1141
A long-lived annual of riddles, rhymes and really hard maths aimed specifically at Georgian Britain’s hidden public of clever women.
The 18th century was deluged with popular magazines, almanacks and annuals filled with tidbits, extracts and riddling rhymes, but few could rival John Tipper’s “Ladies’ Diary” for longevity or circulation – or for sheer hard maths.
Picture: Engraving by William Nutter, based on a miniature by Samuel Shelley. From the National Portrait Gallery, via Wikimedia Commons.. Source.
Posted April 24 2017
1142
Abbot Elfric praised St Thomas for demanding hard evidence for the resurrection.
The Apostle St Thomas refused to believe reports of the resurrection of Jesus unless he saw and touched the risen Christ for himself. Some scold him for his ‘doubt’, but the English Abbot Elfric (955-1010) warmly thanked him for demanding such clear proof, and noted that Jesus was evidently expecting it.
Picture: Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted April 22 2017
1143
Eurystheus pits his cousin against a son of Ares and some man-eating horses.
After seven failed attempts, King Eurystheus has still not rid himself of his cousin Heracles. Perhaps, he thinks, combat with a warrior-king of divine birth, some man-eating mares, and a savage tribe would to be enough; and certainly, things do not look good for our hero at first.
Picture: © Nchatzitou, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.. Source.
Posted April 21 2017
1144
King Saul’s jealousies drove those who loved him away, but David was a very different kind of leader.
Before he became Israel’s King, David was a loyal servant of King Saul and a close friend of Saul’s son, Jonathan. But Saul’s impetuous jealousies made him see treachery at every turn, just when Israel needed unity against the invading Philistines. David was another kind of leader entirely — as this little tale shows.
Picture: © Mujaddara, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.. Source.
Posted April 18 2017
1145
A Danish soldier in the seventeenth century imposes the severest sentence he can think of.
Flensburg is now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, but until 1864 it was Flensborg, an important harbour town in the Kingdom of Denmark. At one time, brewing was a major industry, and if this story is to be believed, to be deprived of a drop of Flensborg beer was as much as man could bear.
Picture: © Wolfgang Pehlemann, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.. Source.
Posted April 17 2017
1146
In a translation from the Authorized Version of the Bible, published in 1611, St Mark recounts the discovery of Christ’s empty tomb.
This translation of St Mark’s breathless account of the resurrection of Jesus was made in the reign of King James VI and I, and published in 1611. The language was deliberately archaic, even for William Shakespeare’s time, and translated the traditional ‘Byzantine’ text of the New Testament rather than the academic reconstructions preferred since the 19th century.
Picture: © Fumihiko Ueno. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted April 16 2017