimension by being rendered in glass...
Jon
PS
There are a few c15 English images of the 'Conception of the Virgin'.
The one I know, at Barnack church in Northants, has the Conception as a
lightning-like shaft coming from heaven to Mary's womb.
-----Original Message-----
From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious
culture [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jim
Bugslag
Sent: 12 September 2006 03:34
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] O GLORIOSA FEMINA
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
culture
> The idea of uncreated light breaking through into the created universe
may lie behind the rather curious
> responsory for Matins on the feast of the Annunciation: 'The angel
Gabriel Gabriel was sent to announce
> the word to Mary, a virgin betrothed to Joseph, and she began to fear
the light.' (Latin: expavescit virgo
> de lumine.) Luke's account of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) makes no
mention of light, though it does
> say that Mary was disturbed by his words (turbata est in sermone
eius). Eamonn O Carragain, in Ritual
> and the Rood, note 46 on page 113, mentions a theory that the phrase
may originally have read 'de
> numine' (because of the divinity) rather than 'de lumine'. Without
having seen the article he mentions, I
> find the suggestion rather improbable; 'light' fits far better into
the cluster of ideas associated with the
> Annunciation. A beam of light often appears in pictures of the
Annunciation, but I do not know of any
> early enough to have influenced the responsory. No doubt others can
remedy my ignorance.
I believe it was St Bernard who likened Mary's impregnation, while
remaining a
virgin, to light passing through a glass vessel without breaking it.
Cheers,
Jim Bugslag
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