https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/dec/18/a-bit-of-manger-st-nicholass-bone-the-dark-ages-greatest-christmas-relics
Quite a collection, and an indication of what can still be found amongst unpublished or un-analysed manuscripts.
Isn't a definition of stupidity that someone else has a completely different standard of evidence from you or other enlightened people 😳
Its all about the frameworks of thought. Of course Ancient generals were not stupid, yet in their framework it was perfectly rational to look at chicken livers or sheep scapulae before a battle to determine whether to fight or not. Frameworks become a problem when people act within n them and get the wrong result and keep doing it. I think it was the Mad Mullah who told his tribesmen that the British bullets would turn to perfumed rainwater as they charged. When this did not happen the framework allowed that they had not been pure or observant enough abd thus should purify themselves and try harder. In a world in which such events as miracles are seen as everyday occurrences then it is possible to maintain such a framework. Its a good cause for reflection that throughout our period the irrational was covalent with empirical evidence.
One used to wonder how Christian priests used to cope with pagan priests when it came to a question of whose idol would be overthrown or whose God would strike who dead and I decided that.
1) Christian priests were taught to strike first! 'OK your god can strike me dead, lets see him do it then ,
2) Before the pagan can get his challenge in they would say ' Ah well ours has s a God if Love and he isn't into striking people dead. ' Collapse of pagan case!
Roy
Quote from: aligern on December 18, 2019, 11:56:53 AM
to cope with pagan priests when it came to a question of whose idol would be overthrown or whose God would strike who dead and I decided that.
1) Christian priests were taught to strike first! 'OK your god can strike me dead, lets see him do it then ,
2) Before the pagan can get his challenge in they would say ' Ah well ours has s a God if Love and he isn't into striking people dead. ' Collapse of pagan case!
Roy
Or alternatively: 2) 'Ours has a god of love and he isn't into striking people dead himself. He's got people to do that for him'
Cheers
Mick
Another "lost manuscroipt" find, completely off topic and out of period (for which apologies) but it tickled me:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/dec/18/charles-dickenss-final-christmas-turkey-lost-by-great-western-railway