On the morrow, Saint Augustine (from the Tractatus in Ioannem) is explaining the Jewish feast of the Dedication of the Temple (John 10,22: Facta sunt encǽnia in Jerosólymis); the word is from caenon, he says, which is 'new'. For example, he continues, Si quis nova túnica induátur, encæniáre dícitur, if a fellow puts on a new tunic, we use the verb encaeniare for 'he puts on new'. I smiled when noting in the go-to lexicon machina online that the word is defined in the first place as 'to dedicate or renew a church (or part of one)'; a second source says 'to do on newe'. (Logeion is citing from the DMLBS, the Dictionary of Mediaeval Latin from British Sources.) The word survived from Saint Augustine's day to Osbern's in the 12th century but only barely.
Dominica in Palmis. I note that Father Hunwicke, on the 25th (am lamentably behind the news), wonders if Saint Augustine meant that in Greek it was still said egkainizesthai, εγκαινιζω, εγκαινιζεσθαι.
Wednesday morning post Primam. I see that Blessed Ildefonso has commented on the Evangelist's use of the word 'winter', hiems. He thinks that the Apostle meant to write 'rain'.
Although the Evangelist wrote in Greek, yet he thought in Syriac, in which language the same word is used for winter as for rain; but from the context it is clear that the word rain is more consistent with the narrative, for the fact that it was winter would have no connection with our Lord’s walking in the porch.
Hmm, hmm. Mons Knox translates 'winter'.
LDVM
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