ZURBARÁN PATRIARCHS WILL STAY IN AUCKLAND CASTLE

From the The Spectator:

‘It’s the pearl of great price,’ says Jonathan Ruffer. Like the merchant in the Gospel, he is selling all that he hath. With the proceeds, he is buying the 12 Zurbarán paintings of Jacob and his Brothers at Auckland Castle, the palace of the Bishop of Durham. And when he has bought them from the Church of England, he will give them back, keeping them in the castle, thus bestowing them upon the people of the north-east in perpetuity. The price is £15 million. He believes in the Big Society and is taking a big punt on it.
....

Last November, he heard that the Church, burdened by the expense of keeping Auckland Castle, wanted to sell the Zurburáns. He was horrified, and ‘shouted at’ the Church about it, but he suddenly realised that ‘I was the only person in a position to do anything about it. I happened to have £15 million [the price stated]. I wanted to do something for the north-east, where I come from. And I collect such paintings. Four years ago, I bought a Gainsborough copy of one of those Zurburáns of a cowled saint. My first thought had been a commercial one – that I could buy them for myself – but then I realised that there was something much more important to do.’

I've never seen the Zurbaráns, but I was excited and well pleased when I read the story at The Lead. My friend Cathy and I went to visit Durham Cathedral, but we did not visit Auckland Castle, because we were in a bit of a rush. When I heard the Church of England had decided to sell the paintings, I wanted to cry. The paintings belong together, and they belong in Auckland Castle, where they've been since 1756. Now the paintings will remain there, thanks to Ruffer, who purchased them sight unseen. Ruffer grew up in the village of Stokesley in North Yorkshire, and his heart is in the Northeast.

‘People underestimate the symbolic power of art,’ he says, ‘Look at the Angel of the North… These paintings are quite monumental.’

You can see photos of the paintings of Jacob and the patriarchs here. The painting of Jacob is pictured above.

But Ruffer is certainly enjoying himself. He sets out the Ruffer theory of money: ‘There are only three things you can do with it – spend it, save it or give it away. For the rich, saving is much more dangerous than spending, because you can see how empty spending is, but it’s harder to see that saving also is. What a lot of money does is poison you. It’s like the digestive system. It’s meant to flow through you, not to stop flowing.’

Now if only all the millionaires and billionaires in the world had Ruffer's attitude toward their money.

H/T to Nicholas Knisely at The Lead.

An article in the Northern Echo gives more information on the history of the Zurbarán patriarch paintings and their purchase by Bishop Richard Trevor of Durham in 1756. Benjamin is missing from Auckland Castle and hangs in Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire.

ST. ANDREW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, ALBANY, NY, SAYS "NO" TO THE COVENANT

From Openly Episcopal in Albany:

As mentioned in a previous post, the national church has invited each diocese and parish of The Episcopal Church to comment on the proposed Angican Covenant, which will be considered at the next General Convention in 2012. The parish of St. Andrew's in Albany formed a six-week workshop beginning in January to study the covenant. After much prayerful consideration, discussion and friendly debate, it was determined that the group would present a resolution to the vestry for possible submission to the national church.
....

Resolution of the Vestry
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
Albany, New York

In response to the invitation extended to all parishes in The Episcopal Church to study and comment upon the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant, this parish of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Albany, New York recommends that the General Convention of The Episcopal Church not endorse the Covenant. These are our reasons:

* The Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1888 provides a sufficient base for the unity of The Anglican Communion.
* The discipline that would be imposed by the Covenant is contrary to the traditional autonomy of the provinces of the Anglican Communion [Covenant § 3.2.2] and, in particular, of The Episcopal Church.
* The Covenant would change the balance of Scripture, reason, and tradition by minimizing the role of reason.
* We are concerned that the Covenant would establish an ultimate teaching authority that would impair freedom of conscience by dictating which beliefs and norms are permitted to Anglicans.
* We believe The Episcopal Church should continue to be free to respond to its discernment of God's will.

Bear with me (or not) for a long post as I place the vote by St. Andrew's vestry in context with a look back to the diocesan convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany, June 11-13th, 2010.

Before the diocesan convention, Bishop William Love stated the following, as reported in the Albany Episcopalian (pdf.):

“The Anglican Communion Covenant is not designed nor intended to divide or punish, but rather provide a framework in which the members of the Anglican Communion can live and work together to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, building up the Kingdom of God, while resolving issues that could divide us”

“As your Bishop I endorse the Anglican Communion Covenant and I encourage you to do the same.”

