26 thoughts on “D’ye think the man might enjoy posing as a cleric?”
Ottokring
The CofE refused to have him. Not sure where he got in, in the end. Too right wing for the modern Church
Mind you I knew a chap who was turned down because he was too holy. He went off to be a monk instead.
bloke in spain
I was reading a piece about how men’s clothes styles changed over the centuries. That style of dress went out in the C14th. You’d think the church would at least be up to doublet & hose by now.
Because that’s all these dressing conventions are. Styles of dress change over time, but sometimes, for some reason, a particular activity get fixed with a particular period. Like the business suit, shirt & tie convention got fixed in the early C20th. Before that styles changed. Or certain army uniforms fixed at the Napoleonic era.
bloke in spain
I wonder what current styles will end up being a fixed convention in the future? “Ah, here he comes in his ceremonial Puffa jacket, slimfit trousers & trainers”
The Meissen Bison
It might be kinder to assume that the picture is for his congregation.
Steve
Maybe his Mum really wanted him to be a priest, but he wanted to be Jules Winnfield.
Tim Worstall
He’s in the Free Church of England, summat like that. “The Free Church of England was founded principally by Evangelical or Low Church clergy and congregations in response to what were perceived as attempts (inspired by the Oxford Movement) to re-introduce medieval Roman Catholic dogmas and practices into the Church of England, England’s established church. The first congregation was formed by the Revd. James Shore at St John’s Church Bridgetown, Totnes, Devon, in 1844.”
bloke in spain
Interesting, Tim. But they went with the early medieval togs rather than frock coat & britches.
Chris
Does having no bloody idea who this is make me a bad person?
John
Chris
Calvin Robinson is definitely one of the good guys in my book. His GB News show has been purged but he occasionally appears as a guest on LotusEaters and talks a lot of sense. There’s more to him than the ecclesiastical get-up.
“The first congregation was formed by the Revd. James Shore at St John’s Church Bridgetown, Totnes, Devon, in 1844.”
Totnes is usually described as “the place settled by all the hippies who thought Glastonbury was too commercial”. I see it has a longer history of lunacy than that.
Steve
Too right wing for the modern Church
Otto, I’m fairly sure Jesus Christ’s politics haven’t changed.
So it’s the “church” that’s wrong, intit. Our splendidly Afro’d friend is correct.
Bloke in Pictland
“I’m fairly sure Jesus Christ’s politics haven’t changed.”
Apart from his profound dislike for the Pharisees I’m not sure his politics played a large part in the Gospels. I admit my memory may be at fault. “Render unto Caesar …” doesn’t sound like a call to arms.
I dare say he took a dim view of Herod Antipasta, or whatever his name was, for having murdered John the B, so I suppose that is politics though it might also be viewed as a family vendetta if the aforesaid John was a cousin (as some do say).
Steve
BiP – Apart from his profound dislike for the Pharisees
Extremely based
I’m not sure his politics played a large part in the Gospels.
It’s possible we mean different things by “politics”. I don’t know where Our Lord stands on banning single use disposable vapes or the ERM, but I do know what he told us about the important issues.
I admit my memory may be at fault. “Render unto Caesar …” doesn’t sound like a call to arms.
But render unto Caesar is a very clever political statement, especially when said Pharisees are peppering you with gotcha questions in the hope of getting you murdered.
We should render unto Caesar what is his. But what is Caesar’s? He wasn’t merely talking about a coin, you know. What is legitimate secular authority and what do we owe them?
Don’t forget the second half of the formula, either. Are we rendering unto God?
Theophrastus
BiS
Clergy vestments are not medieval in origin, but have evolved from the normal dress of civil life in the Greco-Roman world.
But Jesus said, Suffer lumpenproletariat, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is all power to the Soviets made.
Grikath
Theophrastus and BiS are both right, it seems…. And technically wrong…
The one most important clerical piece of clothing for a christian priest is actually the stole..
It’s the bit that shows he is On the Clock….
The robes do originate from byzantine greco-roman fashion, but those were really only fashionable with the high clergy and nobility in Frankish controlled areas up until the 12th-ish C. The rest wore pants.
The “unification” of clergy dresscode really only started about then, as most major churches and chapels were ran by one of the religious orders with their own dresscode.
Which was based on the cassock, not the noble robes.
But ultimately, it was the stole that was important.
As is evidenced by the phrasing in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and othe records of such ilk: [such-and-such] got delivered the Stole and took seat as ….etc…
What you actually wore wasn’t as important in the past. People were pretty pragmatic about Things ( and many a zealot is on historical record whining about this…)
If you’re lucky and happen to see one of the re-enactment groups doing one of the old military orders properly you can still see this happening, as the Prayer and Absolvo is often done in full armour, with the donning of the Stole a very important point in the process.
