Comments on: Unicorns — They’re Not Just for Girls Anymore

By: Kevin P. Edgecomb

Kevin P. Edgecomb — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 22:12:56 +0000

It’s a lovely book, relating the old Christian tales about the various animals, in particular. The author was an old French Catholic, not the hippy kind. (I can say that here, can’t I?)

By: Mike Aquilina

Mike Aquilina — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 11:45:38 +0000

The Bestiary of Christ is lovely. I see plenty of used copies available on Amazon. Thanks for pointing out the weirdness on the dates. I noticed it in the bookshop, but neglected to mark it in the post.

By: Kevin P. Edgecomb

Kevin P. Edgecomb — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 05:49:34 +0000

Shepard got his dates wrong on St Eustathius (of Antioch). If he'd died in 330, then St Basil would have to have written the Hexaemeron before he was a year old. Granted, the saint was brilliant, but that's unlikely. Actually, according to Döpp and Geerlings, eds., Dictionary of Early Christian Literature (p 220)

Other works are certainly not from E.: ...a commentary on the hexaemeron (hex.)....

The year he died is controverted, though he had been exiled. His relics were returned to Antioch in 438. Also, it seems Shepard misunderstood. The Pseudo-Eustathian commentary appears to be on the six days of creation (the hexaemeron), not on St Basil's commentary on the same. I made a post a while ago on the beautiful online Aberdeen Bestiary, and the printed Le Bestiaire du Christ of Louis Charbonneau-Lassay, now available in a complete reprint edition (see comments there for links), and in a beautifully produced though abridged English translation, The Bestiary of Christ (Parabola Books, 1991), sadly out of print. Le Bestiaire du Christ was illustrated by Charbonneau-Lassay with his self-produced woodcuts, which consistency gives the a charming and antiquarian feel.

By: Maureen

Maureen — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 02:22:08 +0000

The owls and dragons always confused me, too. Thank goodness for the many, easy-to-compare Internet editions of the Bible!

By: Mike Aquilina

Mike Aquilina — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 14:24:03 +0000

I think I have a new motto for the blog: Your source for mistranslations!

By: Danny Garland Jr.

Danny Garland Jr. — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 00:39:56 +0000

I’m glad you posted about this. While scouring through the Fathers yesterday for research for my paper, I came across this allegory. I looked at the psalm (RSV:CE translation) it referred to and saw “wild ox”, but no unicorn. I had no clue where where he got the unicorn from. Now it all makes sense.