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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Jon Cannon wrote: > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and > culture > > I'm preparing to give a paper on Lady Chapels, and have a few queries > I can't quite get a definitive answer on. > > Here's one that's had me curious for years: somewhere between 1218 and > 1222, the Bishop of Bath & Wells lent a master mason to St Augustine's > Abbey, Bristol to 'hew out the Seven Lamps of Wisdom's House'. The > building that resulted was a Lady Chapel. > > What does 'Seven Lamps of Wisdom' mean to list members? Why might a > bishop use the phrase to refer to a Lady Chapel? Is there a connection > with the Seven Wise [necessarily paired with Foolish equivalents?] > Virgins who sometimes decorated Lady Chapels (Lichfield) and the > entrances of Marian-related buildings (Salisbury?). > > Apologies, I do not have the original Latin for the phrase to hand. Well, T.E. Lawrence would have reminded you of Proverbs, 9:1 "Sapientia ĉdificavit sibi domum : excidit columnas septem." Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars. Are you absolutely sure it was 'septem lucernas'? That would be Exodus 25:37, Exodus 37:23 and Numbers 8:2. John Briggs ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html