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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture If the larger lessons of history teach anything it is that every age cultivates its myths and its martyrs, its villains and its heroes, as we continuously build our shrines and our cities atop the ruins of those we displace by conquest, by occupation, by cultural digestion. We swallow each other as much by predation as by symbiosis. What the Hebrews ‘accomplished’ in Canaan, the Greeks and Romans took turns doing in Egypt, the Spanish in the Yucatan, and my own ancestors in Huronia. This is, alas, our species as we find it on planet Earth. I joined this group, seeking the path of symbiosis. I find the demons of myth are just as much a legible artifact of history, as a statue, a monument or a clay tablet. Some can even be, not only more durable, but properly read, more telling - even in their falsehood. No one is obligated to believe them, but we dare not ignore them. A case in point, in the voice of Moses: *However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.* For a taste of something more modern, and just as pernicious, Philip Graves <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Graves>' contributions in August 1921 to the *London Times* are just as instructive. I thank Gyorgy and Paul for doing me a great favor. As the mathematician proudly said of his new orthotics, "I now stand corrected." I accept the lesson, stand taller for it, and will re-read Maria Dzielska, but more carefully this time. In the meantime, know that I mourn and exonerate no one, least of all, me. *Mea culpa, amici mei,* Richard Legault On Wed, Mar 11, 2015 at 2:24 AM, Gyorgy Gereby <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture > Doctissimi, and primarily to Richard Legault, > > I > n a scholarly > community, like this > > list > , I think > we should avoid perpetuating legends invented, or misinterpreted > deliberately to discredit > anyone, in this case ancient Christianity > . (There are quite a few of these inventions from Columbus' egg and the > "flat earth" to the Leaning tower experiment, etc.) This is the first > problem as I see it. > > The second is that whether or not the Hypatia legend is historically > correct or not, this has *nothing *to do with the recent barbarisms > committed against archeological sites. I think scholars should be a little > more discerning. Especially as the destruction is partly ideological, > partly an element of a publicity campaign, and finally also a financial > enterprise, that is, selling the better items found on the international > antique black market. > > The third is that answering to these barbaric acts by listing other > barbaric acts committed in history (Timur Lenk would have been a better > analogy, btw.) amounts to an exoneration of culprit. No judge would (and > should) show clemency, however, towards a murderer just because there were > innumerable other cases of murder in human history. > > Valete, > > George > > > > > György Geréby CSc (PhD) > associate professor > head, Mediaeval Studies Department > Central European University > > Budapest V > Nador u 9 > H-1051 Hungary > > Phone/fax: + 36.1.3412634 > Mobile: +36.30.9969874 > Skype: ggereby4 > > On 11 March 2015 at 04:47, Paul Chandler <[log in to unmask]> > wrote: > >> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture >> Hypatia: a case of history tragically misrepresented by those who fail to >> check the facts? See, for example: >> >> http://armariummagnus.blogspot.com.au/2009/05/agora-and-hypatia-hollywood-strikes.html >> -- Paul >> >> On 11 March 2015 at 12:13, richard legault <[log in to unmask]> >> wrote: >> >>> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and >>> culture >>> This of course bears no resemblance whatsoever to the fate of so many >>> pagan sites and artifacts, not to mention people (like Hypatia >>> <http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Hypatia.html>, say) in >>> late antiquity at the hands of those barbaric savages who were all such >>> devout, um.... er... wait, it will come to me. Oh yes, Christians. >>> >>> A case of history tragically repeated by those who fail to read it? >>> >>> Richard J Legault >>> >>> On Tue, Mar 10, 2015 at 7:05 PM, Genevra Kornbluth <[log in to unmask]> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and >>>> culture >>>> >>>> With apologies for links to some unabashedly political web sites-- >>>> I've just heard a horrifying report on NPR radio, stating that >>>> Dura-Europos is among the archaeological sites being destroyed in Syria. It >>>> was bad enough hearing about Nimrud and Khorsabad.... No one seems to know >>>> yet whether the Synagogue or the Christian house is intact. >>>> According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, >>>> "76% of the walled-city had been damaged by April 2014" >>>> http://www.aaas.org/page/ancient-history-modern- >>>> destruction-assessing-status-syria-s-tentative-world- >>>> heritage-sites-7#Dura-Europos >>>> Other web sites: >>>> http://eca.state.gov/cultural-heritage-center/syria- >>>> cultural-heritage-initiative/imagery-archaeological-site-looting >>>> This site mentions destruction of Byzantine mosaics in Raqqa: >>>> http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/news/ >>>> the-destruction-of-the-idols-syrias-patrimony-at-risk-from- >>>> extremists-9122275.html >>>> and has this to say about Dura: >>>> Even worse is the situation at Dura-Europos where 300 people are >>>> excavating. A report by the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums >>>> says that efforts by local communities to stop the digging here have failed >>>> and heavy machinery is being used. The report says that illegal excavations >>>> have “led to the destruction of 80 per cent of the site as perpetrators are >>>> digging holes that can reach three metres in depth”. >>>> >>>> ********************************************************************** >>>> To join the list, send the message: subscribe 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: unsubscribe 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/medieval-religion >>>> >>> >>> ********************************************************************** >>> To join the list, send the message: subscribe 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: unsubscribe 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/medieval-religion >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Paul Chandler, O.Carm. >> Holy Spirit Seminary | PO Box 18 (487 Earnshaw Road) | Banyo Qld 4014 >> | Australia >> office: (07) 3246 9888 | home: (07) 3246 9894 >> [log in to unmask] >> ********************************************************************** >> To join the list, send the message: subscribe 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: unsubscribe 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/medieval-religion >> > > ********************************************************************** To > join the list, send the message: subscribe 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: > unsubscribe 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/medieval-religion ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: subscribe 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: unsubscribe 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/medieval-religion