Pardon me, but Section 4 of the text of the Anglican Covenant with its references to "consequences" is designed to "divide and punish". Further, I see little to nothing in the Anglican Covenant which will serve to build up the Kingdom of God. I see much in the covenant which may serve to build up the Kingdom of Canterbury and the Primates of the Anglican Communion. As to trickle-down power-sharing with the laity, or even with un-mitred clergy, well, you can forget about that.

Present at the convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany was:

"The Most Reverend Drexel Gomez, the recently retired Archbishop and Primate of the Province of the West Indies and Bishop of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands and his wife Carroll. Archbishop Gomez was involved in the writing and publication of the Windsor Report in 2004, and later, appointed as the Chair of the Covenant Design Group which produced the Anglican Communion Covenant."

The invitation to the Chair of the Covenant Design Group to attend the convention was a sure sign that Bishop Love was confident that the vote to endorse the covenant would pass by an overwhelming majority.

On Bishop Love's address to the convention:

Nearing the end of his address, Bishop Love turned to the topic that everyone waited anxiously to hear. He said, “Like many of you, I remain deeply frustrated and grieved by the growing division within The Episcopal Church and the wider Anglican Communion. The recent election and consecration of an individual living in a homosexual relationship with another person, as Bishop Suffragan of Los Angeles, has only added more fuel to the fire. I know there are some well intentioned people in this room who support the Los Angeles election, while most, to include myself, do not. Regardless of where one stands on the appropriateness or inappropriateness of homosexual relationships (or any sexual relationship for that matter outside of marriage between a man and a women), once again The Episcopal Church has taken an action that the vast majority of the world wide Anglican Communion asked them not to do, showing disregard not only for the wishes of the rest of the Communion, but for the damage and harm the Los Angeles election is causing for many of our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the Communion, especially those living in Islamic countries.”

“Some of the questions that have come up during the recent discussions around the Diocese on the Anglican Covenant, is “Why now? The Anglican Communion has existed all these many years without a Covenant, why do we need one now? If we treat one another with dignity and respect, why do we need a Covenant? Won’t it just cause more division by punishing certain members of the Communion and forcing them out? “

“In response to these questions, I would suggest that we have only to look at the recent Los Angles (sic) election to see why an Anglican Covenant is now needed. Common beliefs and values that we once shared have come under attack and can no longer be taken for granted. The bonds of affection and respect that once existed throughout the Anglican Communion have been shredded. The Anglican Communion Covenant is not designed nor intended to divide or punish, but rather provide a framework in which the members of the Anglican Communion can live and work together to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, building up the Kingdom of God, while resolving issues that could divide us. The Anglican Covenant reminds us of that which we hold in common and cautions us for the sake of the Communion, not to act unilaterally in areas that would be seen as divisive. While not demanding that every member respond in exactly the same way to the various issues before us, it does remind us that our actions do have consequences and we need to be accountable to one another.”

The delegates to the convention did, indeed, vote to endorse the adoption of the Anglican Covenant by an overwhelming majority:

Saturday morning, the long awaited Resolution on the Anglican Covenant was brought before the Convention for action. As expected, a debate ensued. Speakers for and against the Resolution rose to microphones to present their arguments. By the debate’s end, the Resolution passed by an overwhelming 80% (314 to 76) and read as follows:

RESOLVED, that the Episcopal Diocese of Albany endorses the Anglican Communion Covenant (final text, approved for distribution December 18, 2009) and recommends its adoption by all the Provinces of the Anglican Communion.

What the significance is of a diocesan convention vote to endorse the covenant, I have no idea. Whatever its significance, the vestry of St. Andrew's Church chose to disassociate the parish from the vote at diocesan convention.

UPDATE: From the comments:

1) Bp. Love and the DoA Standing Committee endorsed the Covenant before the ink was on the final version, much less dry.

2) At the DoA's 2010 convention, support for the covenant came from three bishops: +Love, ++Gomez, and +++Williams. The last appeared on video just before the vote. (No pressure, of course!)

3) Not all of the "nay" votes at the convention came from progressives. Several very conservative folks opposed the covenant because it's too soft on TEC.

Robert T. Dodd

And I say, “Curiouser and curiouser!”

PAIN AT THE PUMP

From the Washington Times:

Feeling pain at the pump? Gas prices have doubled since Mr. Obama took office. According to the GasBuddy gasoline price tracking web site, the price of a gallon of regular gas was around $1.79 when Mr. Obama took office. Today the national average is $3.58. The lowest average price in the continental United States is $3.31 in Tulsa Oklahoma, the highest is $4.14 in Santa Barbara, CA. Four-dollar-a-gallon gas has arrived on average throughout California, and a number of other states are headed in that direction.

