Article
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Duplex Spiritus Almus: the semantics of the “X” in the Romanesque period
Dominique J. PERSOONS
Original title: Duplex Spiritus Almus: la sémantique du “X” à l’époque romane
Published in Music in Antiquity, Middle Ages & Renaissance
The illumination from the early thirteenth century English manuscript Harley-MS-4951 shows a curious disposition of the divine trinity. If the Father and the Son are easily identified, the Holy Spirit appears in the form of an X surmounted by two animal heads, one threatening and the other affable. This suggests that the Spirit was considered double and made up of two opposing spirits. This hypothesis is verified by the observation of the tympanum of the cathedral of Jaca.
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Soissons: the stone builds the Marian faith (The Cantiga 53 of Cantigas de Santa Maria by Afonso X)
Bárbara DANTAS
Original title: Soissons: a pedra edifica a fé mariana (a Cantiga 53 das Cantigas de Santa Maria de Afonso X)
Published in Mirabilia Journal
Alfonso X, sovereign of the peninsular kingdoms of León and Castilla, honored the fame of the kings of the medieval West of the 13th century and dedicated much of his time and money to promoting the arts, sciences and Marian cult. One of the ways to unite all these initiatives was the creation of the Cantigas de Santa María, a set of hundreds of stories of miracles and praises to the Virgin Mary, in which another hundred full-page illuminations are recorded. This work will focus on Cantiga 53 and aims to show the technical development implemented by gothic architects, as well as the syncretism between the French and peninsular kingdoms with regard to cathedral architecture, for the example of Soissons Cathedral.
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Is there a great cosmic wheel hidden in the tympanum of Moissac Abbey?
Cécile M. FOSSOUL; Dominique J. PERSOONS
Original title: ¿Hay una gran rueda cósmica escondida en el tímpano de la Abadía de Moissac?
Published in Mirabilia Journal
The tympanum of the Abbey of Moissac, which belonged to the Cistercian order, known for its austerity, presents a strange iconography: Christ in Glory is surrounded by the four evangelists who adopt paradoxical positions, and a kind of laxity that seems at first glance incomprehensible. Also, the two angels keep their hands in the air for no apparent reason. When arranged symmetrically, Romanesque angels generally hold the halo of Christ. However, in Moissac those angels seem to be “paralyzed”. Does the tympanum contain a hidden iconography? Could the 12th century Christianity transmitted secret images? Today, this question could have been answered through the use of graphic design software.
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The knowledge of the Medicine in the writings of Basil of Caesarea
Eirini ARTEMI
Published in Mirabilia Journal
The medicine is a gift of God to people. Basil insisted that monks and many other people should use it in their daily life, because is quite useful for the flourishing of human life. He is well acquainted with the field of medicine, so that some of his references to medical problems or treatments are so close to today's descriptions of medical textbooks. In his commentary on the prophet Isaiah, he refers to definitions of surgery, bruise, wound. He underlines the medical problems of pregnancy and ophthalmological diseases. Did Basil consider medicine better than the grace of God? Can his teaching about the medicine persuade Christians of this era to trust doctors instead of miracles? Can his teaching and his general attitude to the pandemic diseases of the fourth century be an example for people and doctors to face the medical problems as they should be? Are there boarders between faith and medicine?
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The epektasis [ἐπέκτασις] and the exploits of the soul (ἡ ψυχή) in Gregory of Nyssa’s De anima et resurrectione
Elena Ene D-VASILESCU
Published in Mirabilia Journal
The paper refers to a notion central to Gregory of Nyssa’s theology – that of epektasis (ἐπέkτασις), i.e. progression of the soul (ἡ ψυχή) towards its Creator, as presented in the dialogue De anima et resurrectione/On the Soul and the Resurrection. he conversation between Nyssen and his sister Macrina, employing concepts peculiar to the most advanced science of their time, emphasizes that in the afterlife the soul does not leave the body (and neither does human memory). The interesting consequences of this state of affairs for both the resurrection of people and that of Jesus Christ are also discussed.
