Emak and I are taking a class this time around entitled Angels and Devils in Medieval Literature. It's pretty awesome, if you like reading Anglo-Saxon poems in prose translations (which everyone knows is not the way to read them, but do you know Anglo-Saxon?)
Our texts include the aptly named LUCIFER, ANGLO-SAXON POETRY, the wonderful VISIONS OF HEAVEN AND HELL BEFORE DANTE, and of course, DANTE.
Medieval representations of the devil are pretty damn awesome. It's not like that's news or something, but it's still worth noting. I've become a pretty big fan of the Harrowing of Hell as a theological precept from the day. It allows for me to get Judas into heaven without having to committ any grave acts of heresy. Except for maybe getting Judas to heaven. Just read the Gospel of Nicodemus.
4 comments:
What I am wondering is: Why you didn't tell everyone that the problem of evil was solved in your first class period? That my friend is note worthy!
yes. one spritely young woman in the second week of class confidently and assuredly solved the problem that has plagued humanity since humanity had the mind to be plagued by trouble.
she solved the problem of evil.
it turns out, Evil was created by God. There's nothing else to debate.
I wish she could have told the cappadocian fathers. they could have used that knowledge, and maybe we wouldn't be stuck trying to find some paradoxical slip in our understanding of creation and creatures of free will and altruism and evil actions.
oh well. at least it's over now.
Actually what i am wondering is if there is a link between double and diablo. I read in some mystery dictionary that there is. This link would have grave consequences for Hegel's definition of self, not to mention for irony. Trouble is I cant find that damn dictionary anywhere, hence the mystery. I probably dreamed it up. I am always looking up words in my dreams. CZF tell us the truth! I'm dying here from the suspense. are my dreams true?
fr.
i did a quick check of the two with the OED and my latin dictionary to try to find a connection between diablo and double.
i haven't found any credible link.
"Double" is from Mid-English, from O.French and Anglo-Saxon, stemming originally from the latin "Duplus" (essentially "times two" or "two-full"). the OED has it dated about late 14th century. if i can wager a guess from my History of English Language class knowledge, the diphthong "OU" makes me feel like its from a more germanic derivation.
"Diablo" from the latin "diabolus." but this is from ecclesiastical latin, which means it came into use later. the church probably appropriated it from Italian. my classical latin dictionary has no word resembling "diablo."
thus, the five minutes i spent looking at etymologies and ruminating it, i would say there isn't a great connection.
but this could all be bullshit. I'll ask my professor, who knows latin, anglo-saxon, old-norse, and old-french. i'll bet he could tell you a whole lot better than i.
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