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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture At 5:44 PM -0500 6/27/02, Dennis Martin wrote: > >Hysteria may in some cases manifest symptoms something like stigmata. >But "something like" and the actual wounds observed on Padre Pio's hands >and feet and side need to be considered carefully. In Padre Pio's case, >that the wounds produced large quantities of blood was observed by a >variety of witnesses. These were not merely bruised or stained areas of >skin but lesions in the epidermis and dermis that produced significant >amounts of real blood. Has anyone seriously suggested that this exact >phenomen has ever been observed as the result of hysteria? I believe the psychological studies of the stigmata that I've heard of (and I can't cite a specific source, either) concentrate not on whether the stigmata in question originate by Divine grace or from human psychological impulses, but on what form they take. The conclusion I have heard is that the beliefs of the bearer seem to influence the appearance the stigmata take on, especially where they are placed. If the bearer thinks of the nails of the Cross as going through the palms of the hands, that is where the hand stigmata appear; if the bearer thinks of them as going through the wrist, they appear there instead. _________________________________________________________ O Chris Laning | <[log in to unmask]> + Davis, California _________________________________________________________ ********************************************************************** 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