Medieval Academy of America

A Note on EuhemerismAuthor(s): Millett HenshawSource: Speculum, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jan., 1929), pp. 90-91Published by: Medieval Academy of AmericaStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2847130Accessed: 17/02/2010 15:30

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ALFODHOL DE MERENGI AGAIN

IN a previous note in SPECULUNI (II, 1927, 326-331), I was mistaken in

representing the geomancy or book of lot-casting, ascribed in a manuscript at Florence to Alfodhol de Merengi, as 'hitherto unnoted,' since the treatise has been discussed by both Moritz Steinschneider 1 and Heinrich Suter,2 not to mention Guidi and Wiistenfeld. Its author was probably Fadl b. Sahl al Sarahsi, who died about A.D. 818, and the Latin translation appears to be by Gerard of Cremona, in the list of whose works as drawn up by his associates there is a Liber Alfadhol. But the words 'de Merengi' are hard to explain. There are other manuscripts of the work than that in the Lau- rentian library at Florence - manuscripts in Arabic, and in German as well as Latin translation. But the Berlin Latin manuscript from which Steinschneider gave some extracts differs from the Laurentian codex even more than he indicated on the basis of Bandini's description of it.

1 Recently, on referring again to the Index of Steinschneider's 'Die europaischer Ueber-

setzungen aus dem Arabischen,' Vienna Academy, Sitzungsberichte, philos.-hist. Klasse, CLI

(1906), 89; see also Vol. CXLIX (1905), 21-22, I was horrified to see the word, 'Alfadhol,'

staring me in the face. Almost immediately thereafter I received a letter from Professor Alex- ander Marx, librarian of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, very kindly calling my attention to Steinschneider's discussion of Fadl b. Sahl al Sarahsi and Alfodhol in his 'Ara- bische Mathematiker und Astronomen,' Orientalistische Litteratur-Zeitung, IV (1901), 345-354.

2 See especially his 'Ueber einige noch nicht sicher gestellte Autornamen in den Uebersetz-

ungen des Gerhard von Cremona,' Bibliotheca Mathematica IV (1903), 25-26.

LYNN THORNDIKE, Columbia University.

A NOTE ON EUHEMERISM

Mr J. D. COOKE, in his study of Euhemerism (SPECULUM, II [1927], 396-

410), cites the use made by early Christian fathers of the euhemeristic mode of interpretation in their polemics against pagan worship. It may be of interest to note how euhemerism is used as a motif in lives of the early martyrs and saints.1 In the Acta Disputationis Acacii, the Roman consul, Marcianus, before whom Acacius is being tried, says (Acta Sanctorum, Mart. III, 899D) 'Christianorum consuetudo est multa in deos nostros male- dicta confingere, propterea te ueuire mecum ad lunonem Iouemque praecipio, ut simul celebrantes dulce conuiuium numinibus quae sunt digna reddamus.' Acacius answers: 'Quomodo hie sacrificabo illi, cuius sepulchrum constat esse in Creta? Numquid surrexit a mortuis?' In the Acta Sancti Apollonii,

1 The motif is borrowed from the writings of the fathers. Cf. H. Delehaye, Les Passions des Martyrs et les Genres Litteraires (Brussels, 1921), pp. 344-364, passim.

ALFODHOL DE MERENGI AGAIN

IN a previous note in SPECULUNI (II, 1927, 326-331), I was mistaken in

representing the geomancy or book of lot-casting, ascribed in a manuscript at Florence to Alfodhol de Merengi, as 'hitherto unnoted,' since the treatise has been discussed by both Moritz Steinschneider 1 and Heinrich Suter,2 not to mention Guidi and Wiistenfeld. Its author was probably Fadl b. Sahl al Sarahsi, who died about A.D. 818, and the Latin translation appears to be by Gerard of Cremona, in the list of whose works as drawn up by his associates there is a Liber Alfadhol. But the words 'de Merengi' are hard to explain. There are other manuscripts of the work than that in the Lau- rentian library at Florence - manuscripts in Arabic, and in German as well as Latin translation. But the Berlin Latin manuscript from which Steinschneider gave some extracts differs from the Laurentian codex even more than he indicated on the basis of Bandini's description of it.

1 Recently, on referring again to the Index of Steinschneider's 'Die europaischer Ueber-

setzungen aus dem Arabischen,' Vienna Academy, Sitzungsberichte, philos.-hist. Klasse, CLI

(1906), 89; see also Vol. CXLIX (1905), 21-22, I was horrified to see the word, 'Alfadhol,'

staring me in the face. Almost immediately thereafter I received a letter from Professor Alex- ander Marx, librarian of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, very kindly calling my attention to Steinschneider's discussion of Fadl b. Sahl al Sarahsi and Alfodhol in his 'Ara- bische Mathematiker und Astronomen,' Orientalistische Litteratur-Zeitung, IV (1901), 345-354.

2 See especially his 'Ueber einige noch nicht sicher gestellte Autornamen in den Uebersetz-

ungen des Gerhard von Cremona,' Bibliotheca Mathematica IV (1903), 25-26.

