In a 2005 article in Atike Kunst, Gunnel Ekroth examines vase paintings to explore the role blood played in Greek sacrificial rites. One main aim is to support his thesis that Greek reserved sacrificial blood in order to consume it, and he defense this view by examining when blood is and when it is not shown on vases. Ekroth concludes the essay (26-7): “In scenes of thysia sacrifices, i.e. sacrifices ending with a meal for the worshippers, we see no... Read more
Though “word and sentence are interdependent,” argues David Braine (Language and Human Understanding, 2), yet “neither is definable in terms of the other.” This is most often acknowledged from one direction: An infinite number of sentences can be constructed from the finite resources of the lexical stock of a language. It works the other way too, of course: Words are “multi-potential in use, open to many sense or discourse-significances.” That seems obvious enough, but Braine thinks it’s overlooked by philosophers... Read more
Jody Bottum’s new An Anxious Age is as idiosyncratic, quirky, eloquent, and insightful as its author. Bottum offers a spiritual reading of contemporary America, starting from the insight that American culture has been re-enchanted, our “metaphysical realm . . . repopulated with social and political ideas elevated to the status of strange divinities: a scientifically acceptable re-enchantment and supernatural thickening of reality” (xiii). “Spirits and demons, angels and demigods, flitter through American public life, ferrying back and forth across our social... Read more
In 1907, Ira M. Price, a member of the original faculty of the University of Chicago and professor of ancient languages and literatures from 1892-1925, concluded a discussion of the parallels between Genesis and other ANE documents with this observation (The Monuments and the Old Testament): “How . . . is the similarity between Genesis and the inscriptions to be explained? There are four answers given to this question: (1) The Genesis account is drawn from these traditions; (2) Genesis... Read more
Augustine discerns an inner connection between imperium and pornography. Imperium is the political form of the libido dominandi. Pornography is the sexual form of the same libido. Both imperium and porn reduce human persons to bodies to be manipulated for the manipulator’s pleasure. Decadence is built into imperium. (This from a brilliant paper by John Cavadini at the Wilken Colloquium at Baylor University.) Read more
“What kind of an appeal does this have for a reader – especially one from a post-Christian society like our own-who does not share Herbert’s theological premisses?” asks Stephen Prickett in his TLS review of John Drury’s Music at Midnight: The Life and Poetry of George Herbert. Coleridge already raised the same point: “G. Herbert is a true poet, but a poet sui generis, the merits of whose poems will never be felt without a sympathy with the mind and character of... Read more
It was much better for God to create humanity from one individual than from several, Augustine argues (City of God, 12.21). Noting the difference between the creation of animals from the ground and the creation of Eve from Adam, Augustine notes, “as to the other animals, He created some solitary, and naturally seeking lonely places—as the eagles, kites, lions, wolves, and such like; others gregarious, which herd together, and prefer to live in company—as pigeons, starlings, stags, and little fallow... Read more
Many have observed the connections between consumerism and abortion. It’s an ancient insight. The prophet Micah charged that Zion had been built with blood and Jerusalem with violent injustice (Micah 4:10). He immediately followed with a charge against Judah’s leaders: Judges accept bribes, priests teach for money; prophets please the deep pockets (Micah 4:11_). The connection is obvious enough. Innocent people die when judges are greedy, and the violent rich are comforted and justified by money-hungry clerics and prophets. So... Read more
“What makes this team special?” a reporter asked UVA basketball coach Tony Bennett after his Cavaliers beat Syracuse to sew up the regular-season ACC championship. “Humility,” Bennett replied, then looked down and waited for the next question. He explained a moment later: His team plays together, doesn’t care who gets the glory, shares the ball and the glory. Humility as the way to glory: Sounds vaguely familiar to me. Read more
Deflating postmodern irony has been a long time coming. Donald Nichol sees it aborning already in the heyday of classicism, with Alexander Pope’s third, and last, great poem. ”The Rape of the Lock represents Pope’s acknowledgement of the triumph of style over substance – a mock-salute to the spirit of inconsequentiality, which seemed to be on the rise in the early eighteenth century (vide John Gay’s Trivia) and looks ahead to Seinfeldian comedy, the great show about nothing, a celebration of... Read more
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