medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
On Friday, November 23, 2007, at 8:30 am, christopher crockett wrote:
> From: John Dillon <[log in to unmask]>
>
> > On Thursday, November 22, 2007, at 6:58 pm, I wrote:
> >
> > > Clement I, pope (d. ca. 100). ... Although he seems not to
> > > have been martyred, he has a late antique Passio (BHL 1848) in
> which
> > > he is sent to work in the mines of Crimea and then thrown into the
> sea
> > > weighted down with an anchor. In response to the prayers of his
> > > disciples Cornelius and Phoebus, the waters parted and C.'s body
> was
> > > miraculously revealed in a chapel where the faithful could
> venerate
> > > him annually for a week beginning on his _dies natalis_. Here's a
>
> > > fourteenth-century French miniature illustrating the recovery of
> C.'s
> > > remains:
> > > http://tinyurl.com/2hendw
> >
> > On further reflection, it now seems more likely that the
> illumination shows
> C. being thrown into the sea. I had assumed from the stiffness of
> C.'s pose
> that he is here represented as already dead.
>
>
>
> mmmm... he's certainly "stiff" but he's not dead (yet) --his eyes are
> open.
Good point. I hadn't noticed his pupils when I first glanced at the image. Besides (as already observed), in the case of martyrs the general rule in these illuminations is to illustrate a saint's or saints' _passio_. Which latter, after all, is what often provides a saint's distinguishing attribute. In Clement's case, that would be the anchor.
Best again,
John Dillon
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