medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
My apologies to the list, obviously, for sending a personal note to everyone.
but, i was wondering when Jim would show up to chauffeur me, so that's some
sort of excuse, i suppose.
sorry, folks.
best,
c
------ Original Message ------
Received: Wed, 05 May 2010 07:37:10 PM EDT
From: Christopher Crockett <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] TAN: star and cross as shorthand symbols for "born" and
"dead"
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> Yo Jim,
>
> i'm down here in Cassopolis, awaiting a ride from someone.
>
> are you @ theZoo ??
>
> c
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> Received: Wed, 05 May 2010 05:38:46 PM EDT
> From: Dr Jim Bugslag <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [M-R] TAN: star and cross as shorthand symbols for "born" and
> "dead"
>
> > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> >
> > Dear Otfried,
> > In 17th-century Brussels, a common type of institutional painting was a
> > group portrait, often with a religious scene accompanying it. It was
> > the custom to paint a small cross above the heads, or on the garments,
> > of individuals in the painting who had died. Many of these crosses have
> > subsequently been removed, but a painting by Peter Meert of The
> > Guardians of the Foundlings in Brussels under the protection of the
> > Virgin and Child accompanied by St Anne (1644), in the Brussels Museum
> > of the OCMW, still shows them. For a study of this practice, see A.-M.
> > Bonenfant-Feytmans, "Le probleme des enfants trouves a Bruxelles, A
> > propos d'un tableau de Pierre Meert," Bulletin de la Societe Royale
> > d'Archeologie de Bruxelles (1950), 1-20.
> > Cheers,
> > Jim
> >
> > [log in to unmask] wrote:
> > > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
culture
> > >
> > > Dear list members
> > >
> > > This is only very remotely related to the purpose of this list, but
maybe
> you
> > > can help me to get a better understanding and more background knowledge
> about
> > > the following issue:
> > >
> > > The German Wikipedia is currently discussing the question whether they
> should
> > > maintain or change their use of an asterisc (*) and a cross or "dagger"
> (†) as a
> > > standard for abbreviating the terms "born" and "died" at the beginning
of
> each
> > > biographical articles, as for instance in:
> > >
> > > - Ambrosius von Mailand (* 339 in Trier; † 4. April 397 in Mailand)
> > > - Jehuda ha-Levi (* um 1075 in Tudela; † 1141)
> > > - Mohammed (* ca. 570 in Mekka; † 8. Juni 632 in Medina)
> > >
> > > In Germany, the use of these symbols is quite common on gravestones and
> in
> > > obituary notices, at least during the last hundred or so years, and in
> this
> > > context it is sometimes interpreted as symbolising the Star of
Bethlehem
> (or
> > > Mary) and the Cross of Christ as the beginning and end of human life in
> Christ.
> > >
> > > They are also part of the so called "genealogical symbols", together
with
> a
> > > symbol of water for "baptised", the two rings or lemniscate for
"married"
> and a
> > > small square symbolizing a grave for "buried", and a few more specific
> symbols
> > > of this kind.
> > >
> > > And, needless to tell you, as asteriscus (origianlly a cussed cross
with
> four
> > > dots in its ankles) and obel(isc)us (originally a horizonal line or
> arrowlike
> > > sign) they are of course originally part of the set of ancient
grammatical
> notae
> > > criticae that were later used also as reference signs for referencing
> marginal
> > > notes or footnotes, or as paragraph signs, or as a sort of
> interpunctuation for
> > > marking a prosodical pause.
> > >
> > > Now the questions that I have are the following:
> > >
> > > 1) Do you happen to know more about the "sepulcral" use of this pair of
> symbols,
> > > namely about its age, and/or about its presence in non-German
countries?
> > >
> > > 2) Leaving aside the asterisc and focussing on the cross, do you recall
> the
> > > cross in its connection with the name of a deceased person or even with
> the date
> > > of this person's death in medieval or earlier inscriptions, or in
> manuscripts? I
> > > am generally aware of the Chi-Rho-monogramm and of Crosses in sepulcral
> > > contexts, and also roughly familiar with small crosses marking the
> beginning and
> > > sometimes also other intersections of an epitaph or other inscription,
> maybe
> > > with mostly ornamental function, or maybe for indicating -- as in
> liturgical
> > > books -- where the reader is supposed to sign himself with a cross and
> thus
> > > highlighting the character of the text as a prayer (especially if
closed
> with
> > > "Amen"). Yet I don't think I have seen a medieval epitaph or other text
> where a
> > > cross is used as a shorthand for "deceased". The closest that I can
> remember are
> > > small crosses on late medieval paintings, where a cross is placed above
> the head
> > > of a person for marking this person as deceased (e.g. on paintings
where
> the
> > > donator is depicted together with deceased members of his family). But
I
> am not
> > > familiar with premodern parish registers, monastic registers, memorial
> lists, or
> > > other texts where persons might be rated as "dead" by using a a cross.
> > >
> > > 3) Are you familiar, in your own countries and in prints of your own
> languages,
> > > with the secular use of asterisc and cross as a typographic shorthand
for
> "born"
> > > and "died" in genealogy and lexicography or other writings? I have
found,
> on my
> > > own shelves, a few rare examples in French and Italian books, and a few
> more
> > > examples in English books, yet the English examples are only English
> language
> > > publications by German publishers or in one case an English translation
of
> an
> > > Italian book.
> > >
> > > 4) Would you say that this "secular" typographic use especially of the
> cross (or
> > > "dagger" or obelisc) is appropriate also for marking the death of
> > > non-Christians, and especially of Jews or Moslems? Or would you rather
> avoid it
> > > in order to avoid religious offence? This is the question currently
> debated by
> > > German Wikipedians, and I have found only very few explicit statements
in
> > > published sources criticizing this conventional use (more precisely, I
> have
> > > found two short statements in jewish publications declaring it as
> inappropriate,
> > > one of them by a Christian author explaining why he is avoiding the
cross
> symbol
> > > in a memorial list of Jewish victims of the holocaust)
> > >
> > > As regards my own position in the current Wikipedia debate, I am one of
> those
> > > objecting to the current usage of these symbols and demanding them to
be
> > > replaced by more neutral abbreviations. There is even a poll going on
--
> the
> > > third one since 2005 --, and the current state is 202:64 votes against
> replacing
> > > these symbols. Personally, I think that it actually is an issue, but I
am
> not
> > > sure how this German habit (at least I take it to be mostly German) of
> > > "daggering" dead Jews and Moslems is received by the rest of the world.
> > >
> > > If you want to respond, please feel free to send your answer off the
list!
> Any
> > > feedback will be appreciated!
> > >
> > > Otfried Lieberknecht
> > > D-40477 Duesseldorf
> > > Klever Strasse 37
> > > Tel. +49 (0) 172 407 6073
> > > mailto:[log in to unmask]
> > >
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> > >
> > >
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