And it's all Obama's doing.

Wait! This is the Washington Times. Cook that red herring and eat it, but remember that it might not have anything to do with the price of gas.

DOG HIGHCHAIR OR HUNDSTOL

Thanks to Lapin for the link.

DISCOVERY OF 1ST CENTURY CHRISTIAN BOOKS?

From the Daily Mail:

For scholars of faith and history, it is a treasure trove too precious for price.

This ancient collection of 70 tiny books, their lead pages bound with wire, could unlock some of the secrets of the earliest days of Christianity.

Academics are divided as to their authenticity but say that if verified, they could prove as pivotal as the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947.

On pages not much bigger than a credit card, are images, symbols and words that appear to refer to the Messiah and, possibly even, to the Crucifixion and Resurrection.

Adding to the intrigue, many of the books are sealed, prompting academics to speculate they are actually the lost collection of codices mentioned in the Bible’s Book Of Revelation.
....

But the mysteries between their ancient pages are not the books’ only riddle. Today, their whereabouts are also something of a mystery. After their discovery by a Jordanian Bedouin, the hoard was subsequently acquired by an Israeli Bedouin, who is said to have illegally smuggled them across the border into Israel, where they remain.

However, the Jordanian Government is now working at the highest levels to repatriate and safeguard the collection. Philip Davies, emeritus professor of biblical studies at Sheffield University, said there was powerful evidence that the books have a Christian origin in plates cast into a picture map of the holy city of Jerusalem.

No, the picture and story above are not an April Fool's joke, and, yes, the story is from the Daily Mail because the newspaper had the best pictures.

However, the story from the BBC website is similar and includes additional information and further commentary from scholars.

A group of 70 or so "books", each with between five and 15 lead leaves bound by lead rings, was apparently discovered in a remote arid valley in northern Jordan somewhere between 2005 and 2007.

A flash flood had exposed two niches inside the cave, one of them marked with a menorah or candlestick, the ancient Jewish religious symbol.

A Jordanian Bedouin opened these plugs, and what he found inside might constitute extremely rare relics of early Christianity.
....

Margaret Barker, an authority on New Testament history, points to the location of the reported discovery as evidence of Christian, rather than purely Jewish, origin.

"We do know that on two occasions groups of refugees from the troubles in Jerusalem fled east, they crossed the Jordan near Jericho and then they fled east to very approximately where these books were said to have been found," she says.

"[Another] one of the things that is most likely pointing towards a Christian provenance, is that these are not scrolls but books. The Christians were particularly associated with writing in a book form rather than scroll form, and sealed books in particular as part of the secret tradition of early Christianity."

The Book of Revelation refers to such sealed texts.

We shall see what further information is forthcoming on the tiny leaden books, but if the first century date is authenticated, they will be of great interest to scholars and a good many of the rest of us.

Thanks to Lapin and Ann V. for the links.

UPDATE: The photo has disappeared twice. Perhaps the Mail won't allow me to post. I'll keep watch and switch to the BBC's picture if the photo disappears again.

UPDATE 2: Rogue Classicism, who's been following the story says, "I think we can pretty much stick a fork in this one …"

Without the information from the BBC, I would never have bothered to post on the story.

NOT AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE

From David@Montreal:

M'Dears:
a call last evening from my sister Joanne with the incredible news that the tumor on Jacques' pancreas has shrunken to less than half its earlier size.

Jacques and Marion returned to the Gaspe about a month ago when the Montreal hospital was able make arrangements to continue his treatment locally, and incredibly he's actually returned to working on renovations on a friend's house (part-time).

he's got a couple more treatments in the current round, and then Marion will be taking him to Toronto to be checked out by the leading specialists in Canada are incredulous

those of you who have been so faithfully upholding Jacques and Marion in prayer will remember late last year Jacques spent almost two months in emergency & intensive care and had been given less than a month to live.apparently the specialists are all confounded by this, however we unspecialized folks are literally singing praise to the Source of All Life Healing

love always-always Love

David

Very good news, David. Thanks be to God and all who cared for and prayed for Jacques.

BOSCO WRITES WHILE WARY

Says Bosco Peters at Liturgy:

I have tended to be wary about devoting much energy to the Anglican “Covenant” here. I do not see much value in debates that generate more heat than light. We can so easily get distracted – making majors out of minors…

But then Bosco goes on to devote a little energy to the Anglican Covenant, not a lot, just a little. And I, who have blathered on and on about the covenant, have said nothing even one tenth as excellent, clear, to the point, and which covers as many bases as Bosco does in his post. It seems there is much to be said for writing while wary. I'll have to try it some time. Please read Bosco's post.

