Virtual cyberspecial mydibook of [dis]appearances!
In
late antiquity,
for the first time
the death of the martyr
was conceived of as the fulfilling of a religious mandate per se,
and not just the manifestation of a preference
"for violent death"
over
"compliance with a decree!"
This does not, of course, deny the elements of spirituality
in the former practice as it is
manifested in the
Books of
Maccabees.
An
alluring suggestion
it seems to me:
and one that, if correct,
bears further implications?!
The Josephus passage reads:
"Twice each day, at the dawn thereof and when the hour comes for turning to repose,
let all acknowledge
[martyrein]
before G d the bounties which {S}He has bestowed on them
through their deliverance from the land of Egypt!"
In spite of some people's bemusement at this passage,
almost certainly it is simply a midrashic rendering of the commandment
to recite the words of the
"hear O Israel"
twice a day,
in the morning and evening, the recitation of which includes mention of Exodus.
If the normal term for this was [indeed]
martyrein,
and if it was indeed this practice
that was forbidden on pain of death, acoording to Jason of Cyrene, an alternative
[if somwhat obscured]
genealogy for the term
"martyr"
as one who dies confessing could be constructed, suggesting that the term has roots
that go deeper than
late antiquity
...
late antiquity,
for the first time
the death of the martyr
was conceived of as the fulfilling of a religious mandate per se,
and not just the manifestation of a preference
"for violent death"
over
"compliance with a decree!"
This does not, of course, deny the elements of spirituality
in the former practice as it is
manifested in the
Books of
Maccabees.
An
alluring suggestion
it seems to me:
and one that, if correct,
bears further implications?!
The Josephus passage reads:
"Twice each day, at the dawn thereof and when the hour comes for turning to repose,
let all acknowledge
[martyrein]
before G d the bounties which {S}He has bestowed on them
through their deliverance from the land of Egypt!"
In spite of some people's bemusement at this passage,
almost certainly it is simply a midrashic rendering of the commandment
to recite the words of the
"hear O Israel"
twice a day,
in the morning and evening, the recitation of which includes mention of Exodus.
If the normal term for this was [indeed]
martyrein,
and if it was indeed this practice
that was forbidden on pain of death, acoording to Jason of Cyrene, an alternative
[if somwhat obscured]
genealogy for the term
"martyr"
as one who dies confessing could be constructed, suggesting that the term has roots
that go deeper than
late antiquity
...
17 mrt 2009
- meld ongepast verhaal
Log in om een reactie te plaatsen.
- O 11 apr 2026 Omdat David nooit één van zijn zonen officieel als
- O 11 apr 2026 Minder succesvol was Dawied in zijn pogingen oude
- O 11 apr 2026 15 Dawiedewiedewieds Residentie Chevron lag nog té
- O 11 apr 2026 In ‘n beslissende slag i/d heuvels van Gilboa werd
- O 10 apr 2026 Achimelech, de Hogepriester
- O 10 apr 2026 Achterwerk vprogids: bereid je voor op een … nood-
- O 10 apr 2026 millennia eeuwen decennia zijn als sneeuw voor de
- O 10 apr 2026 Aanvankelijk gedroeg SaulSja’oel zich nog wel als
- O 09 apr 2026 De Bindende Kracht van ‘t Geloof in YaHWeH was dus
- O 09 apr 2026 Nog maar amper 3 millennia geleden was
- O 09 apr 2026 Datgene waar ‘t blijkbaar in evolutie om draait is
- O 08 apr 2026 14 ‘Als ik ‘n woord nèt níet begrijp, begeef ik me
- O 08 apr 2026 13 Kana’an was als vanouds verdeeld in tientallen
- O 08 apr 2026 12 In de loop der jaren (eeuwen/millennia) werd ’t
- O 08 apr 2026 11 ‘t Zuidwestelijk van Kanaän gelegen AeGYPTe