LYNN THORNDIKE, Columbia University.

A NOTE ON EUHEMERISM

Mr J. D. COOKE, in his study of Euhemerism (SPECULUM, II [1927], 396-

410), cites the use made by early Christian fathers of the euhemeristic mode of interpretation in their polemics against pagan worship. It may be of interest to note how euhemerism is used as a motif in lives of the early martyrs and saints.1 In the Acta Disputationis Acacii, the Roman consul, Marcianus, before whom Acacius is being tried, says (Acta Sanctorum, Mart. III, 899D) 'Christianorum consuetudo est multa in deos nostros male- dicta confingere, propterea te ueuire mecum ad lunonem Iouemque praecipio, ut simul celebrantes dulce conuiuium numinibus quae sunt digna reddamus.' Acacius answers: 'Quomodo hie sacrificabo illi, cuius sepulchrum constat esse in Creta? Numquid surrexit a mortuis?' In the Acta Sancti Apollonii,

1 The motif is borrowed from the writings of the fathers. Cf. H. Delehaye, Les Passions des Martyrs et les Genres Litteraires (Brussels, 1921), pp. 344-364, passim.

90 90 Notes Notes

when Perennius, before whom the trial is being held, commands Apollonius to sacrifice to the gods, Apollonius replies (Analecta Bollandia XIV, 290,

22): OEOV's XyovULPv Tro'Vs "PTOas TO 7Wi) 'avOpcjw'7rovs, W's E'~XE-yXoVULP oL w' 7apl

ai1robs IOoL ALoPvvcTop y4p 47oL- 6LcLcTTCv/1EPOP Kca7 'llpaKM'a 'br' 7wvp's cX&/EPOV

SCko-ra, T&P ac CLL&OrCLT6/IEPOP 6' Kpijr2, oLUTEp aKOXO'V0&S 0UYE i77ELTaL r& 6ir raaa 6L'a Tor')s IAVovs CA)V KaLL a2vT7a r'a 69oPacra 'yLVCO-KETaL. 6La To 6voUoE3ES a 9C-)7) IAc`XLUtcr

7rapacLLrOaLL. In the Martyrium Sancti Ignatii, when making his defence, Jgnatius says (J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers, London: Macmillan, 1890, II, 499): o' 6b V'1A4TEpOL OEOl cLa7rEOavCov iA' CvWs Ov?yrol, O9K 9-y4pO joca 6E. a -r Ka yoi3v PZEvs Iv

9 Kp- rEa7rrat Ak7oL,1 7AUk?VYriWLOS 6E KEpCaVPof36XI7OE'S 9 Kvvo-

aotrvpf, 'A4po51LT4 e9P Hcia'o /LIETal Kwvirpov 1-EOcaTcrL, r IHpaKX?7s 7vp' aX7rXWCrat.

Finally, when ordered to sacrifice, he asks (Lightfoot, 503): IoIoLoLs &o`s OcXELS 06,O-&;... -r3 V 7r TLT4aWv 6tLao-T&7LEPC' a9v6po-yfWo;-2

MILLETT HENSHAW, St Louis University.

AN UNWORKED VEIN IN MIDDLE-ENGLISH LEXICOGRAPHY?

WHILE excerpting for quite another purpose Thurot's masterly article in Notices et Extraits des MSS de la Bibliothe'que Imperiale (XXII, ii, 1868), 'Notices et extraits pour servir

' l'histoire des doctrines grammaticales du

Moyen Age,' I was much interested to find that some of the mediaeval

grammars there quoted contain English glosses. I made a note of a few which struck me as remarkably early occurrences and on consulting the NED., found that in some cases the glosses were considerably older than the earliest recorded occurrence of the usage.

As examples I would quote the following, from pp. 531 if.: tidy is found in a thirteenth-century MS. as a gloss of saluber; of the same date is ykel (icicle), while in a MS. of about 1430 one is somewhat surprised to come across the word pancake (I am sorry I did not note the Latin for it!).

Though I am not in a position to consult Thurot's article again, I

hardly think there is a great deal of material there. But considering the

very large number of English students at Paris and elsewhere in France in the thirteenth century, it seems reasonable to suspect that there must exist other manuscripts of mediaeval textbooks containing similar English glosses. As these books are largely of a lexicographical nature, such glosses

I Celsus complains of the Christians' jesting references to the tomb of Zeus. Cf. Origen, Contra Celsum, iii, 43.