"TINY CHURCH FINDS ORIGINAL KING JAMES BIBLE"

From CNN Belief Blog:

Hilmarton, England (CNN) - A little English village church has just made a remarkable discovery.

The ornate old Bible that had been sitting in plain view on a table near the last row of pews for longer than anyone could remember is an original King James Bible - one of perhaps 200 surviving 400-year-old original editions of arguably the most important book ever printed in English.

In fact, the Bible at St. Laurence Church in Hilmarton, England, was sitting right under a hand-lettered sign saying it was an original.

The sign said it had been found in "the parish chest" in 1857, that the cover had been added, and that it was the second of the two impressions published in 1611 - the year of first publication.
....

The people of St. Laurence Church are now trying to raise money to build a special case so they can keep their Bible in use and on regular display.

That would make the church more or less unique so far as Goff knows, although she speculated that there just might be a few village churches still using their 400-year-old Bibles.

"It's possible there are one or two churches that have gone on doing it and they just haven't thought to say," she said.

"People are now beginning to realize the value of this particular edition. This is the 400th anniversary and there is a lot more emphasis on it," she said.

"They value it. They want to keep it and they want to use it."

I love stories like this one from St Lawrence, of treasures hidden in plain sight in very ordinary places.

Thanks to Ann V. for the link.

SUITABLY AMBIGUOUS

Today she decided to be suitably
ambiguous, so you can think whatever
you'd like about her.

From StoryPeople.

A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND

From NOLA.com:

The Rev. Roy Bourgeois, the Lutcher native and peace activist excommunicated three years ago for publicly supporting the ordination of women as Catholic priests, now faces expulsion from his religious order and from the priesthood as well, his superiors have told him.

Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic. It's surely the loss of the Roman Catholic Church and the Maryknoll Fathers. I've long had Fr Roy's quote on my sidebar: "Silence is the voice of complicity.".

Bourgeois and Mike Virgintino, a spokesman for the Maryknolls, a missionary order of priests, confirmed that “with much sadness” the order earlier this month served Bourgeois written notice that he must publicly recant his support for women’s ordination by Saturday.

Without his compliance, a second warning will be issued, followed by the Maryknoll’s request to Rome that Bourgeois be dismissed from the order and “laicized,” or defrocked after 38 years as priest, Virgintino said.

Bourgeois said in an interview from his home in Columbus, Ga., he cannot, as a matter of conscience, recant his belief that women are called to the Catholic priesthood.

“They’re asking me to tell a lie,” he said. “To exclude women from the priesthood is a grave injustice to women, to the church, and to God.”

The authorities in the Roman Catholic Church, indeed, do a grave injustice to women to deny their call to serve as priests. Perhaps, we can persuade Fr Roy to serve in the Episcopal Church.

He worked as a Maryknoll missionary in Latin America. Living among impoverished peasants in Bolivia -- where he was kicked out -- and later in Guatemala and El Salvador, he came to feel that American foreign policy’s support for their governments was deeply anti-Christian. His anger coalesced around the School of the Americas, an Army institution at Ft. Benning that Bourgeois and other activists said taught Latin American military officers techniques, including torture, for suppressing the poor.

Defenders of the school, now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, said the school taught military officers the values of democracy.

Bourgeois founded an organization called SOA and for years traveled the country speaking out against the school and building support to have Congress to close it. He has been arrested at least three times and served nearly four years in jail for trespassing on the base during protests. He described his support for women’s ordination as a justice issue, of a piece to the rest of his life’s work, rather than a theological issue. (My emphasis)

Amen! I view my support for equality in the policies on ordaining women and LGTB persons as a matter of justice.

From "About us" at SOA Watch:

SOA Watch is an independent organization that seeks to close the US Army School of the Americas, under whatever name it is called, through vigils and fasts, demonstrations and nonviolent protest, as well as media and legislative work.

On November 16, 1989, six Jesuit priests, their co-worker and her teenage daughter were massacred in El Salvador. A U.S. Congressional Task Force reported that those responsible were trained at the U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA) at Ft. Benning, Georgia.

Recently, I noted the feast day of Óscar Romero and the martyrs of El Salvador.

Fr Roy's home town, Lutcher, Louisiana, is across the Mississippi River, not far from Thibodaux, and he has family there, including his 97 year old father. He is a homeboy whom I have long admired.