Divine Darkness

[Keith P]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontl...ecretum1.html\

"Because of his name and native land, St. Maurice had been portrayed as black ever since the 12th century. The insignia of the black head, in a great many instances, was probably meant to represent this soldier saint since a majority of the arms awarded were knightly or military. With 6,666 of his African compatriots, St. Maurice had chosen martyrdom rather than deny his allegiance to his Lord and Saviour, thereby creating for the Christian world an image of the Church Militant that was as impressive numerically as it was colourwise.

Here, no doubt, is a major reason why St. Maurice would become the champion of the old Roman church and an opposition symbol to the growing influence of Luther and Calvin. The fact that he was of the same race as the Ethiopian baptized by St. Philip in Acts of the Apostles was undoubtedly an important element to his significance as well. Since this figure from the New Testament was read as a personification of the Gentile world in its entirety, the complexion of St. Maurice and his Theban Legion (the number of which signified an infinite contingent) was also understood as a representation of the Church's universality - a dogmatic ideal no longer tolerated by the Reformation's nationalism. Furthermore, it cannot be coincidental that the most powerful of the German princes to remain within the Catholic fold, the archbishop Albrecht von Brandenburg, not only dedicated practically all the major institutions under his jurisdiction to St. Maurice but in what is today one of the most important paintings of the Renaissance, had himself portrayed in Sacred Conversation with him. Even more blatant was the action taken by Emanual Philibert, Duke of Savoy. In 1572 he organized the order of St. Maurice. The papal promulgation published at its institution declared quite unequivocally that the sole purpose for this knighthood was to combat of the Reformation. The order still exist exists although it has now combined with the Order of St. Lazarus. The white trefoiled cross of the combined order belongs to the former.

The particular symbol of St. Maurice's blackness that must have most antagonized the Protestant faction, however, was the one regarding the mystery of Papal authority. Scholars have been able to show, for example, that in the theological debates of this period, even the abstract adjectives, black and white, were defiantly acknowledged by apologists of both stripes to represent the Church and the Reformers respectively."

[willy_jack]

6-6-6 the number of the beast!

[Keith P]

Originally Posted by willy_jack

6-6-6 the number of the beast!

lol. No more Illuminati novels for you

[willy_jack]

Originally Posted by Keith P

lol. No more Illuminati novels for you

Oh hell no, then my third eye will seal and shut.....

That and I will be bored as fuck.

[St. Stalin the Apathetic]

Originally Posted by Keith P

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontl...ecretum1.html\

"Because of his name and native land, St. Maurice had been portrayed as black ever since the 12th century.

Not sure what the point of the thread is.... however, I seem to recall something about him going into battle with the lance that had been used to pierce Jesus' side... historically dubious at best but there's a lot of legend behind it and its iteresting stuff

[Keith P]

Originally Posted by xian

Not sure what the point of the thread is.... however, I seem to recall something about him going into battle with the lance that had been used to pierce Jesus' side... historically dubious at best but there's a lot of legend behind it and its iteresting stuff

I never knew much about black figures in the church, so I found the piece enlightening.

What I really found interesting was the early church's seemlingly beautifull ethnic makeup and the reform movement's rejection of it.

For instance, how has this changed and has it at all?

[St. Stalin the Apathetic]

Originally Posted by Keith P

I never knew much about black figures in the church, so I found the piece enlightening.

What I really found interesting was the early church's seemlingly beautifull ethnic makeup and the reform movement's rejection of it.

For instance, how has this changed and has it at all?

Not sure what you're asking.

One thing that was true of Luther, brilliant theologian, is that he was a consumate asshole and anti-semite. The Coptic church and Easter church and Syrian Church etc had differeing views and were populated with different ethnicities - so I suspect the rejuection of thought and ethnicity went hand in hand... but that's pure speculation.


As for early Church diversity - yes - quite true. But the world was a different place - the center of the world was the Roman Lake and the world consisted of those things that surrounded it.... St. Augustine was from North Africa... our Desert fathers were mostly from Egypt, the purest forms of Latin spoken in the 5th 6th and 7th centuries were found in Ireland etc etc fascinating stuff to be sure