Starfish
Lionel, is that you?
bloke in spain
@Grikath
My comment was more on the particular choice of this religious sect. There quite a few new Christian sects arise around this period. But most of them adopted the garments of the day. It’s surprising that a sect that was all about rejecting the re-Romanisation of the CofE went for a Roman look. I presume they didn’t want to do the whole Protestant.
Fred
A few weeks back a chap got on looking for all the world like an extra in Father Brown! Thought he might be one of the Calvins but no he was another Anglican offshoot much further up the candlestick! A Vicar in the Traditional Anglican Church. Very interesting guy but can’t quite understand why they don’t just go all JH Newman like?
William of Baskerville
But must we quarrel over the name of the clothes?
Mohave Greenie
My Lutheran pastor dressed like that. He said wearing a cassock made him look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy.
Bloke in the Fourth Reich
What does Jesus, the messiah come to free the Jews from yet another colonial authority, being so pro-Roman, yea verily unto paying all of ones taxes in full and on time to said colonial authority, tell you about the authorship of the gospels?
Boganboy
BitFR.
I’d say it tells you that the authors of the gospels were very concerned indeed that the taxation officials would have them up on the cross as well.
Bloke in Pictland
“free the Jews from yet another colonial authority”: the Jews in Galilee weren’t under a colonial authority, that was the Jews in Judea. Galilee was ruled by a son of Herod the Great. So no Roman legionaries lounging about testing the patience of the natives. Ditto no Roman legionaries building aqueducts either.
In fact the Jews in Galilee had only recently been converted to Judaism by the coercion of an earlier colonial authority i.e. the Hasmonean dynasty of Judea. Also Galilee did have some Jewish immigrant families from Judea.
What proportion of the population of Galilee was Jewish in Jesus’s time I have no idea. I doubt whether anyone else has either. What proportion of the Jewish population of Galilee was descended from recent immigrants from Judea I don’t know either.
It’s remarkable how little actual history is contained in the OT. It seems to be mainly a store of folklore and simple invention. Invented when and by whom and why? That’s largely a matter of speculation.
Pcar
@Tim Worstall, October 28, 2023 at 8:53 am
Similar to Episcopal Churh in Scotland started in St. Paul’s Church in Edinburgh
GBN sacking Calvin to placate Ofcom, establishment yet again is destroying their credibility
Now GBN has John Cleese show calling for More press regulation
The CofE refused to have him. Not sure where he got in, in the end. Too right wing for the modern Church
Mind you I knew a chap who was turned down because he was too holy. He went off to be a monk instead.
I was reading a piece about how men’s clothes styles changed over the centuries. That style of dress went out in the C14th. You’d think the church would at least be up to doublet & hose by now.
Because that’s all these dressing conventions are. Styles of dress change over time, but sometimes, for some reason, a particular activity get fixed with a particular period. Like the business suit, shirt & tie convention got fixed in the early C20th. Before that styles changed. Or certain army uniforms fixed at the Napoleonic era.
I wonder what current styles will end up being a fixed convention in the future? “Ah, here he comes in his ceremonial Puffa jacket, slimfit trousers & trainers”
It might be kinder to assume that the picture is for his congregation.
Maybe his Mum really wanted him to be a priest, but he wanted to be Jules Winnfield.
He’s in the Free Church of England, summat like that. “The Free Church of England was founded principally by Evangelical or Low Church clergy and congregations in response to what were perceived as attempts (inspired by the Oxford Movement) to re-introduce medieval Roman Catholic dogmas and practices into the Church of England, England’s established church. The first congregation was formed by the Revd. James Shore at St John’s Church Bridgetown, Totnes, Devon, in 1844.”
Interesting, Tim. But they went with the early medieval togs rather than frock coat & britches.
Does having no bloody idea who this is make me a bad person?
Chris
Calvin Robinson is definitely one of the good guys in my book. His GB News show has been purged but he occasionally appears as a guest on LotusEaters and talks a lot of sense. There’s more to him than the ecclesiastical get-up.
https://youtu.be/nHR8ouhux7k?si=APWG8KzJKxMQvOUk
“The first congregation was formed by the Revd. James Shore at St John’s Church Bridgetown, Totnes, Devon, in 1844.”
Totnes is usually described as “the place settled by all the hippies who thought Glastonbury was too commercial”. I see it has a longer history of lunacy than that.
Too right wing for the modern Church
Otto, I’m fairly sure Jesus Christ’s politics haven’t changed.
So it’s the “church” that’s wrong, intit. Our splendidly Afro’d friend is correct.
“I’m fairly sure Jesus Christ’s politics haven’t changed.”
