Comments on: "Afterward, the locust with its execrable teeth"

"Afterward, the locust with its execrable teeth"

Kattullus — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:00:06 -0800

The Speculum theologiae is a beautiful medieval manuscript. Its diagrams demonstrate visually various aspects of the medieval worldview. The diagrams are explained and translated and most of them are expounded upon in a short essay. My favorite diagrams are The Cherub with Six Wings, The 10 Commandments, Plagues of Egypt and Abuses of the Impious and The Tree of Virtue and The Tree of Vices.

By: Phanx

Phanx — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:13:25 -0800

Fascinating - thanks.

By: freya_lamb

freya_lamb — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:24:15 -0800

This is just gorgeous, great treatment of the subject. Thanks for posting

By: Pollomacho

Pollomacho — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:25:57 -0800

Is this the same device the Pope's proctologist uses?

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:39:52 -0800

Pollomacho, please don't engage in idle speculumation.

By: Abiezer

Abiezer — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:41:39 -0800

Plagues of Egypt and Abuses of the Impious I saw them on their first UK tour together at the Limelight. Thanks, Katullus

By: Pollomacho

Pollomacho — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:27:46 -0800

~~idle~~ idol speculumation?

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:44:57 -0800

Damn, we were talking about the Pope, right? Of COURSE I meant to spell it "idol". I hate misspellings!

By: doctor_negative

doctor_negative — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:47:26 -0800

The Ten Commandments looks like a bad powerpoint diagram.

By: Bageena

Bageena — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:12:30 -0800

This is really cool. Thank you.

By: jamjam

jamjam — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:13:42 -0800

Kabbalah-like.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:23:12 -0800

Those little essays are concise and informative. Great post!

By: rhymer

rhymer — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:51:56 -0800

I was so fascinated I did a Google image search for speculum with safe search off. What a versatile word.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:58:25 -0800

I seem to have lost it now, but one of my favourite books was a small hardback copy of a medieval (?) latin textbook for schoolboys that I found once, which gave me a similar impression - ie "diagrams demonstrate visually various aspects of the medieval worldview". It started off by naming the usual subjects for childrens' books - various kinds of animals & vehicles & professions - but ended up with cute little woodcuts of more complex matters, like vices, passions and a cosmology.

By: aeschenkarnos

aeschenkarnos — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:43:30 -0800

Awesome! Thank you.