And it seems that C.S. Lewis and the Asclepius, and even Apuleius altogether, is being discussed in "The Daimones of C. S. Lewis," by David H. Sick, which was published online in Literature and Theology Journal on 3 December 2007 and will be in a print copy in June 2008. So I guess it's back to square one. Although now I have reason enough to look at C.S. Lewis and something to do with medieval studies, now.
[Edit: It appears I wrote June 2007 instead of June 2008, when it is really coming out.]
30 May 2008
Scooped!
And some sixty years before I got the idea, even. Drat. I was hoping to work on a talk for Kalamazoo discussing how Bernardus Silvestris's Cosmographia was influenced by the Asclepius. Last night I came across a reference to an article entitled "Bernard Silvester and the Hermetic Asclepius," by Robert B. Woolsey, published in 1948. The opening paragraph reads thus:
"Examination of the De universitate mundi1 by Bernard Silvester and the Hermetic Latin Asclepius proves that Bernard had studied the Hermteticist's work. It is the intent of this paper to report not only that proof, but as well to explain to what extent Bernard applied his own composition what he had learned from his study."2
Yeah. So I will still comb through those works necessary, but it looks like my topic may have been covered rather directly, as that is exactly what I wanted to study, some thirty-seven years before I was even born.
In slightly brighter news, Mr. Woolsey has given me something further to investigate. When discussing the usage of the figure of Oyarses in both the Asclepius and the Cosmographia, he says that instead of being the governor of each celestial sphere, as per the Asclepius, "he has discarded the sense of rule; in Oyarses he employs only the notion of essence or true quality."3 For anyone who has read C. S. Lewis's Space Trilogy, the name Oyarses calls rapidly to mind the figure of Oyarsa (pl. Oyarses), the ruler of Malacandra, and indeed the name and role given to the rulers of all the celestial spheres. This being is similar to a spirit, and might be called the spirit or essence of the planet itself, and is the ruler of that planet. This suggests that Lewis either merely expanded upon the notion of Oyarses as the essence of the celestial spheres into it also being the ruler of the celestial spheres, or he acquired the notion elsewhere -- perhaps even from the Asclepius. So now I have that which I can investigate. It may be an isolated case, or perhaps Lewis did read and borrow from the Asclepius. Now for me to check up and see if anyone has already written on this...
1 Another name for the Cosmographia.
2 Robert B. Woolsey, "Bernard Silvester and the Hermetic Asclepius," Traditio 6 (1948), 340.
3 Ibid. 343.
"Examination of the De universitate mundi1 by Bernard Silvester and the Hermetic Latin Asclepius proves that Bernard had studied the Hermteticist's work. It is the intent of this paper to report not only that proof, but as well to explain to what extent Bernard applied his own composition what he had learned from his study."2
Yeah. So I will still comb through those works necessary, but it looks like my topic may have been covered rather directly, as that is exactly what I wanted to study, some thirty-seven years before I was even born.
In slightly brighter news, Mr. Woolsey has given me something further to investigate. When discussing the usage of the figure of Oyarses in both the Asclepius and the Cosmographia, he says that instead of being the governor of each celestial sphere, as per the Asclepius, "he has discarded the sense of rule; in Oyarses he employs only the notion of essence or true quality."3 For anyone who has read C. S. Lewis's Space Trilogy, the name Oyarses calls rapidly to mind the figure of Oyarsa (pl. Oyarses), the ruler of Malacandra, and indeed the name and role given to the rulers of all the celestial spheres. This being is similar to a spirit, and might be called the spirit or essence of the planet itself, and is the ruler of that planet. This suggests that Lewis either merely expanded upon the notion of Oyarses as the essence of the celestial spheres into it also being the ruler of the celestial spheres, or he acquired the notion elsewhere -- perhaps even from the Asclepius. So now I have that which I can investigate. It may be an isolated case, or perhaps Lewis did read and borrow from the Asclepius. Now for me to check up and see if anyone has already written on this...
1 Another name for the Cosmographia.
2 Robert B. Woolsey, "Bernard Silvester and the Hermetic Asclepius," Traditio 6 (1948), 340.
3 Ibid. 343.
28 May 2008
Library Trips and School Plans
So yesterday I spoke with MOC, the programme co-ordinator for Medieval Studies at St. Michael's. He says I only need two more classes in that major to graduate, so I will be doing the intro course (what a way to end!) and I may do a thesis. The thesis depends on my finding a sufficient corpus to work with as well as someone willing and able to supervise me. I'm thinking about doing a thesis on disability in fables in the middle ages. MOC says that it sounds like a very good idea, but agrees that I need the groundwork first. So we'll see.
