dear david flory
there was a brief discussion a while ago about the meaning of
crucesignatus, because i had noted that this is applied not only to
those who go on crusade, but also those who receive the "crosses of
infama" as penance for their crimes of heresy [in Languedoc, in the 13th
century]. So - don't know about the wider context, and i can't make
much of a claim to being a Latinist, but note that those who do penance
for heresy wear crosses [amongst other punishments], are described as
"crucesignati" or as "portare cruces" [i probably have my grammar wrong
there, but the vocab is correct] and when they have finished the
penance, or have it commuted, they "put down the crosses" [sorry, i've
forgotten the requisite verb at the moment].
Note also, that the wearing of crosses for penance for heresy can be
dated to at least 1209, where St Dominic ordered a penitent Albigensian
to wear them publicly .... before that however, there is no real
evidence that i know of ... so - if your commentators on Vitry are
speaking in the 13th century, i would think that they intend one to
understand "doing penance for heresy" rather than "going on crusade".
hope this was helpful and not boringly obvious
cheers
john arnold
centre for medieval studies, york, england
On Wed, 22 May 1996, David Flory wrote:
> I would be interested to hear from a Latinist familiar with 12th and 13th
> century usage about several phrases that consistently occur in the
> sermones vulgares of Jacques de Vitry, and also in his letters. They are
> "signum crucis recipere," "signum crucis accipere," and signum crucis
> suscipere." The metaphorical use of "crux" meaning "cross," "sign of the
> cross," and "crusade" can complicate these phrases in isolation. At the
> end of one Marian miracle tle, for example, the Virgin, in answer to a
> holy hermit's prayer, is seen to offer Jesus to "unusquisque signum
> crucis corde contrito recipiebat." I at first translated this as "one
> who, with contrite heart, undertook holy crusade." Then I wondered if
> perhaps the meaning was not, in fact, "one who received absolution with
> contrite heart." The reason is that I have noticed that Jacques de Vitry
> consistently uses "signum crucis suscipere" to mean "to go on crusade,"
> or "to take up arms," where he seems to use "signum cruce accipere" or
> "signum crucis recipere" to mean " to receive absolution after
> confession," e.g. in Letter II, l. 100, (Huygens ed.) where he speaks of
> being on a ship tossed about by a dreadful storm at sea, and of the many
> who had not confessed in years, relating that (presumibly after hearing
> their confessions) "signum crucis de manu mea receperunt." When a
> contemporary commentator speaks about J. de V's preaching against the
> Albigensians he says that "eloquii suavitate atque dulcedine multos atque
> innumerabilis ad signum crucis accipiendum provocavit." Did he inspire
> them to take up arms, or to receive absolution and re-welcome back into
> the fold those who had strayed by falling into heretical beliefs? I
> realize most are of the opinion that it was the former, but given the
> ambiguity of the phrases, I would be interested to know how others have
> dealt with them in transltion, or if I have overlooked something obvious
> or important (which possibility I feely confess.) Thank you.
>
> David A. Flory, Purdue University
>
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