At this late hour-- it is 1100-- but the cloudiness and breeze and damp left behind by yesterday's thundershowers and subsequent rains are resisting his advance. Happy feast of Pentecost to any who may read this!
Because I'm fairly confident that the number of readers here can be counted on the fingers of one hand, I'm going ahead and include a paragraph from Dr Eleanor Parker's this morning's email. I'm sure she would appreciate support at her Patreon page.
The vernacular possibilities for Paraclete in the sense 'advocate' include forespreca (literally 'fore-speaker') and þingere, which is connected to the word þing meaning 'meeting, assembly' (like the Icelandic Althing). A þingere is someone who speaks up at such a meeting, perhaps arguing or pleading on behalf of another. There's a verb þingian, 'to intercede, speak, make terms' such as one might in a legal dispute. It's rather a pity, I think, that English didn't keep the word 'to thing' meaning 'to argue in court'! These words, like 'advocate', have legal connotations but are also frequently found in religious contexts, for 'intercessors' with God such as priests or the saints.
One of the random facts I have in my poor memory is that, in Swedish, Pentecost is Pfingst. Which is bound to be somehow related to þingian. I'd look in the Dictionary were it not so late in the day; perhaps later.
The celebration of Holy Mass (at 0200 here...) at Saint Eugène was quite wonderful, and the Schola acquitted itself splendidly. The Veni Sancte Spiritus (from the historic use of Paris, harmonised by Jehan Revert, maître de chapelle of Notre-Dame from 1959 to 1991), Veni Creator Spiritus (all three versions, of Du Mont, Charpentier, and that attributed to d'Ambleville), and the propers were sung perfectly.
Phoebus has finally succeeded in his efforts (it is near noon) and perhaps I can put aside my sweater before too much longer. The jays are very selective about those silly peanuts. It isn't the weight that causes the bird to move from one nut to another, unless on this day the heavier nut is preferred and on that day a lighter one.
Am listening to a recording of the Westminster Cathedral Choir, under the direction of James O'Donnell, of Victoria's great motet Dum complerentur. The text is the first reponsory of today's Matins. You can hear the 'spiritus vehemens' in the voices. (Why the one text tradition has cum and the other dum, I don't know: the meaning is quasi-identical, 'when' and 'whilst'.)
R. Cum compleréntur dies Pentecóstes, erant omnes páriter in eódem loco, allelúja: et súbito factus est sonus de cælo, allelúja,
* Tamquam spíritus veheméntis, et replévit totam domum, allelúja, allelúja.
V. Dum ergo essent in unum discípuli congregáti propter metum Judæórum, sonus repénte de cælo, venit super eos.
R. Tamquam spíritus veheméntis, et replévit totam domum, allelúja, allelúja.
***
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