"If Jerusalem be God’s seat, Rome was His footstool. The nature of Christ in two cities – divine and human."
Love this line and all of the historical information about church and state in Rome. So interesting to reflect on the what the city must have looked like during The Middle Ages. Caused me to want to explore more on the subject and I was reading today about Rome and The Renaissance (mid-15th to the mid-16th centuries). Michelangelo and Raphael made profound contributions to improving the beauty of Rome.
The description of Saint Peter’s on Vatican Hill is so beautifully written.
I loved this passage:
"No violence here, not before the Holy Presence. For the moment, they were not seigneurs, but supplicants with sacks of coins for the bones of Saint Peter.
Beneath the great pergola, resting atop its six spiral columns, its canopy alight from fifty golden lamps – the high altar. The barons placed on it their offerings, then proceeded around its back to the staircase to the apostle’s tomb.
Outside, the soldiers prostrated themselves in the courtyard. What spectacle, hundreds of seigneurs facedown as if struck in a single moment."
When I read this section, I could imagine what it must have been like to be among that crowd.
I was enthralled by the image. THEN I was struck by the violence and loss that was to come.
This entire section was riveting to read. I was extremely moved by the description of them going through the catacombs and seeing images of Anubis and Orpheus.
I am extremely grateful to learn about "Mithras Slaying the Bull." Even though I must have seen this image in museums - I never knew about it until today.
Again - I love how Tim Osner's writing always teaches me something new. For the rest of my life, when I see "Mithras Slaying the Bull" I will remember first learning about it from reading Miles Christi.
*After reading this chapter - I rewatched the opening section of La Dolce Vita (Frederico Fellini, 1960).
In the first sequence, a helicopter transports a statue of Christ over an ancient Roman aqueduct outside of Rome. Eventually, the statue goes to Saint Peter's Square.
"If Jerusalem be God’s seat, Rome was His footstool. The nature of Christ in two cities – divine and human."
Love this line and all of the historical information about church and state in Rome. So interesting to reflect on the what the city must have looked like during The Middle Ages. Caused me to want to explore more on the subject and I was reading today about Rome and The Renaissance (mid-15th to the mid-16th centuries). Michelangelo and Raphael made profound contributions to improving the beauty of Rome.
The description of Saint Peter’s on Vatican Hill is so beautifully written.
I loved this passage:
"No violence here, not before the Holy Presence. For the moment, they were not seigneurs, but supplicants with sacks of coins for the bones of Saint Peter.
Beneath the great pergola, resting atop its six spiral columns, its canopy alight from fifty golden lamps – the high altar. The barons placed on it their offerings, then proceeded around its back to the staircase to the apostle’s tomb.
Outside, the soldiers prostrated themselves in the courtyard. What spectacle, hundreds of seigneurs facedown as if struck in a single moment."
When I read this section, I could imagine what it must have been like to be among that crowd.
I was enthralled by the image. THEN I was struck by the violence and loss that was to come.
This entire section was riveting to read. I was extremely moved by the description of them going through the catacombs and seeing images of Anubis and Orpheus.
I am extremely grateful to learn about "Mithras Slaying the Bull." Even though I must have seen this image in museums - I never knew about it until today.
Again - I love how Tim Osner's writing always teaches me something new. For the rest of my life, when I see "Mithras Slaying the Bull" I will remember first learning about it from reading Miles Christi.
*After reading this chapter - I rewatched the opening section of La Dolce Vita (Frederico Fellini, 1960).
In the first sequence, a helicopter transports a statue of Christ over an ancient Roman aqueduct outside of Rome. Eventually, the statue goes to Saint Peter's Square.