Last night our new vicar was inducted, presented, licensed and installed. This was a wonderful service which involved some marvellous medieval traditions including the archdeacon leading David by the hand to his new chair and Cathy, David's wife, ringing the bell so that the town would know David had taken up his post. For me one of the best moments was one which many may well have found rather tiresome; the reading of the license. It is a sad fact that I find these documents exciting because the wording of them hasn't changed since medieval times. The only difference is that they are now in English, not Latin like the many charters I used to set my MA in Medieval Studies students. As the Bishop read "I Alan Lawrence, Bishop of Buckingham to David Antony, clerk in holy orders, greeting" and "The Bishop of Oxford sends greetings to all to whom these presents may come or may concern" my sad little Latin-loving heart leapt. All the more sad was the fact that I was translating it all back into Latin in my head. Isn't it a fortunate thing that I've moved into youthwork and therefore don't display the sadness of loving Latin quite so often? But oh dear! As I was discussing off-the-wall blogs with the Blogmeister Dave on Tuesday I suggested a Latin blog and in my even greater folly I have now begun one!
For those of you not skilled in Latin, the first entry (and indeed so far ONLY entry) is an explanation of the name. I have called it MEPHEMERIS because the words for web and log (well diary really) in Latin are araneam and ephemeris and if you run thes togetheryou get araneamephemeris and so like weblog to blog you get mephemeris. Yes I know. I need to get out more! I'm working on it!
Ave atque vale.
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