2 Cf. Diodorus Siculus, iii, 61. See also J. Rendel-Harris, The Apology of Aristides (Cam- bridge, 1891), p. 106.

when Perennius, before whom the trial is being held, commands Apollonius to sacrifice to the gods, Apollonius replies (Analecta Bollandia XIV, 290,

22): OEOV's XyovULPv Tro'Vs "PTOas TO 7Wi) 'avOpcjw'7rovs, W's E'~XE-yXoVULP oL w' 7apl

ai1robs IOoL ALoPvvcTop y4p 47oL- 6LcLcTTCv/1EPOP Kca7 'llpaKM'a 'br' 7wvp's cX&/EPOV

SCko-ra, T&P ac CLL&OrCLT6/IEPOP 6' Kpijr2, oLUTEp aKOXO'V0&S 0UYE i77ELTaL r& 6ir raaa 6L'a Tor')s IAVovs CA)V KaLL a2vT7a r'a 69oPacra 'yLVCO-KETaL. 6La To 6voUoE3ES a 9C-)7) IAc`XLUtcr

7rapacLLrOaLL. In the Martyrium Sancti Ignatii, when making his defence, Jgnatius says (J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers, London: Macmillan, 1890, II, 499): o' 6b V'1A4TEpOL OEOl cLa7rEOavCov iA' CvWs Ov?yrol, O9K 9-y4pO joca 6E. a -r Ka yoi3v PZEvs Iv

9 Kp- rEa7rrat Ak7oL,1 7AUk?VYriWLOS 6E KEpCaVPof36XI7OE'S 9 Kvvo-

aotrvpf, 'A4po51LT4 e9P Hcia'o /LIETal Kwvirpov 1-EOcaTcrL, r IHpaKX?7s 7vp' aX7rXWCrat.

Finally, when ordered to sacrifice, he asks (Lightfoot, 503): IoIoLoLs &o`s OcXELS 06,O-&;... -r3 V 7r TLT4aWv 6tLao-T&7LEPC' a9v6po-yfWo;-2

MILLETT HENSHAW, St Louis University.

AN UNWORKED VEIN IN MIDDLE-ENGLISH LEXICOGRAPHY?

WHILE excerpting for quite another purpose Thurot's masterly article in Notices et Extraits des MSS de la Bibliothe'que Imperiale (XXII, ii, 1868), 'Notices et extraits pour servir

' l'histoire des doctrines grammaticales du

Moyen Age,' I was much interested to find that some of the mediaeval

grammars there quoted contain English glosses. I made a note of a few which struck me as remarkably early occurrences and on consulting the NED., found that in some cases the glosses were considerably older than the earliest recorded occurrence of the usage.

As examples I would quote the following, from pp. 531 if.: tidy is found in a thirteenth-century MS. as a gloss of saluber; of the same date is ykel (icicle), while in a MS. of about 1430 one is somewhat surprised to come across the word pancake (I am sorry I did not note the Latin for it!).

Though I am not in a position to consult Thurot's article again, I

hardly think there is a great deal of material there. But considering the

very large number of English students at Paris and elsewhere in France in the thirteenth century, it seems reasonable to suspect that there must exist other manuscripts of mediaeval textbooks containing similar English glosses. As these books are largely of a lexicographical nature, such glosses

I Celsus complains of the Christians' jesting references to the tomb of Zeus. Cf. Origen, Contra Celsum, iii, 43.

2 Cf. Diodorus Siculus, iii, 61. See also J. Rendel-Harris, The Apology of Aristides (Cam- bridge, 1891), p. 106.

Notes Notes 91_ 91_

Article Contentsp. 90p. 91

Issue Table of ContentsSpeculum, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jan., 1929), pp. i-iii+vi+v-viii+1-147Volume Information [pp. i-viii]Front Matter [pp. 1-2]Mediaeval Academy Excavations at Cluny the Season of 1928 [pp. 3-26]Cologne MS. 106: A Book of Hildebald [pp. 27-61]Fate in Boethius and the Neoplatonists [pp. 62-72]Crimen Laesae Maiestatis in the Lex Romana Wisigothorum [pp. 73-87]NotesA Personal Memorandum by Conrad Buitzruss 1422-1427 [pp. 88-89]Alfodhol de Merengi Again [p. 90]A Note on Euhemerism [pp. 90-91]An Unworked Vein in Middle-English Lexicography? [pp. 91-92]The Date of the Composition of Andreas Capellanus' De Amore [pp. 92-95]The Wise Sayings of Flann Fna: Introduction [pp. 95-98]The Wise Sayings of Flann Fna: Text [pp. 98-100]The Wise Sayings of Flann Fna: Translation [pp. 100-102]A Beatus Fragment at Santo Domingo de Silos [pp. 102-105]Les Prophecies de Merlin [p. 105]Chaucer's `Corinne' [pp. 106-107]

ReviewsReview: untitled [pp. 108-110]Review: untitled [pp. 110-116]Review: untitled [pp. 116-117]Review: untitled [pp. 117-121]Review: untitled [pp. 121-123]Review: untitled [pp. 123-124]Review: untitled [pp. 125-127]Review: untitled [pp. 127-128]Review: untitled [pp. 129-131]Review: untitled [pp. 131-133]Review: untitled [pp. 133-134]Review: untitled [p. 135]Review: untitled [pp. 136-137]Review: untitled [pp. 137-139]Review: untitled [pp. 139-144]

Louis John Paetow [p. 145-145]CorrectionMozarabic Melodics [p. 145-145]

Announcement of Books Received [pp. 146-147]Notes for Contributors