Hi Cecil, Please excuse my error. I mean the ending "ren." Cistern though similar has a different ending/
venantius Kyoto. Japan > Message: 12 > Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 09:47:44 +0900 > From: "Venantius Pinto" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [Goanet] Brethren - archaic and masculine > To: goanet@lists.goanet.org > Cc: Cecilia Castelino <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Message-ID: > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > Hi Cecil, > Bretheren does not necessarily and automatically exclude sisteren, although > simplistic arguments have been made from a feminist framework. Note, that > this is no way implies that feminism is anything to be scoffed at. There is > something to be said though of the singular use of "bretheren," in > Christian > theological terms; but its use in greetings as queried is not inscrutable. > It is both a gendered (dual gender) and a generic term. > > A person who is aware will use and apply words with intent and discretion. > So using brethern by one of Christian persuasion should imply a catholicity > towards acceptance. Other may use it because they like how it sounds. Words > including mantras, can change us. > > Also archaic words are not necessarily abachronistic (out of space and > time), but give our existence more depth in terms of shared ideas and > memories. > > Presumably, Vivekananda would have still received the same applause, had he > said, "sistern and bretheren of America." Perhaps even more had he only > said > "brethern." They were simply zapped that he was there having heard of him > through their many Christian groups -- attempting to move towards a broader > ecumenical idiom and ideal -- not just with other Christian denominations, > but also seeking to understand a broader notion of deity and attempting to > incorporate such understanding in their practice of worship. > > The ending "tern" is a spatial container -- that holds ideas, collectivity, > practices or material, much like words ending in "rium" -- auditorium, > sanitorium, crematorium. Now note, moratorium-- in this case it is a > cessation of activity in terms of time, but all the latter four words come > under the same category. Intern, extern belongs with sistern and the rest > mentioned earlier. > > venantius > Sendai, Japan > > > > From: "Cecil Pinto" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Subject: [Goanet] Brethren - archaic and masculine > > > > > > Now 'brethren' is an archaic plural of 'brother'. It is also used to > > refer to 'the lay members of a male religious order'. > > > > The female equvalent is 'sisteren'. > > > > > >