Freethought & Rationalism Archive

stephan huller · 10-06-2012, 10:35 PM

Brock points out that, in Late Antiquity, mirrors were not made of mercury-coated glass, but were of bronze, and so required continual burnishing. Even if protected from dust, the mirror would still tarnish and thus require polishing (1982d, 138). Bearing this in mind, we see why Ephrem concludes: "If our mirror is darkened / this is altogether a source of joy to those morally ugly / in that their blemishes are no longer reproved; / whereas if our mirror is polished and illumined, / then it is our free will that has been adorned. Refrain: Blessed is He who has polished our mirror" (CNis XVI. 1-4, LumE 56; cf. NPNF 13:185). McVey speaks of "the image of the mirror as a means to self-knowledge and moral improvement" (McV 401, n. 490, citing Beck 1953).

Poetically, the image of the mirror might include any reflective surface. A prime example is that of oil. Speaking of the immanent spirit of Christ, Ephrem writes: "The Anointed is all faces and the oil (mesha) is just like a mirror; / from wherever I look at the oil the Anointed (Messiah) looks out at me from within." The simile, "the oil is just like a mirror," is more literal than metaphorical, considering that, in Late Antiquity, a bowl of oil was frequently used as a mirror. Word plays are a common feature in Ephrem's hymns. http://books.google.com/books?id=whf...ral%22&f=false

spin · 10-06-2012, 10:46 PM

What I get out of מרק is that women had harsh cosmetic treatments. The verb has the basis of scouring or polishing, the way you clean metals. Purification is a euphemism or even a mistranslation. This was back in the days before soap. People scoured themselves with oil to ease the friction to get that clean look. You wouldn't want to do it too frequently.

This, "Satan has polished Marcion so brightly that he may rust", is actually quite amusing for a pisstake,... typical wordplay.

stephan huller · 10-06-2012, 10:56 PM

But were the Marcionites associated with some sort of extra-strength scouring associated with baptism? That's the sense of Ephrem's statement. I think Cyril of Jerusalem mentions this scouring too. In the RC tradition it's there too.

Quote:

Then, when you were stripped, you were anointed with exorcised oil, from the very hairs of your head to your feet, and were made partakers of the good olive-tree, Jesus Christ.

I will get the whole quote.

stephan huller · 10-06-2012, 11:02 PM

Let's start with Apost. Const. vii. 22: "But thou shalt beforehand anoint the person with holy oil (e'lai/w), and afterward baptize him with water, and n the conclusion shat seal him with the ointment (mu/rw), that the anointing (xri/sma) may be a participation of the Holy Spirit, and the water a symbol of the death, and the ointment the seal of the Covenants. But if there be neither oil nor ointment, water suffices both for anointing, and for a seal, and for a confession of Him who died, or indeed is dying with us."

Cyril has (Catechetical Lectures XX):

Quote:

1. These daily introductions into the Mysteries1 , and new instructions, which are the announcements of new truths, are profitable to us; and most of all to you, who have been renewed from an old state to a new. Therefore, I shall necessarily lay before you the sequel of yesterday's Lecture, that ye may learn of what those things, which were done by you in the inner chamber2 , were symbolical.

2. As soon, then, as ye entered, ye put off your tunic; and this was an image of putting off the old man with his deeds3 . Having stripped yourselves, ye were naked; in this also imitating Christ, who was stripped naked on the Cross, and by His nakedness put off from Himself the principalities and powers, and openly triumphed over them on the tree4 . For since the adverse powers made their lair in your members, ye may no longer wear that old garment; I do not at all mean this visible one, but the aid man, which waxeth corrupt in the lusts of deceit5 . May the soul which has once put him off, never again put him on, but say with the Spouse of Christ in the Song of Songs, I have put off my garment, how shall I put it on6 ? O wondrous thing! ye were naked in the sight of all, and were not ashamed7 ; for truly ye bore the likeness of the first-formed Adam, who was naked in the garden, and was not ashamed.

3. Then, when ye were stripped, ye were anointed with exorcised oil8 , from the very hairs of your head to your feet, and were made partakers of the good olive-tree, Jesus Christ. For ye were cut off from the wild olive-tree9 , and grafted into the good one, and were made to share the fatness of the true olive-tree. The exorcised oil therefore was a symbol of the participation of the fatness of Christ, being a charm to drive away every trace of hostile influence. For as the breathing of the saints, and the invocation of the Name of God, like fiercest flame, scorch and drive out evil spirits10 , so also this exorcised oil receives such virtue by the invocation of God and by prayer, as not only to burn and cleanse away the traces of sins, but also to chase away all the invisible powers of the evil one.

