Saturday, October 2, 2021

Augustine on μνημεῖον and like-terms for Memory/Memorials/Monuments

One area of Greek I like to study is that of the various terms for “remembrance” such as αναμνησις. One can find some of my material on pp. 55-70, 216-20 of “Do this in Remembrance of Me”: A Biblical and Historical Analysis of Roman Catholic Dogmatic Teachings Concerning the Eucharist and Sacrifice of the Mass.

 

While not related to the Eucharist, I did find Augustine’s discussion of terms such as μνημεῖον to be interesting:

 

Chapter 4

 

(6) And if this is true, a place provided for burying bodies among the memorials of the saints is surely a matter of good human affection in attending to the funeral of one’s own relatives. Indeed, if there is some religious requirement that they be buried, there can be some when the question is considered as to where they shall be buried. But, when such comforts are sought for the living by which their pious intentions toward their own loved ones are evident, I do not see what aids there are for the dead except for this purpose, that, while the living are worshiping in the place where the bodies of those whom they love are buried, they may commend to the same saints, as if to patrons, those whom they have undertaken before the Lord to aid by prayer. Actually, they could do this even if they had not been able to bury them in such places. For no other reason are those things which plainly become sepulchres of the dead said to be memorials or monuments, unless it is because of this: Memorials admonish us to think of and to recall to our memory those who have been taken away by dead from the eyes of the living, lest by forgetfulness they be removed from our hearts also. The name memoriae shows clearly that this is the meaning, and monumentum is also thus called because it should admonish the mind, that is, it calls something to the attention of the mind. For this reason, the Greeks use the word mnēmeion for what we call a memorial or a monument, because in their language memory itself, by which we remember, is called mnēmē. When, therefore, the mind recalls where the body of a very dear one has been buried, and the place happens to be the name of a venerably martyr, to the same martyr he commends the beloved soul in a spirit of prayerful recollection and affliction. And when such a disposition is shown for the dead by very dear Christian friends, there is no doubt that they are benefited by these devotions, if when they were living in the body they merited such things to be their advantage after this life. Indeed, if some necessity permits bodies to be buried, or does not give any opportunity for them to be buried in special places, those supplications in behalf of the dead are not to be passed over. Such prayers are to be made for all the dead in a Christian and Catholic society, even though there be a silent mention of their names which the Church undertakes in the general commemoration. In this way commemoration is made by one devoted mother for those who lack such prayers, whether parents, or son, or any relations whatsoever, or friends. If, however, these supplications which are made with true faith and devotion for the dead should be lacking, there would be no advantage to their souls, I think, however holy the places be in which their lifeless bodies are buried. (“The Care to be Taken for the Dead,” chapters 14-15, translated by John A. Lacy, in Treatises on Marriage and Other Subjects [The Fathers of the Church 27; Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 1955, 1985], 358-59