Apart from his profound dislike for the Pharisees I’m not sure his politics played a large part in the Gospels. I admit my memory may be at fault. “Render unto Caesar …” doesn’t sound like a call to arms.
I dare say he took a dim view of Herod Antipasta, or whatever his name was, for having murdered John the B, so I suppose that is politics though it might also be viewed as a family vendetta if the aforesaid John was a cousin (as some do say).
BiP – Apart from his profound dislike for the Pharisees
Extremely based
I’m not sure his politics played a large part in the Gospels.
It’s possible we mean different things by “politics”. I don’t know where Our Lord stands on banning single use disposable vapes or the ERM, but I do know what he told us about the important issues.
I admit my memory may be at fault. “Render unto Caesar …” doesn’t sound like a call to arms.
But render unto Caesar is a very clever political statement, especially when said Pharisees are peppering you with gotcha questions in the hope of getting you murdered.
We should render unto Caesar what is his. But what is Caesar’s? He wasn’t merely talking about a coin, you know. What is legitimate secular authority and what do we owe them?
Don’t forget the second half of the formula, either. Are we rendering unto God?
BiS
Clergy vestments are not medieval in origin, but have evolved from the normal dress of civil life in the Greco-Roman world.
Arthur
Second time that Totnes being “different” has come up in the last few days…
https://www.timworstall.com/2023/10/well-yes-100/#comment-1287888
Not sure I can blame this one on Dartington Hall.
In the Book of Trotsky 19:14 it goeth
But Jesus said, Suffer lumpenproletariat, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is all power to the Soviets made.
Theophrastus and BiS are both right, it seems…. And technically wrong…
The one most important clerical piece of clothing for a christian priest is actually the stole..
It’s the bit that shows he is On the Clock….
The robes do originate from byzantine greco-roman fashion, but those were really only fashionable with the high clergy and nobility in Frankish controlled areas up until the 12th-ish C. The rest wore pants.
The “unification” of clergy dresscode really only started about then, as most major churches and chapels were ran by one of the religious orders with their own dresscode.
Which was based on the cassock, not the noble robes.
But ultimately, it was the stole that was important.
As is evidenced by the phrasing in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and othe records of such ilk: [such-and-such] got delivered the Stole and took seat as ….etc…
What you actually wore wasn’t as important in the past. People were pretty pragmatic about Things ( and many a zealot is on historical record whining about this…)
If you’re lucky and happen to see one of the re-enactment groups doing one of the old military orders properly you can still see this happening, as the Prayer and Absolvo is often done in full armour, with the donning of the Stole a very important point in the process.
Lionel, is that you?
@Grikath
My comment was more on the particular choice of this religious sect. There quite a few new Christian sects arise around this period. But most of them adopted the garments of the day. It’s surprising that a sect that was all about rejecting the re-Romanisation of the CofE went for a Roman look. I presume they didn’t want to do the whole Protestant.
A few weeks back a chap got on looking for all the world like an extra in Father Brown! Thought he might be one of the Calvins but no he was another Anglican offshoot much further up the candlestick! A Vicar in the Traditional Anglican Church. Very interesting guy but can’t quite understand why they don’t just go all JH Newman like?
But must we quarrel over the name of the clothes?
My Lutheran pastor dressed like that. He said wearing a cassock made him look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy.
What does Jesus, the messiah come to free the Jews from yet another colonial authority, being so pro-Roman, yea verily unto paying all of ones taxes in full and on time to said colonial authority, tell you about the authorship of the gospels?
BitFR.
I’d say it tells you that the authors of the gospels were very concerned indeed that the taxation officials would have them up on the cross as well.
“free the Jews from yet another colonial authority”: the Jews in Galilee weren’t under a colonial authority, that was the Jews in Judea. Galilee was ruled by a son of Herod the Great. So no Roman legionaries lounging about testing the patience of the natives. Ditto no Roman legionaries building aqueducts either.
In fact the Jews in Galilee had only recently been converted to Judaism by the coercion of an earlier colonial authority i.e. the Hasmonean dynasty of Judea. Also Galilee did have some Jewish immigrant families from Judea.
What proportion of the population of Galilee was Jewish in Jesus’s time I have no idea. I doubt whether anyone else has either. What proportion of the Jewish population of Galilee was descended from recent immigrants from Judea I don’t know either.
It’s remarkable how little actual history is contained in the OT. It seems to be mainly a store of folklore and simple invention. Invented when and by whom and why? That’s largely a matter of speculation.
@Tim Worstall, October 28, 2023 at 8:53 am
Similar to Episcopal Churh in Scotland started in St. Paul’s Church in Edinburgh
GBN sacking Calvin to placate Ofcom, establishment yet again is destroying their credibility
Now GBN has John Cleese show calling for More press regulation