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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture I've already pointed to Gregory's Moralia 30.15 where the onager signifies those who live in solitude (and are "free" from the influences, distractions, and corruptions of the world) and this would seem to me to be the influence on Goscelin (or mediated by a collection, etc.). (But in 30/25 ff. Gregory also packs in a vast amount of his ideas about solitude, distraction, association with people with low spiritual ambitions, etc. which also appear elsewhere, e.g. Book 24 of the Mor.) However, there is an interesting echo in Isidore: In the _Regula monachorum_ as cited by John Dillon, the monachus is said to be "a turbis remotus". In Mor. 30.15 (50), lines 2-4 Gregory says that the onager, not incongruously, signifies the life of those "qui remoti a turbis popularibus conversantur." The text in Isidore's Sententiae seems to me to "boil down" a much more complex conception of the relation of the solitary/monk and the world that the onager serves to "occasion" in the Moralia. (As one might expect, perhaps.) Thanks to John for locating these passages and passing them on to the list. best gz Grover A. Zinn William H. Danforth Professor of Religion (emeritus) former Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Oberlin College Oberlin, OH 44074 440-775-8866 (department) [log in to unmask] On Jan 2, 2008, at 3:31 PM, John Dillon wrote: > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and > culture > > Some citations from the Brepolis Library of Latin Texts (CLCLT): > > Saluianus Massiliensis, _De gubernatione Dei_, lib. : 4, cap. : 4, > par. : 20, linea : 9 > Venatio leonis onager in heremo; sic pascua sunt diuitum pauperes. > Since an onager is a wild ass, it will live in a wilderness (_in > eremo_). There's a similar line of thought in Jerome, _Liber > quaestionum hebraicarum in Genesim_ (ed. Lagarde), 26, where, > however, the dwellers in the wilderness are Saracens, not hermits: > hic erit rusticus homo: manus eius super omnes, et manus omnium > super eum: et contra faciem omnium fratrum suorum habitabit. > pro rustico scriptum habet in hebraeo fara, quod interpretatur onager. > significat autem semen eius habitaturum in heremo, id est sarracenos > uagos incertis que sedibus, qui uniuersas gentes, quibus desertum ex > latere iungitur, incursant, et inpugnantur ab omnibus et locutus est > ei dicens ecce testamentum meum te cum, et eris pater multitudinis > gentium, et non uocabitur adhuc nomen tuum abram, sed erit nomen > tuum abraham, quia patrem multarum gentium posui te. > Onager = Saracen (or other evil-doer or other heretic) becomes a > fairly standard allegory. > > BUT, more pertinently: > > Eucherius Lugdunensis, _Formulae spiritalis intellegentiae_ (CCSL > 66_), cap.: 4, pag.: 30, linea: 489: > Onager heremita; in Iob: Quis dimittet onagrum liberum? > Now the verbal association is explicit. > > Isidorus Hispalensis, _Sententiae_ (CCSL 111), 17. 5, says this of > monks: > Onager, ut ait Iob, contemnit ciuitatem, et monachi communem > saecularium ciuium conuersationem. > Not entirely pertinent. But as this seems to underly a couple of > passages in the more-widely-commented-on Abelard, I thought I'd toss > it in. > > FINALLY: > > Isidore again,_Regula monachorum_ (cited from the ed. of J. Campos > Ruiz, 1971), cap.: 4, pag. : 96, linea : 97+: > Onager enim liber dimissus monachus est sine dominatu uel sine > impedimento saeculi Deo seruiens et a turbis remotus. > > Hope this helps a little. > > Best, and welcome to the list! > John Dillon > > > > > > On Wednesday, January 2, 2008, at 11:08 am, Jackie Duff wrote: > >> Hello, >> I am new to this list although I have dipped in to it now and again >> to >> follow some very interesting and lively discussions. I thought it >> about time to make some kind of contribution. >> >> I am currently working on hermits, anchorites and recluses (roughly >> 1050 - 1250 but not exclusively) looking at different aspects of >> their >> lives, the terminology and symbolism used by contemporary >> writers/hagiographers and relationships between hermits and the >> broader church and society, among other things. My teaching >> interests >> include heresies of the middle ages and the crusades. >> >> I have recently been reading Monika Otter's translation of Goscelin >> of >> Bertin's Liber Confortatorius and my curiosity has been raised by the >> following: >> Goscelin, writing to his close friend the recluse Eve, and offering >> encouragement that the Lord has already looked upon her favourably, >> then quotes Job 39:5 "Who has sent out the onager free?" >> Goscelin then says, "An onager is a wild donkey, which signifies the >> anchorite. The Lord sets the onager free when he releases the soul >> from outward worries, calling it to the freedom of contemplating him, >> and saying to those he has freed: 'Free your mind and see that I am >> God'". >> >> I can understand the context in which he uses this quotation but I am >> wondering about the origin of the connection between a donkey (or >> onager) and an anchorite. Has anyone come across this elsewhere or >> suggest any explanation for a donkey signifying an anchorite? >> >> Best wishes, >> Jackie Duff > > ********************************************************************** > 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 ********************************************************************** 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