medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Thanks Jim - that's really helpful,
All best,
Stella
At 16:07 24/09/2009, you wrote:
>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
>Stella,
>There is something on this, I believe, in John Baldovin, The urban
>character of Christian worship : the origins, development, and
>meaning of stational liturgy (Rome, 1987), although he is not
>primarily interested in it. Some paintings of crosses in the Roman
>catacombs have been interpreted as processional crosses, and many
>actual processional crosses have survived from the Byzantine world.
>Cheers,
>Jim
>
>Stella Rock wrote:
>>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>>
>>Thanks Rochelle, food for thought... I suppose they do have a
>>shared history of concerts/tours and Elvis's significant moments.
>>
>>As to football (Terrence Lockyer's post), yes, Anfield came up too
>>- with its hymn, eternal flame, shared identity and history etc. I
>>recognise the value of these comparisons for helping students to
>>understand religious phenomena but I think it's necessary for them
>>to perceive the differences too. John Dillon's 'wonder-working or
>>salvific' potential is clearly one difference (or at least the
>>'salvific' part is, should it transpire that Elvis fans believe his
>>sparkly jumpsuit cures disease) - I'd be interested to know what
>>other defining/distinguishing qualities spring to the list's collective mind.
>>
>>To put this in a little more in context, I'm currently researching
>>the post-Soviet revival of pilgrimage (to shrines which have very
>>long histories and to newly-created sites such as Ganina Yama, a
>>monastery built around the mineshaft where the Romanovs' murdered
>>bodies were dumped), so have found myself tackling a great deal of
>>anthropological literature on pilgrimage and sacred sites.
>>
>>As a secondary question, could anyone recommend literature on the
>>development of processions of the cross? One of the processions I'm
>>looking at in Russia (a six day pilgrimage which carries an icon to
>>the place it miraculously appeared, and back again to the regional
>>cathedral that houses it) claims a 600 year old history.
>>Participants tell me that St John Chrysostom first created
>>processions of the cross as a means of combatting the Arian heresy,
>>they feature occasionally in medieval Russian chronicles, and were
>>widespread by the late Imperial period. The late Patriarch himself
>>declared them a traditional form of Russian pilgrimage, but they
>>are also an intrinsic part of the liturgy and prescribed on various
>>feast days. I'd love to find a historical overview that would allow
>>me to explore potential comparisons/contrasts with Western
>>Christian practice...
>>
>>With thanks,
>>Stella
>>
>>At 14:14 23/09/2009, you wrote:
>>>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>>>
>>>Stella, you wrote:
>>>
>>>>Are pilgrims to Graceland part of a community with a shared
>>>>history? I'd say not, but perhaps I'm being influenced by my
>>>>personal beliefs...
>>>>
>>>>Stella
>>>
>>>Oddly enough, they are.
>>>
>>>The vast majority of Presley fans are in the same cohort, both in
>>>terms of age and similar cultural contexts. The trips to Graceland
>>>*are* pilgrimages. As Terrence pointed out, they do feel some kind
>>>of "magic" merely to touch something their idol held. (I did not
>>>make a copy of the student's paper, so I can't give you the bib
>>>she collected on this.) There are still reports of "Elvis
>>>sightings." Elvis that was, that is, not as he would be if he
>>>lived to over 100. I tend to think that by holding a ""piece" of
>>>something he used they feel they are keeping him alive. This known
>>>worship of a singer-idol is why Marjorie's students could connect
>>>with her example.
>>>
>>>There are people out there who still shed a tear over "The day the
>>>music died" -- that is, when Buddy Holly died in an airplane crash
>>>back in the 1950's. And that song is still played, though I'd
>>>think his fans are getting rather long in the tooth.
>>>
>>>(Can you imagine a worse film to show on a flight than The Buddy
>>>Holly Story? Well, that's exactly where I saw it as a prisoner of
>>>Zenda, er, in-flight entertainment -- no channel choices back
>>>then. And I was on a prop plane, too.)
>>>
>>>Then there were the Sinatra fans. As Sinatra aged, so did his
>>>swooning followers. (There were enough articles on that.) I don't
>>>think anyone actually worshipped Sinatra, but who knows? They
>>>certainly still "swooned" and called out "Oh, Frankie."
>>>
>>>So, yes, we do have to test personal beliefs rather
>>>frequently. But isn't that precisely what this thread is about?
>>>
>>>Back to my cyber cubby-hole,
>>>
>>>Rochelle
>>>
>>>>At 11:59 23/09/2009, you wrote:
>>>>>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>>>>>
>>>>>Rochelle Altman wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>: In fact, one of my former students, a devout
>>>>>: Catholic and a life turn-around student with five
>>>>>: step-stair children and a husband who deserted
>>>>>: the family, did a lot of research on relics of
>>>>>: saints. When she wrote up her term paper, she
>>>>>: compared the Medieval desire to collect (and
>>>>>: fight over) saint's relics to Graceland and what
>>>>>: goes on there.
>>>>>
>>>>>Coincidentally, just yesterday I saw a television advertisment
>>>>>for one of those part-work thingies: this one is devoted to
>>>>>Presley, and comes with "replica artefacts" from Graceland.
>>>>>There may not be a literal belief in "wonder-working or salvific"
>>>>>properties (to use John Dillon's phrase), but there clearly is,
>>>>>for some, a kind of magic (for want of a better word) in
>>>>>possession: how else does one explain the ability to keep
>>>>>re-releasing recordings, for example, and have some of the same
>>>>>people buy them; or the enormous prices attached to items that
>>>>>have a direct link to performers (e. g., John Lennon's old guitar
>>>>>string, in one case I recall)?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Terrence Lockyer
>>>>>Johannesburg, South Africa
>>>>`*****************************************
>>>>Dr Stella Rock
>>>>Senior Research Fellow
>>>>Department of History
>>>>University of Sussex
>>>>Brighton BN1 9QL
>>>>Email:[log in to unmask]
>>>>http://www.sussex.ac.uk/history/profile17617.html
>>>
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