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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Am I right in concluding that the ‘fanning’ of the Eucharistic elements
during the Creed in the current liturgy of S. John  Chrysostom is a relic of
the practice discussed below?

jbw

 

From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious
culture [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Paul Chandler
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 1:17 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] Feasts and Saints of the Day: November 17

 

medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture 
John Dillon is right that the instrument here is a flabellum or riphidion,
known from at least the 4th century and originally a fan used to keep
insects from the eucharistic elements. There are instructions for the deacon
to fan in the Apostolic Constitutions.  I think I've read somewhere that the
movement of air was later interpreted symbolically as representing the
presence of the Spirit, but I can't find a reference for that and perhaps I
have invented it. Later still they became simply a mark of honour and
largely lost their fan-like quality. In Orthodox use they became (and
remain) disks on a pole, occasionally very elaborate but sometimes quite
small, embossed with the image of a seraph. The Wikipedia articles has some
quite good images in its many links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flabellum

Some Western examples were extremely elaborate, such as this German example:
    http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/70011794
or this fabulous 12th c. Scheibenkreuz from Hildesheim:
    http://www.welterbe-hildesheim.de/domschatz/popup_scheibenkreuz_01.html
Presumably these had decorative/honorific rather than functional fanning
purposes.

The last relic of the flabellum in the West were the ostrich-feather plumes
that used to be carried in papal processions.

I don't think the Communion of the Apostles theme is unknown in the West.
Here's Fra Angelico's version:
    http://www.wga.hu/art/a/angelico/11/armadio7.jpg
and here the one from the Très Riches Heures:
 
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Folio_189v_-_The_Communion_of_the_Apo
stles.jpg


. 

On 22 November 2011 02:16, Christopher Crockett <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

the next one

http://www.orthodoxy-icons.com/uploads/posts/2011-04/1304066191_city-nonreso
nant0010.jpg

seems to represent angels shooing the flies off of the consecrated Host
(bread
& wine) --which suggests that the one to the left is Christ presenting the
consecrated Host to Peter (left) & Paul?

as far as i am aware, not an iconography known in the West.


c

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Paul Chandler, O.Carm.
Holy Spirit Seminary  |  PO Box 18 (487 Earnshaw Road)  |  Banyo Qld 4014  |
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