| ETYMOLOGY
101
I
really wanted to do an etymology of crosier,
since there is some fun history behind the staff itself, but
little interesting in the way of etymology. The word chosen
for this week is encyclical, which
literally means “in a circle” (from the Latin
encyclius, derived from Greek enkyklios
[en “in” + kyklos
“circle”].
It is interesting to note that the word encyclopedia
is similar, and means literally “training in a circle”
(from Greek enkyklios “in
a circle” + paideia “rearing
of children”). The rearing of children required passing
along some knowledge to them; hence, the connection with “training,”
and education in general. The “in a circle” bit
has to do with covering all the bases (necessary to acquire
a “liberal” education).
Source: www.etymonline.com
WELL
I'LL BE!
THE
ANSWER TO A QUESTION YOU NEVER ASKED
Why is the Pope’s palace called the Vatican?
The Vatican’s name predates Christianity by hundreds
of years at the least, and is descended from two ancient
names applied to land formations on which Vatican City now
sits. The first is the Mons Vaticanus
(Vatican Hill), upon which much of the southern end of the
city lies; the second is the Ager Vaticanus,
|
 |
(Vatican
Field) upon which St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine
Chapel are built.
The Ager Vaticanus was a low, level
region on the western bank of the Tiber River, and is believed
to be the site of an ancient Etruscan village named Vaticum.
The village vanished centuries before the earliest authentic
history of Rome began, but the name stuck. The origins of
its name are unknown; vates in Latin
is “prophet” and vaticinatio
is “prophecy,” but there is no evidence “Vatican”
is anything more than a loan-word borrowed from the Etruscans.
Over time, Vatican came to refer
specifically to the nearby hill, rather than the lowlands
surrounding it. The popes acquired large parts of the hill
by purchase in the Middle Ages, and built a papal residence
there near the present day location of St. Peter’s Basilica.
This was during the time of Symmachus, who was Pope from 498
to 514 A.D.
The present day state of Vatican City was created in 1929
and has an area of 109 acres, making it the smallest country
in the world. It is home to St. Peter’s Basilica, the
largest church in the world (having some 45 altars, a nave
over 700 feet in length, and a 450 foot dome). It certainly
does deserve its status, considering that it took 120 years
to build (the first stone was laid in 1506).
Sources: http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/sanpietro.htm,
George Stimpson, A Book About A Thousand Things,
pg. 178.
NEAT-O
HOW THE CHURCH CHOOSES A POPE
The
process through which the Cardinals of the Catholic Church
choose a new Pope is called a conclave.*
This is a practice rich in history and tradition, since the
modern form dates from 1274, when the Council of Lyons established
that Cardinals could not leave a conclave until a new Pope
had been elected.** Central to an understanding of the conclave
is the firm belief that the whole process of electing a new
Pope is guided by the Holy Spirit.
Before going any further, I’m going to tell you what
a Cardinal is, since I personally had no idea, and you probably
don’t either. Basically, Cardinals are the Pope’s
second-in command, his highest counselors, and are sometimes
called “Princes of the Church.” In a time of vacancy
(like now), the Cardinals take over administration of the
church; however, their powers are still very limited, and
they are primarily responsible for electing a new Pope. Cardinals
are elected by the Pope in meetings called consistories,
in which the Cardinals also meet with the Pope to discuss
matters that are of great importance to the church. Collectively,
the Cardinals are known as the “College of Cardinals.”
Popes were not always elected as they are now. Prior to 1059,
the clergy and the people of a particular diocese would elect
the new bishop in the presence of other bishops of the region.
This was a fairly democratic process, and hence one that came
to be obscenely corrupted over time. Moreover, as the Christian
population grew in size and scope, |
