Final Quotes Flashcards
(13 cards)
Boethius
“By Orpheus’ singing tamed and dazed;
The Furies who avenge men’s sin,
Who at the guilty’s terror grin,
Let tears of sorrow from them steal;
No longer does the turning wheel
Ixion’s head send whirling round;” (Book 3XII)
Aquinas
“In this way, therefore, a defect is always reason for being merciful, either so far as someone regards the defect of another as his own on account of the union of love, or else on account of the possibility of suffering similar evils.” (Q.30, art. 3, co)
Dante
“I stared at her, and as the sun gives strength
to the cold limbs made sluggish by the night,
so did my gaze now straighten all her length
And form her tongue so she could speak aright,
all in a moment, and it brought the color
love most desires into her pallid face.” (Canto XIX, line 22 -24)
Catherine
“I made of that cross an anvil where this child of humankind could be hammered into an instrument to release humankind from death and restore it to the life of grace.” (p. 65)
Bonaventure
“Holy poverty,
which was all they had to meet their expenses,
made them prompt for obedience,
robust for work and free for travel.
Because they possessed nothing that belonged
to the world,
they were attached to nothing and feared to
lose nothing.” (p.37)
Julian
“And in the great and endless love which God has for all mankind, he makes no distinction in love between the blessed soul of Christ and the least soul that will be saved” (Book 54, pg.__)
Chaucer
“But if one knows that joy is transitory,
And every joy in worldly things must flee,
He that remembers this will lose the glory;
The very dread of losing it must be
Enough to ruin his felicity.
If then one sets no store on joy so brittle,
It follows surely that it’s worth but little. (stanza 119, p. 140)
“By Orpheus’ singing tamed and dazed;
The Furies who avenge men’s sin,
Who at the guilty’s terror grin,
Let tears of sorrow from them steal;
No longer does the turning wheel
Ixion’s head send whirling round;” (Book 3, XII, p. 83)
context/explanation:
> cautionary tale –> when the soul looks “back” toward the temporal, it loses the eternal
> Eurydice represents a deep emotional attachment to transient, earthly things–> true happiness can only be found in the eternal and unchanging (unity with the divine Good)
> music is a symbol of reasoned harmony –> reason must govern the soul’s desires if it is to ascend toward true happiness
> beauty is a reflection of the Good –> musical, lyrical quality of the poem mirrors the harmony Orpheus once wielded (union of reason and emotion)
> beauty and harmony (art, reason, or even divine insight) can momentarily interrupt or soften the harshness of fate
–> readers must be warned not to lose sight of the philosophical truth in favor of transient pleasures
“In this way, therefore, a defect is always reason for being merciful, either so far as someone regards the defect of another as his own on account of the union of love, or else on account of the possibility of suffering similar evils.” (Q.30, A.2, co)
context/explanation:
> Aquinas is answering question if being merciful is spurned by the passions or pity = weakness?
> he will determine that it is reason that makes mercy a virtue
> being merciful is an active choice to relieve another’s misery because of love and justice
> emotional aspect of mercy might stem from human limitations (we are affected by the suffering of others)
> the virtuous act of mercy (helping someone out of love and moral duty) is not due to a defect, but rather a mark of moral excellence
“I stared at her, and as the sun gives strength
to the cold limbs made sluggish by the night,
so did my gaze now straighten all her length
And form her tongue so she could speak aright,
all in a moment, and it brought the color
love most desires into her pallid face.” (Canto XIX, line 22 -24)
context/explanation:
> Dante dreams of a siren
> Dante’s gaze gives her power, strength, life
> Siren = attachment to worldly pursuits
> grow used to pleasure & desire of (accruing) knowledge (think Odysseus) –> movement without PROGRESSION (Hell)
> desire and delusion are not innate to knowledge, but activated by the perceiver’s attention (excessive)
> what we attend to shapes our soul –> distortion of perception –> moral and spiritual confusion
“I made of that cross an anvil where this child of humankind could be hammered into an instrument to release humankind from death and restore it to the life of grace.”
context/explanation:
> Christ is not just passively crucified but actively forged into a redemptive tool
> salvation is not accidental or incidental –> it is intentional, transformative, and cosmic
> instrumental space –> God enters into human suffering and redeems it from within
> speaks to the healing of the human soul and the mending of the fracture caused by sin
> moves the heart as well as the intellect –> emotional and moral response
“And in the great and endless love which God has for all mankind, he makes no distinction in love between the blessed soul of Christ and the least soul that will be saved” (Book 54, pg.__)
context/explanation:
> expresses one of her most radical theological insights: God’s love is absolute, undivided, and without hierarchy
> God’s love for each human soul is equal to His love for Christ Himself (Christ isn’t uniquely beloved)
> portrays God primarily as motherly, nurturing, and endlessly compassionate
> oneness between humanity and Christ (He fully shares in our humanity, we, through grace, can share in His blessedness)
“But if one knows that joy is transitory,
And every joy in worldly things must flee,
He that remembers this will lose the glory;
The very dread of losing it must be
Enough to ruin his felicity.
If then one sets no store on joy so brittle,
It follows surely that it’s worth but little. (stanza 119, p. 140)
context/explanation:
> Chaucer’s exploration of the transience of earthly joy (romantic love)
> contrasts it with the enduring nature of divine love
> romantic love, tied to the physical world, is inherently unstable and impermanent –> relates to Fate
> No matter how intense or sincere the love between Troilus and Criseyde, it cannot withstand the blows of fate (war, betrayal, or separation)
> the only escape from the instability of fate and romantic suffering is through aligning with the eternal divine truth
