[Sca-cooks] lent, wine, indulgences, de Nola

[Laura C. Minnick]

At 01:20 PM 1/20/2004, you wrote:

>So my question is, could you buy indulgences to let you drink wine
>during Lent?  Was it even restricted, or am I thinking too modernly
>about alcohol?

Ok- I'm back.

There's a modern view that discourages wine during Lent, and as far as I 
can find, the Eastern Orthodox community has always disallowed wine during 
Lent. But I cannot find a medieval prohibition of wine in western Europe. 
If someone else can, I'd like to see it.

On indulgences- you can't get an indulgence for something you haven't done 
yet- it is only for sins already committed. You must confess the sin and be 
forgiven- it is the punishment that you are avoiding by the indulgence. 
*and* it can only be done for venial sins, not mortal. What an indulgence 
does essentially is to reduce your punishment in purgatory- gets you 'time 
off for good behavior' :-)

Thus endeth the lesson. :-)

'Lainie
___________________________________________________________________________
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president ... right or 
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