medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I've discovered more about this table, with Leofranc's help:
First column: day of the month (numerus dierum) by forward count instead of the
Roman method.
Second column: recalculated golden numbers, four days in advance of the Bedan
table.
Third column: hour of conjunction, reckoned from mid-day. (This is the meaning
of 'Ista tabula incipit a meridie'.)
Fourth column: Sunday letters
Fifth column: cisioianus. This is a series of doggerel verses used as a mnemonic
for learning the immoveable feasts by heart. Quoting from the Oxford Companion
to the Year, p. 844, 'Cisioanus' comes 'from the first five syllables, incidatin
that Circumcision fell on the 1st of the month and the month was January.' This
is the most widespread form, and the one quoted in our book:
Cisio Ianus Epi sibi vendicat Oc Feli Mar An.
Prisca Fab Ag Vincen Ti Pau Po nobile lumen.
As if to say 'Janus claims for himself the Circumcision, Epiphany, the Octave,
Felix, Marcellus, Antony, Prisca, Fabian, Agnes, Vincent, timothy, (Conversion
of) Paul, Polycarp, glorious light.' There are similar verses for the rest of
the months.
Sixth column: 'littere signorum'; letters indicating the position of the moon in
relation to the signs of the zodiac (but not the same as that in Bede).
These tables are evidently the result of fresh calculations (not necessarily by
the compiler, but it interesting that there are so many corrections). Try
comparing them with those in the Berry hours, and any others that we have
illustrations of.
Bonnie
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Bonnie Blackburn
67 St Bernard's Road
Oxford OX2 6EJ
tel. +44 (0)1865 552808
fax +44 (0)1865 512237
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Daniel K. Gullo" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 11:16 PM
Subject: Re: [M-R] Easter Calculation Table
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> I am glad for Bonnie's help. She is right on with regard to
> the fifth column being for saints. But the scribe is
> tricky. He does not simply abbreviate the saints. Take a
> look at February: we have Brigit, Purification, and Blasus.
> But Blasus extends into the fourth of February Bla-sus.
> Also, note how Scholastica runs from February 10th through
> 13th. Sco-las-ti-ca
>
> January is more difficult. Saint John runs from the third
> to the fifth of January. io-ia-nes. however the word "ven-
> di-cat" runs from the 10th to the 12th. The question is
> what appears between the 6th and 9th, as they do not seem to
> start other saint's names. Any help?
>
> The sixth column might refer back to the matyr days. I am
> not sure about this and would like to have another opinion.
>
> The third column still confuses me. It does not correspond
> to epects, as I thought. The text at the bottom seems to
> say "hore ?" Given that the next table has the text ""Ista
> tabula incipit a meridie" I am confused to what hours of the
> day they might be referring to.
>
> http://home.uchicago.edu/~dkgullo/EasterCalcTable.jpg
>
> Daniel
>
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