4. After these things, ye were led to the holy pool11 of Divine Baptism, as Christ was carried from the Cross to the Sepulchre which is before our eyes And each of you was asked, whether he believed in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and ye made that saving confession, and descended three times into the water, and ascended again; here also hinting by a symbol at the three days burial of Christ12 . For as our Saviour passed three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, so you also in your first ascent out of the water, represented the first day of Christ in the earth, and by your descent, the night; for as he who is in the night, no longer sees, but he who is in the day, remains in the light, so in the descent, as in the night, ye saw nothing, but in ascending again ye were as in the day. And at the self-same moment ye were both dying and being born; and that Water of salvation was at once your grave and your mother. And what Solomon spoke of others will suit you also; for he said, in that case, There is a time to bear and a time to die13 ; but to you, in the reverse order, there was a time to die and a time to be born; and one and the same time effected both of these, and your birth went hand in hand with your death.

5. O strange and inconceivable thing! we did not really die, we were not really buried, we were not really crucified and raised again; but our imitation was in a figure, and our salvation in reality. Christ was actually crucified, and actually buried, and truly rose again; and all these things He has freely bestowed upon us, that we, sharing His sufferings by imitation, might gain salvation in reality. O surpassing loving-kindness! Christ received nails in His undefiled hands and feet, and suffered anguish; while on me without pain or toil by the fellowship of His suffering He freely bestows salvation.

6. Let no one then suppose that Baptism is merely the grace of remission of sins, or further, that of adoption; as John's was a baptism14 conferring only remission of sins: whereas we know full well, that as it purges our sins, and ministers15 to us the gift of the Holy Ghost, so also it is the counterpart16 of the sufferings of Christ. For this cause Paul just now cried aloud and said, Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into His death17 . These words he spoke to some who were disposed to think that Baptism ministers to us the remission of sins, and adoption, but has not further the fellowship also, by representation, of Christ's true sufferings.

7. In order therefore that we might learn, that whatsoever things Christ endured, For Us and for Our Salvation18 He suffered them in reality and not in appearance, and that we also are made partakers of His sufferings, Paul cried with all exactness of truth, For if we have been planted together with the likeness of His death, we shall be also with the likeness of His resurrection. Well has he said, planted together19 . For since the true Vine was planted in this place, we also by partaking in the Baptism of death have been planted together with Him. And fix thy mind with much attention on the words of the Apostle. He said not, "For if we have been planted together with His death," but, with the likeness of His death. For in Christ's case there was death in reality, for His soul was really separated from His body, and real burial, for His holy body was wrapt in pure linen; and everything happened really to Him; but in your ease there was only a likeness of death and sufferings, whereas of salvation there was not a likeness but a reality.

8. Having been sufficiently instructed in these things, keep them, I beseech you, in your remembrance; that I also, unworthy though I be, may say of you, Now I love you20 , because ye always remember me, and hold fast the traditions, which I delivered unto you. And God, who has presented you as if were alive from the dead21 , is able to grant unto you to walk in newness of life22 : because His is the glory and the power, now and for ever. Amen.

stephan huller · 10-06-2012, 11:16 PM

There is no reference to 'exorcism oil' in Hippolytus's Apostolic Traditions but it is present in the reference to baptismal preparation and exorcism at the end of the fourth century in a document called the Canones ad Gallos, that is, "Canons to the Gauls" (ca. 400), a collection of Roman responses to various inquiries from Gallican bishops.

Quote:

In Canon 8 of these responses, concerned with the frequency and use of "exorcised oil" during the baptismal preparation period, we read that "if the chrism poured upon the head imparts its grace to the whole body, in the same way also, if he who is scrutinized at the third scrutiny is touched with the oil only once and not many times, God [nevertheless] acts upon his [whole] life." Here we see our first clear indication of the Roman use of "exorcised oil" within the rites after the witness of the Apostolic Tradition, and that the Roman tradition has come to know three scrutinies during the period of final preparation for baptism." http://books.google.com/books?id=otQ...use%22&f=false

stephan huller · 10-06-2012, 11:26 PM

Also we should remember Clabeaux's (Lost Edition) idea that the Marcionite NT is related to the early Latin text. The Roman Church's radical celibacy has always struck me as related to Marcionitism.

Sheshbazzar · 10-06-2012, 11:31 PM

Quote:

The Roman Church's radical celibacy has always struck me as related to Marcionitism.

