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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and cultureFather Bill wrote:let me add that the most interesting name I know is Astralabe, which attaches itself to the son of Heloise and Abelard. This was not (so far as I know) the name of a Paris football team, but an anagram. That is to say, "Astralabius, puer Dei" as he would have been called at the Christening, is an anagram of "Petrus Abaelardus II"Yes, and I think you are spot on, Father Bill, and I have said so elsewhere, but, as I was challenged by a sceptic, where on earth did the "Puer Dei" come from ? Why on earth might Heloise feel constrained to emphasise her boy was a Child of God ?Respondeo:I dare say you are along the right lines. I hadn't given the matter a great deal of thought, merely observing that, according to Christian theology, every Christian is a child of God, and becomes so at his or her baptism.The idea is such a commonplace in the New Testament and in Christian liturgy and theology that I didn't, when I first noticed the anagram, take the trouble to spell it out.Being more aware, as I now am, of the extent to which the New Testament, Christian theology and liturgy are largely unknown to most modern minds (even academic ones), if I were writing the article now it would be at much greater length and spell out the idea of Christians as children of God. I would probably start with John 1:12, "quotquot autem receperunt eum dedit eis potestatem filios Dei fieri" and relegate to a footnote a score of other texts making the same point. I would probably take the trouble to consult a twelfth-century baptismal liturgy and see if the phrase 'puer Dei' occurs in it; the equivalent certainly occurs often enough in modern liturgies. Stan Metheny can probably supply a happy phrase.My original article, a mere three lines, appeared in Notes and Queries for September 1995. If anyone would like to write a commentary on it, bringing in all the footnotes, then please feel free to have a Ph.D. on me.Bill.
