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The Arma Christi [General discussion]
- The Arma Christi [General discussion]
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RE: The Arma Christi [General discussion]
-JKP- > 16-08-2019, 12:09 AM
(15-08-2019, 11:39 PM)Koen G Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.In all gospels, this was during his trial before the Jewish "jury". So Jews blindfolding would be understandable here.
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Hmmm, I don't know enough about this to understand it. I don't remember there being any direct reference to the Sanhedrin in the events leading up to the crucifixion (it might be an indirect implication) and I won't be able to look into it further until this evening. I'll have to step back until I know more.
If this is correct, however, then maybe those vague references to those who mocked and blindfolded Jesus are Jews rather than Romans and there would then be a double meaning to the Synagoga blindfold. -
RE: The Arma Christi [General discussion]
davidjackson > 16-08-2019, 09:20 AM
Remember that in the mediaeval period there was a wave of anti-Semitism sweeping Europe. There simply wasn't a distinction between Romans and Jews in the Passion story, instead the Catholic Church, along with the political authority, just blamed the Jews in many cases. Irrespective of what the historical record actually said... -
RE: The Arma Christi [General discussion]
-JKP- > 16-08-2019, 07:40 PM
Just the fact that Synagoga iconography exists on such a vast scale is evidence of anti-Semitism.
I was very uncomfortable trying to write that blog. It's hard to step back sometimes and just describe these beautiful (anti-Semitic) artworks and what happened, when the whole idea of parading anti-Semitism in front of the public in works of art is, in itself, suppression.
I live in a country with freedom of religion. There is a lot of prejudice despite that, but at least it is in our laws that you let people believe what they want to believe.
I am actually hoping that every word I wrote in the Ecclesia/Synagoga blog is wrong (in relation to the VMS), because I don't want to find out that the eye-poking scene is a put-down of the Jewish religion, but if it is, it's our job as researchers to discover it. -
RE: The Arma Christi [General discussion]
davidjackson > 16-08-2019, 09:54 PM
Anti-Semitism is sadly part of our history, JKP. I think the best we can do is recognise it and try to sweep it under the carpet. By feeling uncomfortable, and dancing around the subject, we do our Jewish cousins no favours. Bring it out into the light, analyse it, and help ensure it never happens again.
It is irrelevant whether the VM contains anti-semitic (or any other kind of racist) material. It is a product of its time and has no bearing upon our lives. It is our task to be open eyed about it, and consider all options.
What we can't do is project our own feelings upon this blank canvas. If it is there we must uncover it; if it is not, we must not dupe ourselves into seeing it. -
RE: The Arma Christi [General discussion]
-JKP- > 16-08-2019, 10:00 PM
I just realized a possible reason for why the ropes around the pole in the Arma Christi are sometimes helical twined!
It's the same reason the sword in the list of the Arma Christi implements is sometimes marked with an X. Helical twining also creates an X shape. X marks the spot (it is a symbol of betrayal). It would help to iconographically distinguish the pole from a regular architectural column or pole (or maybe the artists just thought it looked cooler). -
RE: The Arma Christi [General discussion]
Koen G > 16-08-2019, 10:32 PM
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RE: The Arma Christi [General discussion]
-JKP- > 16-08-2019, 10:42 PM
But that's not helical, unless you have two serpents. That's a simple spiral (and some of the Arma Christi drawings are like that).
I did see quite a number of Synagoga images in which the blindfold was a serpent, so I imagine that is a back-reference, but I don't know if it was specifically to the Adam and Eve serpent, since serpents are such a general symbol used in a lot of ways.
Oops, sorry, I've been saying "helical" when I mean double helix. Very sorry to cause confusion.
The simple spiral is a helix. And then there are ones like the oak and ivy with a double helix. Those are the ones that might have been drawn as a double helix because it also creates an "X" shape (like the "x" on the sword that is usually to the left of the pole). -
RE: The Arma Christi [General discussion]
Koen G > 16-08-2019, 11:08 PM
Hmm yes, the double helix is indeed the remarkable part.
The best parallel is in my opinion in this ms: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
That's the one where I don't just get the feeling that the concepts are related, but also that the drawings belong to the same family. You can even see how the ropes cross not on the pole but a bit beside it, and the same is true in the VM. -
RE: The Arma Christi [General discussion]
-JKP- > 17-08-2019, 10:45 AM
Koen, looking at all this Arma Christi imagery just had some unexpected benefits.
Alchemy scrolls and manuscripts always seemed a bit strange to me. Even when you read them, some of the symbology is a bit weird and the metaphors (of which there are many) don't always seem to quite fit.
I just went back to some of the alchemy imagery for the first time in a couple of weeks and realized Oh! I know where that comes from, and that, and that.... They have borrowed directly from some of the Christian imagery in ways I didn't understand until now. It has been re-purposed, of course, but the ideas are much the same and suddenly they don't seem so strange. -
RE: The Arma Christi [General discussion]
Koen G > 17-08-2019, 12:27 PM
Yeah, it's an eye-opener how our own perception is so different from medieval times. People are good at recognizing symbols, and the Arma Christi were among the most important symbols of the time. Some of them we still know from the stories, but we don't know them as visual symbols.
Some, like the cross and the crown of thorns have remained popular. This is a tattoo design from pinterest, it's been stylized but everyone who grew up in a Christian country will know what it represents:
![[Image: 4fa856ce914e2b5db8ebeba673e20d9e.jpg]](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/4f/a8/56/4fa856ce914e2b5db8ebeba673e20d9e.jpg)
What I have learned studying the visual tradition of Arma Christi is that there were many more of these symbols that would have been equally recognizable to the medieval eye, but for some reasons have been all but forgotten today. The wounds are a good example, especially in their mandorla form with its genital connotations. To the medieval eye they would have been as recognizable as traffic signs are to us.
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Anyway, I've been thinking. If Arma Christi is true, then we might expect certain common items to be present (unless the folios have been removed).
Even in normal medieval imagery it's not always clear what-is-what. So it's understandable we don't see everything right away when (for some reason I still don't understand) these symbols have been worked into plants. And, as I explained above, our eyes don't pick up on what would once have been obvious clues.
Some which I have not (yet) found are:
- nails (usually three, exceptionally four)
- hammer (often with a "forked" end)
- the You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. - this might be tricky since it should include writing. Could be a wooden board or a scroll.
Others are tricky because there are a few options. I'm not sure which plant could be the ladder (which is almost always included). The sponge on a stick is also important but its shape is too similar to that of actual plants, which are also generally stuff on sticks. There are about three or four plants that stand out to me, but I don't know which is the most likely candidate.
![[Image: spain_10thc.jpg?w=250]](https://iconreader.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/spain_10thc.jpg?w=250)