medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Hi, Sherry--
No, I didn't mean to imply that they weren't eventually celebrated in the
West, but only that the mechanisms leading to their acceptance and
celebration in the West seems to have been different than in the East, where
the cultural impact of the infancy gospels, particularly PJ, seems to have
been much more immediate. If I understand the dissemination of the infancy
gospels (and I may not quite have it right) the diffusion of many of the
PJ's details in the West comes through the Latin translation of
Pseudo-Matthew, which adapts a number of stories from both PJ and the
Infancy Gospel of Thomas. And if I understand the chronology of the infancy
gospels correctly from the New Testament apocrypha folks, PJ is generally
dated to the second half of the second century, with IGT about the same time
(though probably somewhat later), while PsM is later still.
Hence, my question about Jerome and the Gelasian Decree (and I also find
reference to the infancy gospels being opposed by Popes Damasus and Innocent
I). I find it interesting that even with some strident official opposition
early in the West, these infancy gospels exerted such wide influence.
Thanks so much for the details re: England. I'd love a bibliographical
reference to your article (and I know that the literature on Anne is
steadily growing).
As I said, I'm also just getting into this analysis, so I'm probably out of
my depth here. But I also find it more fun and challenging to swim when I
can't so easily touch the bottom of the pool!
Best,
Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Sherry Reames
Sent: Wednesday, October 16, 2002 8:54 PM
To: Daniel Kline
Subject: Re: [[M-R] Apocryphal Infancy Gospels-- not Jerome and Luther,
this time]
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear Dan,
Maybe I'm misinterpreting your last message, but did you mean to imply that
the medieval church in the West *didn't* celebrate those feastdays based on
the Protevangelium of James? They were introduced much earlier in the
Eastern church, granted, but at least two of the three you mention were
pretty widely celebrated in western Europe by the end of the Middle Ages.
Since I recently wrote a little article on the cult of St. Anne in medieval
England, I have some specific facts on this at hand, if you're interested:
The Nativity of the Virgin (September 8 in Western calendars) was included
in the Sacramentary of Gelasius (ca. 700) and firmly established in
Anglo-Saxon England by the ninth or tenth century. The Conception of the
Virgin (observed exactly nine months earlier–i.e., December 8) was
apparently being commemorated at some of the major English monasteries
(Winchester, Exeter, and Canterbury) before the Norman Conquest, and this
feastday was revived in the twelfth century through the efforts of
Benedictine writers like Eadmer of Canterbury and Anselm of Bury, although
it became generally established in England only after 1328 (when it was
made obligatory for the whole Province of Canterbury) and was not clearly
mandated for the Church as a whole until 1476 (when Pope Sixtus IV
confirmed the Council of Basel's ruling on the matter). England also
preceded most of the Continent in instituting a separate feastday for Anne
herself (July 26); that was officially added to the Sarum calendar in 1382
or 1383, though some churches in England and France were celebrating it a
century or two earlier. Only the feast commemorating the Presentation of
the Virgin (her entrance into the temple as a child, celebrated on November
21) was adopted so late that it was still rare in English calendars and
liturgical books at the end of the Middle Ages.
with best wishes,
Sherry Reames (English Dept., University of Wisconsin, Madison)
At 10:50 AM 10/16/02 -0800, you wrote:
>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
>Many thanks for the references, Christopher--
>
>Indeed one of the most interesting things about the infancy gospels in the
>medieval period, at least in the West, is that although they decried by
>Jerome and were officially "condemned" by the Decretum Gelasianum (c. 496),
>they continued to exert such wide artistic and cultural influence. The
>situation in the East is much different in that the Orthodox celebrate
feast
>days based on events found only in the Protevangelium of James, such as
>Anne's conception of Mary, the birth of Mary, and Mary's entrance into the
>Temple.
>
>I welcome any and all further suggestions!
>
>Dan
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Christopher
>Crockett
>Sent: Wednesday, October 16, 2002 7:21 AM
>To: Daniel Kline
>Subject: Re: [[M-R] Jerome and Luther on Apocryphal Infancy Gospels]
>
>
>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
>DANIEL KLINE <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>>In some recent work I've been doing on medieval versions of the apocryphal
>infancy gospels (the Protevangelium of James, the Infancy Gospel of Thomas,
>and Pseudo-Matthew particularly), I've run into references concerning both
>Jerome and Luther's denunciation of these extra-canonical texts. I know
>that
>Jerome and Luther hover at the opposite edges of our period, but I'd be
much
>obliged for any information, particularly bibliographical references.
>
>
>not sure what you're looking for, Dan, but, condemned or not, these texts
>were
>certainly --or at least apparently-- the source(s) for the iconography of
>some
>12th century sculptural programs, most notable that of the Royal Portal of
>Chartres.
>
>i don't know what's on the web, but
>
>cf. HEIMANN, A., "The Capital Frieze and Pilasters of the PortailRoyal,
>Chartres", in _Journal of the Warburg and CourtauldInstitutes_, t. XXXI,
>1968,
>p. 73-102
>
>and i believe that Margot Fassler mentions the apocrypha connections in one
>or
>both of her recent (and fine) articles on the relationships between liturgy
>&
>art at Chartres, which might be more accessible to
>you :
>
>"Liturgy and Sacred History in the Twelfth-Century Tympana at Chartres,"
The
>Art Bulletin 75/3 (1993): 499-520.
>
>"Mary's Nativity, Fulbert of Chartres and the Stirps Jesse: Liturgical
>Innovation circa 1000 and Its Afterlife," Speculum 75, 2000,
>p. 389-434(?).
>
>
>Jerome may have disapproved, but these texts were certainly alive and
>well-regarded at Chartres in the 11th-12th cc.
>
>best from here,
>
>christopher
>
>
>Christopher Crockett
>[log in to unmask]
>
>Curator of the
>
>Centre d'Etudes Chartraines
>
>a home on the Web for Chartres-related scholarship from all disciplines,
>comming (gradually) to a website near you.
>
>http://www.ariadne.org/centrechartraine/
>
>And Pres. & CEO of
>
>Christopher's Book Room
>P.O. Box 1061
>Bloomington, IN 47402
>
>(Corporate motto: "Will sell Books for Food")
>
>http://dogbert.abebooks.com/abe/BooksBrowse?vendorclientid=807329&page=CLIE
N
>T
>
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