Anthropos: Anthropos, 101.2006+Ind.1906-2005(CD-ROM)

Anthropos, 101.2006+Ind.1906-2005(CD-ROM)

Bibliographische Daten

Zeitschrift

Strukturtyp:: Zeitschrift

Werks-URN (URL):: https://digi.evifa.de/viewer/resolver?urn=urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-714820

URN:: urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-714820

Persistenter Identifier:: BV043334262

Titel:: Anthropos

Untertitel:: internationale Zeitschrift für Völker- u. Sprachenkunde

Erscheinungsort:: Fribourg

Verlag:: Ed. St. Paul

Erscheinungsjahr:: 1906

Sammlung:: Zeitschriften und Zeitungen > Zeitschriften zur Ethnologie

Wissensgebiet:: Sozial- und Kulturanthropologie > Allgemeines

Zeitschriftenband

Strukturtyp:: Zeitschriftenband

Werks-URN (URL):: https://digi.evifa.de/viewer/resolver?urn=urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-711754

URN:: urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-711754

Persistenter Identifier:: 1510223177592

Titel:: Anthropos, 101.2006+Ind.1906-2005(CD-ROM)

Erscheinungsjahr:: 2006

Signatur:: LA 1118

Sammlung:: Zeitschriften und Zeitungen > Zeitschriften zur Ethnologie

Zeitschriftenheft

Strukturtyp:: Zeitschriftenheft

Titel:: Bd. 101, 2006, Heft 2

Sammlung:: Zeitschriften und Zeitungen > Zeitschriften zur Ethnologie

Zeitschriftenartikel

Strukturtyp:: Zeitschriftenartikel

Titel:: Joseph the Smith and the Salvational Transformation of Matter in Early Medieval Europe

Sonstige Person:: Helms, Mary W.

Sammlung:: Zeitschriften und Zeitungen > Zeitschriften zur Ethnologie

464 Mary W. Helms Anthropos 1O1.200 6 understood by a populace whose Christianity was strongly informed by earlier non-Christian person ages, rites, and beliefs and who accepted the pres ence of the marvelous on an everyday basis. 56 For that matter, in the New Testament, the apocryphal accounts, and the early church in general, Jesus himself was regarded not just as a divinity but also as a miracle-working magician and thaumaturge, contributing to the rise, thorough entrenchment, and prominence throughout the early Middle Ages of “a Christian form of wonder.” 57 Joseph’s typological characteristics presumably were also significantly influenced by the overall Germanization of Christianity which eventually be came normative (and especially influential as folk religion) throughout much of early medieval Eu rope (Russell 1994). Among other features, the Germanic impact on Latin Catholicism fostered not only a heavily magico-religious perspective but also a heroic, power-oriented ethos and worldview that emphasized human life, temporal powers, and rewards in this world and respect for nature’s pow erful and equivocal forces. Germanic Christian ity also was greatly concerned with the historical drama of Christ’s earthly life and focused on the power of the Christ-God to effect this-worldly life more than on eschatological concerns and soterio- logical aspirations (Russell 1994: 6f., 17, 23,188f.; Le Goff 1977: 173 f.). Orthodox Latin Christianity, of course, had a different focus. In terms of Joseph- related symbolism, as we have seen, the aspect of Joseph’s smithing that appealed to patristic fathers mainly involved the powerful metaphorical im agery provided by metallurgy’s transformation by fire wherein raw, imperfect earthly matter could be changed into a new and purified substance of value, analog for the overwhelming change that awaits the faithful, who will ultimately be transformed and re deemed from sinful physicality to cleansed spiritual perfection and eventual eternal life. In contrast, it seems reasonable to suggest that, as a more worldly Germanic-Christian context de veloped, the metaphorical emphasis of transforma tion by fire would have shifted from the ultimate 56 Barb (1963: 107, 115, 123); Flint (1991): Boenig (2000); Jones (1963; 18-20); Chaney (1967); Russell (1994). 57 Flint (1991:33); Smith (1978); Herren and Brown (2002: 160-165, 173 f.). “Good” magic (miracles or mysteries) was understood to further the relationship between people and the supernatural in positive terms that improved human life. Magic to control weather, solve everyday problems, or ef fect cures was acknowledged and sometimes even practiced by Christian clergy, though many church spokesmen disap proved (Barb 1963: 106f.; Hillgarth 1980:47; Flint 1991; Eamon 1983: 181). soteriological and eschatological perspective that ends the process to greater concern with the raw material that begins both the salvational and the metallurgical transformational processes. In other words, Germanic Christianity may have particu larly emphasized the earthly (material) pole of the matter - transformation - spirit continuum. If so, Joseph as blacksmith would connote not only cre ational Master of Fire but also chthonic Master of Matter (Vries 1974:51), an interpretation in ac cord, too, with long-standing Germanic and Ger manic Christian interest in the supernatural pow ers accorded material objects, such as the magical swords, spears, helmets, etc. that legendary smiths could craft (e.g., Russell 1994: 43). If Joseph as a smith were to become particu larly associated with the materiality of his craft, it is easy to extend his general identification with matter beyond occupation to later medieval themes in which he is related to symbols referencing ma teriality per se or appears as earthly Everyman bur dened with humanity’s foibles, failures, and physi cal weaknesses. 58 However, a connection with mat ter is also strongly implied in some of the symbolic meanings long accorded the raw materials with which Joseph was always associated as a crafts man: wood and iron. Base Matter: Wood and Iron To identify Joseph as a craftsman in some form of hard material is to place him in company with all the artisans, including smiths, heralded in Ecclesi asticus as “maintain [ing] the fabric of the world’ (38.34). In the Near East, Mediterranean region, and traditional Europe, wood and iron in particular long maintained that fabric as raw materials essen tial to human survival. 59 Wood was so fundamen tal a substance that it signified matter in general in the ancient world; the Greek word for “matter (hyle; that which was given form in the universe) was simply the word for wood or lumber 60 and the Latin term materia (matter, material, stuff of 58 Possibly a somewhat parallel process may have encouraged a change from an earlier identification of Joseph as mastei builder or overseer, suggestive of God as a divine désigner as in Ulfila’s Gothic translation of the gospels (see note 20), to his later medieval portrayal as a domestically-orienteo woodworker with modest in-home workshop. See, for ex ample, Hahn (1986: 55); Stratton-Pruitt (2002: 33, 34, 43)- 59 Forbes (1958:14-22); Glacken (1967:318-325, 3361)’ Meiggs (1982). 60 Doresse (1960:80, n. 23); Bultmann (1956:128); Srnit (1968: 639); see also Sambursky (1956).

Zugriffsbeschränkung

Nutzungslizenz

fullscreen: Anthropos, 101.2006+Ind.1906-2005(CD-ROM)

Zeitschrift

Zeitschriftenband

Zeitschriftenheft

Zeitschriftenartikel

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Downloads

Ganzer Datensatz

Diese Seite

Bildfragment

Formate und Verlinkungen

Formate

Links

Zitieren

Ganzer Datensatz

Diese Seite

Zitierempfehlung