And today I went to the library and photocopied a large portion of Brian Copenhaver's Hermetica, namely the Asclepius as well as as many notes as I could before my photocopy card ran out. So I took the book out as well to see if there is some of the introduction I should copy as well. Then I grabbed Peter Dronke's edition of Bernardus Silvestris's Cosmographia, as well as Winthrop Wetherbee's translation of it, as well as Brian Stock's book, Myth and Science in the Twelfth Century. After Confession I shall take them home and begin working, I hope.
And today I went to the library and photocopied a large portion of Brian Copenhaver's Hermetica, namely the Asclepius as well as as many notes as I could before my photocopy card ran out. So I took the book out as well to see if there is some of the introduction I should copy as well. Then I grabbed Peter Dronke's edition of Bernardus Silvestris's Cosmographia, as well as Winthrop Wetherbee's translation of it, as well as Brian Stock's book, Myth and Science in the Twelfth Century. After Confession I shall take them home and begin working, I hope.
18 May 2008
A Revelation About Confession
I was reading Lord, Have Mercy, by Scott Hahn, today, and I was struck by a particular phrase. It talks about how the Jews say that "Only God can forgive sins" when Jesus forgave the adulteress and that is why they were so mad at Him and calling him a blasphemer. Then, when Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to His disciples and says that whatever they bind is bound and whatever they loose is loosed, I took that to refer to whatever any Christian binds or looses is done.
But then I thought about Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. On that day the Jews are required to make amends with everyone whom they have wronged in the past year and ask forgiveness. Presumably that means forgiveness may be given by those whom they wronged. This means that not just God can forgive sins. That means that in that context there is something more going on. Jesus is not just offering her human forgiveness, but rather it must be divine absolution on the behalf of God (as He is God). This not only forgives her for betraying her husband, but clears her of her wrongdoing in a divine and holy sense. And that kind of forgiveness can only come from God. I used to be of the mind that you only had to go to God to ask forgiveness, and this is true. But God also asks us to confess our sins to one another, and that's where Jesus' gift of allowing us to forgive as He forgave the adulteress (what you bind and what you loose shall be bound and shall be loosed) comes into play. That is what is happening in confession with a priest. And that is why confession to a priest is so important.
Jesus was not merely saying that we could forgive each other when we sin against each other, as I once understood that passage. He was saying that we can forgive each other of our sins against God. I still do not see how it works that this gift and permission remains only with the priests, but I am still near the beginning of the book. Intuitively I understand; I just can't state out clear theological reasoning for why it remains only with ordained priests.
But then I thought about Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. On that day the Jews are required to make amends with everyone whom they have wronged in the past year and ask forgiveness. Presumably that means forgiveness may be given by those whom they wronged. This means that not just God can forgive sins. That means that in that context there is something more going on. Jesus is not just offering her human forgiveness, but rather it must be divine absolution on the behalf of God (as He is God). This not only forgives her for betraying her husband, but clears her of her wrongdoing in a divine and holy sense. And that kind of forgiveness can only come from God. I used to be of the mind that you only had to go to God to ask forgiveness, and this is true. But God also asks us to confess our sins to one another, and that's where Jesus' gift of allowing us to forgive as He forgave the adulteress (what you bind and what you loose shall be bound and shall be loosed) comes into play. That is what is happening in confession with a priest. And that is why confession to a priest is so important.
Jesus was not merely saying that we could forgive each other when we sin against each other, as I once understood that passage. He was saying that we can forgive each other of our sins against God. I still do not see how it works that this gift and permission remains only with the priests, but I am still near the beginning of the book. Intuitively I understand; I just can't state out clear theological reasoning for why it remains only with ordained priests.
17 May 2008
Engagement and Kalamazoo
It's been a while since I've written properly.
These past few weeks have been full of hectic chaos. In that time I've started working full time, went camping, gained a fiancée, went to the International Congress of Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, and returned to working full time. And then Sunday a friend of mine will be arriving from BC via Sarnia, so I will be picking her up from the train late at night. It will be pretty awesome. Sadly, that same night while I am yet at church, my newly gained fiancée will be returning to England. Ah well, I shall see her soon again in August when I finally get to cross the big water myself for the first time.
