amcintire@umiami.miami.edu (05/29/90)
In article <May.24.00.47.51.1990.21140@athos.rutgers.edu>, emory!dragon!cms@gatech.edu writes: In response to my query about Bede's story referencing what has been called "the sparrow in the guild hall": [cms cited various images using the sparrow, mostly implying transitoriness, Mat 10:29-31, Luke 12:6-7, Prov 26:2, Eccl 2:17 --clh] Actually, what I had asked was whether anyone had picked up on Bede's story, using that image in something else--I was hoping someone would come up with something from a poem, essay, book, sermon, as in a message that was received about the "Dutch" Catechism. > BTW, thanks for the Latin, it was lovely. It's been years. > emory!dragon!cms One thing I didn't make clear in my original query. The quotation is from one of the thanes attending the convocation during the attempt at conversion to Christianity [wor"pagan" cleverly avoided]. His speech is the capstone to the discussion, roughly that "We might as well accept this new faith that tells us something about life before and life hereafter, because in our current state all we know is equivalent to the sparrow's brief rush in and out of the guild hall--we know not what comes before or after." It is therefore a touching evocation of the pre-Christian mind, not a Christian or Old Testament image derived from our common culture- thread. Moreover, it is Bede's the way Socrates is Plato's--an inspired and possibly augmented retelling [docudrama?], not his expression meant to reflect his opinion. For Bede's own views, there are lots of sources, including some in From the Fathers of the Church, a book of daily readings for the church year. alex amcintire@umiami.miami.edu -- *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Alexander H. McIntire,Jr. | Internet/Bitnet: | Where there's | Graduate School of | amcintire@umiami.miami.edu | smoke, there | International Studies | SPAN: ISPIR1::AMCINTIRE | may be just a | U.of Miami-Box 8123 | | smoke-making | Coral Gables FL 33124-3010 | Tel: 305-284-4303 [M-F,9-5] | machine! |