On 7/20/05, Jim Devine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > As a fan of Aristotle's adversaries when it comes to logic and > > metaphysics I must object to this attempt at guilt by association > > across the ages! > > > > Ian > > I didn't say "Cretans." > > (my classical civ. prof. (a real conservative, popular with the > Straussians) told us that the word "cretin" comes from the French > "cretien," meaning ...)
-------------------------------- <http://www.centralcal.com/titus.htm> Epistle to Titus This letter to Titus was written around 66 AD, prior to Paul's last imprisonment from what is now Bulgaria. Titus would leave Crete to oversee the church there, but tradition claims he returned to Crete as bishop, serving in that office until his death as an old man. The epistle provides practical outlines for the structure of the church and its elders. 12 In fact, one of the Cretans, an orator of theirs, said: "The Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and gluttons." 13 I couldn't have said it better myself! So rebuke men (preaching circumcision) sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 Instead of giving in to Jewish fables and extra-biblical commandments of the rabbis, that only turn men from the truth (of salvation by grace through faith). <http://www.takeourword.com/Issue027.html> English borrowed cretin from the French word crétin in 1779. It comes from an earlier word, cretin, which meant "Christian" in the (French) dialects of Valais and Savoie (compare the standard French word, chrétien). Its ultimate source is the Latin christianus, "Christian". While the original meaning of cretin was, literally, "Christian", the word "Christian" was not being used as we would use it today. In our pluralistic, multi-cultural society, we recognize Christianity to be just one of many competing belief systems. Thus, to say that someone is a Christian is to state that s/he is not a Buddhist, a Marxist, a Hindu or a Jew. This seems rather obvious to us, doesn't it? Yet this wasn't quite how the word was understood by the medieval inhabitants of remote Alpine valleys. From their limited and parochial perspective it seemed that everyone in the world was Christian. Thus, the word became synonymous with "human being". Due to the lack of iodine in the medieval Alpine diet, certain regions of Switzerland were prone to severe thyroid problems, such as goiter and congenital idiocy. The local priests, moved by compassion for these poor imbeciles, encouraged the populace to treat them kindly. They deserved pity, it was said, because they were, at least, Christians (i.e. "human beings"). We must admit that we were quite surprised to find that the word Christian itself was not used in English until 1526. How did English-speaking Christians refer to themselves before that date? Did they not need such a word before they came into contact with non-Christians? -- "Rest and relaxation rocket to my brain" [Talking Heads]
