[Sca-cooks] Church Key was A Knife Problem

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Dec 29, 2008, at 11:46 AM, Daniel & Elizabeth Phelps wrote:

> It would take some research but if I recall correctly older larger  
> churches traditionally had/have elaborate doors.  I suspect that  
> they had/have rather elaborate locks with corresponding keys to go  
> with them.

They could, but it might, in practice, make it difficult for things  
like offering sanctuary, etc. It would kinda suck to be three steps  
ahead of a group of horsemen bent on arresting or killing you, only to  
run into a locked church door.  I remember seeing some film made in  
the 70's in which the screenplay contained a joke about a church being  
closed for the night, as if this was something remarkable in the "What  
is the world coming to?" sense. I think the whole point of church  
doors is that it's not any earthly lock that's going to stop people  
coming in if they're up to no good.

But perhaps you're right, I have no idea. And I'm sure any church  
built today will have a lock on the door.

>  Side note the key in stylized form figures strongly in Catholic and  
> perhaps Protestant symbology, yes?

I believe the key is often used as a symbol of the papal authority,  
the whole, "What you hold bound on earth I will hold bound in Heaven,"  
thing.

Adamantius