Pardon me while I take a paragraph or two to brag about proposing and the cunning that went into it. A few months ago, a friend of Alison and myself knew I was planning to propose to Ali and suggested that I do so up at a campsite where she has been going her entire life. This campground is very important to her. So I asked our friend to talk with her and see how she felt about it, because I did not wish to overload her with arriving in Canada and then going camping right away. Before too long, Ali seemed excited about the idea. After a long list of things that could have gone wrong (work booking me during the camping time, the ring not getting back from the sizers, etc.) everything fell more or less into place. Alison returned on 2nd May and the day after we drove up to the campground with her, our friend, and two other friends. We were staying in a cabin because it would be warmer and more enjoyable. On Sunday, 4th May, we had a full day up there which we were enjoying a lot. At some point I asked Ali if she'd like to go for a walk with just the two of us as a chance to be together alone. She agreed that we'd go on that walk in the afternoon. Later we left and took one of the trails. After walking for a short bit she stopped at the crest of a hill. And I had the sense that that was the time for it, and knelt and asked her to marry me. It was generally a very shaky and wonderful experience. We then sat on a rock for a while, happy. Later, after she got over the shock that the whole camping trip was not just a convenient timing to propose but in fact entirely for the purpose of proposing, we went back up for some pictures, and she proposed to me with a gorgeous clockwork pocket watch. We plan to get it engraved with the date: 4th May, 2008. She is wonderful and we are both very happy and looking to get married the August after I graduate.
After we got back from camping (we left the day after), we had a day before leaving to the ICMS in Kalamazoo. That was a wonderfully awesome conference. I know I did not get as much out of it as others, but I am slowly defining my interests so that I will get more out of such conferences in the future. I find I keep returning to fables and children's literature. I like the magic of a story; especially a story that relates to the world. I feel more driven to fix up that paper I wrote on Bernardus Silvestris's Cosmographia and the Asclepius. I'd like to prep it to make an abstract to present next year at Kalamazoo. I also would like to consider a paper on C.S. Lewis. I think there is more that can be done with his work than has been done. Everyone likes to focus on Tolkien, but I am sure that there is work to be done yet with Lewis and the fabula (not fabliaux!).
Alison met a fellow in her rather small field who was very enjoyable named Greg. He was great to visit with and I'm sure the two of them will help each other with scholarship. I'm looking forward to picking up some Signed English from him at some point in the future.
Anyway, that is all for now.
These past few weeks have been full of hectic chaos. In that time I've started working full time, went camping, gained a fiancée, went to the International Congress of Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, and returned to working full time. And then Sunday a friend of mine will be arriving from BC via Sarnia, so I will be picking her up from the train late at night. It will be pretty awesome. Sadly, that same night while I am yet at church, my newly gained fiancée will be returning to England. Ah well, I shall see her soon again in August when I finally get to cross the big water myself for the first time.
Pardon me while I take a paragraph or two to brag about proposing and the cunning that went into it. A few months ago, a friend of Alison and myself knew I was planning to propose to Ali and suggested that I do so up at a campsite where she has been going her entire life. This campground is very important to her. So I asked our friend to talk with her and see how she felt about it, because I did not wish to overload her with arriving in Canada and then going camping right away. Before too long, Ali seemed excited about the idea. After a long list of things that could have gone wrong (work booking me during the camping time, the ring not getting back from the sizers, etc.) everything fell more or less into place. Alison returned on 2nd May and the day after we drove up to the campground with her, our friend, and two other friends. We were staying in a cabin because it would be warmer and more enjoyable. On Sunday, 4th May, we had a full day up there which we were enjoying a lot. At some point I asked Ali if she'd like to go for a walk with just the two of us as a chance to be together alone. She agreed that we'd go on that walk in the afternoon. Later we left and took one of the trails. After walking for a short bit she stopped at the crest of a hill. And I had the sense that that was the time for it, and knelt and asked her to marry me. It was generally a very shaky and wonderful experience. We then sat on a rock for a while, happy. Later, after she got over the shock that the whole camping trip was not just a convenient timing to propose but in fact entirely for the purpose of proposing, we went back up for some pictures, and she proposed to me with a gorgeous clockwork pocket watch. We plan to get it engraved with the date: 4th May, 2008. She is wonderful and we are both very happy and looking to get married the August after I graduate.
After we got back from camping (we left the day after), we had a day before leaving to the ICMS in Kalamazoo. That was a wonderfully awesome conference. I know I did not get as much out of it as others, but I am slowly defining my interests so that I will get more out of such conferences in the future. I find I keep returning to fables and children's literature. I like the magic of a story; especially a story that relates to the world. I feel more driven to fix up that paper I wrote on Bernardus Silvestris's Cosmographia and the Asclepius. I'd like to prep it to make an abstract to present next year at Kalamazoo. I also would like to consider a paper on C.S. Lewis. I think there is more that can be done with his work than has been done. Everyone likes to focus on Tolkien, but I am sure that there is work to be done yet with Lewis and the fabula (not fabliaux!).
Alison met a fellow in her rather small field who was very enjoyable named Greg. He was great to visit with and I'm sure the two of them will help each other with scholarship. I'm looking forward to picking up some Signed English from him at some point in the future.
Anyway, that is all for now.
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