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Christian iconography: The Great Power of God and its iconographic development in the Canary Islands. Art, History and Tradition
Clementina CALERO RUIZ, Domingo SOLA ANTEQUERA
Original title: Iconografía cristiana: El Gran Poder de Dios y su desarrollo iconográfico en Canarias. Arte, Historia y Tradición
Published in Mirabilia Journal 31 (2020/2)
The Great Power of God is an iconography based on that wounded and pensive one called Humility and Patience Christ. This representation changed to another triumphant and glorious one throughout the 18th Century. This iconography was adopted in the Canary Islands, especially in the Tenerife town of Puerto de la Cruz, after the arriving of a statue with that advocation at the very beginning of that century. In 1754 an engraving of this sacred icon was done. Several paintings derive from it helping to spread its miraculous fame outside the Islands, even reaching Latin American territories.
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The beginning of the path to equality: a comparison of medieval male and female texts about women in the Middle Ages
Sheila ADÁN LLEDÍN
Original title: El principio del camino a la igualdad: Una comparativa de textos medievales femeninos y masculinos sobre la mujer en la Edad Media
Published in Mirabilia Journal 31 (2020/2)
We are used to read medieval texts created by men, but there were not only male’s quills. There were also many documents written by women that have not been discussed so far, where they stand up for other women, speaking of their selves, their circumstances, their lives, their feelings, their sex’s conception, and their opinions, despite the prohibitions and impediments that were imposed to them. This is what this article aims to show: inspirational testimonies that stand for progress, change, fight, and equality. A comparison between what men in the Middle Ages wrote about women, and what women at that time wrote about women.
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The manuscripts with works of Saint Jerome in the Library of the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé in 1433-1440 and in 1550
Jorge JIMÉNEZ LÓPEZ
Original title: Los manuscritos iluminados con obras de san Jerónimo en la Librería del Colegio Mayor de san Bartolomé en 1433-1440 y en 1550
Published in Mirabilia Journal 31 (2020/2)
The study shows the presence of the Saint Jeronimo in different moments of the school library, taking the only preserved documentary testimonies as reference: the 1433-1444 inventaries, the 1550 index and the registers before the closing of the School in 1798. From then, the manuscripts conserved nowadays are located and the analysis of his iconic repertoire is approached, with the objective of defining the ways and space of his creation. That is how the testimonies from the primitive laic ateliers in Languedoc or from the most relevant groups in the parisian setting are identified in the 12th century, Maître de Blanche de Castille. The contrast of these refined pieces with the copy promoted by Diego de Anaya also allows to understand the attitude and the relationship of the founder with the books and the bartolomea library.
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Jerome at the Light of his Epistolary: The use of Written Oratory for the conformation of his personality
María Teresa MUÑOZ GARCIA DE ITURROSPE
Original title: Jerónimo a la luz de su Epistolario: el uso de la oratoria escrita para la conformación de su personaje
Published in Mirabilia Journal 31 (2020/2)
A careful reading of the epistolary confirms that in his most “personal” texts Hieronymus of Strido follows, with Paul as a model, the guidelines of the epideictic genre (and sometimes also the judicial one). Self-praise and humiliation, self-defense and confession are completed with isolated data on his origin, age, studies and physical appearance. All these elements − which in the classic prescriptive were applied to the speaker and which he adapts to impose a powerful self-portrait as a Christian intellectual − can help to explain how he managed to promote himself to be distinguished in the Christian community through the spread of his collection of letters.
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The Hagiographical Relations between Byzantium and the West during the Middle Byzantine Period
Spyros P. PANAGOPOULOS
Original title: Las relaciones hagiográficas entre Bizancio y Occidente durante el período bizantino medio
Published in War and Disease in Antiquity and the Middle Ages
In the present study a special reference is made to the hagiographical relations between Byzantium and the West. The first part is dedicated to the “communication” of Byzantium with the West, on the role played by the Lives of Byzantine Saints, the transfer and honor of their relics and pilgrimages. The phenomenon developed after the 4th century, when an attempt was made to create a liturgical and worship communication between the two Churches and the Roman Martyrologium was formed in the West. The second part is dedicated to the “communication” of the West in Byzantium through the honor of the western Saints. In the next paragraph, we talk about "communication" through the holy relics of the Saints, and it is found that the phenomenon mainly concerned Saints of the East. The paper closes with some introductory notes on translators’ translation options and techniques.
