SC - Fw: Prosphora Stamps (was Byzantine Bread Stamps)

[Alderton, Philippa]

I asked my Byzantine List, and just got a very interesting and detailed
response on the usage of the bread stamps. I hope this helps- I found it
very interesting.


Phlip

Nolo disputare, volo somniare et contendere, et iterum somniare.

phlip at morganco.net

Philippa Farrour
Caer Frig
Southeastern Ohio

"All things are poisons.  It is simply the dose that distinguishes between a
poison and a remedy." -Paracelsus

"Oats -- a grain which in England sustains the horses, and in
Scotland, the men." -- Johnson

"It was pleasant to me to find that 'oats,' the 'food of horses,' were
so much used as the food of the people in Johnson's own town." --
Boswell

"And where will you find such horses, and such men?" -- Anonymous

- -----Original Message-----
From: jgulka at pil.net <jgulka at pil.net>
To: BYZANS-L at lists.missouri.edu <BYZANS-L at lists.missouri.edu>
Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2000 12:38 PM
Subject: Prosphora Stamps


Philippa:
>From the dating of the Prosphora Seals ( Sphragis) you
detail,the bread would have been leavened, as was the Byzantine
traditional usage. The issue of leavened/unleavened was an issue
mangué until the 11thc, when the issue of leavened vs unleavened
emerged in high ( rhetorically and theologically) as an issue in
Greek/Latin  practice. As is well known, the Latin use of unleavened
bread (azyma) instead of leavened bread in the Eucharist was
condemned by the Greeks  ( among other reasons) as being a "Jewish
practice", and hence suspect of creeping "Judaizing".Incidentally,
when in 1054 the Latin Azyma had been condemned by Patriarch Michael
Cerularios, the practice of unleavened bread on the part of the
Armenians was at the same time attacked by the mystical theologian
Nicetas Stethatos on the grounds of "Judaizing". Clearly, by 1274,
the time of LYONS II,the term 'Azymite'  had become highly
significant to the Byzantine mind as connoting one with Latin or
"Latinizing" views.
The stamp/sphragis would have been sealed to the topmost
center of the loaf, where, despite the portions of the loaf removed
for specific commemorations,  it became the central locus for the
ritual re-enactment of the passion narrative.

Josef Gulka

>http://www.rom.on.ca/galleries/byzantine/byzdivbread.html

Philippa wrote:

>"There's a couple of pictures here of bread stamps used in about 500-600
for
>the Eucharistic bread in Byzantium. Can anyone tell me if this was a
>leavened or unleavened bread at that time? If unleavened, I would assume
>they were used as we would use a wafer mold- if leavened, would they have
>been used to mark the top or bottom of the loaf as reserved for Church
>usage?
>
>Incidently, the entire site :
>
>http://www.rom.on.ca/galleries/byzantine/
>
>is fascinating."

Josef Gulka
jgulka at pil.net
  Tel: 215- 732-8420
Fax (215) 732-8420