Always struck me as being just plain old butt-humping weird.

stephan huller · 10-06-2012, 11:32 PM

BTW spin your observation was quite helpful. People often wonder why I develop these threads. it is amazing how useful getting constructive criticism/input is. but there is something here. the description of Marcion being excessively polished may go back to a rival baptism tradition which was quite pervasive.

stephan huller · 10-07-2012, 12:30 AM

My problem again is with the specific form mrqyon and mrqyona. WTF? It just seems odd to me that the same association (mrq) is connected with Marcus and Marcion. So what's the solution? Here is what I am thinking:

a) there never was anyone named Mark or Marcion and they are back formations from 'the cleansed' (notice that borborite is a reactionary terminology).
b) mrqyon is a phrase of some sort - mrq + yon but what makes sense?
c) Mark is the actual person associated with cleansing and there is some confusion with respect to some form I don't know about e.g. rea/reayon (purpose, thought); demah/dimayon (image/imagination)

I don't have a clue.

tanya · 10-07-2012, 03:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephan huller

the description of Marcion being excessively polished may go back to a rival baptism tradition which was quite pervasive.

Thanks for the thread, fascinating, really.

The polishing of the ancient mirrors is thoughtful. I would profit from your elaboration of the traditional method of baptism/cleansing operations in ancient Judaism.

I am a few decades in arrears, to forgive the next question.

Why is Ephrem the Syrian not called Ephraim the Syrian?
Yes, I understand that Ephraim was an important figure, described in the Torah. No, I don't comprehend why the Greek is not converted in Roman letters to Ephraim, nevertheless.

Why could he not be Ephraim, the Syrian, instead of Ephrem the Syrian. Do you understand why I ask this question?

He lived in the 4th Century. There were not a few theological debates in that century, right?

So, is it possible, that the answer to your much more profound questions, lies in analyzing how, and why, (i.e. the circumstances of), his name became reduced from Ephraim to Ephrem in the Roman Empire.

What else, about Ephraim the Syrian, was changed from the original text, apart from his name? One could argue that it was a simple mistake, but I doubt that.

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10-06-2012, 10:35 PM	#11
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	Brock points out that, in Late Antiquity, mirrors were not made of mercury-coated glass, but were of bronze, and so required continual burnishing. Even if protected from dust, the mirror would still tarnish and thus require polishing (1982d, 138). Bearing this in mind, we see why Ephrem concludes: "If our mirror is darkened / this is altogether a source of joy to those morally ugly / in that their blemishes are no longer reproved; / whereas if our mirror is polished and illumined, / then it is our free will that has been adorned. Refrain: Blessed is He who has polished our mirror" (CNis XVI. 1-4, LumE 56; cf. NPNF 13:185). McVey speaks of "the image of the mirror as a means to self-knowledge and moral improvement" (McV 401, n. 490, citing Beck 1953). Poetically, the image of the mirror might include any reflective surface. A prime example is that of oil. Speaking of the immanent spirit of Christ, Ephrem writes: "The Anointed is all faces and the oil (mesha) is just like a mirror; / from wherever I look at the oil the Anointed (Messiah) looks out at me from within." The simile, "the oil is just like a mirror," is more literal than metaphorical, considering that, in Late Antiquity, a bowl of oil was frequently used as a mirror. Word plays are a common feature in Ephrem's hymns. http://books.google.com/books?id=whf...ral%22&f=false

10-06-2012, 10:46 PM	#12
spin Contributor Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: nowhere Posts: 15,747	What I get out of מרק is that women had harsh cosmetic treatments. The verb has the basis of scouring or polishing, the way you clean metals. Purification is a euphemism or even a mistranslation. This was back in the days before soap. People scoured themselves with oil to ease the friction to get that clean look. You wouldn't want to do it too frequently. This, "Satan has polished Marcion so brightly that he may rust", is actually quite amusing for a pisstake,... typical wordplay.

10-06-2012, 11:26 PM	#16
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	Also we should remember Clabeaux's (Lost Edition) idea that the Marcionite NT is related to the early Latin text. The Roman Church's radical celibacy has always struck me as related to Marcionitism.

10-06-2012, 11:32 PM	#18
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	BTW spin your observation was quite helpful. People often wonder why I develop these threads. it is amazing how useful getting constructive criticism/input is. but there is something here. the description of Marcion being excessively polished may go back to a rival baptism tradition which was quite pervasive.

10-07-2012, 12:30 AM	#19
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	My problem again is with the specific form mrqyon and mrqyona. WTF? It just seems odd to me that the same association (mrq) is connected with Marcus and Marcion. So what's the solution? Here is what I am thinking: a) there never was anyone named Mark or Marcion and they are back formations from 'the cleansed' (notice that borborite is a reactionary terminology). b) mrqyon is a phrase of some sort - mrq + yon but what makes sense? c) Mark is the actual person associated with cleansing and there is some confusion with respect to some form I don't know about e.g. rea/reayon (purpose, thought); demah/dimayon (image/imagination) I don't have a clue.

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